Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: seeyuh on July 09, 2007, 11:59:29 PM
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After installing Avast Home, my playback is screwed up. Mp3/WMAs on the computer skip/scratch, Youtube videos skip/break/scratch; haven't tried a DVD or CD yet, I'm afeared! The Windows sounds @ boot and shutdown are broken and scratchy, that Avast guy that tells me my virus is updated, does the same. Uninstalled Avast, no change. Updated drivers, no change. System Restore, no change- and won't Restore to anyplace before Avast installation! Reinstalled Avast- no change. The AV works nicely, a little more draw of resources, but not bad, I like it except for screwing up my playback.
HP notebook dv5000 [has been GREAT for 15 mos, til Avast! Grr.] XP home, 512, AMDTurion64, ATIgraphics.
Can anyone help? Thanks.
Seeyuh
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Well, I don't see hoe avast! can fit into this. It can't make your sound or video go scratchy... :-\
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This might sound strange but have you tried pausing the web shield and then looking at a youtube video?
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No, I will. But that won't help my mp3/WMAs, that are "in" my computer....
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Well, I don't see hoe avast! can fit into this. It can't make your sound or video go scratchy... :-\
sorry, but this lil computer was awesome til the Avast installation. i'm not cuttin on Avast, I like it, I was just trying to find a solution.
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I installed, left default settings, scanned, looked the virus chest, etc; didn't move or delete anything. Next time any sound occurred, it was screwed up.
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I installed, left default settings, scanned, looked the virus chest, etc; didn't move or delete anything. Next time any sound occurred, it was screwed up.
Do you use headphones?
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nope, no headphones. It's a Windows issue, I think, that somehow was brought on w/ Avast.
Now maybe this is important: when I ran my Directx diagnostics, when it gets to the screen with a white box moving around the black background, that white box moves intermittantly, on a rhythm, NOT smothly like it should. The troubleshotter there says no problems.....I probably have to reinstall DirectX or something. But I thought I'd start here, in case any Avast users knew anything, since this started after my avast installation. Anymore ideas? thanks.
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nope, no headphones. It's a Windows issue, I think, that somehow was brought on w/ Avast.
Now maybe this is important: when I ran my Directx diagnostics, when it gets to the screen with a white box moving around the black background, that white box moves intermittantly, on a rhythm, NOT smothly like it should. The troubleshotter there says no problems.....I probably have to reinstall DirectX or something. But I thought I'd start here, in case any Avast users knew anything, since this started after my avast installation. Anymore ideas? thanks.
Do you update your computer and do you have the latest version of DirectX?
If not, I will provide you the links for them.
Microsoft Update - http://update.microsoft.com/
Download Direct X (June 2006) - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3&displaylang=en
As DirectX also controls sound and video, it is recommended you install the latest version of direct X
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Yes, already did all that, too; says the computer is up to date w/ DirectX9.0c.
Rats.....
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Yes, already did all that, too; says the computer is up to date w/ DirectX9.0c.
Rats.....
This is the only idea i got left.... hopefully this will work. :)
I have got a feeling you might want to install the latest sound and video codecs. Maybe a reinstallation of it.
Do you know what codecs are installed on your computer? :D
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I'll have to go and dig around, first to educate myself, thn do the codecs. thanks for the input. Just gimme some time, I'm selftaught....
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I am having a very similar problem.
I am using VLC to watch avi's and it was stuttering every few minutes. I checked task manager and noticed ash.exe (or similar) service was spiking the cpu usage up to 80% at exactly the same time the video was. I googled the file and it was an avast file. I am not in front of my own PC at the moment so the filename i've given is probably wrong. This only started after i reinstalled windows (XP PRO). It never happened before even though there is no software that is different. When i disabled avast the video was fine.
Any help would be great :)
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Please, never post twice the same. Just double the help effort :(
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=29356.msg241179#msg241179
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I'm having the same trouble, which seems new and I've been using avast! for months. When I listen to my music library in iTunes, frequently when it moves to a new song, about 10 seconds in the computer freezes up for a couple of seconds, causing the music to "skip" (presumably the sound card repeating its buffer). When it unfreezes, ashServ jumps up the Task Manager process list, often up to ~60% CPU usage, for one tick before dropping back down. Meanwhile, on the avast! control panel, the Scanned count jumps by about 9, ending with iTunesPrefs.xml.
I suspect that there's some recently introduced bug that causes on-access scanning to hog the CPU much more than it used to in general, but people are noticing it most with music/video because it's more noticeable if it causes the sound to skip.
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madpro & jason, I think your problem is unrelated to that of seeyuh.
If there's excessive CPU usage by ashServ.exe (and hence realtime stuff, such as audio/video playback, starts to skip), it is usually caused by the P2P Shield when you're downloading large files (and avast is scanning them). Are you guys using e.g. uTorrent?
Now, seeyuh's problem is different because the issue persists even if avast is completely uninstalled. And that makes it pretty strange. I have a suspicion about a hardware problem - but it's not easy to prove. Seeyuh, can you move the mouse over the screen all the time, or it also skips? What about the Task Manager's CPU usage chart - does it show any spikes? Or is there anything else/unusual that's taking place when the audio skips?
