As I think I recall reading here at the Forum, there were some Windows XP SP3 Users who were wondering if avast 6.0.1000’s Sandbox worked on Windows XP because nothing seemed to trigger it. Well, let me say, this morning I clicked on PortableApps.com’s Revo Uninstaller Portable and avast 6.0.1000 informed me that that was a potentially dangerous App and prompted me whether I wanted to run it in the Sandbox.
Out of curiosity, I exited and tried from scratch again. Again 6.0.1000 informed me that was a potentially dangerous App. I’ve used PortableApps.com Apps without problem before. Granted this was the 1st time I had used PortableApps.com’s version of Revo Uninstaller Portable. Before, I used to use the Revo Uninstaller Portable version that I got from the Revo Uninstaller site.
So, I don’t know if the cause for the avast 6.0.1000 Sandbox prompt is due to:
(1) A genuine problem with the PortableApps.com version of Revo Uninstaller Portable
(2) Or an overreaction by avast 6.0.1000
(3) Or the fact that Revo Uninstaller in general is an App Uninstalling App
Can avast look into this issue to see if PortableApps.com Revo Uninstaller is OK?
BTW, when something is run in the Sandbox, is it normal that a boat load of Registry Entries take place? Because I uninstalled some Apps this morning. As per my usual routine on uninstalling Apps, I subsequently ran CCleaner. I immediately noticed there were a whole mess of strange, new Registry Entries that I had never seen before. After being perplexed for a couple of seconds, I then figured they were probably the result of the avast Sandbox running Revo Uninstaller in it. Most Registry Entries said something along the lines of “Open with ProGis.” I deleted all those strange Registry Entries.
The avast autosandbox chooses to sandbox an app based on many things, including (but not limited to ;)) things like whether it is digitally signed or the location etc.
As you know, I’m a PA user too, and I have had quite a few apps that cause avast to light up
I don’t actually get an alert on revo from PA, but I do get it on others…It is not necessarily an indication of a problem with the apps…
One thing I would suggest is not to sandbox gimp if you use it (I have it on auto and was really confused when all the images I edited and saved disappeared ;D ;D)
Essentially it is more of a precautionary thing, as opposed to an actual problem.
Yeah, I remember you use PA.com Apps too, Scott.
That’s odd that the avast 6.0 Sandbox isn’t necessarily flagging the same PA.com Apps on all computers. I also tried out the PA.com versions of IrfanView, PNotes, and Audacity and those three worked fine with no Sandbox flagging.
I do have GIMP in there, but I never use it.
I use Photoshop instead. I have GIMP only because theoretically I was supposed to mess with it a little bit so that I could help a friend with its usage. But, every time I mess with GIMP, it gets under my skin. So, on the few times I’ve messed with it, I wind up closing it back up rather quickly.
So far I haven’t heard from John T. Haller from PA.com.
Another guy there suggested I file a Trouble Ticket with avast.
How does one file a Trouble Ticket with avast?
The only thing I’ve seen it flag is today there was an update for my Taxact software. It started to download then there was a long pause program not responding and finally an Avast popup from sandbox. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s worth having turned on.
Joe
Well, Scott, hopefully someone from avast reads this thread and looks into this.
While the Auto Sandbox gives us the option to Open Normally, I just don’t want to have to go through that extra step every time I open one of the alleged potentially dangerous Apps from now on. I would hope / expect that at some point here soon, either avast or PA.com fixes the problem, wherever the problem happens to be.
I confirmed that on MY computer, 3 more PA.com Apps are also triggering the avast Auto Sandbox:
GIMP
IrfanView
PNotes
It’s strange that earlier, IrfanView came up fine and now it doesn’t.
Now it triggers the Sandbox.
The PA.com Apps that did come up fine are:
Audacity
ConvertAll
Firefox
All my Non-PA.com Apps that I have there in the PA.com Platform come up fine.
Luckily for me, out of the 4 PA.com Apps that triggered the Auto Sandbox, none happen to be an App that I use on a daily basis. But, if I did eventually end up getting annoyed, I guess I’d have to do the Exclusions thing myself also if avast doesn’t tweak something to stop the PA.com alerts.
Simply set the auto-sandbox to Ask not Auto and you are the one in control of the decision, but then you have to have a degree of knowledge about the application that the sandbox is unhappy about to make the decision.
I think the main area where you should be concerned is if you hadn’t launched the PA, and the auto-sandbox popped-up whilst you were browsing or just working on the system and it appeared out of the blue.
There is no way avast should exclude portable apps, there is no guarantee that they are clean.
That was on ask…if it was on auto I would have lost all my work when I closed the program, because it would have sandboxed it…It has to be on ask, and you have to go through EACH popup and say open normally, and tick the box to remember…and wildcards don’t work in exclusions either.
Last time I spent a good while trying to work out what happened to images I had edited when GIMP was sandboxed…they were just deleted as soon as they were finished with…
Obviously they shouldn’t just exclude PA, but it needs improving…
I recall in another thread, of course I can’t find it now, that Vlk mentioned there was going to be a fix in the SB for XP’s in the next product update (when ever that is). I know this has nothing to do with PA’s, but just an FYI since Chim uses an XP.
If anything it is more likely to throw up more questions as the improvement was more to do with the fact that there are not many auto-sandbox interventions in XP. They were rarer than hens teeth, but recently I have started to get some through XP mainly for installations and or uninstalls.
Also the Behaviour Shield seems more active, so I don’t know if these tweaks have already been done, as they wouldn’t necessarily have to be done in a formal program update, but through the virus definitions and ‘engines’ update process.
Been using Revo Uninstaller with the Avast 6…No Problems with the Sandbox…Haven’t tried the portable…I guess if I had alot of registry issues all of a sudden I would most likely do an Avast boot scan…Also maybe a second opinion scan as well…Just my opinion…