Updates only working through Change/Uninstall application area

I have installed (and subsequently reinstalled and tried repairing) Avast! Home 4.8 on my XP SP3 desktop (AMD processor), having removed Norton using their uninstall tool. Avast! works fine with the exception of any Updates, which my machine just cannot cope with through the normal channels. On the skin, if I press update, nothing happens and the application stops responding. If I open the menu and select updates, again nothing happens. However, if I go into control panel>remove/change programs>Avast!>update - it downloads the packages and installs them fine. I would like to be able to set automatic updates running, and it was several days after the initial install before I realised I was getting no updates despite being set to auto.

On my newer laptop, running Vista, the updates arrive automatically daily without any difficulty. Can anybody tell me what to do to get my XP box to act in the same way?

Thanks in anticipation

Mike43

Which firewall do you have in XP?
Can you manually update through the context menu of the ‘a’ blue icon?
Please, post the last 200-250 lines of avast log: C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\log\Setup.log

I am running the standard XP Windows Firewall as installed. The only Firewall exception currently ticked is for IE6.

Nothing happens when I click on the update tabs on the context menu or on the application skin, with the latter freezing when I do that.

I’m attaching the last 200 or so lines of the log as requested. It seems to start with my latest manually-forced update.

Thanks for your assistance.

im have a problem my system wont let my remove this so i can get a new antivirious can u help me

See nothing in your log…

25.09.2008	21:27:10.000	1222374430	package	Transferred: files 0, bytes 0, time 0 ms
25.09.2008	21:27:10.000	1222374430	package	Retries: total 0, files 0, servers 0

Can you open a new thread for your problem?

We will need more information to be able to help you:

  • Which OS are you using? Is it up to date?
  • What avast! version and VPS file (virus database) number?
  • What was the filename and path where the virus was found?
  • Which actions have you taken to try solving the problem?
  • Do you use a firewall? Which one?
  • Do you have any other antivirus installed in your system? Did you have in the past?
  • Any other security programs that could interfere?

Hi Tech -
I was confused for a moment by the crossed threads! Your last response to me was that you could see nothing in the log. Is there any other information I could provide? Could it be significant that this is an AMD processor, or that I previously had Norton Antivirus installed. As far as I can tell that was successfully removed with their bespoke removal tool.
Mike43

[i]Hi Mike43…

Just my two cents here but you might try running CCleaner or some other ‘well known’ registry cleaner on you system…

Symantec (aka Norton) is notorious for missing something… :([/i]

No problems.

Could be problems… can you try again?

  1. Remove NAV or Norton 360 through Add/Remove programs from Control Panel. Boot.
  2. Use Norton Removal Tool for Windows 2000/XP/Vista or Norton Removal Tool for Windows 98/Me. Boot.
  3. Install avast! (or repair the installation) and boot.

The Norton Removal Tool uninstalls all Norton 2008/2007/2006/2005/2004/2003 products and Norton 360 from your computer.

I have now downloaded and run the Norton Uninstall Tool again and rebooted. I have also used CCCleaner as suggested by ‘ProgrammerGuy’ to clean up the registry. I have run the ‘repair’ function on the Avast! installation, and rebooted. Sad to say, it is still the same - can only get updates through the manual use of Change/Remove function. The only thing from the list I haven’t done is reinstall Avast! again from scratch as surely the repair function should suffice?

Weird… the update process should be the same, manual, repair or automatic… ???
I suggest an installation from the scratch:

  1. Uninstall avast from Control Panel first.
  2. Boot.
  3. Download the latest version of Avast Uninstall and use it for complete uninstallation.
  4. Boot.
  5. Install again the latest avast! version.
  6. Boot.
  7. Check and post the results.

I have just run through the list of actions, in precise detail, and I’m sad to say there is no change. the only updates are still manual through the control panel Change/Remove tool.

Unless you have any brainwaves I guess I will just need to remember to go update it from there on a very regular basis, but my concern is that if this function isn’t working, could other aspects of the software also be blocked, exposing me to risks?

Can you check avast logs?

I hate mysteries…