Version 5.0.677.0 (setup_av_pro_dut.exe) creates a BSOD about 3 times a week on my XP machine.
I (think) i’ve uploaded a minidump to ftp://ftp.avast.com/incoming/Mini012111-01.rar.
I am using the latest version of the engine and definitions, but old version of the application.
Since Avast reports there is a new version (5.0.889) available, I have updated to this version.
This brings system performance down to 1% since there seems to be a problem in accessing the HD.
Booting the system or any program is (at least) 10 times slower than before the update, taken minutes.
Overall machine performance is because of this just pitifull.
I am running Windows XP 2002/SP3 with automatic updates enabled.
Disabling the services, though Avast-GUI or [administrative tools] does not help.
Oddly enough Windows “Defrag” perfroms normally, seems that this uses a low-level HD-access that bypasses the problem, just guessing here.
De-installing (5.0.889) and installing (5.0.667) brings performance back to normal, though introducing the risk of BSOD again.
The website mentiones a never Avast version
being available (5.1) though this is not reported by the currently installed aplication version. Is this version more stable?
I had no problems running the latest version 4 except that my license was expired.
Please advice on how to fix my problems.
(typing this message is really hard because the input box keeps scrolling to the top lines, so I can not eread what I am typing here)
5.0.889 is actually 5.1.889. It’s just a typo and there is no 5.0.889 version. I’m running the same OS and have no problems at all. Something other than just Avast! is at play.
Any other security program that could interfere?
Did you try an installation from scratch?
Please, go to folder \windows\minidump and send the newest (recent) .mdmp files for analysis.
There is also C:\Windows\Memory.dmp file.
Better if you can compress (zip) them and add some information about the BSOD and the link for this thread.
Upload it to this anonymous ftp server: ftp://ftp.avast.com/incoming/
----- Kernel memmory dump was disabled on my machine,
The minidump is all that is available at this point.
The BSOD is really unpredicatable, sometimes it does not happen for days,
Then twice on a single day. It will be hard to predict when I can submit a full dump.
I used WinDbg to inspect the dump file and all information that the BSOD showed me is in there.
The BSOD was not really helpfull, it could only report those four numbers:
0x000000008e 0x… 0x… 0x…
(the real numbers are in the dump.)
On reboot ‘Windows’ asked me if I wanted to report the problem,
I replied ‘yes please’ but the nice server at MS could not provide
any more details/information about the crash.
----- In reply to tech:
Other Security: Windows defender.
Remember, I did not have any problems with the 4.x version of the virusscanner.
I am using a registered Pro license with a default install.
Please specify what you mean by install from scratch.
Scratch could mean:
new windows install.
latest downloadable installer.
system cleanup then installation of version x.
any other combination of installers and tools
I am working on a company developer PC, rebuilding this system from scratch is
too costly to use as a trouble shooting tool.
If that was not what you meant, please describe the steps you wish me to follow.
If you have any ‘reporting tools’ to provide you with a list of current file version
(that Avast is using), then I would be happy to run that for you.
I am actually not too concerned about the BSOD if the performance problem with the new version can be resolved.
----- In reply to: Dch48
The performance issue with the latest version can be so perfectly traced to the
installation/deinstallation that it will be hard to blame anything else.
I just tried the following:
Run CCleaner => Reboot
Deinstall Avast => Reboot
aswclear5.exe => Reboot
setup_av_pro.exe (5.1.889.0, Language Neutral)
And again reboot.
Finding, performance issue is not solved,
however the behaviour of this issue has slightly changed.
With the previous attempt to install the update, the system would not perform immediatly after typing my password at the windows logon.
Now the desktop comes up much quicker (This may be related to running cccleaner ,never did that before, and not to the actual Avast version.)
Once the desktop is loaded the performance drops again. It is not that my system is busy, my proc is 99% idle, harddisk is not busy (recently defragged). The system is just waiting.
The performance of Processor and Memory are fine, accessing the HD is just crippled.
Maybe, maybe, you can manually generate the dump.
Manual dump: when the machine is in stalled state, hold down the rightmost CTRL key, and press the SCROLL LOCK key twice. This will cause a machine to ‘blue-screen’ and dump of memory will start.
More info: http://support.avast.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=71
Uninstall avast from Control Panel (if possible). If, for any reason, you can’t run it, try booting in Safe Mode and doing it from there. Anyway, boot after that.
Run the avast! Uninstall Utility saved on 1. If, for any reason, you can’t run it, try booting in Safe Mode and doing it from there. Anyway, boot after you’ve run it.
Install avast! using the setup saved on 2. Boot.
Register your free copy or add the license key for Pro.
Check and post the results. If, for any reason, you did not solve, try doing the step 3 in Safe Mode anyway.
Full system dump enabled, as explained, can not predict when full dump will be available since the crash occurs so little.
Also I am less interested in the crash (and or fixing it) than I am in getting the latest version working normally.
Maybe, maybe, you can manually generate the dump.
I read the instructions and based on that I must say that the system is not really stalling,
all processes are running normally and are processing windows' messages.
(e.g. Taskmanager does not report 'not responding')
The applications are just waiting for the hard drive to return data.
If you still think forcing a Memory dump at this point is still useful I will.
install from scratch.
As mentioned in my previous post, have tried a 'clean install',
with the exception from doing this from safe mode.
Alas, it did not have the desired result.
Fortunately ( well, kinda) I did get a BSOD.
And with the memory dump enabled I am now able to upload file “MEMORY 586416.RAR” to the FTP.
WHOOPS. I forgotr to give the file a sensible name.
It is called Minidump.Rar.
it contains a 'Original message.txt"
The text in the message links to this thread.
