Avast Home, licence key problem, WinXP multi-users

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hello everybody,

I have installed Avast! home edition on my computer with the Administrator account. With this account, it work well. But on all others, it ask me for the licence key. Some accounts have administrator right, other not.

I have tried to reinstall, to use a different licence key or to install it with an other account: the same problem.

What can I do to use Avast on all accounts ?

OS: MS WinXP pro sp2
Avast! : Home edition, 4.6.739

2

It’s not adviceable to use more than one account with administrator rights… this will mess some installations (even the antipiracy features of some programs).
If you use the same key in all accounts with adminstrator rights, won’t it work?

Did you try to logon and install with the Administrator account?
How to login as administrator: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/admins.htm

3

Thanks for your reply!

Some of my programs need administrator rights to run, and they are used by other users, that why I have more than one account with those rights.

I have tried to use the same key in all accounts, but it failed: Invalid licence number.

Did you try to logon and install with the Administrator account?
Yes, I have done that, with the same problem.

I have noticed that some Avast tasks is running in all accounts:
ashServ.exe, ashMaiSv.exe and ashWebSv.exe
If they can protect my computer when I use those accounts, it will be OK. I don’t need to access the Avast window with all accounts. But I want to be sure of that. Do you know something about that ?

4

These applications run at System account. It’s ok and working.

I think only ashdisp.exe (the icon) or the interface run into user accounts.

By the way, I suggest that more than using many Admin accounts, the better will be trying RUNAS, a fantastic way to use Admin rights.
http://www.snapfiles.com/dlnow/dlnow.dll?Inc=No&ID=109466

5

ashdisp.exe run at startup in all accounts and show the following message, except on administrator account:
“La clé de licence n’est pas renseignée.” in English: “The licence key is not given”.
Then, it stop when I click OK.

Do you mean my system is protected by the 3 applications even if ashdisp.exe doesn’t work ?

Thanks for your advice about RunAs, I will try it.

6

ashdisp.exe does not protect you of nothing… it’s just the ‘icon’ on the system tray.
If you hide the icon (there is an internal setting to do so), you’re remain protected as well.
But, maybe I can think in other way to solve this… ::slight_smile:
Maybe the problem is the access rights to the Windows Registry key where the avast! registration key is stored. Maybe Vlk or other programmer could give me a help here…

7

Thanks for your help, Tech, it’s very kind!

I will look in the registry if I found the entry key and verify the rights on it.

I will post my results if I success.

8

Feel free to ask any other question related to avast.
Welcome to forums 8)

9

Well, is there anything (registry keys, files, folders) restricted for the particular administrator account (where you installed avast!) only, i.e. not available to the other accounts?

10

…Like the registry key HKLM\Software\ALWIL Software\Avast\4.0 ??

It needs to be accessible for reading from all accounts…

11

The registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ALWIL Software had only rights for administrator and system. I have add read right for everybody and… it’s working! ;D

Avast run well on all accounts !

Thank you very much Vlk, igor and Tech for your help!

Avast forum is a great forum for a great software!