Avast WEBforum

Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: jimatqsi on May 29, 2006, 06:05:14 PM

Title: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: jimatqsi on May 29, 2006, 06:05:14 PM
For a long time now I have had an annoying problem. Often when I try to point at a web link (I use Firefox), or at an entry in my Netscape Inbox, the screen jumps up and down, making it impossible to click on what I want to click on. The problem persists for a few seconds or more and then the screen settles down.

I have Avast 4.7 with current updates, and scanning indicates I have no virus.

I have discovered that if I turn off off the Avast On-Access scanner the problem goes away.

I am using Windows 2000, SP4.

How else can I stop this annoying problem? Thanks for any advice.

Jim
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: ardvark on May 30, 2006, 03:01:58 AM
Hi jimatqsi...

Well, that's an interesting problem ???

Did this start out of the blue for no apparent reason or did this happen as a result of some past action?

Also, does the same thing happen if you use Internet Explorer (not that I expect you to switch to it, just to get a feel for what's happening here....)

Try first performing an online scan to rule out the obvious:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Best Regards...
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: alanrf on May 30, 2006, 09:41:23 AM
jimatqsi is not alone.

I have experienced the same condition recently with Firefox, but it did not occur to me to consider avast as the cause. 

Since this thread was started I have been trying to re-create the condition without success.  I am wondering if the originator is still experiencing the problem. 
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: jimatqsi on May 30, 2006, 12:59:29 PM
Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I still have the problem. I've had it for weeks, maybe months. I cannot say that any one event, installation or otherwise, made it start to happen. I cannot make it happen, sometimes it just begins to happen. It is not happening now.

It happens in Netscape email and in Firefox. I just tried Internet Explorer and it is not happening there. When I see it again in FF and Netscape (if one has it, the other does too) I'll try IE at that time.

I'll try an online scan later to double-check I don't have anything, but seems to me I did that before when I thought it was probably a virus.

Thanks again,
Jim


Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: Lisandro on May 30, 2006, 01:42:26 PM
It happens in Netscape email and in Firefox. I just tried Internet Explorer and it is not happening there. When I see it again in FF and Netscape (if one has it, the other does too) I'll try IE at that time.
Which are your firewall extensions?
Do you use a firewall? Which one?
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: jimatqsi on May 30, 2006, 05:19:29 PM
This particular machine has no firewall employed, and no firewall extensions. I have FF extensions for talkback and Yahoo toolbar. It is possible the problem started after installing the Yahoo toolbar extension, but I don't see how that could be affecting the Netscape email program.

Jim
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: Lisandro on May 30, 2006, 05:53:40 PM
no firewall extensions
Jim, sorry, my fault. I was refering to Firefox extensions.
If you uninstall Yahoo toolbar, will it solve the problem?
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: MikeBCda on May 30, 2006, 08:00:45 PM
One thing you didn't mention (or maybe I missed it) -- is this happening while a page is still downloading?

For whatever reason, Firefox seems to save formatting code for last, or nearly so, so it's quite common (at least on my system) for the page to "adjust" itself several times until it's completely loaded.
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: jimatqsi on May 30, 2006, 08:21:44 PM
I have not seen the problem today at all, which seems unusual. It normally is obvious throughout the day, but not 100% of the time, maybe 50% of the time.

Quote
Is this happening while a page is still downloading?
I'm not sure about that. You know some pages seem to never really stop loading. But, my sense is that it continues happening after the page is completed. Does it start before the page is complete? Yes, I think so. I'm on dial-up and often open links in a new tab and don't even look until I'm sure it has had enough time to load. If I could get the problem to happen today, I could tell you for sure.

I'm really curious now, because it has been so persistent, and today it is absent. I'll post again as soon as it begins to happen and I can gather some more info.

Jim
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: alanrf on May 30, 2006, 09:56:20 PM
jimatqsi,

just wondering - do you have the Adblock extension installed in Firefox?
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: jimatqsi on May 31, 2006, 12:08:21 AM
Quote
just wondering - do you have the Adblock extension installed in Firefox?

