Avast 5 won't install

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi hopefully someone will be able to help me

I have run Avast for ages very successfully and always been happy with it. A few days ago it stopped updating - I kept getting error messages that updates were not successful and when I visited the link it kept saying unable to connect. I tried repair and update from the control panel and still no joy, so I decided to uninstall it and reinstall - not one of my wiser decisions it seems!

Now when I try to install I am told that I need to run Windows 2000 service pack 4 or higher - I run Windows XP service pack 3!

I had a horrible virus about a week ago which I thought I had got rid of but am wondering if there is a residue which is causing this?(it was antivir solution pro sent to me via a messenger link - horrible little b***er that took a day of safe mode, scanning and turning the air blue)

Any suggestions on what I can do to resolve this would be most gratefully received. Thank you

2

A clean install might resolve the problem.

  • Download the latest version of avast, 5.0.594 http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again (if you didn’t save your last download). Use that when you reinstall.

  • Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, aswClear5.exe find it here and save it to your HDD (it has uninstall tools for both 4.8 and 5.0).

    1. Now uninstall (using add remove programs, if you can’t do that, no add remove entry, etc. start from the next step), reboot.- 2. run the avast! Uninstall Utility from safe mode, first for 4.8 if previously installed and then for 5.0, once complete reboot into normal mode.- 3. install the latest version, reboot.

It may be worth running some other scans first:
If you haven’t already got this software (freeware), download, install, update and run it and report the findings (it should product a log file).

Don’t worry about reported tracking cookies they are a minor issue and not one of security, allow SAS to deal with them though. - See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie.
Also available a portable version of SAS, http://www.superantispyware.com/portablescanner.html, no installation required.

3

David

Thank you so much for replying so promptly and so helpfully

I followed all of the recommended steps, and Avast is now back on my system (hoorah!!), but it is still unable to update - I just keep getting error messages every time I try. It seems like a few folk are having this problem but I am not sure what to do to resolve this so any additional advice would be most appreciated

4

No problem, glad I could help.

What is the full text of the error message ?
What is your firewall ?
Does it allow avast.setup internet access ?

  • If it does delete the entry for it and do a manual update, this should force the firewall to ask permission again.

Welcome to the forums.