* Introducing * - beta version of upcoming avast update (NOW 4.7.979)

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

The new version has now been officially released as v4.7.981. The beta program is now closed. Thanks to anyone who helped testing this release.

BTW, to switch from the beta to the official release version, simply invoke Program Update from within the avast GUI.

Hi again,

as promised, here’s the new (pre-release) version of the upcoming update of avast! Home/Professional. The version is currently labeled as 4.7.971 (Edit April 11th: now 4.7.979).

How to install it (for starters - most people already know this trick anyway ): simply download and run the following program: link removed. That’s about all it takes (provided you have the latest version of avast Home/Pro already installed, of course).

There is a number of fixes in this release. Here’s the list of most important changes:

  • fixed extra-long duration of the boot-time scan under Windows Vista
  • WebShield: improved compatibility with Windows Vista (for details see here http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=27037.0)
  • WebShield: better support for HTTP method CONNECT in upstream proxy scenarios
  • fixed a minor memory leak in aswrdr.sys
  • auto-updates now use much less CPU resources (should not interfere with other CPU-intensive programs running on the computer, e.g. games)
  • added a new unpacker: “installers”; useful especially for detection of droppers
  • Outlook/Exchange provider: improved compatibility with Outlook 2007
  • boot-time scanner: fix for the case when there’s the /NOGUIBOOT option in boot.ini
  • fixed a problem in Standard Shield under Windows Vista related to saving of Word 2007 documents on FAT partitions
  • email alerts now use correct formatting even for non-Latin characters
  • fixed a rare problem in Standard Shield related to handling of disk volumes mounted to NTFS directories
  • further enhancements in executable unpackers
  • fixed a bug in ZOO unpacker (special thanks to Jean-Sébastien Guay-Leroux)
  • task scheduler: it’s now possible to specify which days of week the task should run
  • command-line scanner (ashCmd.exe) now supports a couple of more command-line options, mostly related to handling of infected files
  • added Macedonian, Croatian and Portuguese (not Brazil) language packs

Any comments on this release are very welcome and appreciated!

Thanks
Vlk

2

Hello.
I have a suggestion: To improve desing of the alert window update, better the interface and the beauty. One asks:
When the interface and the beauty of avast will be modified?
When will be launched version 5.0?
Avast is best.

3

I’m downloading it now on dial-up I expect to be here for a while ;D

I notice the one about email alerts bullet point, I have been trying to help someone with SMTP Alerts and neither he or I can get it to work, so I’m clutching at straws that this might have an effect though I doubt it as it seems unrelated to the problem.

I would appreciate it if you could take a look at this post, http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=13623.msg223407#msg223407 whilst I watch some paint dry wait for the beta download to complete.

4

Thanks. Very welcome.

Wouldn’t this be possible for the Home/Pro version?
It’s strange and weird when the user cannot manage (delete/move/etc.) a file inside of an archive. People think that avast cannot handle them, the computer is infected, etc. Other problem is that we continue receive a virus message and the file cannot be processed by avast.
It’s a pity.

5

Downloading now will run a bootscan tomorrow

6

New beta? HURRAY…will download and test it right away!

When it’s ready… ;D

7

It seems to run well on my machine :wink:
May I ask what is this the beta of ? Is it an early 4.8 ?

Thanks

Al968

8

Just some fixes (problems previously covered in the forums and solutions found) and improvements listed above being given a run out as a beta prior to general release as a program update.

9

just ran a boot time scan with the beta patch, the time problem I had with vista seems to have been fixed.
thanks guys, and nice and quick coming out with the patch, looking forward to the proper release.

10

Just installed on Vista Business and it seems that Vista is now more responsive. Good job guys and thanks for the update.

11

Installed and rebooted, wouldn’t go past the login “welcome” box.

Rebooted and this time I could login, but none of the avast providers/shields/scanners was running.
Restarted the avast service and all the providers started up again.

This is from the Windows event viewer, under the Antivirus section:

Error: 31-03-2007 11:05:15
AAVM - initialization error: AavmStart: avworkInitialize failed, 00000002. 
id: 90

Information: 31-03-2007 11:05:15
aswServ::AavmStart ERROR...  
id: 90

And this is from Error.log in C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\log

31-03-2007	11:05:15	1175331915	SYSTEM	2104	AAVM - initialization error: AavmStart: avworkInitialize failed, 00000002.

And this is from Warning.log in C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\log

31-03-2007	11:05:15	1175331915	SYSTEM	2104	aswServ::AavmStart ERROR...

Running Windows Vista Buisness Danish.

Don’t know if this is a unique case, but there you have it.

Update
32 bit btw.

12

Works great on Vista Home Premium x86. So far no issues. I just missed the progress bars while updating it to beta version on Vista :frowning:

13

Forget to mention this… On XP SP2 it worked once, another failed. The bars did not appear when I tried, yesterday, an installation on 2k SP4.

14

Downloaded, installed, scanned, worked. Nuff said ;D

15

I have tons of these errors in my event log (Vista Businees 32bit on Thinkpad), and I had them with the previous version of avast, too:

AAVM - scanning error: FATAL: GetQueuedCompletionStatus failed!!!, 00000006.

16

Downloaded and installed with no problems. Thanks.

Can someone please point me to the Task Scheduler. The dummy here can’t find it.

17

What is it your trying to do ?
What version of avast are you using Home or Pro ?
It isn’t in the Home version unless you are talking about windows Task Scheduler.

18

According to vlk you can just ignore those error messages

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=26527.msg218040#msg218040

19

I thought the beta of Home had a Virus Scan scheduler built in. Thanks for the reply.

20

Vlk, last time you mentioned that Armadillo unpacker will be available in this update (or it’s not major enough?). And what are the additional unpackers? Yeah, i know, i’m very curious ;D