Thanks, I’ll try that. Is this something that’s come to be expected of Avast!? I run a tight ship here, I’m not doing stuff that should lead to the need to repair software, and I get to the bottom of anything that appears unexpected.
-Noel
A “Repair” did no good whatsoever. The setting still does not stick.
I uncheck the Show notification box after automatic update box, and next time I look it’s checked again. I notice the My computer is permanently connected to the internet setting also cannot be saved.
http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/ChangingSettings.png
http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/NotChanged.png
No reboots were requested after the Repair, and I was surprised to see that my settings were all retained, even though the Repair operation had announced it would reset all settings.
Para-Noid, I’m forced to ask: Do you have actual experience resolving these kinds of issues with Avast! or are you just shooting suggestions from the hip? Your attention is appreciated, please don’t get me wrong, but as a 37 year software engineering veteran I can work through basic things like repair and uninstall/reinstall myself. I was hoping for more specific help.
I have not yet gotten an answer to the question: Is a failure to be able to save these particular settings expected with the free Avast! version?
-Noel
After a repair, you should reboot. I know it’s not requested but you should. As far as the settings are concerned, they should save… I seem it may be a corrupt install so… to rule that out…
'd recommend a clean install of v9.0.2011.
- Download Avastclear, Rejzors uninstall tool and the appropriate Avast program edition
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_pro_antivirus_setup.exe
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_internet_security_setup.exe
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_premier_antivirus_setup.exe
Avastclear : http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avastclear.exe
Rejzors Uninstall tool: http://rejzor.wordpress.com/avast-cleanup-tool/
- Uninstall Avast by control panel [If you don’t have Avast in control Panel go to #4]
- Uninstall in safe mode using Avastclear.
- Run Rejzors Uninstall Utility in Normal Mode (removes traces avastclear doesn’t) - reboot.
Check : Once uninstalled check in device manager>view>show hidden devices if there is anything related to avast with a yellow triangle… if so, uninstall it and reboot. - Install the version you downloaded.
- Reboot.
I did reboot, even though I wasn’t prompted to do so. That did not help.
Now we’re talking about uninstalling the software in Safe Mode and running some mysterious Rejzors Uninstall tool from some 3rd party site! Does anyone besides me see anything even a little bit wrong with that advice?
I think if a regular uninstall and clean with Avast’s tools then reinstall fails I’m basically done with Avast! at this point, as that would indicate it’s clearly become a non-viable security product.
-Noel
That uninstall tool removes leftovers that avastclear doesn’t use. I wouldn’t post it if it wasn’t needed. It’s not malware and has been used by hundreds of people over the forums…
Why not just follow it exactly step by step?
Why not? Because with all due respect I don’t know you from Adam, and I don’t really care if you say hundreds of people have used it.
You’re likely a well-respected contributor here, and I don’t mean to insult you at all, but hundreds of people don’t know any more about what’s in that software than I do. The “special tool” may very well carry its own malware payload. I’m trying not to dig myself into a hole here.
The plain and simple fact is this: Avast needs to work properly in its own right, without some mysterious 3rd party tweaker, or it’s not a viable security product.
As it turns out, uninstalling and reinstalling Avast does NOT work. The installation of the product stalls at “Launching executable file: AvastEmUpdate.exe /installer”, which is the same place it stalled the other day when I tried to update it. I’m not the only one to see this. Note:
It looks like it’s time to say bye bye to old friend Avast!, which - sadly - in the latter half of 2013 has gone suddenly from a viable, serious security tool to something that simply no longer works.
Thank you all for your good intentions to help.
-Noel
Quote from NoelC
Para-Noid, I’m forced to ask: Do you have actual experience resolving these kinds of issues with Avast! or are you just shooting suggestions from the hip? Your attention is appreciated, please don’t get me wrong, but as a 37 year software engineering veteran I can work through basic things like repair and uninstall/reinstall myself. I was hoping for more specific help.
I’m just an avast user who knows from experience the first option of last resort is a repair.
If that fails usually, not always, a clean install is the next step.
We do try to resolve issues before a repair or clean install is necessary.
Most of the time it’s something simple, like a simple reboot.
Other times it involves other software on a users machine.
If that’s the case we dig a lot deeper.
Since yours was an avast issue the repair was the next logical step.
Then Alikhan suggested a clean install giving proper instructions.
And since he is helping you now, I will just follow this thread to see
if there is something to be noted for my personal use.
You are in excellent hands. 8)
If you are unwilling to accept solid advice there is little we can do for you.
Yelling is definitely not helping to fix your issue.
The “avast cleanup tool” from RejZor is completely safe and contains no malware, fact is I have used it with no ill affects.
By not following the advice given shows you really don’t want your issue resolved.
So I assume you never ran the uninstall tool. Could you check in Device Manager>View>Show Hidden devices>Non-Plug and Play Drivers if you can any drivers with a yellow triangle related to Avast…
Regarding the tool here is the Virustotal results :
It seems that you may have quit but I’d like you try a final thing.
This time I’d like you to use the online installer instead of the offline one. In some cases it works whereas the offline doesn’t. Maybe by looking at the virustotal report, you’ll now use that uninstaller of Rejzors… The Rejzor uninstaller has fixed the stalling emergency update issue in the past.
