For the past several days I’ve been seeing the following error after Windows has entered the shutdown screen. The error is as follows: —
Heading of error: (ashServe.exe-Application Error) —
Body of error: (The instruction at “0x7c910e03” referenced memory at “0x00000000”. The memory could not be “written”. Click OK to terminate the program.). —
Can anyone tell me what this problem is and what to do to correct it ?
There are already multiple threads dealing with this. Please use the search option on this board before asking.
Eddy, just did a search on this … you are quite right that there are multiple threads on this. Are you able to point fhurst to a thread that leads to a solution (other than abandoning Avast!)?
Well now, wait a moment…
This warning message is discussed in a number of threads. There is NO solution yet, as Avast seems not in a position to reproduce the effect on their machines. But the high number of affected PC will eventually lead to a solution.
Actually: This seems to be a nuisance only, proper function of the PC or Avast seems not to be affected at all. ==> So there is no need to abandon Avast at all !
If there is a program that is writing to log files, etc. then ashserv will do as it should scan created/modified files. So if this is happening at shut-down there is likely to be an error.
The trick is to find out what ashserv.exe is scanning, e.g. what other program is running. How you do that is a problem. A long time ago I kept getting a shut-down error written to the winXP event logs (I monitor this regularly), I never 100% found out why but installing a MS service uphclean.exe resolved it, no more errors on shut-down in the event logs.
Is this your solution, I really don’t know.
Dear DavidR
uphclean.exe can remove or prevent message to the Event Viewer which where created by the registry if not all handles were released.
The present problem here seems to be different, the error occurs very late in the shutdown process, no dump-records are created, so far as I can see.
I usually close all user-applications before shutdown, so IF it must be a internal program that would be running at that time?
Actually I’m at a loss
==> The warning message is very disturbing to unskilled users. As with the above uphclean.exe it would help if the warning message could be suppressed somehow (as anyway after looking at it nothing can be done by a user). How could it be suppressed?
I too, am at a loss, unless ‘fhurst’ can find some form of sniffer program that can monitor program activity something like process explorer (although this probably won’t do it).
All I can suggest is he close down non essential programs and see what is still running and close them one at a time (and shutdown each time), a laborious process to try and identify after which program is closed the error goes away.
We haven’t had any further feedback from him, we don’t even know what OS he is using, or if he has given up!
Hmm, even the latest beta doesn’t solve this…? :-\
I’ve gotten the same thing (error message) sometimes (4.5.561) – but in my case, if I just wait a few seconds then my XP considers “silence is consent” and shuts down Ashserve by itself.
While there’s no hard-and-fast pattern to it, I get the vague sense that it happens a little more often if I try to shutdown-restart while the Standard shield is paused, knowing that it’ll be active again after the reboot.
There have been many issues with win98 shutdown (and we still don’t know what OS is using)
This MS Knowledge base item may give some insight http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q238096/.
Is it possible to add a delay to windows shutdown, if so that may allow ashserv or other program to complete and not effect normal shutdown?
An extract of the MS KB article above is
[b]Antivirus Program[/b] If you have an antivirus program that is configured to scan your floppy disk drive when you shut down your computer, your computer may stop responding. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 231666 Antivirus Program Causes Computer to Stop Responding When You Shut Down
Could it be that this is a potential cause is in fhurst’s avast settings?
Another MS KB article Antivirus Program Causes Computer to Stop Responding When You Shut Down
Dear Vlk
I’m sorry to report, that the latest Beta 4.6.595 has not solved the problem. Running W2K, I can see that this shutdown problem occurs mainly after the user has accessed functions of Avast, and only seldom (if ever?) if Avast has been just running by itself.
It is true: This is a nuisance only, without intervention the warning message disappears after maybe 20 sec and shutdown shortly afterwards terminates with no problem…still: For general users it’s a problem!
and only seldom (if ever?) if Avast has been just running by itself.Depending on your setup and settings ofcourse, normalle Avast is always running since it is supposed to be working as a rsident scanner ;)
Please, how do I go about doing this search. What do I type as a keyword, the error I quoted?
I have another question.
I thought I was supposed to get notified by email that my post has recieved a reply. I have been waiting for an e-mail for quite some time, so I felt it was time to revisit the forum to see why noone had replied and I found quite a few replies after I finnally found my original post.
Is there a setting wherein I may request e-mail notification next time?
By the way, please don’t be hard on Eddy for doing his job. I know there are rules, and I am a visitor here. I have to learn how to do these things if I am ever to become the least bit computer savy.
But I do have this to say in my defense. Avast Antivirus has been so reliable that this is only the second time I have ever had to be on this forum to get help. Practice makes perfect. So In light of this reliability I hope I never get perfect on this forum.
I clicked some of the links at the top of the forum and found a profile that was mine and I clicked all of the links in that page to see what they did and through experimentation I was able to put a picture and a signiture in my post. Cool! —
I also read something in one of them about clicking the notify button here in the post. I hope that it will give me an e-mail notification when one of you decide to answer.
I had originally, some months ago, put a checkmark in one of the boxes on one of those pages that I thought would get me my e-mails, but a closer look at the wording told me I may be wrong, so I unchecked that box and checked the one below it. Fingers crossed.
I take it from all of the replies, that I shouldn’t have worried about this problem, that all I need to do is click “OK” in the alert box and do a Mickey Blue Eyes and “For-ged a-boud it”.
If you differ in opinion, please tell me and I will continue to seek a resolution. With your help!!
It seems that the ashserv error when shutting down Windows is back again. Rebooted 3 times and 3 times I got the message. (Version 4.6.623) 
Me too, had the problem all week. Even a new install doesnt help ???
Not a trouble here… Weird…
Can you post any other information that could help us troubleshooting this one?
Weird, I had that problem only once… just one time and never again. It was on Windows shutdown, but I was unable to read whole message… I just noticed word ashserv.exe and something like The memory could not be written… 
It never happened again after that… that was 4 or 5 days ago, and I was too busy with my job problems, so I completely forgot to report that… sorry guys
I’m sure the solution for this one will pop-up very soon… I never doubt when it comes to Alwil…
Cheers !