How many dead Vista bodies before Avast acknowledge a problem?

[Vlk]

@NoelDP post:20

…And the body-count is still rising -and it seems to be getting WORSE rather than better.

Is it? I was looking at the WGA forum but didn’t find anything specific. Are you seeing anyone with the problem and avast 6.0.1203?

Thanks
Vlk

[system]

When someone is sinking, do you ask them which lifeboat they are on?

[system]

@Vlk post:18

@ady4um post:15

@Vlk post:14

If anyone having the issue could actually test the beta and report back if the problem is really solved, it would be greatly appreciated.

The proposal of the OP was exactly the opposite: Avast Team could/should participate at those MS forums to “publish” the new beta, minimize the impact of those “uninstall Avast completely and forget about it” suggestions, and finally Avast could have some more testers about the issue.

Since the issue is actually a crashed system, I don’t think that users are waiting for the stable release. They either accept using a beta (if they actually know that the issue may be resolved), or they change to a different tool.

Avast should had released a new stable with at least this issue resolved (and any already solved critical problems), if not for the users of Vista “pre SP2”, for the bad PR. All the “extra” (read, non-critical improvements) could have wait in the beta step. Just my opinion.

Just two things to note:

1. as someone above said, the result is not a system crash. It’s Windows reporting as having detected an “unauthorized modification”.

2. We would have released the update earlier if only the problem would have been solved earlier. The main problem was to actually get a computer with the problem simulated. If you look at the MSFT forums, you may fall into the impression that the problem affected pretty much all Vista users. But this is simply not the case… we tried tens of various Vista installations, with various HW and SW configurations, and were simply not able to reproduce the problem. This is probably because the licensing checks are done only “randomly”, as one of the MSFT forum moderators pointed out… which makes its testing very tough.

Thanks
Vlk

A few more bruises in the Avast 6 - Vista conflict to report here, if it can be any help - and if you can help me, even better !

Configuration : Windows Vista Edition Familiale Premium (don’t think you’ll have trouble translating that!) on a Sony Vaio VGN-CR11Z/R (4 years old)in France. And whatever versions of Avast Free available over these last 4 years.

First error 0XC004D401 mid-June when I’d just installed the new Avast 6, problems solved early July thanks to replies to a post on the Free/Pro/Suite Forum : restoration of Vista, disinstalling/ reinstalling Avast. For details, please look at the topic “Avast 6 update and Vista”.

Very pleased, all back to normal, problem solved… Version 6.0.1203 up and running.

This morning, wham! bang!, same error out of the blue while I was working on the computer. On checking, I discovered that Vista had just uploaded an update of Windows Defender.

I seem to have got things working again, but have put updates from Windows and Avast on hold for the moment, as I’m not sure I’ve got everything right.

Sorry I can’t be more technical - my computer training goes back to the year hard disk drives were invented (oh what a giveaway 8)). I’ve read forum posts for 2 or 3 hours now to no avail, but am willing to be a guinea pig for testing solutions.

Any ideas ?
Thanks in advance

[system]

@patbertaux,

The workaround is the following:

1_ Use the clean uninstall tool of Avast under Windows Safe Mode;
2_ Update Windows Vista with ALL the needed updates and reboot (and repeat the update+reboot until no updates are displayed);
3_ Double check that you have Vista SP2 applied;
4_ Double check your Validation Status after all the updates.

Whichever step above (partially) fails (like, for example, the Validation Status after SP2), then you need to comply and start from step “2” above again.

After ALL updates are applied and Vista is Validated, download the latest Stable version of Avast, install it and reboot.

It is a PITA, but it “solves” the problem, at least for now.

I don’t know if you have the complete knowledge for all those steps (since you mentioned your computer training is not that good). I am simply mentioning the steps that worked for other users with this problem.

If you still need specific help, please open a new topic so to make it easier for forum users to help you.

[jadinolf]

My laptop has Vista as its OS.

Never noticed any problems with avast!

[system]

If you’re a Windows watcher, circle this date on your calendar: April 10, 2012.

That’s the date when mainstream support for Windows Vista officially ends.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/can-windows-8-finally-vanquish-the-ghosts-of-xp-and-vista/3570

People may seriously want to consider dumping Windows 7 Beta (i.e. Vista) ASAP.

[system]

@Nesivos post:26

If you’re a Windows watcher, circle this date on your calendar: April 10, 2012.

That’s the date when mainstream support for Windows Vista officially ends.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/can-windows-8-finally-vanquish-the-ghosts-of-xp-and-vista/3570

People may seriously want to consider dumping Windows 7 Beta (i.e. Vista) ASAP.

