Can't Get avast! to Open

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi Guys,

I’ve been using avast! for at least two years with no problems, but when I went to start up the program for a scan last night, it wouldn’t open. I have Win XP and was using avast! 4.6 Pro. There has never been another AV program on my computer, and the only other “protective” software I have used on my computer are AdAware and Sygate.

Ok…so when I try to open the program, either through its shortcut in the start menu or by clicking on “Start avast! Antivirus” on the tray icon, the cursor changes to the “working in background” mode with the pointer and hourglass, but then nothing happens. When I check my task manager, it shows that ashAvast.exe has started…but it hasn’t.

So here are the things I have tried to correct the problem.

  1. Attempted a repair via Add/Remove programs. That did nothing. So I tried to uninstall through Add/Remove programs → Restart → use aswclear.exe for any leftovers → restart
  2. Downloaded avast! home 4.6 to see if that would run…installed it…did boot scan just fine…then had the same problem when I tried to make it start via the start menu.
  3. Tried repair and then uninstalled it like in “1”
  4. Downloaded a new version of avast! pro 4.6…installed it…boot scan was just fine again…all the on-access protection stuff works just fine…but the scanner itself still won’t start.
  5. Browsed around on the forums a bit and found this:
    http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=15275;prev_next=next
    I followed Tech’s instructions for XP, which said “DllRegisterServer in ACTSKIN4.OCX succeeded.”
  6. Tried to run avast! again…but still nothing.
  7. Tweaked avast4.ini by adding in StartWithSkin=0…still no luck.

And that’s basically that. Any help would greatly be appreciated. I’ve pretty much run out of options here.

Thanks.

2

Good boy 8)

Rotorblade, you’re doing it right.
Repairing, uninstalling and installing again.
Then trying to register the ACTSKIN4.OCX.
I’m proud of you, you get it very further.
I can just suggest:

  1. Try running ashsimp2.exe from avast! folder. What do you get?
  2. If you download a new skin and double click it, what do you get?
3

Alright…so I tried both of your suggestions.

  1. Running ashsimp2.exe does the same thing as running the program normally…it looks like its about to start…and then nothing happens. The only difference being that ashsimp2.exe is now running in my task manager instead of ashavast.exe. No luck there.

  2. Much like everything else before it, downloading and then opening a skin has the same effect…except it starts up ashSimpl.exe instead of the previous two exe’s.

So now I’m going to give Safe Mode a try and see if I can make avast! work that way.

4

Maybe here comes the answer:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=17222