I noticed that the latest 4.6 preview ads the folder “_avast4 “ to the /windows/temp directory.
There are a lot of system cleaners in use that automatically clean the system including the /windows/temp directory.
As I found out the hard way, this directory is vital. It took me quite some time before I found that my system cleaner was the cause of not being able to browse, it had deleted the “_avast4” folder.
Maybe this is something to look into before releasing the new version.
What cleaner are you using? When do you use it?
I have been using ClearProg and it too clears this folder, avast can recreate it. I suppose it largely depends on when you use the program as there could be files that are in use.
My avast4 folder is currently empty.
Are you sure?
We can delete the avast temporary files and this won’t stop your browsing :
:
It is unwise to delete the folder where avast puts it’s temporary files. This folder is created on startup and will be recreated again - but currently it’s not checked every time file is created. Isn’t this an unnecessary extra work???
You are correct kantjet…but only with Webshield activated.
I just tested it with WebShield activated and I could get to dslreports. After running “Disk Cleaner”, which removes any sub floders in the /Windows/temp directory, I was unable to get that URL.
It would appear that you have to exclude that folder from being cleaned.
Cheers
I’m just saying that system cleaners in general clean the /widows/temp file because it is were a lot of leftover files reside.
In my case the system cleaner also deleted the (empty) _avast4 directory causing browsing problems.
I think that if the _avast4 directory is so crucial the /windows/temp directory is maybe not the right pace to put it.
To sum up: I’m not deliberately deleting avast temp files, it’s just something those system cleaners do because it is at they are at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I can exclude it from being cleaned but image what happens when this version is released with all those people outthere using system cleaners making browsing impossible.
Who do think they Willl blame if browsing wil become impossible after an Avast update ?
I wouldn’t really call it “this version” - the behavior has always been there. OK, there was no Web Shield, but I think Internet Mail provider suffered from the same problem if you deleted the folder.
This folder _avast4 wasn’t there before the latest pre-release
That’s rather strange - I’ve had it there for years (I mean, used).
HA!!!
If I am not mistaken (I sit corrected)…it is only created when “webshield” is activated.
Be that as it may… most “cleaners” will delete whatever is in the windows/temp directory, therefore, users should be warned NOT to have it deleted by their “cleaner” (whatever they use)
or
consideration should be given to change the location e.g /programfiles/avast (just my suggestion)…the gurus will know more.
Fron kantjet
“Who do think they Willl blame if browsing wil become impossible after an Avast update ?”
Good point
Cheers
P.S. after reading this thread and testing, I have changed how my “cleaner” works…now it does not delete “empty” sub folders, so the _avast4 folder is never deleted.
Igor is, of course, correct. This sub-directory certainly existed in previous releases and it is documented in this forum.
However, the issue raised goes back to the “approriate” use of the “temp” space.
Avast now has now developed a “permanent” need for caching data since it it caching all http traffic when Webshield is used, it caches all POP3 traffic as mail is being read with the Internet mail shield, and it caches all NNTP traffic with the Internet Mail shield as well. In this it is not so very different from the browsers we all use.
It appears that it has now developed a dependence on the continued existence of the avast4 sub-directory. If that is so then the windows temp space is not really a good place for it.
It is unclear (at least to me) why the developers would resist creating their own caching space.
To be fair to the team, they have provided a registry override that does allow a folder to be specified for Avast’s temporary space (where it places the avast4 sub-directory), this is described elsewhere here and can be used to alleviate the problem of temp space cleaners disrupting Avast functions.
Well it’s not such a problem to enforce the existence of the folder (that is, open it so that it won’t be possible to delete it) so that’s probably what we’re going to do…
An easy fix, that is.
Thanks for bringing out this issue,
Vlk
Hi VLK
Thanks for listening and instituting the “fix”…this is relief.
Cheers
Vlk,
sorry to persist on this one … but it would probably assist to remove confusion by users if there was consistency in the use of temporary file space by the various components of Avast.
As you know … only some parts of Avast use the avast4 sub-directory, others do not.
Alan
I can imagine that we’ll have some troubles with the user rights here (not all of them will be the administrator in XP systems).
Anyway, the temporary files should be deleted by avast after using them (of after some time). Maybe they could improve this behavior.
Strangely enough, I tried to see if I could replicate your problem, used my system cleaner of choice and it got rid of the avast4 and I carried one browsing as if nothing had happened.
Web Shield continued working as normal, I have no idea under what circumstances avast! uses this avast4 folder other than possibly unpacking archive files. So if you were downloading an archive file and there was no place to unpack it, an error condition would occur. How that is handled is the question, could it possibly recreate the folder on that error condition.
I always clean my system manually since I have never seen a cleaner application that does it better than me 
But I also wasn’t able to simulate the problem.
Well David if you have 4.6.623 it’s not possible to delete the folder when WebShield is running anymore.
I have to admit that I tried it pre 4.6.623 so I have just tried it and it still deletes it.