Provider "Script Blocking" causes crash

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

This is just to let anyone interested know…

When the resident provider “Script Blocking” is enabled for Internet Explorer, the finite element software ANSYS Workbech 9.0 (and maybe other versions as well) will crash. Pausing the provider, or disabling it for IE, temporarily resolves the issue.

ANSYS is a highly specialized software for engineering purposes, but unfortunately it means that we cannot run Avast! at our department. At least not until the issue is permanently resolved.

I have reported this to ANSYS as well, as I’m not sure where the error lies.

JS.

2

What operating system do you use?
What is the exact error/crash message?

3

I use Windows XP SP2.

The exact error message is just the more or less useless: “AnsysWB Module has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience”. Then I get to submit an error report with a file containing a lot of garbage - to me at least (see below) :wink:

ANSYS have just informed me that the “Script Scanning” module in McAfee causes the exact same thing to happen. It would seem that ANSYS is using some part of IE to run, and that somehow clashes with Avast! and McAfee. If I disable Script Blocking for IE, everything works out alright.

JS.

This is an excerpt from the error report generated by Windows:

<EXE NAME="AvAScr.dll" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_THISFILEONLY">
    <MATCHING_FILE NAME="AvAScr.dll" SIZE="94208" CHECKSUM="0xB1C1C2E" BIN_FILE_VERSION="4.5.536.0" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="4.0.121.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="4, 5, 0, 0" FILE_DESCRIPTION="avast! Script Blocking library for Windows Scripting Interface" COMPANY_NAME="ALWIL Software" PRODUCT_NAME="avast! Antivirus" FILE_VERSION="4, 5, 536, 0" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="AvAScr.dll" INTERNAL_NAME="AvAScr.dll" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="Copyright (c) 2003 ALWIL Software" VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x4" VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x17B03" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="4.5.536.0" UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="4.0.121.0" LINK_DATE="12/19/2004 23:12:18" UPTO_LINK_DATE="12/19/2004 23:12:18" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States) [0x409]" />
</EXE>
4

I’m afraid this excerpt doesn’t contain any useful information, only the avast! version (which is not the latest… might be worth trying to update).
In the Windows error report details, there is a list of files that will be included in the report. How many are they? If they are more than one, can you save them (before closing the dialog) and send to us?
Did you submit the report to Microsoft?

Thanks.

5

I did post an error report to Microsoft (several actually). As far as I can tell, the number of files included in the error message is quite substantial (the detailed windows lists exactly 100 modules, but whether they are all involved in the crash is not stated)… ::slight_smile:
So, I’m not really sure what to pass on to you…

BTW: the avast! version is in fact updated - it’s because we are running the network managed client and ADNM…

JS.

This is a screen-dump from the error reporting thing. Unfortunately, I cannot copy-paste from the detailed window:

http://www.ime.aau.dk/~js/files/ansys_avast_crash.jpg

6

I didn’t mean the list of running modules that you quoted - somewhere in the report dialog, there is a group called “Files to be included in the report” (or something like that). It usually lists one or two temporary files.

If you sent the report to Microsoft, we might be able to get them.

7

Click the “To view technical information about this error, click here” hyperlink, note the files that are quoted in the text field, and before closing the dialog, send me the files (ideally zipped up).

Please note that closing the dialog will automatically delete the files (the whole folder in fact) so you need to copy off the files before dismissing the dialog.

BTW are you using managed avast (the one used in ADNM)? Which version, exactly?

Thanks
Vlk

8

jstegmann has already sent me a message about it - unfortunatelly, there’s only one file listed (appcompat.txt), no real dump.

9

So it has the “error report contents” field instead?
This is the IE variant of the crash reporting dialog (not really helpful)… :-\

I’d need to know the exact version of avast he’s using, anyway. Since it’s avaScr.dll (and not ahaScr.dll) it can only be either avast! Server Edition or avast! Managed.

Thanks
Vlk

10

The field is called “The following files will be included in this error report.”
And yes, it is the managed client, as written in the 5th post :wink:

11

jstegmann, do you think it would be possible to get the FE software that’s interfering with the ScriptBlocker so that we could test it in our lab?

thanks
Vlk

12

OK, the problem should be fixed in the next program update.
Thanks for the report.

13

Sorry for staying “silent” for so long, but I’ve been out of town. I’m happy to hear that the problem was solved, though! :wink:

Looking forward to the next ADNM release - I’m currently running build 4.5.250 - I think that should be the lastest…

JS.

14

OK - here’s an update on this situation:

Everything just works like clockwork - thanks :slight_smile:

JS.