Avast and ATI Tray Tools 1.3.6.1066 conflict.

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

When I try to change profiles with ATI Tray Tools and Avast, all shields with all packers enabled, it freezes my computer. It just started today. If I stop on access protection it works fine. Please fix this minor annoyance.

2

What’s the exact version (build) of avast! you have?
What operating system do you use?

3

Windows XP SP2 with all critical and optional updates. Avast version 4.7.1074 with VPS 071101-0. Problems just cropped up with the latest VPS update. I have been using the same version of ATI Tray Tools a week. I also tried adding the whole working folder of the program as an exception to no avail. It still locks. Only disabling on demand works. I refuse to ditch Avast or ATI tray tools. Thanks in advance.

4

What do you mean by “all packers enabled”? Have you manually added all packers in the on-access scanning task? (via the avast Enhanced UI)

Also, do you see the avast tray icon spinning when the problem is simulated?

Cheers
Vlk

5

hmm i run both latest ATT beta and Avast! and go no such problem

6

I manually enabled all packers in the enchanced UI. When I go to change the profile, Everything comes to a halt, no error message. Nothing works, but the mouse moves.

7
I manually enabled all packers in the enchanced UI

Not a good idea. I generally strongly recommend against such a setting. The thing is, even on a clean Windows installation, you’ll be seeing huge delays when Windows e.g. touches its C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386 folder (the file driver.cab located in this folder contains thousands of files, and its decompression takes a LONG time). The same applies to the contents of the C:\Windows\Installer folder. And trust me, Windows touches these very folders quite often.

So, my recommendation is to stick with the defaults (as far as the Packer settings for the on-access scanner go)…

Cheers
Vlk

8

I have the 1386 folder excluded. Only issue with avast I have is the issue with ati tray tools. I even tried installing the stable release to the same result.

9

ATI Tools may of course access a different file (out of i386 folder).
I’d suggest to try to disable particular packers to see if something helps (the first ones to try would probably be OLE, CAB, Installer). Btw, did you also add some extensions to be scanned “on open”? How long did you wait (after changing the profile) before concluding it’s frozen?

You might try to find what is avast! scanning by enabling the report file creation (with all, even “OK files”, included), but I’m not sure the report would be complete after the freeze. Also, you may enable the “Show detailed info on performed action” in the Standard Shield provider to see what’s being scanned, but it might possibly make the problem even worse.

10

I let the computer sit for 60 minutes after it froze. It did nothing. It is so funny how it worked for a year plus no issues.

11

Well, could you try to disable some packers to see if it helps?

Would you be able to create and upload a full-memory dump at the moment when the computer is frozen? The description of the process is here:
http://support.avast.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=71
Notes:

  1. It works with PS/2 keyboard only, not USB
  2. The dump is rather huge (as big as your RAM size)
12

It would be a 2 GB memory dump. I will wait a week or so and retry avast.