Unable to update - license key is invalid

All of a sudden my Avast! will not update because my license key is invalid. How do I make the license key valid? What could have caused it to be invalid?

I reregistered my product (Avast Home) and entered the registration key but apparently there’s a difference between the registration and the license. Is it possible to get a new license?

Please advise…

rob :slight_smile:

So, what does the About box say about the validity period if your license?
Are you getting the red popup boxes that avast was unable to update?
And what does the setup log say, exactly? (please post the last ~50 lines from the file \setup\setup.log).

Thanks
Vlk

Did you use the trial period of 60 days or you’ve just used Home version and forgot to re-register?

Go to the SSL page version and register from there: https://secure.avast.com/scripts/register.php?lang=ENG
See the tutorial: http://www.avast.com/files/tutorials/insert_key.htm
Please take a look here: http://www.avast.com/eng/faq-invalid-license-number.html

I have successfully re-registered my Avast at least once with no incident previously. I hadn’t received any notices that my yearly registration was coming close to being up.

I’m not sure about how/where the system date is. Or how it could somehow be wrong all of a sudden. But I’ll take a look.

Um, if you mean about the renewal date of my registration, it’s up on June 1, 2008. I don’t see anything in the About box about the license. Which would be nice.

OK, I click on License Key and I get a box with a solid blue block in it. It doesn’t show the key. Which would also be nice if it did.

Yes, Avast said it couldn’t update.

And here, as requested, is the setup log.

TIA

rob :slight_smile:

17:46:04 min/gen Started: 13.03.2007, 17:46:04
17:46:04 min/gen Running setup_av_pro-3ae (942)
17:46:04 nrm/sys Operating system: WindowsXP ver 5.1, build 2600, sp 2.0 [Service Pack 2]
17:46:04 vrb/sys Computer WinName: YOUR-GURG0DYWDC
17:46:04 min/sys Windows Net User: YOUR-GURG0DYWDC\Rob
17:46:04 min/gen Cmdline: /downloadpkgs /noreboot /updatevps /silent /progress
17:46:04 vrb/gen DldSrc set to inet
17:46:04 vrb/gen Operation set to INST_OP_UPDATE_GET_PACKAGES
17:46:04 min/gen Old version: 3ae (942)
17:46:04 nrm/gen SGW32P::CheckIfInstalled set m_bAlreadyInstalled to 1
17:46:04 vrb/sys Computer DnsName: your-gurg0dywdc
17:46:04 vrb/sys Computer Ip Addr: 192.168.1.46
17:46:04 nrm/int SYNCER: Type: use IE settings
17:46:04 nrm/int SYNCER: Auth: another authentication, use WinInet
17:46:04 vrb/pkg Part prg_av_pro-3ae is installed
17:46:04 vrb/pkg Part vps-72204 is installed
17:46:04 vrb/pkg Part news-4b is installed
17:46:04 vrb/pkg Part setup_av_pro-3ae is installed
17:46:04 min/gen Old version: 3ae (942)
17:46:05 vrb/fil SetExistingFilesBitmap: 937->145->145
17:46:05 min/gen GUID: 9736d32c-e446-4824-b661-e6ad5bb3a276
17:46:06 nrm/gen Server definition(s) loaded for ‘main’: 105 (maintenance:0)
17:46:06 nrm/gen SelectCurrent: selected server ‘Download69 AVAST server’ from ‘main’
17:46:06 min/pkg GetPackages - set proxy for inet
17:46:06 nrm/int SYNCER: Type: use IE settings
17:46:06 nrm/int SYNCER: Auth: another authentication, use WinInet
17:46:06 dbg/gen Entered SetupProcessPro::Do( INST_OP_UPDATE_GET_PACKAGES )
17:46:06 dbg/gen Entered SetupProcessWin32Avast::Do( INST_OP_UPDATE_GET_PACKAGES )
17:46:06 dbg/gen Entered SetupProcessWin32::Do( INST_OP_UPDATE_GET_PACKAGES )
17:46:06 dbg/gen Entered SetupProcess::Do( INST_OP_UPDATE_GET_PACKAGES )
17:46:06 dbg/gen progress thread start
17:46:06 dbg/gen progress start - 1
17:46:06 dbg/gen progress start - 2
17:46:12 vrb/gen Used server: http://download69.avast.com/iavs4x
17:46:12 nrm/gen Server definition(s) loaded for ‘main’: 105 (maintenance:0)
17:46:12 nrm/gen SelectCurrent: selected server ‘Download3 AVAST server’ from ‘main’
17:46:12 min/pkg GetPackages - set proxy for inet
17:46:12 nrm/int SYNCER: Type: use IE settings
17:46:12 nrm/int SYNCER: Auth: another authentication, use WinInet
17:46:12 vrb/gen Used server: http://download3.avast.com/iavs4x
17:46:12 vrb/gen Used server: http://download3.avast.com/iavs4x
17:46:12 min/gen Part of license key: W7119597H4100A1106
17:46:12 dbg/gen progress end - 1
17:46:12 min/gen Err:The license key for this product is invalid.
19:53:46 nrm/pkg Transferred files: 3
19:53:46 nrm/pkg Transferred bytes: 30
19:53:46 nrm/pkg Transfer time: 6078 ms
19:53:47 vrb/int Sending stats ‘http://download3.avast.com/cgi-bin/iavs4stats.cgi’: 00000000 204
19:53:47 vrb/fil NeedReboot=false
19:53:47 min/gen Return code: 0x2000001C [The license key for this product is invalid.]
19:53:47 min/gen Stopped: 13.03.2007, 19:53:47

