After giving up on Avast for about 1 year, I decided to download it on my XP machine and see what goes.
Deleted AVG and installed Avast. Everything seems ok, except updates. After registering product, tried to update the virus defs and it remained hung on “initializing”. Was able to download manual updates, but the system said the definitions were current.
How can I get autoupdate to work?? Using XP and Online Armor.
Thanks!
Hi: You could have some remnants of AVG left.
Not sure what you mean “Deleted”. ???
Did you use the venders uninstall Utility to “Uninstall” AVG?
edit
Hi and thanks for reply. Yes, I did use the AVG removal tool. I also went into the directory and deleted the 0 byte AVG folder. Capped it off with a 35 pass blast from CCleaner.
That sounds right. 
Have you tried a ‘Repair’ of Avast?
Have not tried Repair. Can I do this in XP? Please advise. Thanks once again.
OK, go to Control Panel/Add Remove Programs and choose your Avast product. Click on Remove/Change and scroll down and click ‘Repair’.
Reboot if you system does not.
Let us know if that helped.
As you advised, went to Control Panel, Avast repaired itself. I rebooted and tried to update. Still stuck on Step 1/2 “Initializing, please wait”.
Also, was able to complete a full scan and found Avast could not scan some files - “algo.dll” followed by a series of "aswcleanerdll.dll, asw files.
Any and all help appreciated.
Thanks again.
Nothing to worry about, those are are files in old virus definitions folders and avast is doing some housecleaning to keep the size used on the hard disk to a minimum. This just happens to have occurred between the time you started the scan and it reaching that old defs folder.
@DavidR
Any chance his OA is interfering with update process?
I was wondering if OA was blocking something. I did use allow, trust, install when Avast was installing. Where would I look in OA?
Appreciate your advise on AWS files.
Thanks once more…
Generally I wouldn’t expect it to do anything, e.g. not even get to initialising if OA was blocking the avast.setup process. Though this is speculation on my part.
I don’t know what the OA program control is actually called, but if the avast.setup file is in there as allowed try deleting that entry and do a manual update, that should force OA to ask permission again.
Just ran another full scan no more aws files.
Still not updating… can’t figure it out.
I have had enough for one day, so I will try your suggestion re OA setup file tomorrow. I may do a clean re-install of OA.
Many, many thanks!
You’re welcome, though it isn’t the OA setup file, the file that avast uses for its update function is avast.setup.
OK… hit the button on OA to change setup from allowed to trusted. Worked!!!
Now I need to get up the courage to update from Avast 6 to Avast 7 on my Windows 7 machine… last time I did that it crashed!!!
Many Many Many thanks for all your helps!
You’re welcome.
Don’t know what version of avast 7 you tried to update to last time, but the current version is 7.0.1474.
@DavidR. Thanks, I could not get back.
I had been using Avast for years. When 7 first came out, I tried to install and it ate my old XP machine. Had to put AVG on there and I was just able to put the latest version of Avast on successfully with your help.
I will let it run for a few days to see how stable it is and then get up the courage to install it on my Win7 machine. I have Avast 6 on now and no problems.
Again, thanks for all your support and advice. It is nice to have Avast back.
hi Sniggler,
To help ensure updating has as few problems as possible, try this:
Go here to insure no remnants of old uninstalled a/v programs were left behind by a Windows uninstall: http://singularlabs.com/uninstallers/security-software/ Some vendor tools, such as McAfee or Norton, must be run more than once. Reboot after each run.
To perform a totally clean install of new version of Avast! here: (EDIT: Uninstall Avast! in normal admin mode using Programs and Features first)
[ol]- Here: http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility Reboot for each version of Avast! found.
Reason for a clean install: Version 6 has older different files and program features than version 7, and updating within the GUI will sometimes result in the sort of problems you had earlier with your XP system. Slow Win7 booting, program hangs, etc., can result.
I know it is more work, but Version 7 is a major upgrade from Version 6, and whilst it is usually OK to upgrade within a version number, best strategy is to remove version 6 completely, reboot, and then install version 7.
Thanks… I have had my Win7 PC for almost a year. I immediatley removed McAfee with the McAfee tool. Avast is the only AV product I have used, Version 6, failed Version 7, and then back to Version 6 which I am using now. When I get up the courage, I will try again Version 7.
I appreciate all the help on this forum!!!
In my experience, running the McAfee tool another two or even three more times is sufficient, even tho you have run it once already.