- Download Avastclear, Rejzors uninstall tool and the appropriate Avast program edition
Note : You need to be ONLINE during this install.
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_online.exe
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_pro_antivirus_setup_online.exe
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_internet_security_setup_online.exe
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_premier_antivirus_setup_online.exe
Avastclear : http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avastclear.exe
Rejzors Uninstall tool: http://rejzor.wordpress.com/avast-cleanup-tool/
- Uninstall Avast by control panel [If you don’t have Avast in control Panel go to #4]
- Uninstall in safe mode using Avastclear.
- Run Rejzors Uninstall Utility in Normal Mode (removes traces avastclear doesn’t) - reboot.
Check : Once uninstalled check in device manager>view>show hidden devices if there is anything related to avast with a yellow triangle… if so, uninstall it and reboot. - Install the version you downloaded.
- Reboot.
If this does NOT work for you, it would be very helpful if you could post your logs.
C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\Setup\setup.log.
I help out on forums for products which I am expert, so I fully understand that you may be frustrated that I’m unwilling to follow your advice step by step, but you have to understand that some folks you advise do think for themselves. I’m really trying not to be disrespectful, and I appreciate your trying to help.
But please understand it’s not you - other, expert users - who needs to step up to the plate here.
I DID run the uninstall from the control panel Programs and Features then followed with the Avast clean uninstaller in Safe mode. The only “solid advice” I will not follow is to run some unknown piece of software from some other web site. I mean no disrespect, but just why are we here, discussing a security product? It is because we take security seriously. Just think for a moment what you are advising / defending.
The Avast reinstall failed at near 100% completion, where it just hung:
http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/AvastProblem2.png
I’m not the only one seeing this problem:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=140730.msg1037504#msg1037504
Perhaps I’ll try an install again after a time, when hopefully Avast! will have fixed this issue. For now it’s back to Windows Defender.
-Noel
The tool referred to was made by ReZjoR ( an Uberevangelist of this forum ) specifically to remove some of the remnants that the standard cleaning tool doesn’t remove, if you don’t want to use the tool then I suggest you run a search in explorer and regedit for “Avast” and remove the leftovers manually as I do, depending on what system you are running you maybe required to take ownership of some of the leftovers before they can be deleted.
The freezing you are referring to during install with the emergency update is itself looking for updates before completing the install, how long have you waited with this freezing ?
I left it stuck there for 20 minutes. It did not complete.
I suspect - though haven’t confirmed - that Avast may have made itself dependent on some web site other than Avast.com, in which case those sites may be blocked by our Internet setup. Not long ago I noticed that the site (CNET was it?) Avast points to from their installer page required access to some very questionable adware sites before even allowing the download. That’s just wrong.
But this does beg some questions:
-
WHY does a product like this have an installer whose success is based on an online connection, but which has no self-timeout? The Internet has been around long enough that people know there can be failures.
-
WHY has the quality of this product suffered so much in recent history, and does that degradation also affect its efficacy as a security product? It used to truly be “set it and forget it”. I’ve used it since 2005.
Solid advice to search manually. I have been in RegEdit doing this, actually, since the install failed.
I may give it one more try today, but really, what a waste of time this is / has been. I could have had a couple of new software features coded today. The folks complaining that Avast! needs to do a better job before release aren’t wrong!
-Noel
That’s not even close to where it puts its logs.
A search turned it up here: “C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log”
Here’s what was logged:
http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/Setup.log
As you can see, there’s nothing illustrative about the root cause of the problem. Only thing is, the last line reads:
[19:49:38] [info ] [system ] [ 5632: 6392] Executing ‘“C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\AvastEmUpdate.exe” /installer’.
And there it just sits. By the way, the ONLY way out of this is to log off or reboot. The installer CANNOT be terminated.
I could switch over to testing in a virtual machine, where maybe I can put in something like Wireshark or Fiddler to see if AvastEmUpdate.exe is trying to access a site that’s blocked, and if so which one. But will Avast! pay me for my time to do this?
-Noel
Okay, so here’s the bottom line on this stuck AvastEmUpdate.exe thing:
Avast! cannot be installed with the hosts file from this site installed:
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Apparently AvastEmUpdate.exe MUST be able to access a site that’s blocked (sent to address 0.0.0.0) by that hosts file. Or maybe the size of that file is confusing something. The list of sites in that hosts file are considered “parasite” web sites. Temporarily renaming the hosts file in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc to something else will allow the Avast! installation to complete.
This begs the question, though:
Should one suspect Avast! of nefarious activity with a parasite web site, or mvps.org of a mistaken addition to the “blocked sites” list?
-Noel
Did the online installer work for you though?
No, as I showed above it stalled just the same.
With the mvps.org hosts file temporarily disabled the standalone installer worked. I suspect the online installer would have as well. I am (somewhat reluctantly) giving Avast! another try. After the reinstall I have been able to make the setting that is reported to block notices stick.
Since the hosts file replacement is arguably as effective as running Avast! Antivirus for blocking badware, I suggest the Avast people need to get on the ball and figure out why the two can’t live together as they have for years.
-Noel
For IE 8 and above then there really is no need for the modified host file as MS has most of them covered in the registry
If you say that, chances are you haven’t used it and seen the difference first hand.
-Noel
I’ve messaged your setup.log to a dev and they will be looking into it.