Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: Hried on September 01, 2020, 01:42:38 PM
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Starting from 20.7 (previously mentioned here (https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=237140.msg1558220#msg1558220)), Avast now stores most of its configuration settings (previously in avast5.ini / settings.ini) in registry. This is due to performance considerations of the ever increasing amount of settings we store and is a necessary optimization to keep things running smooth.
So in 20.7 you will no longer find avast5.ini and most of other ini files in Avast’s Program Data folder; the new home for them is in Windows Registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties. You can perform modifications using Windows Registry Editor or prepare .reg files to perform the modifications automatically; these can then be shared with other users as well. Note that Self-Defense must be turned off to perform the modifications (but you can turn it on automatically by including its SelfDefense=1 setting in the .reg file).
While this might break age-old habits, we believe this will significantly improve the performance of any settings-related tasks. INI files were comfortable to work with but they are inherently slow due to their text-encoded nature. This change enables easier automation of changes to settings - you can now send custom-tailored .reg files to other users who need your help with a more complex configuration without overwriting any of their other local settings (compared to replacing entire .ini files). The names and meaning of all setting section remain the same.
Hope it helps!
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Thanks Hried..!! :) (German translation here: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?msg=1559445)
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Thanks for the explanation Hried!
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Just thought of another implication of the removal/moving of the avast5.ini settings to the registry.
There used to be a number of edits that could be made in the avast5.ini, for instance delaying the check for updates.
[InetWD]
UseRAS=1
RASWaitSeconds=120
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120
Now that there is no avast5.ini how could these avast5.ini hacks be achieved (if at all) when they are all in the registry ?
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Nothing has really changed in this respect - the program reads the same values, just from a different location. (The code asking for those valus, e.g. UseRAS, hasn't changed at all - just the library that actually extracts the requested values now reads them from registry, not from the INI file.)
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This should be pinned.
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Nothing has really changed in this respect - the program reads the same values, just from a different location. (The code asking for those valus, e.g. UseRAS, hasn't changed at all - just the library that actually extracts the requested values now reads them from registry, not from the INI file.)
Yes, but rather than being to be able to edit the avast5.ini in the future (as it won't exist, or will it as a backup), that would mean trying to find it in the registry and edit that ?
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This should be pinned.
Agreed
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This should be pinned.
Agreed
Then you need to pin every topic that has made changes.
Most users don't know what the .ini file is and don't really care either.
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Nothing has really changed in this respect - the program reads the same values, just from a different location. (The code asking for those valus, e.g. UseRAS, hasn't changed at all - just the library that actually extracts the requested values now reads them from registry, not from the INI file.)
Yes, but rather than being to be able to edit the avast5.ini in the future (as it won't exist, or will it as a backup), that would mean trying to find it in the registry and edit that ?
Indeed you can edit it in the registry just as it was in the .ini.
I agree going into the registry might seem daunting the first time, but there's one more way now - you (or anyone) can export any part of the registry into a .reg file and share it with another user to apply just those selected settings and not overwriting any others. This can then be double-clicked and applied without having to have any knowledge of the .ini files or registry whatsoever (but if you do, you'll be right at home as the .reg files are actually very similar to the .ini files).
I'll post an example tomorrow to illustrate the ease of transition from any existing ini-based recipe.
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Nothing has really changed in this respect - the program reads the same values, just from a different location. (The code asking for those valus, e.g. UseRAS, hasn't changed at all - just the library that actually extracts the requested values now reads them from registry, not from the INI file.)
Yes, but rather than being to be able to edit the avast5.ini in the future (as it won't exist, or will it as a backup), that would mean trying to find it in the registry and edit that ?
Indeed you can edit it in the registry just as it was in the .ini.
I agree going into the registry might seem daunting the first time, but there's one more way now - you (or anyone) can export any part of the registry into a .reg file and share it with another user to apply just those selected settings and not overwriting any others. This can then be double-clicked and applied without having to have any knowledge of the .ini files or registry whatsoever (but if you do, you'll be right at home as the .reg files are actually very similar to the .ini files).
I'll post an example tomorrow to illustrate the ease of transition from any existing ini-based recipe.
Thanks for the clarification, I look forward to the illustration.
I don't so much have a problem working in the registry, but many others are likely to have, but how many of those would have the need. I think the main thing for me would be knowing where in the registry these keys are located.
I suspect it wouldn't just be one registry key ?
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Thanks for the clarification, I look forward to the illustration.
I don't so much have a problem working in the registry, but many others are likely to have, but how many of those would have the need. I think the main thing for me would be knowing where in the registry these keys are located.
I suspect it wouldn't just be one registry key ?
