avast free failure to launch

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

hey Yall my first post! Ive had avast free for years however it is not working now at all… sometime a while back it didnt update correctly… Ive run the avast clear and installed latest avast version. it d/l the installer and shows up in add/remove but not in start/all programs… If I go to add/remove I can see avast and choose change or remove upon choosing change I do the fix/repair and it says Sucess! same theing when I choose update it shows new files being installed. however avast doesnt show in all programs or in icon tray
so what to do now? thanks

2
  • Which version of Avast Free…?
  • OS…? (32/64 Bit…? - which SP/Build…?)
  • Other security related software installed…?
  • Which AV(s) did you use before Avast…?
3

18.1.224.0 version Windows XP sp3 I have always used avast but sometime ago it just didnt work anymore the installler d/l but I have no UI in tray and program is not listed or running

ohhh btw these dad gum numbers that are scrambled to post are very hard for me to see :frowning:

4

Update to the latest version (18.6.2349): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=221320.0

PS: Captcha is only needed for your first 3 posts. (Spam protection)

5

ok just went to add/remove programs selected Avast then change then update it only took a few seconds and says SUCCESS
version 18.6.2349 nothing changed so I did same thing and chose repair, it does it’s thing showing removing and installing etc. the last thing I saw was starting user interface and program start up nothing chnamged! It didnt ask for restart but Im fixin to do that thanks

6

A restart should always be done after a program update and we (on the forums) tend to suggest a reboot after an Avast Repair.

7

thanks for your help thus far. I did a restart and it hung up for about 15 mins so I powered down then started, went to add/remove, brought avast and clicked change… modified then it asked for a restart…that restart went smoothly about 4 minutes total BUT still same ol thing I rt clicked on a picture and chose scan… an error box came up and said
AVASTUI.exe is currently not running, please run the application before starting a scan
it’s like I have it but, I don’t in search for AVASTUI.exe comes up no results

8

Do you see the Avast Tray icon to the bottom right of the XP screen ?
See attached image of mine on an XP Pro SP3 system.

Do you have your desktop icons displayed, I normally don’t, but there should an avast desktop icon. That should launch the avastUI.exe, assuming that you do have it. It should be here C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\AvastUI.exe.

9

no I dont have it in icon tray and also it’s not in location you suggested… Im going to attempt a screen shot picture once I figure out how to attach

11

Having the exact same problem. Have attempted most of the fixes mentioned by write.me

12

→ https://support.avast.com/article/Troubleshoot-Antivirus-UI-Failed-load

13

I ran services.msc and the two you mentioned were set to manual…I changed to automatic and did restart
still no avast UI after reboot I went back to services and the two were on automatic startup
I saw AVAST in services and clicked on it and saw that it was stopped so I clicked for it to start… a windows progress bar came up like it was loading Then I got a windows error 1053 or 1503 that the application would not respond in timely matter
still no avastUI or any kind of AV service

14

Let’s check for an infection…

Start a topic in V&W and post your logs there: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?action=post;board=4
Instructions (basic diagnostic logs): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=194892.0

15

thanks
just to let you know I saw someplace to hit repair avast in control panel add programs…so I did that again and it always removes, extracts, and adds file. then says success!!! same with update still no Avastui.exe . either before or after reboot
Im tired :-\

16
Im tired
Follow @Asyns suggestion or find a AV that work ...
17

unlike the OP, i’m on xp sp2 [not sp3] and hence avast 10 [not 18] but having similar issues since rebooting after an update which may have been installed weeks ago since i use standby.
this seems wide spread, so i joined just to share my fix [took me days] which should work on
xp sp3/v18 too.

need [A or B]:
A] old avast offline installer
or
B] use system restore/recovery image backup to extract old avastUI.exe before this update bug occurred [why it even gets updated on just a database update with no program update is beyond me]

steps for A]
1.install old avast version
2.backup avastUI.exe from programs folder [incase it gets updated in step 5-6]
3.do a manual database update or download/install it from:
https://www.avast.com/en-au/download-update
[untill this is fixed, steps 2-6 is how you will update from now on]
4.also turn auto updates OFF or it will freeze again after update/reboot!!!
5.reboot to safemode [to stop avastUI.exe from being updated]
6.reboot in normal mode: sweet - it works again! -if not go to steps 1-2 below.

steps for B]
1.extract old avastUI.exe from programs folder [compare version number to updated one]
2.reboot to safemode and overwrite newer avastUI.exe in programs folder with the old extracted one
3. do steps 4 & 6 above
4. for future updates, do steps 2-6 above
5. …um, that’s it i think? if any of this stuffs your pc it’s not my fault! ???:o ::slight_smile: :stuck_out_tongue: 8)

18

@avastui bug.
Without a link to that older version, your help isn’t much good.

19

avast does not store old versions publicly that i know of, any link would be unofficial and possibly insecure, it’s the users responsibility to make archives of software they use in case things like this ever happen, if not, an old pc magazine dvd from a library might be another option.

…besides, option B does not even require the older installer :stuck_out_tongue:

20

…just a heads up for anyone trying my fix above, you also need to block ‘AvastEmUpdate.exe’ in your firewall or it will still update a few days later even with auto updates off!