Failure to reinstall

[Cestrian]

Been using Avast for a number of years and never had any problems . . . until last night. Someone emailed me a Powerpoint 2007 file so I downloaded Microsoft Fileconverters.exe.  I then noticed that my Avast icons in the System Tray had disappeared.  I also got an error message to the effect that the Outlook add-in couldn't run.

I clicked on the Avast desktop icon but Avast wouldn't run.  After a while I decided to delete Avast altogether and reinstall.  I deleted it from Control Panel then downloaded the newest version from CNet. At the end of the install it informed me that "This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem."  Return code: 0x000036B1 was quoted.

After some research I downloaded aswclear.exe and setup_ais.exe and ran them both in safe mode. Avast still won't reinstall.

I am running Windows XP Professional SP3 and Office Professional 2003 and all updates to both XP and Office are up to date.  Spybot S&D and Malwarebytes both report no malware.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

(For what it's worth I also attempted to install AVG Free as a stopgap until I could get Avast back up and running.  AVG won't install either!)

[Pondus]

(For what it's worth I also attempted to install AVG Free as a stopgap until I could get Avast back up and running.  AVG won't install either!)

run AVG removal tool and reboot..

then run avast removal tool and reboot

then try install avast again

Uninstallers – Security Software
http://singularlabs.com/uninstallers/security-software/

[Cestrian]

Many thanks for replying so quickly, Pondus.  I've done as you advised but I'm still getting the same failure. 

[ady4um]

I'd like to stress out: aswclear from http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility in Windows Safe Mode. Run it several times, selecting different versions of avast each time (each version you ever had installed or upgraded / updated to).

Then REBOOT into Windows Normal Mode.

Install avast (the exact edition that fits your license, Free / Pro /AIS) and when the installation finishes, REBOOT.

If this procedure is not enough so to solve the problem, then the error code needs to be analysed by some avast developer.

Was avast working correctly before? Any other problems in your system? Any other recent changes? Any other security tools (currently installed or that were installed before)?

[Cestrian]

Thanks for your input, Ady4um.  I've followed your advice to the letter.  As a check I ran regedit and can confirm that the word "Avast" didn't appear anywhere in my registry after running aswclear.exe.  Sadly my subsequent attempt to reinstall Avast in normal mode after a reboot still failed with the same error.

Prior to this problem Avast had been purring along like the proverbial sewing machine for years. It had co-existed in perfect harmony with IOBit Advanced System Care, IOBit Malware Fighter, Malwarebytes and Spybot Search and Destroy, although only ASC and Spybot S&D Teatimer were constantly running concurrently with it. I used the others to scan independently every week or so.

There were no other problems with the system and the only recent changes were a couple of XP updates and the above-mentioned download of Microsoft Office 2003 FileFormatConverters.exe.

If it's any help, these lines seem to be common at the end of every setup.log.

 general: Error: ashBase.dll (C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\ashBase.dll) could not be loaded
 general: DldSrc set to inet
 general: Server definition(s) loaded for 'main': 255 (maintenance:0)
 general: SelectCurrent: selected server 'Download300 AVAST5 Server' from 'main'
 internet: SYNCER: Type: use IE settings
 internet: SYNCER: Auth: another authentication, use WinInet
 internet: Sending stats 'http://download300.avast.com/cgi-bin/iavs4stats.cgi': 00000000 204
 file: NeedReboot=false
 general: Return code: 0x000036B1 [This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.]

Thanks for any further insight you can offer.

[Gargamel360]

Teatimer.  Kill it then try again.

[ady4um]

Although you mentioned all was working correctly before, it is possible that some update triggered some conflict between avast and something else (whether something in Windows itself, or some of the "too many" security tools already installed).

Instead of waiting for some other user to suggest it, I will do it now (even if the problem may or may not be related to the following suggestions).

Get rid of Teatimer (not just disabled, but completely uniinstalled. Get rid of IOBit software. Spybot is not the best nowadays, and you also have other tools that are doing (one way or another) the same job, so I would get rid of it too.

After uninstalling (and rebooting in between each uninstall, instead of uninstalling all at once), run the respective removal utility for each tool you uninstall. A partial list is located at http://singularlabs.com/uninstallers/security-software/. If you don't find a removal utility for the security tool you install, please search for it, read the relevant instructions and follow them. Reboot each time you finish the clean up.

For avast, have you downloaded avast Free ANEW? You should.

Have you checked your HDD for filesystem errors with scandisk?

After all these steps, try installing avast again and rebooting.

Please report back.

[YoKenny]

Get rid of Teatimer (not just disabled, but completely uniinstalled. Get rid of IOBit software. Spybot is not the best nowadays, and you also have other tools that are doing (one way or another) the same job, so I would get rid of it too. 

Why to get rid of IOBit software:
http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=33217

[Cestrian]

Many thanks, folks.  I did as suggested and removed the IOBit stuff and Spybot S&D.  Then I did what I probably should have done in the first place.  I retrieved an old hard drive which still had the original setup file (setupeng.exe) from early 2007, when I first installed Avast.  I copied it across, ran it, and, Bingo!  I now have Version 4.7 with the latest database and running nicely.

Thanks again for your trouble.

[ady4um]

Avast 4.7 ? Why? If you are using Win 9x/Me, use avast 4.8. For Win2k and up, use latest avast stable.

[Cestrian]

Simply because it's the only installer I've tried that actually worked!  I will update it over the weekend, but at the moment I'm just relieved to have any kind of AV back up and running so I can get on with some work.

Thanks again.

[Gopher John]

Avast 4.8.1368, which is the last Avast 4 version released, is available from a link on http://www.avast.com/en-us/download-software#tab2.  It's an 82.6 MB download.

[Cestrian]

Got it sorted eventually.  Resolved by reinstalling Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable.  Now happily back running Avast 6.