I keep discovering that my Avast is not automatically checking for updates on its own. It used to always update automatically and I am curious as to why it has stopped. My mom immediately cried “virus!” but I am wondering if it might be related to a Microsoft Windows update.
Did you check your setttings? Right click the “a” icon, program settings, update basic.
How about avast being blocked by a firewall?
Oh yeah I should have pointed out I already checked the settings and they still say “update automatically”.
I use the XP SP 2 firewall and it appears to be working with the Avast…it has the nice little message saying “You have Avast 4.7 blah blah blah”. It even lets me know when I need to update my virus definitions!!
Hi Meglet :
How do you know Avast has NOT updated automatically ?
Sometimes when I come on the site & I see the VPS is not
what I last saw, I start the program and see the GUI is the
same version & date as what the site reported; it seemed
on that occasion I never saw a popup screen. Sometimes
the GUI does not match the website info, so I manually
get the Update; however, this is rare .
As to Microsoft Update(s), you did NOT install the infamous
KB 905474 ( Win Genuine Advantage Notifications app ) !?
As to Microsoft Update(s), you did NOT install the infamous
KB 905474 ( Win Genuine Advantage Notifications app ) !?
Spiritsong, I have this update - can you tell me about it and should I uninstall it.
Thanks
All I know is that when it does that I go ahead and click the update button and it ALWAYS finds an update.
??? Is this a bad thing? goes to hunt it up and remove it if possible But it was acting like that before I installed that I THINK…
Once installed as far as I’m aware you can’t uninstall it and if it finds that your copy of windows is not genuine then you will periodically be on the receiving end of a nag screen stating your copy isn’t genuine (some with genuine copies of windows are incorrectly flagged as not genuine).
If you have a legit copy and is detected as such it shouldn’t have any adverse effect.
Oh okay well then I’m good. That was the reason I just let it install because I don’t have anything to hide!!! Mine is totally legit.
Usually I check out all those Windows updates and see what kind of problems they might cause me so I can uninstall them later but I just left that one alone. Except every once in awhile they stick something in like that sneaky Software whatever pack 2.0 that really messed me up (I have since rolled back and tried to ensure I didn’t get it back).
I was not used to do this in the past, but now, I check ONLY the updates that could be UNINSTALLED through Control Panel.
After some days and web research I try the other ones… No more headaches with verclsid.exe and Kerio firewall that I had a month ago… 
My avast home updates started failing yesterday, just after installing the latest Windows update package (9 updates). The server connection would fail. One of the updates is for Defender, so I thought if I disabled it at startup, avast updates would start working again. Well, they sort of did: now I can connect to the server, but it says my license is invalid.
Even though it hadn’t expired, I went ahead and registered for a new license, installed it into avast and rebooted (Defender still disabled). It still says my (brand new) license is invalid. Yes, I did install it with cut and paste to avoid errors.
I can still do scans, only updates fail.
Any ideas?
Q: “Invalid license number”. Why? http://www.avast.com/eng/faq-registration-license.html#idt_220 Or Insert Registration Key - Video
Try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select ‘avast! Anti-Virus,’ click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow. You need to be on-line to do this.
If that doesn’t work try, uninstall, reboot, install, reboot.
It would probably be best to download the latest version of avast and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall.
The license was okay.
Repair fixed the problem. Thanks.
Glad I could help, welcome to the forums.
Ive had this problem for some weeks now even after a format.
Ive checked a firewall im using however (comodo) & I cant see ashupd in the allowed apps. Is this what needs to be ‘allowed’ to auto update? Ive manually added it just now & will see if it fixes the problem.
ashUpdSv.exe isn’t required to have internet access in order to have avast update, avast.setup requires permission. This file is only created at the time of the update and would be in the C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4 folder when created. If you try a manual update and comodo doesn’t ask and the update fails then it is likely that you have blocked it unknowingly.
Isn’t C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4[u]Setup[/u] ?
I guess I failed cut and paste 101 ;D thanks for correcting it Tech.