Thanks
Vlk
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Vik does have a point. O well. I tried to help. :P
On to you, guys. 8)
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If there's excessive CPU usage by ashServ.exe (and hence realtime stuff, such as audio/video playback, starts to skip), it is usually caused by the P2P Shield when you're downloading large files (and avast is scanning them). Are you guys using e.g. uTorrent?
Isn't there a solution for the utorrent problem (yet)?
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I'm not using P2P shield, just Standard Shield.
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I'm not using P2P shield, just Standard Shield.
What do you mean? Did you disable P2P provider? Did you uninstall P2P provider?
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Please, never post twice the same. Just double the help effort :(
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=29356.msg241179#msg241179
Sorry! I dug around a lot before i posted, didnt find anything that seemed similar.
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I'm having the same trouble, ... about 10 seconds in the computer freezes up for a couple of seconds, causing the music to "skip" (presumably the sound card repeating its buffer)...I suspect that there's some recently introduced bug that causes on-access scanning to hog the CPU much more than it used to in general, but people are noticing it most with music/video because it's more noticeable if it causes the sound to skip.
Also, if it helps- backspacing a long line of text ALSO pauses/hangs a beat, in a rhythm, across its range of movement. ??WTF?
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Thanks, vlk- no, the mouse movement is smooth thruout. Actually it seems everything else acts normal except for that 'pulse.' I will have to monitor CPU use more closely, I'm a noob, still learning. Geez, I love these stinkin' computers, but they just shouldn't be this much hassle to use. [yeah, know, Mac, linux, etc.]
Thanks for your interest in this problem!
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>:( >: >:( I am also having the same problem w/ aVast, has anyone got a resolution to this problem yet ? Does anyone know how to get the support team to respond ? I have sent them four emails and they won't respond, and how do I stop the on access messages, that pop up when aVast starts ?
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Well they are responding in the forums 'Vlk ' as are others, the forums are by far the quickest way to get assistance.
This option, 'Show detailed info on performed actions' is off by default, so it would appear you have been tweaking avast without knowing the effect it will have.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/for-dwr/ShowDetailedAction.jpg)
This function is also on the Web Shield and Internet Mail providers so you should also check those.
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How do I get thru to someone to get a response to a refund and cancel my subscription. I have done the forum thing and don't have the time to set and research the forum, all I want is to get a refund and move on. I have wasted a week now trying to resolve this and aVast will not respond after 5 emails. If I can get a refund I will uninstall aVast and get something different.
Thanks for your help
Buggs
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How do I get thru to someone to get a response to a refund and cancel my subscription. I have done the forum thing and don't have the time to set and research the forum, all I want is to get a refund and move on. I have wasted a week now trying to resolve this and aVast will not respond after 5 emails. If I can get a refund I will uninstall aVast and get something different.
Thanks for your help
Buggs
Maybe you should ask for a refund in sales@avast.com
Sorry, we, the users, couldn't help you further...
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Thanks Tech, do you know of antway to get thru to them ?
Buggs
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Thanks Tech, do you know of antway to get thru to them ? Buggs
I'm not following you, can you rephrase?
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Thanks Tech, do you know of antway to get thru to them ?
Buggs
Are you talking phone numbers, etc. ?
http://www.avast.com/eng/how-to-contact-alwil-software.html (http://www.avast.com/eng/how-to-contact-alwil-software.html)
I assume you have the pro version but you don't say how you purchased it (on-line through Share*it or through a distributor/reseller) or when. You should communicate this to sales either by email or phone.
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I'm not using P2P shield, just Standard Shield.
What do you mean? Did you disable P2P provider? Did you uninstall P2P provider?
Disabled.
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ok, I hvnt had time to search about codecs, but I will! How about, for some reason, avast uses 'alotta' resources on this computer? [I only got 512?]
BUT I think its more than that, cuz it hung [avast] for awhile, then Ihad to restart, then I had the rhythmic skip. I gotta lotta stuff going on right now so I cant keep right on top of this, but this dv5k is a good lil computer, and I'd like to educate myself and conquer this thing. I personally think its a direct X thing, but I get nuthin' from MS, or HP, for that matter. It doesnt seem to be that hard a thing to solve given it is so specific. I'll just take it to one o' those computer repair shops, I know a couple reputable ones, from my friends.
a corrupted dll? codec? I'm 'stoopid.'
thanks anyway!
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bump
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Hey seeyuh,
I see that it has been a while since I posted on this Topic.
It's great that you got alot of posts!
For free codecs go to free-codecs.com and see what you can find.
I would like to thank you for the first few posts and responding fast.
Thanks!
Joshua
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Thanks. [been away, vacation] I found all kinds of codecs sites, but I don't know what I'm doing yet. All this computer stuff comes self-taught. [I'm good at wrenchin' on my motorbikes, tho.]
I also notice that my HD lite blinks in time with the skip, if thats symptomatic....
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Care has to be exercised as searches for free codecs returns a high number of sites where you will get more than a codec when you visit and download. The same seems to be true when you go searching for free screen savers, both of these seem to be hooks to try and get many hit from search engines to infect those visiting the site/s.
I would suggest you check any URL against the likes of site advisor, http://www.siteadvisor.com/ (http://www.siteadvisor.com/) to ensure they have a clean bill of health not to mention it is probably worth running any file downloaded against VirusTotal multi-engine AV scan.