They can’t completely dump support for Vista in 2012 when XP support is continuing until 2014. I don’t think the writer has his facts straight.

[DavidR]

Interesting that Vista’s mainstream support ends April 10, 2012 and two years before XP in April 2014; with rumours of the release of windows 8 also April 2012 ;D

[off-topic]
XP had extra life because of a few things, when netbooks came out Vista was a busted flush too much resource use, so XP was revived. Plus there are still a lot of business users with the Pro version and that is on extended support life cycle.

But it is no surprise to me MS want rid of this failed OS, Vista never really took off.
[/off-topic]

[system]

@DavidR post:28

[off-topic]
…But it is no surprise to me MS want rid of this failed OS, Vista never really took off.
[/off-topic]

[off-topic]
It is not because of Vista. MS “failed” to release the OS that was supposed to be released after XP by the time they really wanted to. So when it finally came out (as Vista) with several years of delay, the new policy was/is that the “previous release” support ends 3 years after the “latest release” is published (or something like that; I currently don’t remember the exact wording). So, 3 years after “Windows 8” would be released, the support for Seven will also end. After XP, MS will never support again the same OS for 13 years.
[/off-topic]

[system]

As I understand it mainstream support for Windows Vista ends in 2012, but extended support continues until 2017.

[system]

@NoelDP post:1

As a regular contributor to the MS WGA forums, I have repeatedly had to tell people running Vista to uninstall Avast v6, as it causes Kernel and Mod-Auth Tampers which break validation in Vista.

There may be an easier way, that I am experimenting with now, by going into Services and disabling Windows Update. What it is likely clashing with are tools that are periodically downloaded by Windows Update to validate and check that Product Activation has not been tampered with.

[system]

@turmoyle2000 post:30

As I understand it mainstream support for Windows Vista ends in 2012, but extended support continues until 2017.

I think that all support for XP, Vista and 7 will all end in 2014.

[system]

@NoelDP post:1

As a regular contributor to the MS WGA forums, I have repeatedly had to tell people running Vista to uninstall Avast v6, as it causes Kernel and Mod-Auth Tampers which break validation in Vista.

Avast has so far neither acknowledged the problem, nor stated that they can even see it.

One thing it might to is screw up the security settings on some folders where you cannot access them, if if logged in as a full admin

After I re-installed Windows, due to this problem, I was totally locked out of one of the hard disks, and could not get in, even as an admin, so I had to set ownership of everything on the disk to Administrator, and that allowed me to get back into the disk.

I also wonder if this could not have been the reason I had to reinstall Vista the first time. I run an online radio station, and FireDemon, which keeps Winamp and Shoutcast DNAS running as a Windows service, stopped working, and knocked me off the air. I wonder if the update to Avast 6 could not have caaused that. When tried to and start the service, I would get an error message saying the serice could not start. FireDeamon was totally screwed up and I had to reinstall Windows.

[Asyn]

@Chilly8 post:32

I think that all support for XP, Vista and 7 will all end in 2014.

No, it won’t.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectwin

[system]

@Asyn post:34

@Chilly8 post:32

I think that all support for XP, Vista and 7 will all end in 2014.

No, it won’t.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectwin

From your link

Windows Vista Home Premium in the U.S.A

1. Service Pack Support has already ended
2. Mainstream support will end on 4/10/12

I would imagine that MSFT will offer extended support for Vista when mainstream support ends just like they are doing for XP.

Windows XP Home Edition in the U.S.A

1. Mainstream support is done.
2. Extended support end date is 4/8/14.

Extended support includes

1. Paid support
2. Security update support
3. Non-security hotfix support but only if you purchased an extended hotfix agreement, purchased within 90 days of mainstream support ending.

Bottom line is that unless you purchased Windows XP or Windows Vista from a third party you will not be getting any software compatibility updates. I doubt that there are too many software companies writing new versions of their software with an emphasis on Windows XP or Windows Vista compatibility.

[system]

I would imagine that MSFT will offer extended support for Vista when mainstream support ends just like they are doing for XP.

Like I already said, mainstream support for Vista ends in 2012, and extended support runs until 2017. It’s all part of the MSFT product life cycle. You can read about on the MSFT website.

[system]

[quote author=ady4um link=topic=81004.msg667149#msg667149 date=1310754547]
@patbertaux,
The workaround is the following: […]

Just to say thanks for your help, system at last up and running, hopefully !