I just uninstalled Avast for the exact same reason - my system with Win98 never shutdown and I have never had this problem before with any software.
Too bad - I liked the scan speed although I could do without the overkill skins.
I am using Windows98SE and for a very long time I have been experiencing shutdown freeze problems. Someone said that it was a memory related problem, yet increasing my RAM to 256Mb did not help. Installing the microsoft patch that delays shutdown by a few seconds also didn’t help - so I thought perhaps my system needed more than just a few seconds. So I started waiting for a full minute before clicking on the final shutdown button and find that 9 out of 10 times, my pc shuts down fine. It may also help closing down as many programs as possible before final shutdown.
I realize the above is not the answer to your problem, but offer it in the hope that it may prove a temporary remedy, till the solution is found.
Regards - Aenea
I am using Win 98 second edition and have shutdown problems since I installed Avast!
If I start up with my printer (on parallel port) turned off (and leave it off), my computer shutdown perfectly everytime, but if I start up with my printer on then I have shutdown problems !
I think Avast! must be scanning my parallel port causing the shutdown problems ! And yes I do have all the shutdown patches installed …
I guess it’s good to hear I’m not the only one with this problem. That doesn’t help me directly but at least it shows that there is something of a pattern that could hopefully be addressed. For the record, I tried waiting for the computer to shut down. I came back after an hour and it was still frozen so that doesn’t seem to be the answer.
The shutdown problems happen now about 9 times out of 10 so this is becoming a real issue. I sometimes work from remote and it’s important for me to be able to reliably restart my computer when no one is around to do a hard reset.
Guys, keep working on this one. You can do it! We’re counting on you. 8)
“For the record, I tried waiting for the computer to shut down. I
came back after an hour and it was still frozen so that doesn’t
seem to be the answer”.
After clicking START and then SHUT DOWN, you are presented with the small SHUT DOWN WINDOW with options to SHUT DOWN, RESTART, etc - the additional waiting I suggested in my previous posting is to be done between the first SHUT DOWN and 2nd (and final) SHUT DOWN click. I do hope this helps, as I know too well the frustration of shutdown freezes.
Tried that, no dice. I waited over 5 minutes before clicking the second shutdown and it still froze.
Technical, have you come up with anything yet? Eddy? Igor?
Thanks again!
No… I had few problems at shutdown, very very rare… I didn’t even troubleshoot them because they went away…
Besides, I use XP. Igor will be the man for this.
Maybe this piece of info will help. If I disable Avast protection before shutting down then it shuts down fine. Could it be that Avast is trying to scan files as they are shutting down and locking them in the proccess causing the big freeze? :-\
Thanks guys. Keep trying. You can do it!
At least I thought that helped. It did yesterday. I just tried shutting down right after that last post. I shut down Avast! On-Access scanning and it froze anyway. Now I’m REALLY confused. ???
Any more ideas? Should I try to uninstall Avast! and see what happens?
Thanks again guys!
Any news? I’m just bringing this one back to the top.
Thanks!
YSB did you see my previous post above ? I have been using Avast! for nearly two years and the only way my Win98 will shutdown is by starting up with my printer off then start my printer after start up and turning printer off before shutdown. Works everytime , so Avast! must be scanning my printer port !
This problem with printer port scanning causing shutdown problems on Win98 has been mentioned quite a number of times in this forum over the last few months ! Check in “Search” Win 98 /Windows 98 shutdown problems/printer
I saw it. My printers are off all the time unless I’m printing so this shouldn’t be an issue for me. I do have some other USB devices running that I can’t shut off, namely my UPS and a USB hub. I could try disconnecting them and see if it helps but I need to get behind my computer to do that which is a pain. Maybe I’ll try it though just in case.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Anymore ideas out there? Igor?
Windows 98 first edition is your problem. Windows 98 SE contains some bug fixes for bugs that exist in the original Windows 98 version.
Look for an update at microsoft.com. It’s possible to apply an update that will make it turn into Windows 98 SE.
FYI, Windows 98 SE is the same as a Windows 98 SP2.
With Windows 9x based operating systems, the updates are usually NOT called “service packs” and usually, ONLY hotfixes exist for bug fixes.
Back in the Windows 95 times, Microsoft would call the bigger updates “service releases”.
Microsoft usually only uses the term, “service pack” for Windows NT-based operating systems only! (Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP).
You can blame it on Microsoft if you like but that doesn’t change the fact that trouble seems directly linked to the installation of Avast!.
To be honest, I haven’t had the time to continue my hunt for a satisfactory antivirus. I’ll probably have a little more time this week and the hunt will have to go on. I’d love to keep Avast! but I really can’t if I continue to have problems. You can’t say I haven’t been patient. This thread is already a couple of weeks old. I’ll keep checking back here for a solution and I’ll post any updates if there are any but as soon as I have time the hunt will have to continue.
Thanks guys.
From another topic:
add the following line to the [AAVM] section of the file \data\avast4.ini:
GracefulRpcShutdown=1
I am using avast home on my home win98 pc, and so is my dad on his win98 pc.
Both pc’s have shutdow probs. Maybe this helps, let it know if it does 8)
Thanks for the tip! I’ll try it and let you know what happens. 
No luck. I tried adding that line to the .ini file but the computer still won’t shut down properly. Thanks anyway for the reply. Any more ideas out there?
Thanks.
Strange, i believe it does work here. At least till now it goes off the way it is supposed to.
I also noticed that the swap file may have something to do with it, or it felt that way.
I set the swap file to let windows decide, and file caching to server setting.
Also try checking “check floppy/cd/other media” in avast program setting.
My dad said that helped :-X
He also chooses right mouse button on ‘the a’ and clicks “stop on-access protection” before shutting down windows. Might help
To RJARRRPCGP, you might have noticed that I am using Windows 98 SE (second edition) and also have shutdown problems.
Thanks for the tip fokkie, I also tried your idea with adding GracefulRpcShutdown=1 to [AAVM] of avast4.ini, but unfortunately it didn’t help.
I guess it is time to upgrade to XP (and probably new problems ) !
I’ve tried both those ideas but neither helped. I thought that stopping on-access protection helped a few posts back but it turned out not to be the case. If I shut down right after start-up it usually works regardless but once the computer runs a little it doesn’t work regardless.
The computer surprisingly did shut down properly on Friday. No clue why but We’ll see what happens when I shut down tonight if we can repeat that.
Thanks for the tips!