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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: Tori on April 30, 2005, 09:09:12 PM

Title: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on April 30, 2005, 09:09:12 PM
Can someone please help me as I am baffled. I have downloaded Avast 4.6 onto my PC, but it hasn't installed the icon onto the taskbar, and doesn't seem to block viruses. I am concerned that it isn't running. When I access via the desktop icon, it brings up the 'CD player' style simple user interface app, and when I run that, it picks viruses up, suggesting that Avast isn't monitoring my traffic. I have tried the 'repair' option to no avail, and the 'change' option shows all the 'resident protection options ticked. What do I need to do to enable full protection?
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Lisandro on April 30, 2005, 09:41:26 PM
What do I need to do to enable full protection?

Do you have any other antivirus installed in your system?
Did you have in the past? Which one?
Which is your operational system?
Did you install with an Administrator rights account (if you're using XP)?

TrendMicro's Housecall (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/)
Bit Defender On-line Scanner (http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/index.html)
F-Secure On-line Scanner (http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml) ActiveX required
These are just a few of the many on-line scanners out there, check out RejZor's Website - Security Ops for more On-line Virus Scanners Security.Ops.tk (http://www.security-ops.tk)
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on April 30, 2005, 09:51:49 PM
This is the only antivirus, and the only one there has ever been. The PC is a six-month old Dell running XP with SP2. My brother has a similar PC/OS, running Avast 4.6 Home Edition, and he gets a lovely spinning blue ball in his taskbar!
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Lisandro on April 30, 2005, 09:57:27 PM
This is the only antivirus, and the only one there has ever been. The PC is a six-month old Dell running XP with SP2. My brother has a similar PC/OS, running Avast 4.6 Home Edition, and he gets a lovely spinning blue ball in his taskbar!
Ok, download avast! External Control clicking on 'Control' in my signature.
Unzip it and run.
You'll see avast! tweaker option.
Choose to show system tray icon and let us see if it helps.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on April 30, 2005, 10:50:58 PM
Sorry, it made no difference. The checkbox was already ticked, so I unticked it/logged out-in and then ticked it/logged out-in: Net result: no icon.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: RejZoR on April 30, 2005, 10:57:07 PM
Can you check if there are running these processes (in Task Manager):
ashServ.exe
ashDisp.exe

Are these two processes running or is any of these two (or even both?) missing?
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 01, 2005, 11:45:52 AM
I have ashserv, ashwebsv and ashmaisv running...
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: galooma on May 01, 2005, 12:06:24 PM
Hi and welcome Tori ,
can you just check for me in control panel /taskbar and start menu which should look like pic below if you are on win xp
within that setting make sure you dont have AVAST! icon checked as ALWAYS HIDE
 :)
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: RejZoR on May 01, 2005, 12:11:04 PM
Do you get any warning when you try to download EICAR.COM sample from this page?
http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 01, 2005, 12:21:01 PM
That would have just been too easy! It was the first thing I thought of. No, the icon doesn't even show up in the list. What's more as I have no hiding icons, I don't even get the arrow on the taskbar.

Strangely though, all the icons/apps are mis-aligned in the taskbar properties. For example, the blue Avast icon is there, but it says 'Zango properties' (whatever that is) against it, and Avast On Access Scanner has the Windows volume control icon against it...

Also RejZoR, I didn't get any warning when i downloaded eicar_zip.com. :(
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: RejZoR on May 01, 2005, 12:27:57 PM
No,not zipped (ZIP) version. Normal .COM sample. First one from the left.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 01, 2005, 12:31:53 PM
Sorry, yeah, exactly the same (lack or) response from the com file.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: kamulko on May 01, 2005, 12:36:16 PM
Zango is the name of some TV services and other funny (?) games. Is also the name of a malware, but I'm sure it is not this case. You have some problems in associations of icons with files. Have you a backup copy of your registry? Is the best way to try a repair, If not,
try to restore defaults (see image)
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 01, 2005, 12:44:27 PM
Restore defaults only changes the 'behaviour' column. I think I will try and sort out this problem when I have got Avast working properly. maybe TweakXp will sort it out. My main issue here is that I downloaded the com file without so much as a murmur. That seems to confirm the fact that Avast is not working properly. I have tried deinstalling/reinstalling Avast, but that didn't work for me either.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: kamulko on May 01, 2005, 01:04:11 PM
Please, can you see if your services are enabled?
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: RejZoR on May 01, 2005, 01:07:11 PM
Mail scanner and Web Shield are optional,others are not.
But it's very strange. If processes are running,including ashDisp.exe you should get warning. ashDisp.exe is a visualizations module that shows all warning messages,tray icons and so on.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 01, 2005, 01:18:31 PM
Not quite sure how I attach a picture (what to put inside the tags), but it says that the following are all running:
avast! IAVS4 Control Service
avast! Antivirus
avast! Mail scanner
avast! Web scanner
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: RejZoR on May 01, 2005, 01:25:07 PM
Open you avast! installation folder (usually C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4)
and run ashLogV.exe

Select "Error" subsection on the left,right-click on the field on the right and select "Export current list"
Repeat this process for "Warning" subsection.

Attach both files here or just copy&paste its content here.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Lisandro on May 01, 2005, 02:52:02 PM
Not quite sure how I attach a picture (what to put inside the tags)

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=8982.0  ;)
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 02, 2005, 02:17:17 PM
Note that ashdisp is NOT one of the running processes. Should it be? Is that the issue? Here are the logs...


Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Lisandro on May 02, 2005, 02:43:12 PM
Note that ashdisp is NOT one of the running processes.
ashdisp.exe is the 'icon' on the system tray...
Using AEC (click 'Control' in my signature) you can bring it back  :)
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 02, 2005, 03:15:35 PM
I must be dense, coz I can't see where in AEC to bring it back ???
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Lisandro on May 02, 2005, 03:39:55 PM
I must be dense, coz I can't see where in AEC to bring it back ???
Run it, choose avast Tweaker, and the first option there 'Show tray icon'...
In fact there were a second possibility in the past that was 'Restart avast! protection' but new version of AEC does not support it anymore.
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 02, 2005, 04:00:53 PM
Ah, you've sent me there before, and nothing has changed! That option is ticked; in fact only the two 'suppress' and the 'web shield' options aren't ticked. I seem to be going around in circles here! Did the error / warning logs contain no clues to you more informed people?
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: anbu on May 02, 2005, 04:12:37 PM
create a shortcut of ashdisp.exe found in C:\program files\alwil software\avast4\
place it in startup folder in start menu and reboot .
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Tori on May 02, 2005, 04:33:26 PM
Excellent! Perhaps that was all it needed - DOH! Thank you very much everyone for your assistance!
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: RejZoR on May 02, 2005, 05:29:47 PM
You apperantly erased startup entry of avast!. At least thats what i can assume from Warning log (some serious infestation you had).
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: Lisandro on May 02, 2005, 07:24:39 PM
You apperantly erased startup entry of avast!. At least thats what i can assume from Warning log (some serious infestation you had).
RejZor, this will be a pity... The old versions of AEC could 'bring the icon' back and this can't.
Maybe you (and I) could reconsider the opinion on removing this feature from AEC.  :-\
Title: Re: No Icon = No Protection?
Post by: DavidR on May 02, 2005, 07:29:57 PM
Are you by any chance using spysweeper?
If so, use the restore/recover or whatever it may be called to restore the deleted registry entry and update your definitions file for spysweeper.

There have been numerous occasions that it has reported incorrectly (false positive) the avast ashDisp.exe which is the icon you see on your system tray.