The properties are now represented as a tree:
(https://i.ibb.co/WV17RWB/Avast-Registry.png)
and its exact location is also included in my original post. You can see that each physical file now also has its tree node with the only difference of "avast5.ini" being turned to "settings". Finally! We've been over version 5 for quite a few years already but this filename seemed to forever haunt us.
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Now, if you were to hit export (via right-click) on the selected item, you would get this .reg file:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties\settings\Hns]
"FirewallProfile"="DOMAIN"
"FirewallStatus"="FirewallOn"
"LastConnectedTime"="1598723310"
"LastManualScanTime"="1594724787"
"LastPreScanTime"="1598695275"
"LastScanTime"="1599041317"
"NetworkType"="administered"
"RouterChangedDelay"="1"
You can hopefully see here the similarity with the .ini files. The most striking difference is the textual header and the prefix to [section names], effectively making [Hns] into [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties\settings\Hns]. Bar that, the key=value pairs remain the same, only quotes need to be added around values.
So your previous example would become:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties\settings\InetWD]
"UseRAS"="1"
"RASWaitSeconds"="120"
"AssumeAlwaysConnected"="1"
"AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds"="120"
The advantage of this file would be that it won't overwrite any other settings except those explicitly mentioned and can be re-applied via a simple double-click. Hope it clears it up and feel free to ask about more details!
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Thanks for the continued update/information on these registry/settings.
Yes, avast5.ini has been here for what seems an eternity.
I first started using Avast over 16 years ago on Avast 4.x which was in C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Data\avast4.ini
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I don't know if this question has been asked already (I can't see it).
Q. Can devs confirm avastclear.exe will completely and fully clean out all Avast registry entries including these additional settings when invoked??
The last thing wanted is users potentially corrupting their registries whilst performing a seek and destroy mission for stray Avast items left behind. Particularly if in the process of doing a clean install of AV. That will not benefit either Avast or users.
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Hi Hried, there is almost same set of keys on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Avast Software\Avast too, is this a mirror or something else?
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I don't know if this question has been asked already (I can't see it).
Q. Can devs confirm avastclear.exe will completely and fully clean out all Avast registry entries including these additional settings when invoked??
The last thing wanted is users potentially corrupting their registries whilst performing a seek and destroy mission for stray Avast items left behind. Particularly if in the process of doing a clean install of AV. That will not benefit either Avast or users.
I raised that question when this decision was first introduced. It's still a work in progress. Right now, the answer is no.
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I don't know if this question has been asked already (I can't see it).
Q. Can devs confirm avastclear.exe will completely and fully clean out all Avast registry entries including these additional settings when invoked??
The last thing wanted is users potentially corrupting their registries whilst performing a seek and destroy mission for stray Avast items left behind. Particularly if in the process of doing a clean install of AV. That will not benefit either Avast or users.
I raised that question when this decision was first introduced. It's still a work in progress. Right now, the answer is no.
Thanks bob.
Devs need to fix avastclear.exe to work and properly clean up after an Avast install. For me that is a deterrent to update to 20.7.
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<snip quote>
Thanks bob.
Devs need to fix avastclear.exe to work and properly clean up after an Avast install. For me that is a deterrent to update to 20.7.
Since you have knowledge of this and you are aware of its registry locations, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties.
And possibly HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Avast Software\Avast as NON mentioned.
I don't see it as a problem when you consider how frequently you might do a clean reinstall utilising avastclear. I can't recall the exact date I did one of those. But it was when I reverted to Avast 18.5 from 18.8 on my old XP system, so some considerable time ago.
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I don't know if this question has been asked already (I can't see it).
Q. Can devs confirm avastclear.exe will completely and fully clean out all Avast registry entries including these additional settings when invoked??
The last thing wanted is users potentially corrupting their registries whilst performing a seek and destroy mission for stray Avast items left behind. Particularly if in the process of doing a clean install of AV. That will not benefit either Avast or users.
I raised that question when this decision was first introduced. It's still a work in progress. Right now, the answer is no.
Thanks bob.
Devs need to fix avastclear.exe to work and properly clean up after an Avast install. For me that is a deterrent to update to 20.7.
I will try to push this to be done asap. However please note that left-over keys in registry are of no harm to users similarly to left-over files on disk. Registry is a very efficient storage and I would myself never touch any of those 'registry cleaners' promising vaguely defined (and likely unproven) speedups. But of course leaving anything behind is a bad practice and we'll fix it as soon we can.
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Hi Hried, there is almost same set of keys on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Avast Software\Avast too, is this a mirror or something else?
Hi NON, we mirror this so 32-bit components of 64-bit Avast (plugins to Outlook and 32-bit browsers) are able to easily get their settings (this is a key given to 32-bit applications on 64-bit Windows) and to support migrations of legacy 32-bit to 64-bit versions. Note that this is not a copy or duplicate; it is a registry symbolic link, a shortcut from this key to the one mentioned above. The values in registry are there only once.
