Error message - cannot connect

I’m trying to help a friend I recommended avast! to.

She sent me this question, and I don’t get any results when I google the error message, so I thought I’d post it here.

I will turn on the auto update with her, but I’m not sure it’s going to help!

Does anyone have a clue as to what’s going on here?
She has a wireless router with a PC and laptop, both XP.

No third party firewall - as of yet.

“This red box pops up a few times a day. It says Avast information. An error has occurred while attempting to update. Click here…. Then it says “Cannot connect to download 738.avast.com (unknown 80), total time (the amount of time is different each time). I don’t have the auto update on so I’m curious as to what it is.”

This does sound like firewall blocking, but shouldn’t happen if they haven’t got a 3rd party firewall as XP’s firewall has no outbound protection.

So the only thing I can think of is:
Does your friend use a proxy to connect to the internet (some ISP may insist on this) ?

What is her ISP ?

Have (or did) you another AV installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?

It is most certainly an error not to have auto updates enabled, the avast VPS updates are measured in KBs not MBs as they are incremental. This avoids the remembering to manually update and keeps signatures fully up to date.

They don’t use a proxy.
ISP is comcast.

Previous AV was AVG.

I got rid of AVG by uninstalling thru Add/Remove.
Should I go on a search and destroy mission in the registry?

Auto updates were enabled - my error. [It’s windows updates that are off]

We just tried a manual update and when she clicks the link, nothing happens.

We just checked the virus database version, and it’s dated July 23.
I installed avast! on July 2.
So, it looks like something happened on the 24th.

I know she got infected and scanned with avast! and spybot and had many results.

So, I’m thinking -

scan again to see if some malware is preventing the updating - or is that not possible?

uninstall and reinstall avast! and see if that fixes the issue.

What do you think?

Try this - AVG8.x Remover, download tool from here, http://www.avg.com/download-tools there is a 32bit and 64 bit windows version, ensure you use the correct one.

I’ll send her the link -

but

AVG no longer appears in Add/Remove - will the dedicated uninstaller run without AVG installed and just remove the traces?

Also, the updater was working until about the time her computer was infected - around July 23 or 24.
The last virus definitions file is dated July 23 -
makes me think it’s not a trace of AVG.

And the plot thickens.

This is her latest email to me:

[i]"I ran Avast and it completed its scan. However a box with a RED X popped up that said “Cannot connect to 9698sm.avast.com (174.133.30.202:80)

  • you are not connected to the internet

  • your firewall does not allow the program “avast”.setup” to access the internet; you can find details or help or read FAQ

  • your HTTP proxy settings are incorrect

  • the server is inaccessible because of a network error or maintenance"[/i]

She’s connected to the internet

Windows firewall is the only firewall running

she has no HTTP proxy settings that I know of

not likely it’s a server error

That is the idea to remove traces.

I’m having the SAME problem, since yesterday my system can NOT connect and get updates.

ALL I get a recurring “error: cannot connect to server”.

THEN, of course, when I stop it, “your data could get corrupted” or something something close!

:frowning:

Nothing else is affected,ONLY Avast updates.

???.

Which was your old antivirus (before avast)? How did you uninstall it?
Which is your firewall? Is avast.setup allowed to connect?
Please, post the last 300-350 lines of avast log: C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\log\Setup.log

Previous was AVG, but that was over 3 months ago, and the problem just came up yesterday.

Firewall IS set to allow Avast, and again, worked for over 3 months and there were no recent changes to the system.

Can’t seem to get the log to mark and export lines, but…

Function setifaceUpdatePackaged() has failed return code is oxooooo4c7 DwRes 000004c7

(multiple times since about noon yesterday).

Ok, just to be sure, AVG Remover can be downloaded here: http://www.avg.com/download-tools
Which is the firewall you’re talking about?

The Vista firewall. No traces of AVG found, updates still not working.

Please…

OK, since the program isn’t worth much withOUT updates, I uninstalled it and tried a new fresh install (with a new DL).

THAT doesn’t work either, got this…

06.08.2009 16:47:36 general: Started: 06.08.2009, 16:47:36
06.08.2009 16:47:36 system: Operating system: Windows Vista ver 6.0, build 6001, sp 1.0 [Service Pack 1]
06.08.2009 16:47:36 system: Memory: 22% load. Phys:2097151/2097151K free, Page:4194303/4194303K free, Virt:2028952/2097024K free
06.08.2009 16:47:36 general: Old version: ffffffff (-1)
06.08.2009 16:47:36 system: Using temp: C:\Users\Control\AppData\Local\Temp_av_inet.tm~a03076 (124562M free)
06.08.2009 16:47:36 internet: SYNCER: Type: use IE settings
06.08.2009 16:47:36 internet: SYNCER: Auth: another authentication, use WinInet
06.08.2009 16:47:36 general: Install check: Program folder does NOT exist in registry
06.08.2009 16:47:36 general: SGW32P::CheckIfInstalled set m_bAlreadyInstalled to 0
06.08.2009 16:47:38 general: progress thread start
06.08.2009 16:47:38 general: Destination: C:\Users\Control\AppData\Local\Temp_av_inet.tm~a03076
06.08.2009 16:47:38 general: Starting download: http://www.avast.com/go.php?verb=get-avast-home&type=cnet&langid=eng
06.08.2009 16:47:39 internet: ERROR:HttpGetWininet, catch returned 0x00002EFD
06.08.2009 16:47:39 general: Download finished from server www.avast.com, result: 0x20000004, server response: 12029
06.08.2009 16:47:39 general: Stats www.avast.com, server response: 536870916
06.08.2009 16:47:40 general: POST result: 0x20000004, server response: 0

Does NOT appear, to me, to be a problem here…

result: 0x20000004 means that avast can’t access the update server. This again appears to be either you have a third-party firewall (which you said there isn’t) or there are still remnants of the old Anti-virus on the machine.

You’re sure that she ran the AVG removal tool, and re-booted before trying the avast installation?

Maybe try running the AVG removal tool, reboot, try the Avast removal tool (http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-uninstall-utility.html)
Reboot, then try installing Avast again?

I still haven’t sent her the link for the removal tool.

Does it make sense that avast! would update fine for 21 days and then suddenly stop because of traces of an AVG install removed the same day that avast! was originally installed?

I don’t see it . . .

but I’ll forward the link to her anyhow if you really think it could be the issue.
I’ll have to call her and walk her thru the uninstaller d/l and running it. That’s why I’m hesitating to do this.

Conflicts don’t have a predictable time frame when it may occur it just needs some situation within the computer to change to bring the conflict into play.

All we are doing is ensuring that there are no remnants that could cause a conflict, to take that out of the equation.

I didn’t want to leave this thread without reporting back what happened -

it seems to have worked!

No more blocked updates since she ran the AVG Removal tool!

Thanks so much for helping out with this!

You’re welcome, thanks for the feedback.