The Administrator answer for this error was:

Is there an error message with: 0x2000001C It means license banned. Remove avast, install the free home version and don't use any of keygens again.

I used only what Avast provided to me. What’s a keygen?

@ Tech
Which would seem very strange for the Home version, so there is either something wrong with either the generation of the key at avast (something that I believe has happened before) or something wrong with the key validation. Either that or there is some dual use of this error number for both Home and Pro in relation to key validation.

@ rclaffiejr
A key generator is usually use to generate a registration key for a paid for option of software (like avast pro) to avoid paying for it, not something anyone needs to even contemplate with the free Home version.

How did you input the new registration key (have a look at the faq-invalid-license-number link Tech gave) ?

Sorry… I was not saying a word against you, just quoting the avast team answer.

A program that illegally generates keys and cracks the paid version of programs.
If you never used one, well, it’s strange the avast error message.
Maybe there is an error on the blacklisted key lists that avast developers have.

I can just reply these questions to Kubecj 8)

@ Tech
I know you are basically quoting what Kubecj has said in the past (I have myself in other posts), it just seems strange for this to happen with the home registration key obtained at the avast site.

@ rclaffiejr
I would suggest registering again and use the third option, you are an existing user and your key has expired (or words to that effect, see image), this should send a new key not just a copy of the old one. Try that (copy and paste into the licence key, ensure no trailing spaces) and see if it resolves the problem. If you get an invalid key error again then I would say there could be a problem in the generation at avast’s end.

Could you compress the whole avast4 folder (including subfolders) and send it to my email?
Your license key is correctly inserted, but there’s some problem verifying it.
You can try Control panel - Add/Remove Programs - avast! Antivirus, and then select option for Update or Repair.

Note: please compress the avast! folder before attempting to repair the installation.
If the compressed file is too big to be sent by e-mail (quite likely), you can upload it to ftp://ftp.avast.com/incoming (there are no read rights to your folder, so you won’t see anything there - but we’ll get whatever you upload).
Thanks.

Sorry guys, but I took the previous advice and blew away my erroneous copy of Avast and reinstalled with a new download. It’s working fine now.

rob :slight_smile:

Glad that you’ve solved it.
Sad that we can’t discovered what was wrong…