Avast home edition temporarily starts

Hi. I have downloaded avast home edition recently and installed it. The on-access scanner is working but when i click on the desktop icon for the first time it asks for the serial key. so i put the serial key in and click ok and it says that the serial key is valid. after that the splash screen turns on and then disappears. so i click on the desktop icon again and it gives me an error saying windows cannot access the file. so i go into the program files and find where avast was installed and click on ashAvast.exe and it gives me the same error. I am logged on as admin and i also tried repairing and reinstalling avast and again it works the first time and from then on it gives me the same error untill i repair or reinstall it again. can anybody help me with this.
Thanks.

Vlad

Which was your old antivirus, before avast?
Did you use the 60 days trial period or it is your first time using avast?
Can you run ashSimp2.exe from avast folder?

Old Antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials
No i didn’t use the 60 day trial and this is not my first time using Avast. I registered for the free full year licence and put that in when it asked me for the serial.
Yes ashSimp2.exe works just fine but for some reason ashAvast.exe won’t work and keeps giving me an error.

Thanks for your time.

Did you fully uninstall MSE?

Maybe you have to register ACTSKIN4.OCX
Follow the instructions:

Select START > RUN…
Enter the following command:
If you have Windows NT or 2000:
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE ACTSKIN4.OCX
If you have Windows 95, 98 or ME:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE ACTSKIN4.OCX
If you have Windows XP/Vista:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\REGSVR32.EXE ACTSKIN4.OCX
If you have Windows XP/Vista x64:
C:\WINDOWS\SysWOW64\REGSVR32.EXE ACTSKIN4.OCX

Press OK (or Enter).
A message saying that the file was successfully registered should appear…

I’m not sure that this will solve…

Yes i fully removed MSE.
About registering ACTSKIN4.OCX i followed your instructions and got the following message “DllRegisterServer in ACTSKIN4.OCX succeeded.”
After doing so i restarted my computer and got the same results as allways.

I presume you have rebooted when prompted after the initial install?
What AV were you using before MSE?
What other security programs are installed?

Yes i rebooted after the initial install.
Before MSE, I was using Avast.
Besides Avast i am using the default Microsoft firewall and that is it, no other security programs.

I appreciate your support, Thanks.

OK, I’m clutching at straws a bit, here.
I admit I don’t know what is at play, and am guessing at possible solutions. (In no particular order.)

  1. The original install file you have - or the installation itself- is corrupt.

A full reinstall from scratch may fix this.
-Get the uninstaller here. (Also note the instructions on that page.)
-Get the full Avast install download, 36.99Mb, from here, just below the words “Free registration” on that page.

  • Go offline, uninstall Avast from the control panel. You would have to turn off the self protection module to do that. It can be done by right-clicking on the tray icon>program settings>troubleshooting. If not possible, proceed to the next step.
  • Run the uninstall utility, in safe, as directed in the first link.
  • Reboot into normal.
  • Install Avast from the fresh installer file. Reboot as prompted. Go online, get updates.
  1. When Avast was originally installed Vista’s UAC was enabled, and prior to removing it to install MSE (or at some stage following that) you have disabled UAC.

I’m not a native Vista speaker/user, so don’t know the full ramifications of that, bit there could, in such a case, be “lingering” files whether from MSE or Avast in a hidden folder somewhere.
If that was the case, it may work to re-enable UAC. Further investigation indicated (preferably from someone who knows about these things) if that could be a factor.

  1. There is malware on the computer. To help eliminate that possibility (and the malware, if present) try MBAM, install, update, run a quick scan, have it fix anything found. If malware is found that prompts for a reboot to complete the removal, do so promptly, post the scan report (if applicable.)

  2. MSE has left some driver/dll/registry entries behind that are affecting Avast. I couldn’t locate a specific uninstall utility for MSE; a manual search for folders/files/reg entries (if you are up for it) might reveal something.
    A better way to proceed may be to remove Avast completely (using the removal steps above), re-install MSE, download Revo Uninstaller and use it to uninstall MSE. A word of caution if you get this far and do this: Revo runs the programs’ own uninstaller, then searches for files/reg entries depending on the level of “clean” you’ve selected. (Select deep.) Do not restart when prompted after the uninstaller has run. close that prompt (if present) and go to “next” in the Revo program. When it gets to reg entries, expand each flagged entry (where present) right down, and only delete the ones in bold.

Hope that helps.

Ok. I think i got a virus or something of that sort. I downloaded MBAM and installed it and ran it, clicked on quick scan and the program just disappeared after a few seconds and when i clicked on the program the second time it gave me the same error that it does with avast. After i downloaded and ran the Microsoft virus scanner it also disappears. So i think it must be a virus. >:(

I suggest:

  1. Clean your temporary files.
  2. Schedule a boot time scanning with avast with archive scanning turned on. If avast does not detect it, you can try DrWeb CureIT! instead.
  3. Use MBAM (or SUPERantispyware or even Spyware Terminator) to scan for spywares and trojans. If any infection is detected, better and safer is send the file to Quarantine than to simple delete them.
  4. Test your machine with anti-rootkit applications. I suggest avast! antirootkit or Trend Micro RootkitBuster.
  5. Make a HijackThis log to post here or this analysis site. Or even submit the RunScanner log to to on-line analysis.
  6. Clean your Hosts file (replacing it) with HostsMan tool.
  7. Disable System Restore and then reenable it again.
  8. Immunize your system with SpywareBlaster.
  9. Check if you have insecure applications with Secunia Software Inspector.

Not so good.
If the suggestions by Tech don’t allow you to get at this thing, try rebooting into safe mode, rename the main exe in the MalwareBytes program files folder (It’s “MBAM.exe”. Rename it to, say, vlad.exe, or moon.exe, or anything random.exe.) and see if it will run in safe.

If none of this works, it’s time to look at a BART cd. Do you have access to another computer you could download and burn a disk with, to run in your own machine?
Links will be provided for a couple of BART cds. (Free).

You could also try an online scan:
Panda
TrendMicro.