Avast home 4.7 no longer usable on my old PC running Win98SE

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Using Avast 4.7.1043 home on an IBM 600E laptop, running Win98SE, since summer 2006, all is OK.
Using same Avast 4.7 on my old PC, running the same Win98SE was OK from summer 2006 until spring 2007. Avast became almost unusable since then. I de-installed Avast several times, downloaded new version an reinstalled. Problems started again.
Many automatic error mails have been sent to support, no answer received.
---- Problems : happen during startup of the Win98SE installation. Various errors are shown, or by Windows, or by Avast. as :

  • explorer has detected an error and must be closed, or the “blue Windows error screen” appears with a small yellow insert saying “out of range”.
  • the log file of Avast gives different errors as : “initializing error” or error 42040 “VPS file is damaged”

Win98SE runs without any of these problems when Avast 4.7 home is de-installed. <
------ The problems are obviously connected to the startup procedures of Win98SE, some times a reboot of the PC resolves the question ! I think there is some incompatibility between Avast 4.7 home and Win98SE in that specific (old) PC.
What is the solution of my problem ?
Thanks for help.
Hans

2

The problems seem to be unrelated, I mean, one problem to the other. It’s difficult to isolate one problem and try to troubleshoot it.

Which actions have you taken to try solving the problem?
Do you use a firewall? Which one?
Do you have any other antivirus installed in your system? Had in the past?
Any other security programs that could interfere?

3

One other user reported problems with the newer avast version, they reinstalled an older one. That’s the one I recall posting here and know there are others using avast and win98se, so the problem may be coincidental.

I’m not saying you aren’t having problems or that avast is not to blame. Just more trouble shooting is needed.

A little more info on your system, cpu, ram, other security programs…anything that can help…

4

I remeber having had the same problem with my old Win95 system and AVAST: at a certain point you no longer are covered by the new software edition (outdated). I was left without firewall protection on my WIN 95 system (there never was) and simply let it down until I throw it to the gardbidges after 10 years 2 months ago! Did his time, as we say!!! :wink:

5

Last time I’ve tested an old laptop with Windows 95, avast was installed and run on it without problems. An old IBM Thinkpad…

6

No problems with 95OSR2 amd 98SE for me…but with 2 provisos.

  1. I only have ‘Standard Shield’ and ‘Internet Mail’ providers installed.
  2. I haven’t used IE on 95 or 98SE since Windows Updates ceased (about July 2006) so I have no idea if there is any incompatibilty.

Not trying hard enough my friend :o. What about Tiny Personal Firewall? (See shot from this very machine,) ;D

cheers,
Vlad.

7

Vladimyr, are these your daily computers? Or just a flash back memory that you turn on from time to time? ???

8

thanks for your replys to my post.
here my answers to some questions (translated from German) :
+++ Tech wrote :
— The problems seem to be unrelated, I mean, one problem to the other. It’s difficult to isolate one problem and try to troubleshoot it.

yes, problem may be or not during boot, sometimes the third of fifth boot give avast withour error.
— Which actions have you taken to try solving the problem?
VRDB - not activated
Memory test when opening application - not activated
Start avast only after start of other services - activated
Updates just manual
I made a shortcut on the desktop to call “ashSimp2.exe” and “ashServ.exe”. The latter installs a new avast session? which might run correctly (or not, the red dot on the blue avast icon denounces a certain avast type error)
— Do you use a firewall? Which one?
Not in the pc, there is a simple one in the US Robotics Wireless MAXg ADSL Gateway
— Do you have any other antivirus installed in your system?
No
— Had in the past?
I had Mc Afee Virshield which started having same problems by 2005, it was replaced in summer 2006 by avast 4.7 home.
— Any other security programs that could interfere?
No
++ Old Man asks:
— A little more info on your system, cpu, ram, other security programs…anything that can help…
There are three short summary report on my system attached
By the way, the same avast 4.7 home and the same Win98SE are curently running on my IBM Thinkpad 600E without any problems !
++ Vladimyr says
— I only have ‘Standard Shield’ and ‘Internet Mail’ providers installed.
I am running 5 of six provis. Not yet tried to reduce to just 2 provis.

that’s all the moment being,
grateful to read more about my problem
Hans

9

Looking at the system reports you have posted, you have cpu=366mhz, ram=160mb, 1% free on d:\

Why do you have the ashserv.exe shortcut? Is it just to restart avast?

Ahh, the infamous 4400 engine right? Do you mean virusscan? Which version? Did you follow the manual removal instruction? I know it’s been a year, but maybe something was left behind. Whether it would take this long for a problem to manifest. I don’t know.

This link will take you to the link for manual removal of left overs. There’s a small zip file for removing mcafee registry entries. Much beter than when I did, it was all by search. :-\

http://search.mcafee.com/search?getfields=description&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=consumer_support_4105&client=consumer_support_4105&lang_cd=4105&support_group=TS&partner=McAfee&site=CS_Partner_McAfee.CS_Locale_4105.CS_Group_TS&q=manual+uninstall&filter=0

Was there any difference in the way you installed them on each computer? ie full install, update method, clean install (Removing previous version first with avast removal tool)?

