Boot Scan Interface Error

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hello,

Today i wanted to perform a Boot Scan, i scheduled it and then reboot the PC. When booting, i saw a Command Prompt open for a fraction of a second, then at the middle of the screen appeared the Avast Interface which appeared stuck in loading. (See attach photo.)

After 5 minutes, Unable to do anything else and unsure if the scan was working well, i shut down the computer and launch it a minute after. Windows launched fine, to my relief. When checking the Scan report, i saw that, seemingly, the scan had been running despite the fact that i did not see it working.

I don’t know if the Error is linked to the latest update which had changes regarding boot scan, so i ask the question. :slight_smile:

By the way, thanks in advance for all the help that could be provided on the subject. :slight_smile:

Edit 05/08 : I use Avast Free Antivirus Ver.22.7 (the latest version) on Windows 10

Edit 06/08 :

Even since i suspected the result to be the same as yesterday, i tried to run a boot scan today, and paid further attention to it this time. So first, After restarting, the PC boot, then boot a second time after (visibly running within the Windows RE), then come the black screen with two Command Prompt, one after another, which disappears and then at the middle of the screen come the Avast Interface.

I waited 10-15 minutes to see what may happened, but like yesterday, the Avast Interface was stuck on a loading loop (see the photo). To note, that while the mouse was usable, the keyboard wasn’t, forbidding the use of Escape. Unsure what would happen after if i waited for the scan to complete, i shut down the PC and launch it again manually. Like yesterday, no problem detected after this.

To note, that like yesterday, when checking the scan report, it seemed that it was running despite the fact that the UI was stuck on a loading loop.

2

I posted the same problem in german forum.
But there is nobody more who read textes.
"Unable to start service ‘aswMonFlt’.
Bopot scan works only the first time after new installation.

3

I don’t know how you initiated your scan, but this video might help:

4

Thanks for the video, but unfortunatly, it does not really solve my problem, mostly because, as laughable as it may be, it does not show the rebooting process.

The problem, like i explained, is that after scheduling the Boot-scan i reboot the computer, “normally”, and i believe that maybe it is here that lies, possibly, the problem.

So question is, did the person on the video performed the reboot the “normal” way, or did he performed the reboot by using the following path, “Update & security > Recovery > Advanced Startup, Restart now”. (Which would be surprinsing since it would add some obstacles for non initiated peoples to perform a simple boot scan that, to this day, worked quite well as it was).

Since my personal knowledge is quite limited, i did not try to perform a boot scan using the advanced startup path, since i do not know were it would lead me, hence why i created this topic. =)

Again, if anyone do have some more information or solution, i thanks you in advance for the help. =)

5

At 1:12 of the video it shows the Run on next PC Reboot - did you even see that option and select it in what you did ?
It shows the Scan will run on next reboot, if you did.

Now I don’t see anything in the video either on Bob manually restarting his system. I can only think that he did this manually windows restart (but not selecting a boot-time scan in the old way). Again I can’t personally test this as I don’t have 22.7.

However in the preamble before that in the video the files, etc. and presumably setting up the Windows Recovery Environment commands to run the scan on the next restart are setup.

So a normal restart should be intercepted by Windows RE command that were setup to now run the Avast Boot Time Scan in the recovery environment.

6

This is how I restarted the system.
I selected the following via the Windows Start button:

https://d1ka0itfguscri.cloudfront.net/Lh/2022/08/08/19/48/c3jjqJVZd84/preview.jpg

7

First, thanks for sharing and helping.

Ok, then things are getting a little clearer on this side since apparently there had been no wrong interpretations on my part and like Bob, i scheduled the boot scan and restarted the system normally via the Windows Start button.

Also, to clarify the chain of events, i figured that the presentation bellow could be better to represent the problem (Edited 09/08/22 after performing a new boot scan with the “Enable debug logging” setting on :

Step 1 - After “installation of the special boot time scan definitions” (edit : i forgot to mention this part, but it was always done for each boot scan), i schedule the Boot Scan

Step 2 - I restart the system via the normal/classic Windows (Re)Start button

Step 3 - The system shut down

Step 4 - The system launch with the “ping” and the BIOS loading, then, kick black screen with a grey rectangular bar that charges elements that i assume are for the WindowsRE.

Step 5 - Two Command boxes pop up, one above the other in quick succession with some instructions (i suppose they trigger the WindowsRE) then disappear to leave place for the Avast User Interface, which is, problematicaly, stuck on a loading loop, like in the image i attached to the topic. (To note that the keyboard is off and thus unusable, but that the mouse work and that i can move the cursor on the screen.)

(To note that by the look of the image shared by Bob of his Windows UI, which is that of Windows 11, i wonder if the problem may not be linked to the version of Windows, since i ran on Windows 10 and that the trigger process for the WindowsRE may perhaps be different. Don’t know^^.)

