This might be a fix or of some help for the issues surrounding upgrading from version 4.8 to version 5.0
I am running XP Pro Sp2
A few days ago I tried to upgrade to the new version 5.0 by installing ‘over the top’ of version 4.8. I believe this is a recommended way to do the upgrade.
However, the upgrade did not go well and after the install then Avast would not run and neither did using the ‘Fix’ button resolve this issue. In fact a whole host of attempts did nothing to help things get running.
My machine on every boot-up ran incredibly slowly i.e. I wondered if it was indeed ever going to boot-up - it seemed stuck for ages.
I then discovered that Windows thought that 4.8 was still installed despite the new Avast logo being in the system tray. Prior to this discovery, then like many other users on this forum I tried numerous un-installs and re-installs, repairs, and cleans of the registry etc. I even tried to re-install 4.8 and that would not work (would not install) and I also tried to ‘roll back’ my machine by using system restore but that was somehow ‘corrupted’.
The Fix
The fix that worked for me was as follows:
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Download aswclear4.8.exe boot to safe mode run this tool and then re-boot
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Download aswclear5.exe boot to safe mode run this tool and then re-boot
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Install setup_av_free.exe and follow the install instructions
After doing the above operations, then if I remember correctly I had to shut down and re-boot a couple of times and also check some of the settings in Avast 5.0 before eventually everything was running smoothly.
It seems like Avast 4.8 and Avast 5.0 is somehow trying to protect itself from itself (‘themselves’) and hence the buggy installation issues that some users are experiencing. Somehow, both ‘corrupted’ versions were residing in my machine and doing ‘battle’ with one another.
No amount of repairs or re-installs fixed this and as I say, the solution seemed to be using the un-install tools supplied by Avast. I would advise that you do need to follow the instructions carefully for these, and give them time to operate. (These are crude tools and so do not ‘handshake’ with the user in the way most of us nowadays expect software to behave.)
I am now a happy user again and the new version does seem to be a bit slicker and even a bit faster with regard to when you boot-up your machine (about another 30 seconds saving in time).
I hope the above helps the many people who like me were faced with a machine with no virus protection and at the point of then considering trying to install a competitor’s product. Given the circumstance though, then I doubt that the ‘troublesome’ mis-installed Avast program would have even allowed you to do that. In essence, my machine was in a mess and I wished I had never tried to upgrade.
Finally, and despite my very bad experiences during the upgrade, I would like to thank the Avast developers who are no doubt trying to provide a really first rate anti-virus product to the masses of us who come to rely heavily on such things to keep us safe while we are out there on the Net.