BootTime Scan Fails - KeyBoard Error?

system · 2006-11-19T02:21:18.000Z

Hello,

I am unable to run a “boottime” scan or a normal scan with Avast. When I schedule a Boottime scan, it starts ok and then shows a “keyboard error” message. It asks me if I want to bypass by using the ESC key which I try to do but the scan never happens. I tried it both ways, trying to bypass and then doing nothing and the scan never starts.
I then tried to do a standard scan and the program fails. I get the MS mesage saying “we are sorry but the application you were running has stopped…” or something like that.
Can this be caused by a virus or is my program just corrupted in some way? What is my best bet on getting this program to work as it should?

Thanks for any help

oldman960 · 2006-11-19T03:54:40.000Z

Are you using a usb keyboard? A boot scan happens before windows starts, sometimes the bios won’t pick up a usb keyboard.

Has the program ever worked?

When posting, please include as much about your system as possible.

1 operating system
2 system
3 other anti virus programs previously installed and how they where removed
4 other security programs
5 anything else relevant that you can think of

Welcome to the forum!

system · 2006-11-19T05:19:54.000Z

Thanks,

I do have a USB keyboard. How can I get around this problem? Should I connect a different keyboard?

I’m not sure now if the boot scan ever worked. I would always schedule a scan and walk away. Never watched it before. It may not have ever worked.

Used to have McAfee (argh!) Manually removed via online chat instructions from McAfee. Then cleaned up leftovers using HJT. Seems to be completly removed now.

Win XP Pro SP2 all current updates.
Compaq AMD Athlon XP
Raidon 9600 Series
1g Memory
Avast Home Edition
Zone Alarm
SpyWare Blaster
Spybot
Ad-Aware SE Plus

oldman960 · 2006-11-19T05:57:34.000Z

DummyNewB post:3:

I do have a USB keyboard. How can I get around this problem? Should I connect a different keyboard?

I’m not sure now if the boot scan ever worked. I would always schedule a scan and walk away. Never watched it before. It may not have ever worked.

You could try a ps2 keyboard or check your bios to see if it can be set to recognize a usb key board on boot. DavidR has posted about this and says he keeps a regular keyboard on hand as sometimes the keyboard will not work even though the bios is set.

DummyNewB post:3:

Used to have McAfee (argh!) Manually removed via online chat instructions from McAfee. Then cleaned up leftovers using HJT. Seems to be completly removed now.

Okay, you appear to have your previous av removed.

There seems to be some conflict between spyware blaster and spybot see here

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=23407.0

Did a standard scan ever work?

Did you try a repair?

Control panel, add/remove programs
click on avast, click add/remove button
you should be given the option to repair, you have to be on line to do this.

You could also uninstall/reinstall. Use the uninstall tool
http://avast.com/eng/avast-uninstall-utility.html

reboot before reinstalling

oh yeah, welcome to the forum

DavidR · 2006-11-19T12:58:59.000Z

The general problem is if you have a USB keyboard, when you get in to the BIOS, it might not work in there either, so you have the chicken and egg problem, you can’t enable detection and use of USB devices because you have a USB device (keyboard). It makes me made when system builders use USB keyboards and mice, that they don’t change the BIOS settings to support the devices they include in the system build.

If you have a USB to PS2 adapter that might work or use a ps2 keyboard, that must be connected before you boot.

The only time you might need the keyboard is if something is detected or a problem occurs requires keyboard input, but for other occasions the boot-time scan would complete without input and your system boots.

I use a ps2 keyboard normally, but have a spare for general backup, it is a wireless optical USB mouse that requires a ps2 mouse for my drive imaging program when I use it pre windows (even though the USB devices are enabled).

system · 2006-11-19T18:34:38.000Z

Thank you all for the valuable information!

I was able to do a repair on the program and get it to do a standard scan. I guess I will need to buy a back up keyboard for the times I do a boot time scan. It’s worth it.