Again, thanks for the participation and if you or anyone do have some more information or figures some solution, i thanks you in advance for the help on resolving this problem. =)

8

What I see not listed in your sequence is the installation of the special boot time scan definitions.
That was the first thing I did in the video sequence.

9

Hi,
For information, 2 other (french) users (W10) have noticed the same problem since the last update.
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=320549.0
I think that for “Jacques Fondaire” who is a regular and who often makes “boot scan”, he made the good procedure , in particular the waiting of the download of the definitions (but I asked them anyway).

And he uses a beta version

The French user was able to capture this window, the command line displayed is :
“windows/system32/wpeinit”

ps:No problem on my side but I use W7

Edit:

Didn’t get an answer?
It would be interesting to have some because it seems that there are still some problems with this feature

10

Hi,

Can you provide a support file, please? https://support.avast.com/article/Submit-support-file

11

I was disappointed too that such a big change didn’t warrant more than one line in the release notes. I would have liked to see a new link to an Avast support article on it. Rather to have to rely on Avast Users like Bob to put together a video of the process, but as you mention he is using win11. Which was exactly why I asked the question, which seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

I have been hanging back on 22.7 (and 22.6) so I can’t test it on win10. The reason I have been hanging back is, we seem to be getting more issues reported in the forums after new releases. This never used to be the case in the past even on the beta builds, seems more issues getting through Alpha and Beta testing.

12

I think an answer to the question I asked in the 22.7 release notes and a new support page relating to the new boot-time scan feature would be nice.

13

Hello,

Thank you all for the participation.

Like asked by r@vast, and after a private message, i performed a new boot scan with the setting “Enable debug logging” turned on, then after shutting down the computer and starting it again, i generated the support file asked.

With this third boot scan, i can clarify some little things as of the “how it goes” process :

Step 1 - After “installation of the special boot time scan definitions” (which in my case were already installed, since i “performed” one mere days ago), i scheduled the Boot Scan.

Step 2 - I restart the system via the normal/classic Windows (Re)Start button

Step 3 - The system shut down

Step 4 - The system launch with the “ping” and the BIOS loading, then come a kick black screen with a grey rectangular bar that charges elements that i assume are for the WindowsRE.

Step 5 - After step 4 ended, Two Command boxes pop up, one above the other in quick succession with some instructions (i suppose they trigger something within the WindowsRE) then disappear to leave place for the Avast User Interface, which is, problematicaly, stuck on a loading loop, like in the image i attached to the topic. (To note that the keyboard is off and thus unusable, but that the mouse work and that i can move the cursor on the screen.)

I hope the support file i provided to Avast will help the teams in charge to solve this bug, and i thanks everyone involved in advance for the support. =)

Again, thanks for all the people that help and share on this matter. =)

14

Hi,

Thank you.

We have received the support file, and our devs are looking into it.
We will also update the support page for Boot-Time Scan to reference the new GUI (WinRE).
Sorry for the inconvenience.

15

Hello,
for now the Win RE used for Boot-time scan can be disabled in geek:area, see attached picture.

Milos

16

Thanks,
does this option in “geek:area” appear for all OS or just the ones concerned.
For info with my W7 and avast up to date (latest program and definitions), this option does not appear.

17

This is from Microsoft:
“By default, WinRE is preloaded into the Windows 10 and Windows 11 for desktop editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education) and Windows Server 2016, and later, installations.”

18

hi bob,
I understood that and my question was not about which OS the recovery console is used on (I know very well that it is not on W7).
The only thing I wanted to know is about the “geek:area” UI of avast.
Is this area different for each OS?
Does Avast provide (by default) all settings that can be changed regardless of the OS used?
Example: in the settings area there are elements that may not concern our own configurations (Google Chrome, outlook, …), yet the changes are still displayed in the hidden area :wink:

Would it be different here (option not present) because avast considers that I use W7 and that this option will not bring me anything?

19

The Geek area is something I’ve only used at the request of Avast to fix or bypass a problem.
It isn’t like the regular settings that can be accessed and changed by every user.
For me the Geek area isn’t anything I ever need to mess with on my own.
I look at it like the registry editor of Avast. Just like I don’t mess with the registry in Windows unless I’m 100% sure
of what I’m doing, I don’t go there. That’s my take on the Geek Area.

20

I think that once again you’re still HS on the essential question.
I have nothing to expect from a “substantive” answer like disserting for hours on the merits of an option, its presence in the open or hidden good or bad, …
I would like (from avast team in particular, which is the only one concerned) an answer on the “form”, i.e. if the option that Milos mentions is present whatever the OS or if the interface is interactive with our own OS
no more , no less and without remaking the world