No, I don't. I use a custom hosts file, which does the job very nicely.

Jim
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: jimatqsi on May 31, 2006, 07:47:12 PM
Well, I have made an interesting discovery, pending further testing. Yesterday, my problem was not happening and I didn't know why. Today, it was happening frequently. First thing I did was to double-check to see that I had eliminated the Yahoo toolbar extension from Firefox, and would you believe that after I checked that (Tools/Extensions) the problem disappeared again.

Yesterday I did the same thing, I went to Tools/Extensions after someone suggested a FF extension might be the problem. And yesterday I didn't see the problem at all.

I'm not sure Avast is causing it, but there is some relationship between this problem and my On-Access Scanner. A while ago, it seemed like the problem happened very frequently shortly after I turned on the On-Access Scanner, but it continued to happen for a bit after I turned off the scanner.

When the problem was not happening, I closed FF and Netscape and opened them again, and the problem did not begin. I suspect if I boot now I'll see the problem and that I'll be able to make it go away with Tools/Extensions (just inquiry, no action).

Jim
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: chrisfry112 on May 31, 2006, 08:36:54 PM
Hi There can you tell us what Graphics Card you have may be it is the drivers for the Graphics Card see if there is an update driver for it. may be its  not avast as reading your problem lookes like the driver for the Graphics Card  our look at your lead to you monitor as a friend is running Windows 2000, SP4 with avast 4.7 and useing firefox and it working ok
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: alanrf on May 31, 2006, 09:25:45 PM
I am pretty certain that this is not a graphics card or loose cable issue.

The "screen" does not jump, it is more an issue of "autoscrolling" happening in a window where as you move the mouse to a link to click on it the contents of that window moves up or down a few lines.  The rest of the screen and other open windows are unaffected.

As noted by the originator - the condition would persist for a few seconds and then stop.   

I have seen this only with Firefox - it was happening for me for a few days intermittently recently and - as I mentioned - I have not seen it happen again since the thread was started.
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: fanch on June 20, 2006, 11:30:15 AM
I have the same problem with IE and Firefox. I do not have avast thought. The browser windows attempts repetedly to open the fullscreen view and get back to the normal view. All this is quite fast and extremely irritating. I have noticed that this happens also if I open a folder.
Any ideas?

Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: Negeltu on June 20, 2006, 01:35:06 PM
I had the same prob after installing avast.  It only happened in Firefox and applications based on mozilla.  For some reason though.. my problem disappeared.  I really believe it was related to avast. 
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: Lisandro on June 20, 2006, 01:43:25 PM
I can't imagine how to relate the browser windows behavior with avast... really, how?
You can manage avast behavior while you're using full screen applications, but the contrary, how?
Are you sure that browser options and specially extensions aren't due to this behavior?
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: Negeltu on June 20, 2006, 03:05:17 PM
For myself...  I cannot say how you would relate the two.  I can only tell you what I observed on my system and 2 of my friends systems when I put avast on theirs.  The jumping started after installation of avast ONLY in Firefox and Mozilla.  But as I said.. the prob has since gone away.  Could be one heck of a coincidence I suppose. 
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: hlloyge on June 20, 2006, 11:34:55 PM
Set skins to default ones in Firefox and that mail program from Mozilla... Firebird?
The problem is related to skins for Mozilla products, some of them aren't working properly.

Ivan.
Title: Re: Avast makes my screen jump
Post by: Lisandro on June 21, 2006, 03:30:26 AM
Set skins to default ones in Firefox and that mail program from Mozilla... Firebird?
The problem is related to skins for Mozilla products, some of them aren't working properly.
Just a hint that worked for me. Check if in the Status Bar there isn't too much programs (extensions) and buttoms.
If the width is larger than the screen, Firefox try to adjust, the screen jump, and, after all, not all the toolbars fit in the screen.
Well, remove the extensions that make the status bar larger than the screen.

I hope McAffee SiteAdvisor team listen my asks for narrowing the long unlegible buttom they add in the status bar  :P