I have been using Avast for 6 months now on my computer.
Recently it won’t update the virus definitions?
It seems to start to as the little yellow bar starts just a little bit then freezes and nothing…? It never goes across the screen and downloads info as it usually does…?
I have done the usual, gone into add/remove programs and selected repair, attempted to update manually, i.e. d/l the vps file, but get a warning box error that cannot. Removed the program and reinstalled from a clean unistall as I used ccleaner to remove all registry entries… Turned off my firewall, Zonealarm, and still doesn’t matter…
When I attempted to update manually the warning box suggested to go into task manager and close avastsetup.exe or whatever it is called but it wont allow me to… And yes I am running as administer.
I truly hope that this can be resolved as I really love the program.
Turning off the firewall may not have the desired effect as it will still have low level drivers running.
Before you run a manual update check the cask manager and ensure that avast.setup isn’t already running (stalled possibly or maybe blocked), that is why you are getting the error. The avast self-defence module is doing its job an protecting avast services, processes, files/folders, etc.
Check the ZA program control and see if avast.setup is allowed, if so delete the entry for it and try a manual update again, this should force the firewall to ask permission.
Hopefully you have better luck with this than I have. I have been having this problem for a couple of months now. So far all I have been able to get from Avast support is to try all the things that I have already tried several times, including delete and re-install three times. They won’t even respond to me any more. I can download updates directly from the wev site, but the automatic updates have never worked on this PC, although on another PC it has never given me any problem. I will probably wind up removing Avast and installing another product.
David,
Thank you for your prompt response!
Good idea removing avast entries from ZA…
Not only did I remove avast.setup but ALL Avast entries to assure I would not miss anything.
Restarted the computer.
The general callout for Avast asked for permission from ZA but nothing else.
I clicked on update within the program and the exact same thing occurred…? The little yellow bar just beeped and never moved and nothing was ever d/l’d. Nothing popped up for ZA to give permission.
I checked Task Manager to see if avast.setup was running and it was but it never asked for permission from ZA.
I then tried to remove it from TM and it stated I did not have authority…
Looks like avast.setup is running but is not calling out to the server to update? As you say, seems stalled after engaging… But why…?
As stated prior, Avast has worked flawlessly for many months and all of a sudden it does this…?
When you boot and connect to the internet for the first time, Avast should update the database (if it is set to “automatic” database update).
Trying to apply a manual update when Avast is already trying to update may give you more problems than solutions.
So, when you reboot, you may want to wait until the automatic update process is performed and completed.
Wait, say, 5 minutes after you have booted and connected to Internet, instead of “impatiently” trying to apply the manual update. After several minutes, open the main GUI → Maintenance → update, and check when the last attempt to update was tried, and if the last database is already installed.
If these steps (waiting for auto update) doesn’t work, can you confirm in your Avast’s settings that you are using automatic database updates? And which setting you have in Avast → Settings → Updates → Proxy Settings ?
Something else is “bothering” me. Why the need to run CCleaner to clean the registry settings of Avast? Running the clean uninstall tool of Avast under Windows Safe Mode should had worked. So if you found such registry entries, then that should imply that Avast was NOT completely uninstalled before. The same goes for previously uninstalled antivirus ( look at http://thewebatom.net/uninstallers/security-software/ for clean uninstall tools of several antivirus producers).
If you could clarify those questions, maybe someone has an additional idea.
@ @assist1
The only way to have permission to end the avast.setup process, is by disabling the self-defence module in the avast settings, troubleshooting.
Not that that may be too helpful if it is stalling, possibly with the internal avast settings for updates (problem getting the proxy setting from the IE settings). So try setting it to No Proxy as ady4um suggested and see if that gets round the problem.
Thanx a bunch for your suggestion as apparently there is some sort of conflict with MSIE and the program as when I changed the setting it updated automatically with no problem!!!
Not really sure why ady4um was “bothered” by using CCleaner to erase all evidence of the program on an uninstall as there is always reminisces of a program after windows uninstalls it…
Anyway, thanx a bunch guys, I really do appreciate it! Hopefully this thread will help a bunch of other people having the same problem.