We are going to remove this once we port to a new installer we're making, should be early next year.
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It has to be said, anyway, that tampering with an INI text file (related to a single application) is potentially quite less... dangerous than tampering inside the main OS registry...
From a security perspective, pushing users to edit the registry is hardly a good thing, in my humble opinion.
Maybe the INI file could be kept just for those custom settings which are not managed by the GUI.
Most users (those who do not want or need to go beyond the GUI) would take advantage of the performance gain (if any) due to the registry integration, while the "few" others would create a little text file with negligible effect on performance.
Or maybe those custom settings could be written by the user inside a dedicated GUI window, with no need of file (or registry) editing at all...
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Hello, this has been driving me nuts for months. I don't quite understand the method to fix this? I don't see a registry setting to change. The one referenced in the screenshot is not in my registry.
Thank you
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What avast version are you running?
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Windows 10 Pro
Avast Free 21.3.2459 (build 21.3.6164.657)
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Hello, this has been driving me nuts for months. I don't quite understand the method to fix this? I don't see a registry setting to change. The one referenced in the screenshot is not in my registry.
Thank you
Exactly what is it that is driving you nuts ?
What is it that you are trying to achieve (what are you trying to change, it may be in the Avast Settings and could possibly be changed there) ?
The image is just one sub-section of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties, showing the \settings\Hns element .
I can only assume as you are using windows10 Pro that it is 64bit, I have windows10 Home 64bit and this registry key in the image is present.
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Exactly what is it that is driving you nuts ?
What is it that you are trying to achieve (what are you trying to change, it may be in the Avast Settings and could possibly be changed there) ?
The image is just one sub-section of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVAST Software\Avast\properties, showing the \settings\Hns element .
I can only assume as you are using windows10 Pro that it is 64bit, I have windows10 Home 64bit and this registry key in the image is present.
Yes, 64 bit Windows. I did not know there was a 32-bit pro version, sorry. I have many email addresses and use three programs to monitor them. I cannot more than two email programs without getting the connection error. Perhaps I do not understand why there is a limit in the first place. But if this limit can be increased to avoid this issue I am trying to find where to change it. It appears to be coming from Avast not being able to deal with this many email accounts being checked simultaneously. If the limit is just a problem that cannot be overcome with a setting I would like to understand that. I found these threads and don't see a solution even though it says solved. Thanks for asking.
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<snip quote>
Yes, 64 bit Windows. I did not know there was a 32-bit pro version, sorry. I have many email addresses and use three programs to monitor them.
I cannot more than two email programs without getting the connection error. Perhaps I do not understand why there is a limit in the first place. But if this limit can be increased to avoid this issue I am trying to find where to change it.
It appears to be coming from Avast not being able to deal with this many email accounts being checked simultaneously. If the limit is just a problem that cannot be overcome with a setting I would like to understand that. I found these threads and don't see a solution even though it says solved. Thanks for asking.
The connection error isn't so much because you have many email addresses but the number of connections they create in order to collect all at once.
It sounds like you are hitting the Maximum Concurrent Connections limit (but you don't specifically say this), which is set at 50 (or used to be). This could previously set to a figure of say 100 and see if that worked or set to 0 (zero), no limit. I screenshot of the actual error could have been helpful, to see exactly what you are bumping into and the cause/process grabbing al of the connections.
As an avast user I can't answer why there is a limit in the first place, possibly an attack vector swamping your system, I don't know.
This is possibly off-topic for this particular topic, but unfortunately I don't know where this setting is tucked away in the new registry setup for Avast Settings.
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Hopefully, someone can post how to change the limit.
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I am going to turn off the inbound and outbound scanning and see what happens. Not sure it's really important these days anyway? Wouldn't the real-time scanner find these threats too? Until someone can figure out where this setting is I don't know any other solution. :(
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Hopefully, someone can post how to change the limit.
Hopefully so, but as I mentioned:
A screenshot of the actual error could have been helpful (to ensure that we are looking for the right thing) ?
Changing the limit isn't going to be a real issue, what is knowing the path to the registry key. I have looked but I can't find anything that looks like it would contain this data.
I am going to turn off the inbound and outbound scanning and see what happens. Not sure it's really important these days anyway? Wouldn't the real-time scanner find these threats too? Until someone can figure out where this setting is I don't know any other solution. :(
I believe it should as the Mail Shield won't (or shouldn't) be involved with handling the connections. Effectively it should be the same as disabling the Mail Shield.
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This configuration has worked for me now. The email programs can all send receive without any connection errors.
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This configuration has worked for me now. The email programs can all send receive without any connection errors.
