Each time I try and change any setting in the “Settings” menu (reached from the Settings button in the upper-right of the GUI), the setting reverts itself. I tried a host of changes beyond what I actually want to do, just to test it. Here are some examples of settings that don’t stay changed:
Everything in Cloud Services tab
Everything in Status Bar tab
Everything in Troubleshooting tab
To be more specific, I check or uncheck a box, hit okay, immediately go back into Settings, and see that the option has reverted to its previous state. Testing with the Troubleshooting self-defense module, I found that if I disabled it, hit okay, and tried to end the process, it was still protected- which tells me that not only are the checkboxes reverting, but the setting itself is not taking effect; i.e. its not just a GUI problem, but the settings are never implemented and/or revert back to the previous state immediately. (I tested with the self-defense module since it was an easy way to test this and verify it quickly.)
The avast! UI process is running. The AvastSvc.exe service is not- and access is denied, so I can’t start it. A restart should bring it back up, correct? However, its on manual, not automatic.
Repair? I suppose I can do that, or try reinstalling. But did I miss someone suggesting a reinstall?
I currently have Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware installed, and in the past (but not recently) I’ve had a few others- Spybot, Trend, AVG, and the computer shipped with McAfee (which I Revo-uninstalled so fast my hdd practically had burn marks). When I removed them, I used standard uninstalls, except for McAfee. I also run CCleaner; shouldn’t be any leftover registry entries floating around.
Edit: my most recent, possibly related activity: Updated to version 7 from version 6. I’ve also run a few Window’s updates last week. And I’m using Windows 7 Pro 64bit.
Ad-Aware has an AV. Not recommended to run two AVs at the same time. Also when uninstalling security programs do not use Revo. It is better to uninstall the prog with its removal utility.
Ad-Aware is not currently running (disabled it in case there was a conflict) but yes, it is still installed. Also, I’m not sure what version of Revo you’ve used, but Revo uses the default uninstall first, and only then goes hunting for left-overs; anything the default uninstall does is completed before Revo actually gets involved.
Still, that’s a handy resource. Bookmarked, and I’ll run the stuff for McAfee and AVG just to make sure. Also, if it matters, looking at the list made me realize I’ve also had Malwarebytes installed in the past, and removed it with the normal uninstall.
So just a simple solution, but… if the service isn’t running, and I can’t start it, shouldn’t I just restart in safe mode and change it to automatic?
I think you should run removal tools for every AV you have used in the past which you should be able to obtain most if not all via the link that iroc9555 posted for you, then follow with a repair of avast and reboot the system when completed, check task manager to make sure AvastSvc.exe is running, if not go to services and see if avast sevices are set to automatic! if still no luck then a clean install is recommended.
Even if you have disabled Ad Aware there will still be active low level drivers running that can cause conflict, if you want an extra scanner for piece of mind then go with Malwarebytes.
Revo should not be used for uninstalling security software, there are plenty of reasons why and you only have to search the forums for info about it, i’d bet you i could run a manual search through your system and registry and would bring up hundreds of leftovers that Revo did not find of all those AV’s you have run in the past.
Even if Ad-Aware is disable and you did installed the AV part, it might conflict with Avast!.
Revo uses the regular uninstall from the program as you said, and most of the time ask for a reboot which people avoid to look for the registry keys and folders, and then reboot. When those keys and folders are deleted the uninstall setup is deleted too so It does not allow a clean uninstalled during rebooting. Besides there are dll files which may be shared between programs and Revo might delete those too.
MBAM does not conflict with Avast!
Follow Craigb instructions to use the removal tools for all security programs you have had. Also make sure your firewall allows avastSvc.exe
Oh definitely. CCleaner helps catch what Revo misses, but even then there will be left-overs. I use Revo and CCleaner because they get a chunk of them, and are much faster than a manual search- which I’ve had to do on systems which had Norton shudder
Still, I’ve used dedicated uninstallers like those in the link, and prefer those over Revo. I will go back through and double check things with those uninstallers.
I use Ad-Aware instead of Malwarebytes or the others specifically because there is some overlap, but also some disparity between it and avast. I’ve had avast! find things Ad-Aware missed, and vice versa, and I’ve had better luck with Ad-Aware than the others I’ve tried. Which, looking at the list, is not all-inclusive, but still quite a few.
Additionally, I’ve never had any conflict between Ad-Aware and avast!, not even with them both scanning at the same time. Usually I disable one completely while the other works, then swap. Whatever potential conflicts may be there, they’ve never materialized in a noticeable way in a real environment, at least not for me.
I appreciate your help and suggestions (and I will go through with those uninstallers). But as one computer guy to another (because it is obvious you guys are IT guys), you might want to try the basics first. Going through the long list of suggestions may or may not have fixed my problem, but simply restarting in safe mode did let me set the service to automatic, restarting again verified it- and I can change settings now. Why have customers/clients/yourself go through so much work when checking the simple things first can potentially save so much time, and not cost you much if the simple things don’t work? I’m always confused when my coworkers go through elaborate fixes only to find the cable unplugged- this is similar.
The basic is to make sure no security programs conflicting with Avast! is running, and most instructions are given thinking the person with the problem may no be computer savy. So we, or I usually go bit by bit. Sure, you can make a repair or turn Avast! to Automatic again in services, BTW Craigb adviced you to do so, but what happens tomorrow or after if you did not fix what made Avast! to turn itself off to bigin with? I do not usually change the broken part. I make sure to find out why it broke in the first place.
We go through the long proess as you called it because there must be something in the mix which set your avast service off, whether it was Ad Aware or leftover AV remnants we dont know but we have to remove the conflicts before applying the fix
The average user doesn’t care how or why, only that it gets fixed. And usually, whether they admit it or not (or even realize it or not), its usually the user’s fault when something goes wrong. Which means they won’t do the same stupid thing twice, or will at least hopefully remember how to fix it if they do.
In this case, I was messing around with settings in avast!, enabling/disabling processes and services, and in all ways just tinkering with things that are probably best left alone. I’m pretty sure something I did is what messed it up in the first place, but I’m not sure which exact thing I did caused it. I was unaware of the specific set of circumstances which could cause this problem, and thus left my tinkering out of it so we could all consider all possibilities.
All that aside, I mentioned ‘go for the simple stuff first’ idea because when I suggested an idea, it was ignored. I often find myself doing this; when we are presented with a problem, we dig up or hear in conversation one possible cause, then stick with that hypothesis and exclude others for longer than is usually good. In this case, everyone zero-ed in on conflicts with other AV programs, while no one really mentioned other possibilities (except igor).
I’m not trying to attack you guys, and what I’m saying is only partially fair- you really weren’t going off on one thing for all that long. It was just an observation, particularly when I suggested safe mode and no one commented one way or another on that idea.
By the way, you all deserve some serious brownie points for the speed with which you responded to this- I’m used to posting something and checking back in a few hours, and its not unusual to wait a few days before getting an answer. Apparently, this forum is different. Good work!
The fact that the avast service isn’t running, could be for some of the other reasons mentioned, so it isn’t quite as simple as the service isn’t running but why.
Alot of time could also have been saveed if you had mentioned in the first place that you had been fooling around with the avast settings so it really come’s down to the information we recieve.
