Windows security centre has flagged up that Avast may be out of date.
The program itself still seems to work OK and will scan my computer if requested.
Pressing the ‘update virus database’ button does nothing, last version is from 31/Jan.
Attempting a repair via Control Panel/add/remove programs does nothing - no response when ‘change/delete’ button is pressed.
Manually uninstalling / reinstalling latest version does not fix the problem (I deleted the Alwil folder in Program Files and removed the 2 Alwil entries in the Registry via Regedit - are there other component (s) that need to be manually removed before reinstall?)
Any suggestions? looks to me as though some undetected malware of some sort has altered something! Any assistance gratefully received.
Check you system date and ensure that the month and year are correct.
What version are you using Home or Pro, this info relates to Home only.
Check and see your Updates haven’t expired, about avast, Registration Key info, you will need to reregister if out of date. avast! 4 Home Registration
Q: My licence key has expired, what to do? http://www.avast.com/eng/faq-registration-license.html#idt_1442
System date month & Year are correct. I’m using Home version. First installed 2 months ago, registered version, key entered 2 months ago, no problems until a couple of days ago - surely registration lasts for a year if I understand correctly? No messages about expired licenses. Any more ideas? I’m particularly keen to know about anything that installation puts on my computer that isn’t in the Alwil Program Files folder, so I can ensure I do a complete manual uninstall before re-installing. TIA.
The easiest way would be to reinstall then uninstal using this utility http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_uninstall_util.html then do a full reinstal. Rebooting between each step
Have you checked the about avast for the Update expiry date as I suggested, you didn’t say?
Doing an uninstall, reboot and install won’t resolve anything if the issue is the registration expiry date or Registration key.
The simplest solution would be to register again using the link I gave and you will be sent a registration key by email.
Thanks for the help so far !
Checked expiration date as suggested - expiration = never, Updates expiration = 1 Feb 2007, so that looks OK.
Uninstalled using suggested uninstaller, rebooted - still getting Windows Security Centre error message ‘Avast antivirus 4.6.763 (VPS 604.4) reports that it may be out of date.’
Since the program has supposedly been uninstalled, how does Windows know the version number???
Reinstalled program still won’t update. If I click on ‘Details’ on the Update (Basic) screen, program stops responding. After restarting, Clicking on ‘Update now’ for either program or database doesn’t seem to do anything.
Any more suggestions? TIA
Well ‘Avast antivirus 4.6.763 (VPS 604.4) reports that it may be out of date.’ is certainly out of date 0606-3 is the latest VPS that is why WSC is reporting that.
You could download the full VPS and update it avast! VPS Update - Manual Download.
That still wouldn’t get round being able to update.
What is your firewall ?
Does it allow avast.setup to access the internet, no access, no update ?
Using Zone Alarm, it hasn’t stopped any updates up until now…
Check in the program control of ZA and be sure the green checkmarks are by the avast! antivirus update program. Actually, in my ZA, all avast programs have the green checkmarks … as should yours.
Yes, all green in Zone Alarm.
The operative words being until now, try this find the entry for avast.setup ‘avast! antivirus update’ in program control and delete it then do a manual update, ZA should ask permission again, accept it.
Occasionally ZA forgets or corrupts it program control database causing this although the entry shows green.
As suggested, I removed all ‘Avast’ references from Zone Alarm, then restarted the computer. Zone Alarm then requested permission to allow Avast to access the Trusted Zone, which I allowed. Checking Zone Alarm program control at this point shows 2 green ticks against ‘Avast Antivirus Service’ but only one green tick against ‘Avast Update’ - Trusted Zone. Internet Zone is still a question mark. Opening Avast and clicking on ‘iAVS Update’ produces no response from Zone Alarm, and the quetioon mark remains.
Conclusion - Avast is ‘broken’ at some point before it attempts to access the internet, and Zone Alarm is not the problem.
Any more suggestions? I still don’t know how to fully uninstall Avast, I don’t think the uninstall tool does any more of a clean up than I’ve managed manually. My suspicion is that there’s a missing / corrupted .DLL - possibly part of Windows - that Avast is trying to use for its Internet access.
Conclusion avast isn’t broken.
You can manually edit the ZA Program control ? question mark to allow avast access to the Internet Zone. You will find few programs will work in trusted zone only. Either that or add avast.com to your trusted zones and it would then work, but the issue is with ZA blocking, not avast being broken.
No, avast is not broken. I also use ZA and have no problem with avast getting out. Do as David suggested above and allow avast out … open the ZA programs list … each program of avast listed should have in the Access column check marked for both Trusted and Internet. If a ? is there instead, left click on the ? and select Allow. This should fix your problem.
I hope this helps you.
I have the same problem.
My registration key will expire in dec 2006.
I have ZA but all the transfers with avast is allowed.
The program version is 4.6.744.
The VPS is 0605-0 (29/01/06).
I tried to update manually but the answer is:
"Can’t install VPS update. Please report following errorcodes:
Ver. 4.6.744
SI: 0x00000002
ST: 0x00000002
LE: 0x00000000
Thank you for your help.
I suggest you re-read the thread and follow the instructions given, if your problem is ‘exactly’ the same then your outcome should also be the same, problem solved.
Here would be a good place to begin http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=19257.msg162566#msg162566 because in this case ZA also supposedly allowed avast access (but in truth didn’t).
If not then you problem isn’t exactly the same I would start with a forum search for SI: 0x00000002 one of your error codes and see what that retrieves.
Thank you for your help.
The problem is now solved.
I downloaded the new program version from this site and choose to update the program instead of reinstalling it.
Probably my pc suffered a critical error (indipendent from avast) during the online update (I’m always connected with a cable connection) at startup.
Neither Avast nor ZA were the problem.
Now all is working fine.
Glad you problem is now resolved, thank you for getting back to us to let us know the problem was likely to be something else.
Welcome to the forums.
Also, my welcome to the forums, Fr@ !
Thank you for coming back and sharing the resolution to your problem. It is nice to know as this info might help another with a similar problem.
Please come back often, learn more, and maybe help others.
I still have my original problem.
I am sure it’s not Zone Alarm - it makes no difference if the boxes have green ticks or not, if they have question marks then ZA should ask permission if accessed. It doesn’t. Changing the question mark to a tick doesn’t solve the problem.
Zone Alarm shows any access attempts on its bar displays. No such activity is shown,
Therefore…
Avast iAVS update fails before it gets as far as Zone Alarm.
You can press the iAVS Update button but it has no effect.
Selecting ‘Update Now’ from the ‘Update Basic’ screen also doesn’t work, either for program or database. Pressing the ‘Details’ button crashes Avast.
Uninstalling then reinstalling Avast doesn’t fix the problem.
More suggestions please…