iAVS4 failed to start (Deleting calls to services left from Avast 4)

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

After uninstalling Avast 4.8 and installing Avast Free (Avast 5), started seeing an error showing up in Event Viewer on Vista SP2: The avast! iAVS4 Control Service failed to start due to the following error: The system cannot find the path specified

This is an attempt to start a service that calls aswUpdSv.exe from the directory where Avast 4 previously existed. Apparently when uinstalling Avast4, this service and the calls to it in the registry get left behind. My question is how do I get rid of it?

I tried running regedit (as admin) in order to find and delete all the keys referring to iAVS4 but deletion is denied. For now I’ve simply gone into services and disabled this one so it doesn’t even attempt to start, but I’d like to just get rid of it.

Suggestions?

2

I suggest an installation from the scratch:

  1. Download the latest version of avast! Uninstall Utility and save it.
  2. Download the latest avast! version and save it.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Install avast! using the setup saved on 2. Boot.
  6. Register your free copy or add the license key for Pro.
  7. Check and post the results.
3

No joy. I’d actually already done all of that but just for good measure after reading your reply, I did it again. The iAVS4 service call (looking for aswUpdSv.exe in the uninstalled Avast 4.8 folder which is no longer there) remains.

I’ve tried clean booting, turning off self protection (for Avast 5) and booting into safe mode in order to try and get regedit to allow me to delete these keys manually but no joy there either. Each attempt to delete the keys is denied.

Any place I can re-download Avast4Home 4.8? Figured I’d try uninstalling Avast 5, reinstalling 4.8 and use the uninstall utility rather than the control panel applet to see if that makes a difference. Might also give Revo uninstaller a go. But I need the 4.8 Avast4Home installer first regardless.

4

Hi,
Right click on the Avast Icon in System Tray and choose “open Avast…”, click on SETTINGS
choose Troubleshooting and remove the tick from “enable Avast Self-Defense Module”
click on the Start button and then “Run”, type cmd.
Type SC DELETE aswUpdSv
Restart and re"enable Avast Self-Defense Module"
It worked for me
Nicolastr

5

@ Romberry,

Did you run the Avast Uninstall Utility Tool for BOTH 4.0 and 5.0 in Safe Mode, reboot, then reinstall 5.0 only as a clean install? It sounds like now you have both versions on your machine which will cause problems.

How to Uninstall Avast and do a CLEAN install:

  1. Save a copy of newest version of Avast (5.0.677) for the version you need and save it to your HDD:
    Free – http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_av_free_eng.exe - (English only)
  2. Download the Avast Uninstall Utility, aswClear5.exe http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility and save it to your HDD (it has uninstall tools for both 4.0 and 5.0). You will need to uninstall BOTH versions of 4.0 and 5.0 at this time.
  3. Disconnect from the Internet at this time.
  4. Boot into Safe Mode (hit F8 repeatedly) and run the Avast Uninstall Tool.
  5. Reboot.
  6. Install the newest version of Avast and reboot.
  7. Get Internet access and update Avast definitions.
  8. Register your copy or add the license key for Free.
    Free – http://www.avast.com/registration-free-antivirus.php
6

This post is from april so dont bother.