I have just installed the personal version on a Windows98 SE computer. The application causes the computer to hang on restart, although it does a complete shutdown with no problem, it’s just the restart that won’t work. I deduced it was Avast that was causing the problem by disabling the …\ashServ.exe item in the startup using MSConfig.
Do you have any idea why this might be happening. This is on a fresh, clean install of Windows98SE running Ad-Aware, SpybotS&D, Zone Alarm, BHODemon and CleanMyPC registry cleaner.
The computer is a Dell PII 233 with 128 MB of RAM. I would like to use this product, but the fact that it prevents Windows from going to a restart is troubling.
When I go to restart Windows, it goes to the Windows is Shutting Down screen and then freezes and I have to power down to recover. As I said, it does not seem to interfere with a complet shutdown, just a restart
Is this a legitimate version of windows?
Do you have all patches/updates installed for win98?
Have you tried it with only Avast loading at boottime?
Have you tried a hot boot with only Avast running?
Did you installed ALL mobo drivers?
Do you have the MS-windows shutdown patch applied?
Do you ALSO have any other Anti-Virus Program installed and running?
I also utilize 98SE and have Avast! on this machine well going over a year now without issue including first downloading.
If your machine had another AntiVirus configuration before theres always a possibility some componants remain that can produce similar results untill fully removed for a “Clean” “Fresh” Avast! install.
Like Eddy mentioned, try removing the option of “starting with windows” and see if the 98SE can smoothly load & enter to the GUI then.
Post back your results and some more details and we will make some workable decisions so you can finally enjoy this favorite technology.
Is this a legitimate version of windows?
yes legit version of Windows
Do you have all patches/updates installed for win98?
yes all available updates identified by Windows Update from MicroSoft applied
Have you tried it with only Avast loading at boottime?
No
Have you tried a hot boot with only Avast running?
No
Did you installed ALL mobo drivers? Don’t have any. It’s not like this compute came from the factory recently. What mobo drivers would we be looking for and why would this be an issue, since it shutsdown beautifully when AVAST isn’t running.
Do you have the MS-windows shutdown patch applied? don’t know, assuming it’s part of the gazillion patches and updates I ran after the clean install of Window98SE. Or would I have to specifically search out that patch?
Have you tried it with only Avast loading at boottime?
Have you tried a hot boot with only Avast running?
These two look like the same thing to me, maybe you could elaborate. Anyway, what I did was disable everything in the startup except the 2 Avast items. The shutdown went beautifully, so I guess we’re looking at some kind of conflict with some other application here, eh?
is anything in your autoexec.bat file searching for a programme that isn’t there
Autoexec.bat is empty.
btw, did Avast ever worked on this system with 98se?
No, this is the first time I have used this product. As I said, it is a clean install of Win98SE.
Hmm, I can’t see any difference between shutdown and restart, from avast’s point of view. Does it help when you stop the avast! on-access protection before initiating the restart?
These two look like the same thing to me, maybe you could elaborate. Anyway, what I did was disable everything in the startup except the 2 Avast items. The shutdown went beautifully, so I guess we're looking at some kind of conflict with some other application here, eh?
You can see what is loading at boottime with [url=http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml]startup.cpl[/url] or msconfig.
If you use the system other things can become active. You can see/stop them with the taskmanager.
You see, they may look like the same to you, but they are not.
Since you left Avast loading at boottime and disabled the rest. It is not a problem of Avast. Reenable everything. Prevent one thing from loading and try a hot boot. Repeat this till you found what is causing the problem.
Also look at the taskmanager what is running before trying the hot boot.
Does it help when you stop the avast! on-access protection before initiating the restart?
I tried stopping the Avast service before shutdown/restart and it still hangs
Like Eddy mentioned, try removing the option of “starting with windows” and see if the 98SE can smoothly load & enter to the GUI then
I’m not sure what you mean here, but I think you mean remove from the startup. In any case the problem is on the Shutdown part of the Shutdown/Restart cycle where Win98SE hangs.
autoexec.bat and config.sys shouldn’t have much in it after a clean install. If the have there is definatly something wrong. Anyway, whatever they have in it shouldn’t be relevant in this case since the problem occures while trying a hot boot. Not when windows starts.
Only thing I can guess (apart from the obvious) would be a legit copy of 98 on a not fully cleaned Dell hard-drive, or a somewhat suspect install of 98.
Can’t understand how autoexec.bat would be empty, especially with Dell
chaps, I was busily going through all the items in start up, disabling one by one to see which one was interacting with AVAST, i’m still plugging away at it as each one requires 2 reboots to test, and it’s not always reproduceable. Sometimes (about 1 in 10) it will shutdown/restart successfully
To answers some of the questions about this.
It’s the personal or free editiion of AVAST, pardon me if I got the nomenclture muddled, not Windows 98 SE. The version is the one designed for an install from scratch…so it says in the startup.
The windows 98SE is a legit copy, but it’s standalone install, not a restore disk from Dell…Lord only knows where that is, but the computer came without it.
The disk was FDisked and formatted before I installed Win98SE
It seems that the problem is caused by some interaction between AVAST and one of the other applications which load in the startup.
Thanks to all of you for your response and effort in trying to help me out. Windows98 seems a bit like Voodoo sometimes.