I recently installed the free home version of Avast 4.6. Now when I use and close Windows Explorer I get the Windows error message that Data Execution Prevention has closed Windows Explorer. This happens multiple times in a row each time I open and then close Windows Explorer. I also notice the Avast icon in the tray is spinning each time. I assume Avast is triggering this error message. Is there a way to correct this situation? I use a HP Pavilion 792n with Windows XP with all the latests updates and I have the Windows Firewall turned on.
Are you using XP Home or XP Pro ?
The fact that the icon is spinning only means that avast! is scanning something - it could even be some kind of error log being created. I don’t think avast! interferes with Windows Explorer in any way (that could lead to DEP error).
Is there any additional information in the DEP error message? (module name, address, …)
I am using Windows XP Home edition with service pack 2. When I get this error message Windows offers to send a report to Microsoft that contains a lot of info that meant nothing to me other than indicating that memory areas reserved for Windows were being accessed I assume by Avast. Apparently this DEP service prevents some types of viruses that use these reserved memory areas from running. Avast found no viruses on my PC and I think Avast must be scanning these memory areas and triggering the error message.
DEP means “Data Execution Prevention”, i.e. you’d have to execute these “areas” - pure scanning doesn’t trigger the alert.
Well, can you post a screenshot of the beginning of the error info page?
Error signature
EventType: BEX P1:explorer.exe P2:6.0.2900.2180 P3:41107ece
P4:unknown P5:0.0.0.0 P6:00000000 P7:04116c72
P8:c0000005 P9:00000008
This is the error report produced.
I triggered the DEP error a second time at did the error report to MS which sent this additional information. I notice that this error triggers most consistently when I use Windows explorer to access my network places and just the shared folders on this PC. When I close Windows Explorer after viewing a shared folder the Avast Icon spins and I get the DEP error message.
Registry Keys:
HKLM\Hardware\Description\System\CentralProcessor\0
Component Information:(BINARY) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00
Identifier:(SZ) x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 4
ProcessorNameString:(SZ) Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz
VendorIdentifier:(SZ) GenuineIntel
FeatureSet:(DWORD) 80073FFF
~MHz:(DWORD) 0000095F
Update Signature:(BINARY) 00 00 00 00 1E 00 00 00
Update Status:(DWORD) 00000000
Previous Update Signature:(BINARY) 00 00 00 00 0B 00 00 00
WQL Query Results:
instance of Win32_Processor
{
AddressWidth = 32;
Architecture = 0;
Availability = 3;
Caption = “x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 4”;
CpuStatus = 1;
CreationClassName = “Win32_Processor”;
CurrentClockSpeed = 2399;
CurrentVoltage = 14;
DataWidth = 32;
Description = “x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 4”;
DeviceID = “CPU0”;
ExtClock = 133;
Family = 2;
L2CacheSize = 0;
Level = 15;
LoadPercentage = 0;
Manufacturer = “GenuineIntel”;
MaxClockSpeed = 2399;
Name = " Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz";
PowerManagementSupported = FALSE;
ProcessorId = “3FEBFBFF00000F24”;
ProcessorType = 3;
Revision = 516;
Role = “CPU”;
SocketDesignation = “Socket 478”;
Status = “OK”;
StatusInfo = 3;
Stepping = “4”;
SystemCreationClassName = “Win32_ComputerSystem”;
SystemName = “TERRY_OFFICE”;
UpgradeMethod = 4;
Version = “Model 2, Stepping 4”;
};
Well, there really isn’t much useful information in the log 
I doubt it, but does it help if you stop Standard Shield temporarily?
I turned off the Standard Shield and was not able to trigger the DEP error anymore when I exited Windows Explorer. I then turned Standard Shield back on again and still was not able to trigger the DEP error when I exited Windows Explorer. I noticed that now the Avast Icon in the tray does not spin when I exit Windows Explorer as it was doing each time I got the DEP error. Somehow Avast was previously triggerd to scan almost every time time I exited Windows Explorer after opening a shared folder in my network places and now that I turned Standard Shield off and back on again Avast is no longer being triggered to scan by my exiting Windows Explorer.
I was wondering if MSN Search (which I also recently installed) could somehow be indexing when I exited Windows Explorer and triggered and conflicted with Avast. However, the problem seems to at least temporarily be gone.
Right now, I don’t think avast! was involved in any way.
As I said, the spinning of avast! icon might simply have been avast! scanning the error log being created.