windows 7 explorer freezing ?

I’ve just got a new dell inspiron laptop with windows 7 home premium 64 installed…when i install avast and open windows control panel > all control panel items, i get the error ‘explorer is not responding’, i then have to select end program or restart program, after that all is fine. If i uninstall avast then this problem does not occur.

Is anyone having a similar problem or know of a workaround?

Thanks in advance.

Dell’s usually come with A/V pre-installed, probably Norton. Did you remove it before installing avast?

Norton didn’t come pre-installed, i just got a prompt to try their software with a 30 day free trial…which i uninstalled as well :slight_smile:
So there’s no other av software installed…i’m new to windows 7 and i guess it’s just one of those glitches that will get sorted out as everybody plays catchup with the software…it’s not a show stopper but the laptop is a gift for my gf and the last thing a computer illiterate will want to see is a windows msg saying there’s a problem lol

Thanks for the reply.

I suggest removing traces of Norton…

  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.

Hi All…
So my question was… if Window 7 was compatible with Avast 4.8 home edition?
Thank you

Yes, avast 4.8 is compatible with win7 32/64 bit versions.

Welcome roberty

It sure is compatable.

By the way, avast V5 will be released in January 2010.

I have the same problem mine is dell Studio 1555 with windows 7 ultimate 64 i do the same things as you and the problem is avast, i sent an e-mail to on line support for this problem in 64 bit system.

I have run both 4.8 and 5.0 beta on a 64 bit windows 7 (for about a year now) with no problems at all I would sugggest that another programme is causing a conflict

I confirm that the problem is Avast! :cry:
If i uninstall Avast all works fine.
Maybe windows 7 ultimate has problem with 4.8 antivirus.
I hope avast 5 will fix this problem.

Confirm that Avast 5 beta works like a charm.

I’m working with a brand new Dell Vostro 1520 that came with Win 7 Home Premium right now. Uninstalled Norton through Add/Remove programs, did FULL removal. restarted, installed avast. Restarted, updated definitions, and all is well. Didn’t even need to run the Norton removal tool (I’ll check manually to see if anything is left, and will run it if I have to).

Laptop hasn’t been giving me any grief so far, thankfully.

just an update to my problem…in europe / uk dell supply laptops with mcafee at the moment (i think i said norton somewhere above)…i’ve just received another laptop from dell, an inspiron 15, this had mcafee pre-installed so i proceeded to uninstall it, reboot, installed avast, reboot go to control panel and i get the same problem where windows explorer stops responding…i then go to close the window and get a msg stating that explorer has stopped responding, choose the option to restart explorer and all is good…i can go into control panel and all is working fine. so the problem i have only occurs once after a reboot or boot.
This is the same for both new laptops…so there is definately a problem that is not isolated to just one machine…perhaps it’s something leftover from the mcafee install.

If that’s so, it should be an easy fix. Go here http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507 and follow the directions UP TO step two.

No need to re-install afterwards… ;D

A client brought in a brand new Dell 1545 laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium X64 preloaded. It also had McAfee pre-installed. I removed McAfee and installed a free copy of Avast Home and after the reboot Avast comes up with the initial screen, but eventually Explorer stops responding. The first symptom is when I try to open the Control Panel … freeze, can’t click on anything. Just to be sure I waited 20 minutes but it never “unfroze”. I can CTRL-ATL-DEL and kill explorer, and after it reloads everything appears to run without freezing initially, but if I used the computer long enough, I get either a crash or a freeze of explorer.

I uninstalled Avast and reinstalled, didn’t help. Ran the McAfee uninstall tool (MCPR.EXE) to clear out all traces of McAfee Security Center, rebooted, installed Avast, freeze of explorer after reboot.

Since this was a client’s computer I didn’t want to take a chance and trash the installation of Windows 7 by doing more installs and uninstalls to track down a solution, so I gave up and installed AVG Free, which ran fine.

I personally have AVAST running on a test system running Windows 7 Ultimate (Microsoft’s time-limited demo that will expire next year) but it’s only X32, not X64. I’m wondering if this problem is caused by the OEM version of Windows 7 X64 that Dell is using or something to do with McAfee Security Center that is being preloaded on these computers. The problem IS real, however. Would be nice to know what is causing it.

Chuck

Sorry, I forgot to mention.

The Vostro 1520 that I was working on was x64 too. The only difference is that mine came with Norton instead of McAfee, and it wasn’t a 1545.

@ csadoian

I do not have a problem with avast! on my Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit system.
It never had McAfee nor is it a Dell system.

I am having the same problem with Windows Explorer hanging after I upgraded from from Vista to Win7. After my upgrade I completely removed my previous virus checker (Computer Associates, who wanted me to pay another yearly subscription for an upgrade) and installed Avast. Then the problem began.

I went through a fairly lengthy process of trying to identify the source of the problem, including going to techsupportforum.com, where I seemed to be getting support from a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional or a member of the Microsoft Tech Team. I ran some utility for him which produced technical information and sent it along. His analysis was that the problem seemed to lie with my software firewall or virus checker. Since I don’t have a software firewall installed, that leaves Avast as the culprit.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/microsoft-support/windows-vista-windows-7-support/439033-windows-7-windows-explorer-crashes.html#post2481494

Until I find a solution - or change my antivirus program - I’m making do with third-party file managers (xExplorer, xyExplorer, A43), but they are a stopgap measure. There are still a few circumstances in which I need the original Windows Explorer.

It looks like a bug in Avast. I wonder if the new version coming out in January might fix the problem?

David
Toronto

I’ve been having this same issue on 2 computers since purchasing in early December. Both are Dell (Studio XPS 8000 & Inspiron Laptop 1545). Initially came with Norton but I completely uninstalled using the removal tool. The only workaround I’ve found to keep explorer from freezing on first control panel access after reboot is to go to start menu properties and choose “display control panel as a menu” instead of a link. No freezes, I can maneuver around in CP in any direction or view after initially accessing through the “menu” rather than the link. No clue why.

Just thought I’d share in case it helps someone figure this out. I’ve been searching for an answer since first noticing the problem.

*Forgot to add that both systems are W7 Home Premium 64 bit with Avast installed.

Similar situation…bought a new Dell Inspiron for the wife for Christmas. Uninstalled the pre-installed McAfee before installing Avast. Every time I would launch Control Panel it would cause the Windows Explorer not responding. Would close/restart explorer then Control Panel would work. Ran the McAfee removal tool, reinstalled Avast…same problem. The problem would go away every time I would uninstall the latest Avast Home.

I did your trick of changing the Control Panel settings and it is a work around, for now. I do NOT want to get rid of Avast, so I hope the next release has a fix.

I’ve been having the same problem with my son’s new Inspiron 1545 (Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit). However, the difference with everyone else who has posted here so far, is that I hadn’t got around to installing Avast on it.

I decided to run it for a week or so with the software that it came with from Dell (as I usually like to make sure everything is OK ‘out of the box’ before making a change)- so it is running McAfee at the moment and I get the ‘Explorer is not responding’ problem. Exactly as Slartibartfast described it.

Whatever is causing this can’t only be linked to systems running Avast.