My free 5.0.377 has not been able to update itself for quite some time, and only now I have time to tackle the problem. The problem: the choice Maintenance/Update starts updating, but it never gets beyond the “Step 1/2, Intializing, please wait” screen. I don’t get any error messages, the updating process just takes forever.
I saw in the topic=57049 the suggestion to go to www.avast.com/download-update, so I downloaded and run the vpsupd.exe . First I got an error message with certain error codes, but learned from topic=58941 that I must switch off the Avast self-defence first. Did this, but the vpsupd.exe now reports ‘VPS database is already up to date’.
Use of the Avast’s Maintenance/Update option does not even lead any new entries to be written into the setup.log file, although running vpsupd.exe does.
So I’m still in the situation where both the program and virus definitions are old, and update attempts are not getting through. I’m running XP Pro SP3, Windows firewall, and there shouldn’t be any other anti-spyware installed.
Suggestions are welcome.
And by the way, I agree with other writers that Avast is quite an impressive piece of software …
Had this problem and fixed it by changing to direct connection in settings…
Open the avast ui and click settings and then select the updates settings page.
Check the box for “My computer is permanently connected to the internet”. Then below select proxy settings and selected “Direct connection (no proxy)”.
Don’t know why it works after changing the settings but I know changing these settings resolved it for me. I assume whatever problem 5.0 introduced to the update procedure carried over to the latest package and has not been fixed yet.
Thanks for the hint Kev, unfortunately does not seem to help in my case.
I now notice that the last entry in the setup.log indicating successful update is dated 20.3. That’s the day when installation of Xilinx software lead to a curious problem, breaking my web browsing capability. The incident is described in http://forums.xilinx.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/12924 . I was able get back the web browsing capability by using System Restore. Obviously something has not gotten restored, and this something now hinders the Avast updates. Maybe even the original Xilinx problem was somehow caused by the Xilinx-Avast interaction.
Damn, it sounds like my best option is complete re-installation of my system from the scratch…
The result is that the program is now indeed the version 5.0.545 and virus definitions are more modern (dated 6.5.10). The program still cannot update, neither the virus definitions nor itself. Again, it never gets beyond the 'Step 1/2, Initializing, please wait´.
Uninstall avast from Control Panel (if possible). If, for any reason, you can’t run it, try booting in Safe Mode and doing it from there. Anyway, boot after that.
Run the avast! Uninstall Utility saved on 1. If, for any reason, you can’t run it, try booting in Safe Mode and doing it from there. Anyway, boot after you’ve run it.
Install avast! using the setup saved on 2. Boot.
Register your free copy or add the license key for Pro.
I am going to jump into this thread because I have exactly the same problem, and have so far followed the suggestions, and have had no luck with getting the program to update manually or automatically.
The last suggestion by Tech to completely uninstall and do a clean reinstall did NOT solve the problem. Symptoms stay exactly the same.
I had no issues with the reinstallation, it just did not solve the problem…
Anybody else have a suggestion to help solve the problem? This obviously gets to be more and more serious an issue as my running program gets more and more out of date…
If I use the Control Panal Add/Remove, I can update the program, but that does not update the virus definition file.
The following section of the log file might help:
22:29:09 min/gen Started: 23.05.2010, 22:29:09
22:29:09 min/gen Running setup_ais-221 (545)
22:29:09 nrm/sys Operating system: WindowsXP ver 5.1, build 2600, sp 3.0 [Service Pack 3]
22:29:09 nrm/sys Memory: 27% load. Phys:2092596/2097151K free, Page:4194303/4194303K free, Virt:2070704/2097024K free
22:29:09 vrb/sys Computer WinName: NAVSTATION
22:29:09 min/sys Windows Net User: SYSTEM
22:29:09 min/gen Cmdline: /verysilent /noreboot /stopstat “C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\aswUpdSum.ini” /session “5”
22:29:09 vrb/gen Operation set to INST_OP_STOP_STAT
22:29:09 min/gen Old version: 221 (545)
22:29:09 vrb/reg Deleted registry: Software\Alwil Software\Avast\5.0\UpdateReady
22:29:09 dbg/fil filRenameOnReboot:!bSuccess
22:29:09 dbg/fil filRenameOnReboot:!bSuccess
22:29:09 dbg/fil filRenameOnReboot:!bSuccess
22:29:09 nrm/sys Using temp: C:\WINDOWS\TEMP_asw_aisI.tm~a00884 (66707M free)
22:29:09 min/gen LockInstance failed: 0x2000000A
22:29:09 nrm/pkg Transferred: files 0, bytes 0, time 0 ms
22:29:09 nrm/pkg Retries: total 0, files 0, servers 0
22:29:09 vrb/fil NeedReboot=false
22:29:09 min/gen Return code: 0x2000000A [Another instance of setup is already running. Please wait until it finishes and then try to run it again.]
22:29:09 min/gen Stopped: 23.05.2010, 22:29:09
Seems you have the same problem I faced 1 week ago…avast.setup always running…in my case, I solved modifiing internet connecyion settings. Since I bought a new router, I had to set avast updates as follows:
_ first, select “my computer is always connected to the internet”
_ second, select “direct connection” (no proxy).
Thanks for the suggestion Wonder, I had already tried that. But tried it again on the new install and that didn’t do it either… HOWEVER…
I have solved MY problem, maybe it will help others and especially the developers.
Here is the story:
My Internet connection requires a logon before a full connection is established.
AVAST is (of course) starting before the internet connection has been logged into. If it feels the need to update, it immediately launches an automatic update, and an instance of Avast.setup. Of course that instance can’t connect to the net yet. It becomes a zombie process that never does anything, but its existence prevents any further updates from happening. Being an anti-virus program it has priority high enough I haven’t found a way to kill it. Even Process Explorer can’t kill this zombie.
Short Term Solution: Switch AVAST to manual update only and re-boot. Now I can force it to wait until the internet is fully available before launching an updates and avast.setup starts. At the conclusion of the update avast.setup dies grasefully as it should
Hopefully this will go away in the next program update? Right guys? Something as simple as a timeout and die on avast.setup would be an inelegant fix…
As you can see from above I have found the cause (in my case) and a workaound. I had tried everything I know (not a lot) to kill the avast.setup process and had no luck. Any ideas?
Then delay the auto update check - In avast5 you need to edit (using notepad) avast5.ini the [InetWD] section of the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Alwil Software\Avast5\avast5.ini
Broadband connections, add this line: AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120 and AssumeAlwaysConnected=1 if not present (or edit AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 to AssumeAlwaysConnected=1)
Do you use a router with your internet service? If so, you could have it automatically login for you (I’m assuming you have DSL Broadband, but you may have dial-up).
