Can't send or receive email...maybe after latest avast update??

[alanrf]

Unfortunately the smell cannot be detected by me or the folks I support.  All of us are using the current production versions of avast and Thunderbird.

Does the problem with the Internet Mail provider (waiting for a subsystem to start) continue after a system restart?

If so then a "Repair" function of avast would probably be a good idea.

[MarylandGuy_42]

I restarted my system and it took about 3x longer than normal for it to logout and shut down.  It restarted normally (quickly), the Avast providers all started (6 out of 7 because I do not have Outlook installed), and I was immediately able to retireve all of my mail.  I can also Terminate and Restart the Internet Mail provider, and it restarts quickly and functions normally.  Sensitivity is still set to high, and so far I have not seen any warnings (nor is the Internet Mail icon present).  I will certainly post an update if that changes.  Do you still think a Repair is in order?  Anything else I can try to get to the bottom of this..?

Ok, sorry for the assumption.     If not a bug, then a fairly nasty interaction, that was not present before I installed Build 4.8.1201 of Avast.  Before the first time this happened, I had not recently made any other changes to my system aside from the Build 1201 update.  However, the problem was not as bad the first time as it was today.  The first time this happened, I was able to restart the provider and it functioned normally.  Since then I have installed SP3 for Windows XP.  Not sure if that could have made the symptoms worse, but if so it would be the first problem I have run into since installing SP3.

[alanrf]

I'm also running with SP3.  I installed that prior to the update to 4.8.1201. 

Given that you have experienced these problems I think the repair function is worthwhile, but you may just want to wait and see.  If this problem occurs again then I would suggest the repair would be a first step.

I will leave to the avast team any thoughts on what the Internet Mail provider could have been waiting on.   

[MarylandGuy_42]

I should also add that, with regard to the first time this happened, "I was able to restart the provider and it functioned normally" actually means that I still had to stop it twice.  (Stop means "Stop [all] On-Access Protection.")  Just like today, the IMP did not stop on the first try, nor did any other provider.  But it did stop the second time I tried, and after that it restarted and functioned normally.  The only other difference between the two occurrences was that after it hung up the first time, I just left it that way and walked away for about 10 minutes, to see if it would eventually work or time out.  When I came back, Thunderbird had timed out and was displaying an error, but the IMP icon was still in the taskbar and repeated attempts to retrieve mail in Thunderbird just timed out.  This was when I first tried to stop the provider.

Thanks for your help!  Hopefully someone on the Avast team will come up with something..

[alanrf]

As to the avast icon - are you using any IMAP accounts or are all your accounts POP?

[MarylandGuy_42]

All POP.  Edited to add:  I have 4 accounts defined, but only 3 are set to check for mail.  All of them are set to check for mail when Thunderbird starts.  At startup is when the problem occurs.  The most active one is set to check again every 5 minutes.  The others are set to every 10, and 15.

[alanrf]

Have you looked in the system event logs to see if any events are recorded from the incident with the avast providers (or at shutdown)?
 

[MarylandGuy_42]

Actually, that was the first place I checked.    There has been nothing in any of the Windows event logs (other than normal events) either time this has happened.  That includes Antivirus, Application, and System (I haven't yet had a need to do any Security auditing, and the IE log is always empty).

[MarylandGuy_42]

Ok, this happened again to me this morning.  Last night, after I rebooted, the IMP continued to work fine.  This morning, it froze up again when I started Thunderbird.  Once again, the IMP icon remained in the taskbar even after Thunderbird had timed out and I closed it (also checked Task Manager to ensure Thunderbird was not still running in the background).  This time, instead of trying to stop all on-access protection (OAP), I opened the OAP Control and first tried to Pause the IMP.  It paused.  I un-paused it, and it went back to running.  Then I tried to Terminate it.  The OAP Control Panel locked up completely.  See the attached screen capture.  The white box is where the confirmation box was that asks if you want to Persist the setting.  The Control Panel never refreshed after the expose event.  I left it that way for about 2 hours and it never changed.  I took the screen capture just before shutting down.  Note the indicated run time of 15:18, yet it had been running for over 2 hours.  Also before shutting down, I went into the Services applet and found the avast! Mail Scanner service in a Stopping state.  I traced this service to ashMaiSv.exe and tried to issue an End Process Tree on it from task Manager but of course it said Access Denied, as expected.

So tonight I did a Repair and so far it seems to be working.  But this is just one boot and the problem has been intermittent.  If it happens yet again I will download the Uninstaller and uninstall, reboot, install, reboot, and see how it goes.

[MarylandGuy_42]

Oops!  I forgot to add that I did finally click on the X to close the OAP Control Panel, and got the "Not Responding" popup.  I told it to go ahead and "End Now", and got the following two events in the Application event log:

Event Type:   Error
Event Source:   Application Hang
Event Category:   (101)
Event ID:   1002
Date:      5/30/2008
Time:      6:46:20 AM
User:      N/A
Computer:   NYSSA
Description:
Hanging application ashDisp.exe, version 4.8.1201.0, hang module hungapp, version 0.0.0.0, hang address 0x00000000.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74   Applicat
0008: 69 6f 6e 20 48 61 6e 67   ion Hang
0010: 20 20 61 73 68 44 69 73     ashDis
0018: 70 2e 65 78 65 20 34 2e   p.exe 4.
0020: 38 2e 31 32 30 31 2e 30   8.1201.0
0028: 20 69 6e 20 68 75 6e 67    in hung
0030: 61 70 70 20 30 2e 30 2e   app 0.0.
0038: 30 2e 30 20 61 74 20 6f   0.0 at o
0040: 66 66 73 65 74 20 30 30   ffset 00
0048: 30 30 30 30 30 30         000000 


Event Type:   Error
Event Source:   Application Hang
Event Category:   None
Event ID:   1001
Date:      5/30/2008
Time:      6:46:25 AM
User:      N/A
Computer:   NYSSA
Description:
Fault bucket 763316844.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 42 75 63 6b 65 74 3a 20   Bucket:
0008: 37 36 33 33 31 36 38 34   76331684
0010: 34 0d 0a                  4..     

[Alexis]

I have this problem since this morning (after the avast update).

I can't receive my mail, Outlook (2007) don't respond, I have no other choices than close Outlook, then stop the Avast Outlook / Exchange service, and open Outlook again, then it work fine.

Also, Avast is slower and it's very long when i try to stop the resident protection.

[DavidR]

Make sure the avast plug-in/add-in is not disabled in MS Outlook:
Outlook 2007 > Tools > Trust center > Add-ins > Manage Disabled items.

[Alexis]

I've made no changes in the Outlook config since the installation.

Whatever i've check the add-ins panel and it's empty in Disabled Items (screen : http://www.xbox-360.fr/screens/divers/dream/addins.JPG)

[Lisandro]

Which was your antivirus before installing avast? How did you uninstall it?

[petfam]

Hi,
thought I'd touch bases as I've been watching the forum. I had written on 5-21 about the email problem. After the original two times that Outlook Express froze I tried a few tips that were given me (Check for spyware, set to high setting) and it worked until today. All was well this morning, then this afternoon I powered up and started OE and I could not send/rec and the Avast icon was stuck on the task bar. I read more forum and tried to repair and that did not work. Then I put a stop on internet mail and within a few seconds the avast send/rec icon disappeared from the task bar and I was able to send and receive. I'll need to restart now, but thought I'd drop some info before that. For me it has been intermittent also. Next time I'll try the uninstall, reboot, install, reboot. I have Win XP SP2, Media edition, OE6 with Avast 4.8.1201.
Ok, thanks to all for your help and concern.
Dan