What about resources? How much free after bootup? Maybe too much starting at startup? Check the following link, it’s for startup items in msconfig/startup tab. Lots of time there are things there that don’t have to be.

http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

10

So, please, generate VRDB on-demand from time to time clicking ‘Generate now’ button.

Should not affect on-access.

In Windows 98? I don’t think it will help.

Hmmm… do you remember to update from time to time? Daily?

No. It’s the resident, you can’t run it twice at a time.

Even in this situation, try the McAfee tools to remove remains of it.

11

thanks OM

  • you are right, the McAfee was virusscan, not virshield.
    as for the version, I need some time to find the original zip file.
  • For registry cleaning RegCleaner 4.2 by Jouni Vuorio was applied.
    I looked for all entries of McAfee and (and for the other name of that company …associates).
  • I experienced ashserv.exe to restart avast instead of closing and rebooting the computer. This method adds another blue avast icon. When repeating this operation I ended up with 4 icons having the read error dot and just the fifth one
    was correct. Only this one indeed rotated when downloading data from the web.
    (Tech might have a different comment to this)
  • I have a total of 7 identical Win98SE installations for my PC and 1 on the IBM Thinkpad 600E, avast was installed by full installation to all.
  • Remember that one of the error messages of Win98SE is the blue error screen with an additional small yellow window saying “out of range”. Can this be of help ?
    Hans
12

That one, from the description is one I would get on my compaq 500mhz from time to time. It was video related, I’m sure. If I remember right, there was also a number on the scree. You didn’t happen to make note of it?

13

I never thought you were able to run more than one instance of ashserv.exe… I’m not understanding…

14

Those where my thoughts also. I thought perhaps he had unchecked it in msconfig/startup and was using ashserv.exe to start it later.

15

Hi Tech
Yes… that machine is a very everyday-useable Athlon XP 3000+, 1GB RAM (so no “Safe Mode” boot is possible in 95)
and No.
My 2 main PCs at home began as and remain dual-boot XP Pro and 95OSR2.
Because there’s no upgrade path from 95 to XP, when I made the jump in 2002, I didn’t want to lose all the functionality of these machines overnight, so I installed XP on a new drive, deliberately choosing FAT32, so not only can I boot into either OS and access files from the other, I can also keep a Ghost image of each installation on the other drive.

I do also have a “Quirky CPU Museum” collection which includes a PC-Chips - AMD 586, an Intel 430FX - Centaur/Winchip/IDT 200MMX PC, both with 95OSR2, and a Compaq 1220 laptop (Cyrix Media GX 200MMX) with 98SE which sits on our kitchen table and actually does get used every day, mostly as a Windows Server Remote Desktop Console.

Possibly too much information?? - well you did ask ;D.

Vlad

16

Hi Hans.
Do you have an LCD display? If yes, can you change it for a CRT?
This is most likely not a “blue screen” (well it is a blue screen just not the MS type) but a message from your monitor indicating that it cannot resolve the video output. In general, larger LCD monitors are not able to display a low-res DOS error messages of the type that can pop up in 98SE.

Hope this helps.

17

Hi Vladimyr

I remember this with the original 15" monitor. I can’t remember if I got it with this 19" lcd.

The 'paq died about a year ago. I couldn’t determine if it was mobo, cpu or video card. The original video card was intregated, so sometimes adding a separate video card still won’t allow the computer to boot, sometimes it will. If Bios still reads the intregated one, if dead, won’t procede to boot.

This is kind of OT, but it may help.

18

for old man and Tech

ashServer.exe
after the present boot of my pc,
there was a blue a-icon with a red dot and the blue i-icon.
when fixing the cursor over the a-icon,
the message is : 0 provider, 0 activ.
I then called ashServer.exe, this gave a second set of blue icons,
a second i-icon and a secon a-icon.
This second a-icon has no red dot,
when fixing the cusor over this a-icon,
I read : 6 provider, 5 aktiv.
this second a-icon is animated, turning round when loading data.
----- I conclude that avast is working correctly or ?

McAfee
I had been using Virusscan v4.0.3 for Win98 an Win95 (from package v98i4031.zip) until summer 2006.
old man proposed to make use of McAffees small uninstall programm.
However the instructions given by McAfee on the indicated Web page
refers to scanner versions from 5 upwards,
so I am afraid that it is not advised to apply this uninstall programm
to m installation at present.

Hans

19

Yes, avast seems to be working. Maybe the ashdisp.exe is being loaded to soon and Windows is not refreshing the state correctly. Maybe you could use Startup Delayer.
This freeware controls the windows startup (Windows 98\Me\2k\XP\Vista) that does not follow a strict order.

Your concerns seem correct. I don’t think the new uninstaller applies to the old VirusScan.

20

I’m trying to find the ones for vs4. Will post them here if I find them.