I’ve been trying to reinstall Avast Home edition on my computer after it crashed and Windows XP-Pro was reinstalled. I’ve twice spent forty minutes downloading the program and then when it attempts to install on the computer, it simply seizes up and I need to stop and reboot to get the computer running again. Is it my firewall or what? I didn’t have this problem the first time it was installed and Avast is simply too good to go for something else! Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
What firewall do you have?
Have you tried disabling the firewall before installing avast!?
Out of curiosity, did avast crash and you were forced to reinstall xp because of it or did XP crash and you had to do a reinstall. depending on which one you might have a virus that stops avast from re-installing. What did you install prior to avast when you re-installed your Operating system?
I had Avast running in my computer for a number of months before the computer crashed (accompanied by the BSOD 
and didn’t have any marked problems that I remember. The only firewall I have now is Microsoft’s and I thought that it was running when I first installed Avast.
When I do a Search I find about 15 MB of materials labeled Avast but when I try to open any of the listings I get the response that either Microsoft cannot open this file etc or ‘MSVCP71.dll was not found’. Is there any other thing I can try that might make it easier to diagnose or give more useable information?
Thank you for the reponses I’ve had thus far!!
Troubleshooting Msvcp71.dll Error
Discussed here are some common procedures that you can perform to get rid of Msvcp71.dll error message from displaying on Windows XP or Windows Vista computers.
1. Reinstall the application that is causing the problem.
If you are receiving the DLL error while running a program or an application, then it is quite possible that there is something wrong with the installation files of this application. In order to fix the error, first try to reinstall this application. While doing this, ensure that there is no problem with the setup files from which you are going to install the application-and if you are performing the installation from a disk, ensure that the disk is not scratched or damaged.
2. Download the DLL from the Internet or copy it from another PC with same configuration as your PC and register the file on the system:
If the error does not go away even after you have reinstalled the application causing the error, then download the DLL file from the Internet or copy it from another computer with same configuration as yours to the directory of the program that requires the file.
Note: You may also copy the file to the C”\Windows\System32\dllcache folder.
If required, register the DLL file by performing the following steps:
Open Command Prompt.
Use CD command to navigate to the directory where you have copied the Msvcp71.dll.
Type the following command and press Enter.
Regsvr32 msvcp71.dll
Exit the Command Prompt window.
3. Run System File Checker (SFC)
The SFC command is used to detect and fix problems with the protected files on the Windows XP and Windows Vista computers. This command helps in initiating the Windows File Protection Service and enables you to scan all Windows protected files for their integrity and replace any problematic files that are identified.
To run the command, open the Start menu, select Run and type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
4. Update your Windows system.
DLL errors also occur due to the existence of obsolete and invalid files on the system. This is the reason why it is important for you to keep your PC updated with the latest Windows updates. These updates not only help you in enhancing the performance of your PC, but also enable you to strengthen the security of your Windows computer and prevent several computer errors.
5. Repair the registry to repair or restore the missing files.
DLL errors also occur if their entries are missing from the registry or they are corrupt or damaged. This is the reason why it is important for you to regularly scan the registry for incorrect and invalid entries and fix them. You can do this easily with the help of a reliable and efficient registry tool.
Information from:
http://www.instant-registry-fixes.org/causes-of-msvcp71dll-errors/
Windows firewall won’t block the installation, so you can rule that out.
Thanks for all the advice. I tried reinstalling it two more times and, as in the other two times, the attempts all got to the ‘Installation Progress’ window and everything slowed down like a bug moving in cold molasses. It’s at that point that progress ends.
You can force an installation by this command on the folder you’ve donwload and save the install file: setupeng.exe /forceinstall
Where setupeng.exe is the name of the executable.
To debug, add the following lines to setup.ini (in avast4\setup):
[BufferLog]
Enable=1
Then start update again, and SetupDbg.log should be generated. Post the contents here, it should give us a clue at which step it crashes.