Avast 2016 Internet Security Upgrade Nightmare - Mutiple issues - PROBLEM SOLVED

system · 2015-11-03T18:04:05.000Z

I started the upgrade from Avast! Internet Security 2015 to 2016 on my wife’s HP AMD A8 64 bit computer running Windows 10 this morning. Everything went smoothly until the restart process.

Problem #1 - Avast says “You are at risk” Firewall is not active. I pressed the button to activate the firewall and get something like “Failed to activate firewall”. I tried a few more times getting the same response.

I decided I needed to do a clean uninstall and start from scratch. That’s when it gets really, really bad. I downloaded the Avast Clean Uninstall program and initiated it. I get the message I usually do that it is better to run the program from Safe Mode and clicked “Yes” for Avast! Clean to restart the computer in SafeMode. Following the restart, I entered my wife’s password for Windows 10 at the Windows 10 password prompt. I get a message that the password is incorrect. I also notice down in the lower right hand corner of the screen that says I have lost internet connection. (Icon with a big red X in it). I check the internet connection. Big red X is still present, but the information on the Windows 10 pop up (on the right side of the screen )for our router listing on the “Connect to Internet” list of routers says that we are connected to our router.

I tried my wife’s password again, but still no luck.

I logged onto the Avast site to check my account status. Avast says that my account is paid up (should be as I just renewed a couple of months ago and have it on autorenew.) Avast also says that my license is connected to my wife’s computer as well as mine (still one license left to use, but only two computers for the two of us so far.)

Just wondering if anyone has run into this. If so, what needs to be done to get out of this?

I’ve been very happy with Avast for about 10 years now, but that happiness is rapidly turning into a heated anger. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Right now I am stuck as far as my wife’s computer is concerned. It’s basically an unusable expensive brick sitting on the table.

system · 2015-11-03T18:17:29.000Z

Update in case anyone else runs into this…

Just on the chance, we tried my wife’s password for her email account; not the one she has used for ever to log into her computer. It worked so I’m now one step closer with the Avast! Clean. Keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully things will progress as they have in the past. (Password issue WAS NOT AN AVAST! PROBLEM, but an extremely unclear process on Microsoft’s part…one more reason I have been moving computers over to Linux, but that’s another story.

Para-Noid · 2015-11-03T18:24:58.000Z

Try a repair…control panel>uninstall a program>double click “avast”>click “repair”>reboot.

During beta testing I had an issue which required me to do two repairs before I got it fixed.

essexboy · 2015-11-03T18:41:01.000Z

On windows 10 a second reboot usually clears any firewall errors…

system · 2015-11-03T18:50:59.000Z

Thanks!!! I went ahead and removed Avast! from both of my computers. I’ll start both over from scratch. The repair option is a great feature that I have used in the past with success. It had been a while since I did a clean install. I’ve always gone the upgrade in place route with no issues. I may have been bit this time by a combination of upgrading to Windows 10 and upgrading the antivirus software over the existing older version.

Hopefully, I’m no longer over my head. The incorrect password message rattled me. One thing for future reference, if anyone else encounters this, I noticed that on the Windows 10 login screen there is a box just below the password line. It has some cryptic title that I have forgotten, but clicking that box will offer the user the option to login with the pin (icon on the left) or the account password (icon on the right). I guess Windows didn’t know which one to use on my wife’s computer when going into SafeMode. (I didn’t run into it when using the same procedure on my computer so it threw me a little.) Anyway, that’s another thing to put in the mental tool box for future use.

Also, I checked my account again from the Avast! main site and noticed that the same computers were listed multiple times. I deleted each of the computers to untie them from my licenses just in case there was some miscommunication between the number of computers and number of licenses. I have three licenses, but both of our computers were listed twice on the account. That could possibly tell Avast! that I don’t have enough licenses available. Right now neither computer is tied to an Avast! license. I’ll reconnect each as I reinstall. One way I think this could happen is via multiple license renewals and interim software upgrades, but I’m not really sure.

system · 2015-11-03T18:53:12.000Z

essexboy post:4:

On windows 10 a second reboot usually clears any firewall errors…

Thanks!!!

That’s what I thought because I had run into that with earlier versions of AIS following upgrades. I tried that first, but it didn’t work this time. It is good information for other users who might encounter a minor setback, though.

UPDATE:

Avast! Internet Security 2016 has been successfully on both our computers. I think some of my issues may have been due to a combination of upgrading the operating system over the previous operating system combined with numerous instances of upgrading Avast! over the earlier version over the years. There were no issues with a clean install of the program.

Thanks for all the help on this board! This forum with other users as well as experts helping each other is one of the strengths of the Avast! community.

system · 2015-11-03T20:25:48.000Z

essexboy post:4:

On windows 10 a second reboot usually clears any firewall errors…

What year is this? 1995?

“Reboot and try again” is reappearing as the solution to shoddy coding?

essexboy · 2015-11-03T20:32:30.000Z

I have no idea whether it is avast or windows that is at fault but it does sometimes work

Surely if it was shoddy coding it would not work period

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