"Launch at startup" Does Not!

Hi again,

I had to do an Archive and Reinstall of Leopard. Now Avast will not start at boot time, but runs fine if double clicked. I tried reinstalling it, uninstalling it and then reinstalling it, removing every trace I could find of it and then reinstalling it - it simply will not start at boot up!

I even tunneled into the Avast packages and ran “avast installer” which popped up the original set up choices box and I selected to “Launch at Startup”, but that did not change anything.

If I double click on Avast it then can’t be quit, and force quitting it results in it starting again. The persistence works, just not launching at startup.

What do I try next?

Mark

In Leopard (Tiger users will be slightly different):
Open System Preferences and go to Accounts. Choose your account and click the login items tab. Click the + button and navigate to the Avast program on your Hard Disk and Click Add. Select the Hide Checkbox if you want the Interface to be hidden in the Dock.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

On my wife’s iMac Avast autostarts, but it is not in the login items list. Is there some magic way it is supposed to start itself at log in, or is it simply hidden somehow in the login items list?

My fear of starting it at login in this way was that it would mess up something in the future, such as an update to the next version.

Well im not sure how the avast team gets avast to autostart on Leopard but the method outlined above should work and is very easy to undo if it ever causes any problems (just highlight the item you want to remove from the list and click the - button)

Hallo,
basically - previous versions used LoginItems mechanism for autostart. But, this mechanism has some drawbacks (adding very first item from a third-party app), and also isn’t fully functional (for example, hiding of launched apps doesn’t work well). Newer versions use launchd (which was already in Tiger, but unusable, because there was no tracking mechanism of user-session and thus the daemon wasn’t suitable for running apps with GUI context), but this will be activated on Leopard only (Apple fixed these flaws on Leopard).

Summary: tiger - autolaunch via LoginItems, check whether the app has its record there (Preferences, System-Accounts, LoginItems)
leopard - autolaunch via launchd/launchctl, check the “launch at startup as persistent applicvation” checkbox in preferences, or use “launchctl list” from terminal…

regards,
pc

There is a whole bunch of stuff listed with “launchctl list”, including Avast. I can enable autostart at login item and that workaround works. Otherwise it does not start at log in. Persistence works and a force quit of Avast results in it immediately restarting.

I wonder why it worked before my reinstall of Leopard but does not work now.

Here is my launchctl list report from Terminal:

Last login: Wed Apr 23 20:13:34 on console
mark-marins-power-mac-g5:~ megavolt17$ launchctl list
PID Status Label
263 - 0x10b8c0.launchctl
248 - 0x10a800.bash
247 - 0x10ad00.login
246 - [0x0-0x3f03f].com.apple.Terminal
192 - 0x10b710.SecurityAgent
191 - 0x10b600.authorizationhos
186 - [0x0-0x33033].org.mozilla.firefox
74 - 0x10b500.launchd
134 - 0x10a2a0.com.avast.MacAva
129 - 0x109aa0.MagicMenuHotKeyD
122 - [0x0-0x12012].com.blacktree.Quicksilver
120 - [0x0-0x11011].com.avast.MacAvast
119 - [0x0-0x10010].com.stuffit.MagicMenu
118 - [0x0-0xf00f].com.microsoft.entourage.database_daemon
117 - [0x0-0xe00e].com.apple.iTunesHelper
115 - [0x0-0xc00c].com.techtoolpro4.daemon

  • 0 0x108190.rcd
    110 - [0x0-0xa00a].com.apple.finder
    108 - [0x0-0x9009].com.apple.systemuiserver
    105 - [0x0-0x8008].com.apple.dock
  • 0 0x107360.BezelUIServer
  • 0 org.x.X11
  • 0 org.openbsd.ssh-agent
  • 0 edu.mit.Kerberos.KerberosAgent
  • 0 com.apple.CoreMIDIServer
    104 - com.apple.UserEventAgent-Aqua
  • 0 com.apple.syncservices.uihandler
    261 - com.apple.syncservices.SyncServer
    103 - com.apple.Spotlight
  • 0 com.apple.ServerScanner
  • 0 com.apple.scrod
  • 0 com.apple.ScreenSharing.server
  • 0 com.apple.ReportPanic
  • 0 com.apple.ReportCrash.SafetyNet
  • 0 com.apple.ReportCrash
  • 0 com.apple.RemoteUI
  • 0 com.apple.RemoteDesktop.agent
  • 0 com.apple.quicklook
  • 0 com.apple.qtkitserver
  • 0 com.apple.PubSub.Agent
  • 0 com.apple.ProblemReporter
  • 0 com.apple.PreferenceSyncAgent
  • 0 com.apple.pictd
  • 0 com.apple.PCIESlotCheck
  • 0 com.apple.pbs
    107 - com.apple.pboard
  • 0 com.apple.NetworkDiagnostics
  • 0 com.apple.netauth.useragent
  • 0 com.apple.metadata.mdwrite.plist
  • 0 com.apple.java.updateSharingD_debug
  • 0 com.apple.installdb.user
  • 0 com.apple.imklaunchagent
    177 - com.apple.helpdata
  • 0 com.apple.ATS.FontValidatorConduit
  • 0 com.apple.ATS.FontValidator
  • 0 com.apple.FileSyncAgent
  • 0 com.apple.familycontrols.useragent
  • 0 com.apple.dotmacsync.uihandler
  • 0 com.apple.dotmac.notification
  • 0 com.apple.DictionaryPanelAgent
  • 0 com.apple.coreservices.uiagent
    106 - com.apple.ATSServer
  • 0 com.apple.alf.useragent
    99 - com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent
  • 0 com.apple.AddressBook.abd
  • 0 com.hp.launchurlagent
    57 - 0x103530.WindowServer
    19 - 0x1031b0.securityd
    33 - 0x102e40.loginwindow
  • 0 com.apple.launchctl.Aqua
    33 - 0x100ed0.loginwindow
    55 - 0x100dc0.coreservicesd
  • 0 edu.mit.Kerberos.CCacheServer
  • 0 com.apple.seatbelt.compiler
  • 0 com.apple.KerberosHelper.LKDCHelper
  • 0 com.apple.gssd-agent
  • 0 com.apple.launchctl.Background

I see Avast in your launchctl list. maybe Zilog knows if the values are wrong?

It’s listed, but only starts at bootup if it is selected as a login item in preferences. Not sure why it refuses to do so otherwise.

Hallo, please note that LoginItems is a fully different mechanism (has nothing to do with launchd/launchctl subsystem). IMHO the problem is that you have the item registered twice, in your launchctl list. To be sure, please, check the launchtl list on the computer wehere it works OK, and then, get rid of the redundant item in your list (launchctl unload).

regards,
PC