I’ve used Avast for many years with no problems until Avast 6. On doing the update to Avast 6 I got an error due to aswSP.sys. I solved that by swapping in my previous aswSP.sys file. I then had problems with an extremely long time taken to access various files or programs. I excluded those extensions from file scans. All went well from then until I decided to use the latest version: 1289. Avast now blocked access to those files by various programs, such that I’d get an error trying to access those files saying bad parameter or I’d get a memory error. On boot, logonui.exe would get an error. Various programs couldn’t be run, maybe because they accessed these file types. Disabling all the shields did not help. Uninstalling Avast resolved all the problems.
Since I had installed Avast as an update over my previous version, I tried uninstalling Avast using aswclear.exe. I downloaded version 1289 and installed it. So I was back to the problem with aswSP.exe. Rather than swapping in my old aswSP.exe and see if it would work OK (doubtful), I decided I no longer want to use Avast 6.
Unfortunately, all my updates of Avast were done by using Avast. Therefore I do not have Avast 5 to go back to, and I haven’t found Avast 5 on the internet. If anyone knows where I can get a copy, please let me know.
Oh, one annoying thing was that after uninstalling Avast, it still tried to install some IE helpers when I rebooted. I never allowed them before, so WinPatrol caught that.
I am running XP SP2.
You might find it on FileHippo they sometimes have previous versions available. When you uninstalled the Avast did you run the cleanup tool before the new install?
Joe
Joe is correct, in both comments. Boot into Safe Mode and run aswclear.exe, select the correct folder for Avast 5 and run the removal tool.
Then reboot again into Safe mode (please don’t skip this reboot) and run again aswclear.exe for Avast 6, selecting the correct folder (if it is still there).
Then reboot into Normal Mode and download the Free edition from filehippo.com, selecting the specific version you want (filehippo.com → avast → right panel → select version). To be clear, I am just answering the question, not recommending using an old version.
Thanks for the referral to FileHippo. They have the old versions of Avast. The confusing part at their site is that you click on download first, thinking you are downloading the latest version, before you see the list of old versions on the right. I haven’t tried the install yet, though.
I did do the uninstall first, but I did not reboot again into Safe Mode and run aswclear again before I tried re-installing the latest. But I will try that before installing the old version. Something is still protecting the folder even though it is empty: Windows says that some program might not be able to run if I deleted it. I see Avast still has some references in the registry for WebRep. The old version had used a different folder anyway (Alwil vs Avast).
Swapping the file will never work. Update will change the file back.
Any other security program that could interfere? Any older antivirus before avast?
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. Or even upgrade your key from old versions.
Check and post the results. If, for any reason, you did not solve, try doing the step 3 in Safe Mode anyway.
Well, that’s exactly one of the reasons why all security tools have special additional removal utilities.
Even if you find only one of the old Avast / alwill folders, you should run the removal tool twice (with reboot in between, and always in safe mode). The removal tool attempts to delete all “relevant” traces, not only files from folders. That’s why you need to choose the correct version from the list in the removal tool, and you need to select the correct folder. Otherwise, you are not really “cleaning” :).
In any case there will be some traces left. Some registry keys for example are managed by the OS, even if it says something about Avast, so Avast removal tool can’t really delete those. They are not important, in the sense that the will not interfere with your new installation (or with any other security tool), even if those leftovers are there. If you want, you could delete them (better after running the removal tool all the times it needs to be ran, and after rebooting once again into Safe Mode. Then is is really safe to delete those leftovers).
I went to Safe Mode and use aswclear.exe again. That did clean up and remove the folder. Thanks for the tip on that. Where I read about using aswclear.exe in this forum it did not mention running it twice.
I then installed the last version of Avast 5, and that works smoothly. So, Tech, swapping the file does work. After installation I set program update to manual.
As to other security programs: everything was fine until Avast 6, where I had the problem with aswSP.sys that I wrote about elsewhere in this forum. It was when I updated to the latest version of Avast 6 that I started with the logon and subsequent problems. I do not use other anti-virus programs, and the only other security program that runs is my firewall. Any other security program is only run on demand, not at startup.
YoKenny, as to the comment about XP SP2 support ending a year ago, who cares. I don’t need Microsoft support. XP is probably still the most used version, and SP3 added nothing if you had all the security updates on SP2. I don’t update OS versions, it only leads to trouble. I used W95a until 2006 when I got a new PC, thus avoiding things like Windows ME and Vista. W98 would have been OK, but I had no need. But this is not for this forum, except to say that Avast 6 should be working with XP SP2.
Many others here do also, because most here are security minded, and do not like people running around the web with the PC equivalent of AIDS, and that is what you have, with an OS with no security updates.
That should be an OS with no RECENT security updates. I have all the updates until MS stopped providing them. Security updates are only part of the solution; helpful and useful but neither necessary nor sufficient. Systems without security conscious people are plagued with viruses, etc. My system has always been clean. How one does things is more important than the minor security updates for the OS. Most people have no knowledge on what they should be looking for and they also accept false positives since they know no better, thus damaging the integrity of their system.
I started with Avast because it appeared to be the only free AV that handled e-mails of any mail client program, and I believe it still is. I avoid the standard mail programs, like Outlook and Outlook Express, so Avast was the only AV that worked for my e-mail. But if its new versions are incompatible with my system then I’ll stay with its older version, which is probably better than any other AV.
As soon V5 and V6 came out i wasnt able to use it, i stock with 4.8. I found a way to not get this anoying popups anymore, knowledge from Windows is quit usefull whaen u know what ye do.
The Problem my side is, that the version V5 and V6 reconise the hole Sony Music Software for creating and cutting reconise as root or maleware and let it not executing, and some other problems to.
$.8 is maybe old and the engine is not best anymore, but its works great and for a free version it have some futeares who are complet missing in V5 or V6.
But thats not the subject.
What i was want to say is that some Persons, do not update to this version couse the cant, I’m SP3 on one Partion and for the Yamaha Software i’m on the second Partion on SP2 couse i cant upgrade to SP3. and my software is Legitim.
@ Yokenny
What does it bloody matter, you clearly know what it means and this isn’t a school. Then again even your corrections aren’t all correct either.
If you have nothing but derogatory comments to offer then I suggest you don’t bother.
I think you’re just trying to be mean, and that should have no place here. But since you said he should learn to spell check, then, even though it is just a typo on your part, you should too.
I had set the updates for definitions and program to manual. I accidentally did a program update when trying to update the definitions, and even though I tried to cancel it, it still completed. On the restart I had the latest version and had no problems, even with the new aswSP.dll file. I suppose some problem had occurred in the Avast files causing the new version not to work, while the old version had still worked; and running aswclear.exe had obviously cleaned everything up. And yes, I now have it back to automatic updates.