Thanks again

DavidR · 2006-11-19T19:04:28.000Z

You might be able to get away with an adapter to convert the USB connection to a ps2 connection, fairly cheap, but you should be able to pick up a cheap and cheerful ps2 keyboard for a few dollars, worth it as a spare in any case.

system · 2006-11-19T19:33:43.000Z

Hi “Dummy” :

 Have never heard of using HJT to "clean up leftovers" from an antivirus;
 that it usually done by using your computer's "Search > All files and folders"
 and a registry cleaner !?
 I hope the McAfee "online chat Instructions" included advice to use one of
 their "Removal Tools", most likely the "VSCleanup" !?

system · 2006-11-19T19:59:14.000Z

Hi Spiritsongs,

The on line chat was extremely comical in that I felt like I was talking to a robot and not a real person. I had to ask a few times if they were alive or memorex! It was very frustrating to say the least. I strongly recommend that NO ONE use McAfee! It seems like its a virus in itself and was very difficult to remove even with assistance.

No they did not recommend using anything like VSCleanup. If I remember correctly they had me go through the reg a few times and also delete directories. I had a very difficult time getting rid of McAfee because it would always “come back”. After the program was “successfully” removed, I had an occasion to run HJT for another problem and noticed some entries that related to McAfee so I deleted them.

Registry Cleaner? Where can one find a good registry cleaner? I had a VCOM fix it utility at one time but it is very old. Are there just registry cleaners out there without all of the other baggage?
Any recommendations?

Thanks

Lisandro · 2006-11-19T20:25:48.000Z

DummyNewB post:9:

I strongly recommend that NO ONE use McAfee! It seems like its a virus in itself and was very difficult to remove even with assistance.

Sad but true…

DummyNewB post:9:

Registry Cleaner? Where can one find a good registry cleaner? I had a VCOM fix it utility at one time but it is very old. Are there just registry cleaners out there without all of the other baggage? Any recommendations?

The best Registry Cleaner is no one… I mean, manual removal with high care and knowledge.
But you can try Googling Registry Cleaner Freeware

Or check Best Free Registry Cleaner page: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm#26

In my mind the best registry cleaner is one which reliably fixes problem entries but doesn't itself cause problems in the process. The products most likely to possess these qualities are those that are conservative in operation and confine their cleaning to removing definite and unambiguous errors. I say this because I have seen as many problems created by registry cleaners as problems solved. This view flies in the face of many who consider, for whatever reason, that the best registry cleaner is the one that finds the most problems. To me such products can be dangerous and not worth owning.
That said, my top recommendation is Toni Helenius’ free EasyCleaner [1] . It’s a good reliable, conservative performer that will fix all major problems with a low risk of creating problems of its own As a bonus, it will also detect duplicate files and help you clean up temp files to make more disk space. One of its best features is a regularly updated “blacklist” of registry values that should not be cleaned. I’m sure this contributes to the products excellent record of causing few problems. Remember though, as with every Registry cleaner, to back up your Windows Registry before use.

A reasonable alternative is Eusing Free Registry Cleaner [2]. I’ve only had a couple of reports of it causing problems but it has an easy to use backup and recovery feature that will help you out should you get into trouble.

CCleaner (see section 37) , the class-leading disk cleaner has an inbuilt registry cleaner as well. However I’d never leave anything as critical as registry cleaning to a general purpose product; you really need a specialist utility.

To keep the registries on my PCs in top running order I use the Registry Cleaner in jv16 PowerTools. It’s now a commercial products though you can still find the last free version of jv16 [3] on the web.

=>index

[1] http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm Freeware, All Windows versions, 2.8MB
[2] http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleaner/registry_cleaner.htm Freeware, Windows 98 and later, 860KB.
[3] http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/index.html#jv16 Freeware, All Windows versions, 2.1MB

oldman960 · 2006-11-20T05:05:32.000Z

Glad you got it sorted out.

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