Can't reinstall avast after trouble with update to 4.8 [Solved]

[OisteinR]

Last night after installing the new ver. 4.8, my machine went crazy.
Reboot after the new install didn't show the desktop.  Sometimes a reboot shows the desktop but freezes shortly after.
WMI Service is showing "starting", but never starts.

Restarted in safe mode, and uninstalled avast 4.8.
Used the cleaner software and rebuilt Repository.

Tried several time both with 4.7 and 4.8
4.7 does not create the services for avast, but windows starts normal.
If I try to start avast I get: The AAVM sybsystem detected a RPC error.....

After installing 4.8 again, it's just like the first time. No desktop... (Full cleaning first of course...)

I've used about 20 hours now and I nearly give up.

Where do I start?  My computer has been running perfect for more than 2 years now! The only times I have needed a reboot is after installing a new ver. of avast.... 
 

[Giraffe]

Well, I didn't have the desktop problems but I too couldn't uninstall/re-install until help in this thread:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=34246.0

Now 4.8 is running OK but still won't accept a licence number!

[OisteinR]

No problem with uninstall.....

When I try to install avast 4.7 or 4.8 on a newly cleaned system, I get a message telling me that I have to reboot before install - so I reboot, and get the same message over and over... neverending story...

If I ignore this message and do the install, 4.7 doesn't create the services needed... I can only see the Upd-service.

If I install 4.8, after reboot, I get to "Starting Windows" then loading personal prefs.. - then nothing..... If I do a Ctrl-Alt-Del at this point, I get the menu where I can select "logout", "lock" etc.. if I choose  "Task Manager" nothing happens....

[Giraffe]

I wonder why this is happening. Never had trouble (serious that is) with Avast before. Keep trying - it's one of the best AVs around.

[OisteinR]

Yes, I know it's good, I've been using it for several years, and all my family and friends are using it with no problems.
This is the first time I've had a problem with it, but I can see there are others with startup problems after installing 4.8....

Worst thing is I can't even install an older version....so now I'm completely unprotected... 

[DavidR]

Have you tried using the uninstall utility ?

Download the latest version of avast if you didn't save or don't have the full 4.8 version of avast http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall.

Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, find it here and save it to your HDD.
Now uninstall using add remove programs, reboot, run the uninstall utility, reboot, install the latest version, reboot.

[OisteinR]

Have you tried using the uninstall utility ?  Yes I have tried that.

Download the latest version of avast if you didn't save or don't have the full 4.8 version of avast http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall. Done that.

Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, find it here and save it to your HDD.
Now uninstall using add remove programs, reboot, run the uninstall utility, reboot, install the latest version, reboot.

1. As I said earlier, when I try to install I get a message telling me that I have to reboot before install....Ok, so I reboot - start at 1. again

2. If I ignore the message, the software is not installed as it should be.

[Lisandro]

OisteinR, I suggest an installation from the scratch:

1. Uninstall avast from Control Panel first.
2. Boot.
3. Use Avast Uninstall for complete uninstallation. Maybe it will be necessary to disable the self-defence module of avast (Troubleshooting tab of settings) if it will be possible to enter the program settings or, at least, boot into safe-mode and start aswClear.exe from there.
4. Boot.
5. Install again the last version.
6. Boot.
7. Check and post the results.

[OisteinR]

OisteinR, I suggest an installation from the scratch:

1. Uninstall avast from Control Panel first.
2. Boot.
3. Use Avast Uninstall for complete uninstallation. Maybe it will be necessary to disable the self-defence module of avast (Troubleshooting tab of settings) if it will be possible to enter the program settings or, at least, boot into safe-mode and start aswClear.exe from there.
4. Boot.
5. Install again the last version.
6. Boot.
7. Check and post the results.

Thank you for your suggestion.
After doing the uninstall with aswClear.exe in Safe Mode I could install the program again, but something must have gone wrong somewhere...
The Services don't register as they should, and the resident scanner is not running, and no avast in taskbar. :'(
I did a manual scan of my harddisk, but no viruses was found.

In the setup.log it's a lot of messages about VirtualDeviceDrivers\VDD..
I'm attaching the setup.log if someone is interested.....

[Lisandro]

Code: [Select]

01:49:44 min/sys  Service avast! Antivirus NOT installed, error code: 0x00000005
01:49:45 min/sys  Service avast! Mail Scanner NOT installed, error code: 0x00000005
01:49:45 min/sys  Service avast! Web Scanner NOT installed, error code: 0x00000005
01:49:45 min/gen  Error generating demo keyError 5 means access denied... Do you have enough rights? Administrator?
Which antivirus did you install before avast? I bet on Norton...

[OisteinR]

I have full Administrator rights.
There's never been other antivirus than avast! I've used avast! for many years.
......

[Vlk]

While the software is uninstalled, can you please verify that the following files do NOT exist:

C:\windows\system32\drivers\aswSp.sys
C:\windows\system32\drivers\aswFsBlk.sys

?

These drivers are responsible for the avast self defense module. As far as these are active, you won't be able to reinstall avast.

BTW aswClear.exe has been updated to correctly handle v4.8 (including these drivers) just yesterday. Did you download a fresh copy of this tool?


Thanks

Vlk

[alanrf]

I just repeated (well kind of) this scenario.

I did not uninstall avast.

I rebooted into safe mode and ran (the updated) aswclear.exe.  Then did a normal boot and installed avast 4.8.

There were no errors recorded in the setup log and avast is working fine.

Would the presence of the avast self-defence modules explain the log uploaded by OisteinR where all of the avast files are installed successfully and the only failures appear to be the disallowed registry updates or does this suggest the presence of another function (WinPatrol/Windows Defender etc) who see it as their role to prevent registry changes?

[alanrf]

Well, I answered the question for myself.

I just tried to see how much I could screw things up.

I did an installation of avast 4.8 on a system that still had the self-defence modules installed and my avast setup log is almost identical to that posted by OisteinR.  If you want the details of how I got here I can provide them (but really something any user who has previously downloaded the old aswclear could get into).

I'll see if the new aswclear.exe can recover from my messed up install.

Well no it cannot ...

It says that aswclear cannot run because the self-defence function of avast is running and needs to be stopped via the "Troubleshooting" options.

But the catch22 there is that the avast interface is not running and the avast interface cannot be started because of the failed setup.

How to get out of this one? 

[alanrf]

The way that cleared the problem here was to make sure one has the new aswclear.exe downloaded.

Then boot into Safe Mode and run the new aswclear.exe.  It appears to do a good job then of cleaning up avast and ensuring that the self-defence modules are removed.

Following a normal system restart then avast 4.8 was installed successfully.

I think that this is pretty close to the sequence that Tech has been recommending - however some folks may find that they must run the new aswclear.exe in safe mode to be completely successful in getting a completely fresh start for avast.

Is there any possibility of the new and future versions of avast detecting the old version of aswclear and warning users of the need to update it?