In your screenshot, you've turned off scanning of your emails.
If you do that, you're not going to get any notifications. You also aren't being protected.
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This configuration has worked for me now. The email programs can all send receive without any connection errors.
As I suggested it would as it isn't intercepting email connections.
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This configuration has worked for me now. The email programs can all send receive without any connection errors.
In your screenshot, you've turned off scanning of your emails.
If you do that, you're not going to get any notifications. You also aren't being protected.
The Mail Shield checkbox is still checked. So I am not sure this is correct.
I'd rather leave it on but am very confused why this setting is such a mystery. I had a paid version for years but got Windows 10 and opted to free again. I guess I could ask a presale question of support since no one here has any idea how to fix this.
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The Mail Shield checkbox is still checked. So I am not sure this is correct.
Yes, but in your screenshot the Scan inbound and Scan outbound mail option checkboxes are not checked.
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OK, but the mailshield attachment checkbox is checked. Aren't the attachments typically the virus package? Plus the real-time scanner should pick up on the email, it's getting downloaded onto my computer hard drive.
I'd rather have an answer to how to increase the limits.
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OK, but the mailshield attachment checkbox is checked. Aren't the attachments typically the virus package? Plus the real-time scanner should pick up on the email, it's getting downloaded onto my computer hard drive.
I'd rather have an answer to how to increase the limits.
It won't work.
There is no mail shield attachment check box. There is a scan Attachment option in your image, but you haven't checked it and importantly this is (MS Outlook only).
There is the Enable Mail Shield option, Enabled (an Avast component), but you effectively disable that by NOT having it scan Inbound and Outbound email scans as has been said previously, hence no connection errors.
And you still haven't posted a screenshot of those errors!
So yes, you are going to have to wait from some input from an Avast Team member.
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Sure looks like an Enable Mail Shield block dangerous attachments is checked to me?
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Sure looks like an Enable Mail Shield block dangerous attachments is checked to me?
That isn't explicitly saying block attachments as in a physical setting, just saying Enable Mail Shield and an indication of the kind of protection the Mail Shield provides.
But you have effectively blocked that protection as you aren't scanning inbound or outbound emails.
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If anyone else needs to make this change. I found the setting.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avast Software\Avast\properties\EmailShield\EmailScanner]
"MaxConnections"=dword:00000250
You need to turn off self-defense before making any changes.
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Thanks for posting.
No wonder I couldn't find it as the MaxConnections value isn't to be found my MailShield\EmailScanner section in my registry.
Presumably 250 maximum connections works for you.
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I have not tried it yet. This is what support sent me.
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I have not tried it yet. This is what support sent me.
Hopefully it will, but now you know where it is you could increase that figure or set it to 0 which is or was meant to be no limit.
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It did not fix the issue. Do you think 0 would be no limit in the registry setting? 500 does not help either. Must not be the issue.
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It did not fix the issue. Do you think 0 would be no limit in the registry setting? 500 does not help either. Must not be the issue.
The default value used to be 50, so it looks like Support bumped that figure to see if that worked.
Zero 0 used to be no limit in the old avast5.ini (and earlier days).
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It seems that 500 helps but not completely. Do I dare set it to 700?
I contacted support back to see what else may be causing this error. Besides the connection errors, I get trying to send emails with all three programs open. My other mail checker fails and tells me this.
AVAST!
Open AVAST! >> On the left select "Protection" then "Core Shields" >> Click the ON button against Mail Shield to toggle it to OFF >> Select "Stop Indefinitely" in the Question Panel which appears >> Confirm "OK" on the component stop panel which appears AVAST! then may continually advise you that you are not fully protected. To stop this, open AVAST! >> On the left select "Status" >> If a message appears warning about a shield being turned off, click on "Ignore" then close Avast.Open AVAST! >> on the left select Real Time Shields >> Mail Shield >> click the STOP button and from the drop down select Permanently >> click Yes to the popup. \parAVAST! then may continually adivse you that you are not fully protected, to stop this open AVAST! >> Settings >> select Status Bar >> remove the check mark from Mail Shield >> click OK.
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It seems that 500 helps but not completely. Do I dare set it to 700?
<snip>
I don't see why not, it would be a lessor value than setting it at 0 (zero) no limit.
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Do we know 0 would actually be no limit? 0 or 1 is more of an off an on in the registry? 500 is working much better. So I am probably close to what I need.
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Do we know 0 would actually be no limit? 0 or 1 is more of an off an on in the registry? 500 is working much better. So I am probably close to what I need.
It used to be, but there really is only one way to confirm, by testing, if less of a problem than 500 it would tend to confirm that.
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0 does not work any better than 700. I am starting to wonder if this is even the setting causing the issue?