I have tried loading Avast Home addition twice onto an acer Aspire 5570Z laptop. It says it has installed successfully, but It never promps me to enter my product key. There is also NO blue spinning ball and under task manager its’ status is “stopped”. HELP PLEASE!
Hi VAN_4, welcome to the forum 
Can you confirm that avast! is running?
There should be these things running:
What was your previous antivirus?
How was it removed?
-Scott-
Have you rebooted since installing ?
Have (or did) you another Anti-Virus installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?
Did you register it, if so then you should have been sent an email with the registration key.
If you haven’t registered it - Complete the avast! 4 Home Registration form and you will receive an email from register @ avast.com (without the spaces) with your registration key.
Or here - SSL Registration Page: https://secure.avast.com/scripts/register.php?lang=ENG if you have registered but haven’t received an email yet.
avast! icon missing - As a temporary measure until this is resolved you can create a desktop shortcut for this file C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashDisp.exe (the avast icon and interface to the providers). Right click on the file and select Send To, Desktop (create shortcut). You will need to run this after each boot until the problem is resolved.
What other security based software do you have that might block new startup entries, e.g. Spybot S&D (TeaTimer), AdAware (AdWatch), SpySweeper, Spyware Doctor (StartUpGuard or OnGuard), PrevX, WinPatrol, ProcessGuard, etc. ?
Check the option in the Appearance tab of Program Settings.
Non of those processes are running.
I don’t remember what the name of the old antivirus was called. I just simply went into the program files and deleted it.
Yes I have rebooted the sysem.
Well, the old AV will most likely have left remnants and could be messing up the avast! installation…
Most will have an uninstall tool to remove what is left over…
It will only have a possibility of work if you uninstall it within Control Panel > Add/Remove programs.
If you can’t do that now. Use a special tool for it.
You need to have a look in your recycle bin, and provide us the name of the AV you deleted. (If that’s really the way you did it.)
Then one of us will give you a link to a removal tool, if one exists.
Or provide a step-by-step for correct removal.
I emptied my recycling bin, or should I say I recycled it. Anyway, the antivirus was Avira.
Try re-installing avira
reboot
uninstalling it from Control Panel (possibly in Safe Mode) or with Revouninstaller
reboot
install avast!
It may pay to add a step to Vladimyrs’ procedure (which should work) and that is, prior to installing Avast, to also run the Avira registry cleaner.
It’s the seventh download on this page.
VAN_4, you need to choose one method (reinstalling/uninstalling or use the tool). You can’t stay waiting or doing nothing.