cannon run avast GUI from tray icon

avast 4.6 pro, build: Mar2005 (4.6.652) - licensed
win xp pro, sp2
firefox
kerio PF

problem:

unable to start avast antivirus GUI from sys tray icon (Start Avast! Antivirus).

however i can run the cmd line scanner (program files/avast/ashCmd.exe)

if i try to run ashEnhcd.exe from the program group, it doesn’t start and produces an error that prompts to send a report (several of which i already sent).

if i run ashSimpl2.exe from the program group, it seems to start normally. however if i try to switch to the enhanced interface from the ashSimpl2.exe GUI, another error is generated.

ashSimpl.exe appears to do nothing.

attempted resolutions:

uninstalled/reboot/reinstalled avast (several different methods, including manual removal of reg entries) - no change

manually generated VRDB, reboot - no change

manually generated VRDB and chose “repair” from add/remove programs - no change

boot time virus scan - clean

scan using the command line scanner - clean

no entries in the avast log viewer

What e-mail address or name did you use to send the reports? (I know you didn’t specify any directly - I mean, what is your e-mail configuration?)
Thanks.

i don’t recall. i’m running another fresh installation now and haven’t configured that.
what would probably help me most is a list of dependencies for avast. i’m running a rather stripped down version of xp with a lot of junk removed (no IE (but core is in tact), no OE, no MSN, no windows help files, etc., etc.).

here’s some info from the avast\data\log\unp* files:

C:\Program Files\Avast4\ashEnhcd.exe caused an Access Violation at location 0040a581 in module ashEnhcd.exe Reading from location 000000ec.

another:

C:\Program Files\Avast4\ashSimpl.exe caused an Access Violation at location 5d3130db in module hhctrl.ocx Reading from location 00000000.

another:

C:\PROGRA~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe caused an Access Violation at location 5d3130db in module hhctrl.ocx Reading from location 00000000.

hhctrl.ocx is in tact on my system

BTW, i just set up the SMTP parameters for avast. server is smtp.comcast.net and the addy is [larry dot pk at comcast dot net]

Atomizer, how did you remove the ‘junk’? Deleting or uninstalling?
For any possibility, do you use ProcessGuard and/or PrevX as other security programs?

xp components removed using nLite:
http://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html

The problem is really connected to missing IE.
Either even the “core” of IE was uninstalled from your computer, or its ActiveX control is not properly registered.

IE is fully functional, as far as i know. the core is in tact. i can still use explorer to access the net.
i set all IE security options back to the default level and that didn’t work.
my question now would be, what zone does avast use and what activeX control is required?

thanks for the input so far, it has given me a path to troubleshoot :slight_smile:

any info on what activeX control is required by avast?

As far I know, avast does not require ActiveX controls to operate or update. :wink:

ok, now i’m really confused…

my problem is still that i can’t run the avast UI (start avast antivirus) from any shortcut or its program group. i’ve emailed avast support a few times and haven’t gotten a responce to my last 2 emails. that kinda bugs me since i paid for the product. any ideas?

I sort of don’t understand what parts of IE you really have installed. Originally, you said “No IE”, and then “IE is fully functional”…
How does avast! behave after the last update? (4.6.665)

I said that IE was removed, but that the core was in tact. I didn’t explain that very well and I can see why I confused you. I should’ve made that more clear: For all intents and purposes, IE is installed, it’s just that I don’t have access to it from any shortcut. So, the IE core is there, but the shortcuts are not. I can still access the web from explorer if I wish and I can access all security/privace/etc. options from the windows control panal.

As for your question, the update has not helped the problem of not being able to run the avast UI (control panal I guess you’d call it).

So, what happens when you run ashEnhcd.exe? Does it still crash? (I tried to fix the particular crash in ashEnhcd you reported… so, is the address different now?)

Igor, running ashEnhcd.exe results in a system busy mouse cursor (pointer + hourglass) for just a second and then the UI fails to start. Avast continues to run just fine, it’s just that the UI fails to start. The exact same is true with ashSimpl.exe. I believe there is a difference though since the last program update; I’m pretty sure avast started the error report function to send an email to supprot when starting either of those executables prior to the update. It does not do that any more.

As before, I can still run ashSimpl2.exe normally.

So, if you open Task Manager and watch for the process to appear in the list (when you are starting it), it pops up only very shortly there and disappears again?

Actually it doesn’t appear at all. Processor usage jumps to about 25% (from a base line of 0-4%) for about 1 second and then goes back to normal.

Igor, I had the same behavior described by Atomizer some time ago…
No crashes, just avast! GUI did not start.
I’m not sure, but maybe a ‘repair’ or, because I was experiencing some trouble with Internet Mail Provider and Lukas was helping me, I uninstall and install again. Sorry, I can’t troubleshoot this…

Tech, i did the repair thing, then an uninstall and reinstall, then an uninstall and manually removed any leftovers i could find (i remember some stuff in the registry, i forget what else) and a reinstall, then an uninstall using the avast uninstall utility on the website and a reinstall.

no change at all.

Atomizer, are you using any different Theme for Windows? WindowsBlinds? StyleXP?
Which are your monitor settings?
Anyway, I think the problem is on a ‘messed’ Internet Explorer installation… :cry: