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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: marcus58 on December 26, 2008, 11:06:06 PM

Title: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 26, 2008, 11:06:06 PM
I am attempting to set up avast to run as a scheduled task.  I keep getting an error code 0x80070005.  It says access is denied.  Can anyone help?  I run xp home and am using the avast home edition.  Thank you.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 26, 2008, 11:28:33 PM
How are you trying to set the home version with scheduling?
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 26, 2008, 11:31:44 PM
Yes, I am using the home version.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: igor on December 27, 2008, 12:42:04 AM
How (are you scheduling)?
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 27, 2008, 12:46:00 AM
I go to scheduled tasks and follow the directions to open a new task.  I tried following the intructions found elsewhere on this page.  I still get access denied and it does not function.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 27, 2008, 09:57:03 PM
I go to scheduled tasks
It's not present in the Home version, only in the Professional one.
Are you logged as an administrator? Are you really using something called avast Home (free) version?
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 27, 2008, 10:33:31 PM
Yes I am using avast home edition.  I found out last night that the scheduled task feature is only available in the pro edition.  What are some of these folks talking about when they say they found a way around the problem?  I tried what they posted and it did not work.  Thanks for answering.  I am logged on not as administrator.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 28, 2008, 12:18:10 AM
They are using a work around, by using a tool which isn't designed for this purpose. the ashQuick.exe scan is designed to scan downloaded files or use as a windows explorer context menu scan function.

Personally I find little user for this work around, but I don't have large amounts of data on my system and I prefer to start a manual on-demand scan as a part of my regular weekly system maintenance.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scheduled+task+error+0x80070005 (http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scheduled+task+error+0x80070005)

I would imagine that on a non-administrator account you would have to elevate the privileges of the account when creating the scheduled task. e.g. Enter the user name of an account with privileges, enter the password for that account and confirm the password. This is for xp pro sp3, you don't say what your OS is ?

If it is Vista then you may also have UAC hoops to jump through.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 28, 2008, 12:40:38 AM
I think I'll just scan manually.  I usually do defrag and scan disk once a week anyway.  I use xp.  What do you mean by administrator account?
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 28, 2008, 02:25:33 AM
I mean a limited user account and not one with administrator privileges.

Probably less hassle with XP than Vista, especially if the account you use although not 'the administrator' account. Though if you do a regular set of things, it is easy to tack on a manual scan, the standard sensitivity without archives should be sufficient.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: alanrf on December 28, 2008, 03:03:37 AM
Quote
using a tool which isn't designed for this purpose


ashquick.exe is identical to the function of the avast thorough scan with archives. It is designed to perform that task (and I would be pretty well certain that it uses exactly the same code).
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 28, 2008, 03:21:02 AM
Well since avast home has no scheduled function you can bet your a** that the developers didn't design/intend the ashquick.exe to perform that task in the home version.

So that is what my interpretation of not designed for the task is, you have yours ;D

If it is the same code, I wouldn't know as I don't have the Pro version, but the Pro version gives that added functionality (actions on detection) to the scheduled scan rather than the simple fudge we are using.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 28, 2008, 02:43:50 PM
I tried the ashquick.exe fix and still got the error code I gave in the first message.  It told me access denied.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 28, 2008, 10:00:17 PM
I tried the ashquick.exe fix and still got the error code I gave in the first message.  It told me access denied.
Seems that you're not scanning into an administrator account but a limited one.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 29, 2008, 02:01:09 AM
So how do I scan into an administrator account?
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: alanrf on December 29, 2008, 04:42:57 AM
In Control Panel > Scheduled Tasks look at the Properties of the ashquick.exe scan - see the image below (click on it to enlarge).

The "Run as" box needs to have an account on your system that has administrator level privileges.  You will also need to use the password of that administrator account ("Set password").
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 29, 2008, 04:01:15 PM
Deleted - don't know why the topic didn't show Alan's post before I posted my reply ???

Though I have my suspicions, when I posted almost 12 hours after the two times are in the same 24hour clock format of 03:42 am and mine at 03:01 but pm, there shouldn't be an 03 pm but either 3pm or 15:01. In that format it would appear (to the forum software) that my post was actually poster earlier than Alan's and not almost 12 hours later.

So here is another forum hiccup topic for Alan and Tech to get their teeth into ;D ;D
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 29, 2008, 05:53:34 PM
So here is another forum hiccup topic for Alan and Tech to get their teeth into ;D ;D
I let hiccups to Kubecj fun ;D
He won't fix them anyway :P
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 29, 2008, 07:36:13 PM
Not so much he won't fix them, more he can't as the software is owned by SMF ;D
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: alanrf on December 29, 2008, 10:38:47 PM
David,

I think this is a relatively simple problem that I have fallen foul of before too.

These threads are all shown as pages and the pages are not dynamic, they are fixed.  When you select a thread and click on "new" you are taken to the first post in the thread that you have not seen. 

In the case of this thread you were almost certainly taken to view the final post of page 1 of this thread where marcus58 asked "So how do I scan into an administrator account?".

It is entirely up to the viewer to notice below that post that there is a new page to the thread containing newer posts (from the [1] 2 pages indicator at the end of the page.  If you reply to the last post on page 1 as you did there is nothing in this software to warn you that there are newer posts on the next page but your post will just be appended to the posts you have not seen on the next page.   

 
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 29, 2008, 11:57:42 PM
Yes, true that can and does happen, but I have my forum settings to return to the topic after the post, and still didn't see your post above mine, weird.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 01:12:16 AM
ok, I figured out how to schedule the scan.  I no longer get the error message that I posted when I started this thread.  However, there are two files labeled ashquick.exe.  i tried both of them and it would not run.  Any ideas?
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 31, 2008, 02:04:26 AM
1. What did you do to resolve the problem, it might be useful to others.

2. There should only be one ashquick.exe, what were the locations you found them ?

You might be seeing an entry in the windows\prefetch, but that isn't ashquick.exe but ashquick.exe-RandomNumbersAndLetters.pf, this is just the location where ashquick.exe is on the HDD to speed loading, it isn't the file, see image.

There should only be one copy of the ashquick.exe file in the avast4 folder, see image.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 02:13:51 AM
I looked where you said and I see no file labelded ashquick.exe.  There is one labeled on ashquick and it does nothing.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 31, 2008, 02:49:30 PM
What you see is because you have the hide extensions for known file types option checked in Explorer, Tools, Folder Options (it is that way by default) and is probably one of the biggest pain in the rear MS decisions (along with a few others, see image) because all it does is cause confusion.

- Ensure that you have hidden files and folders enabled and disable hide system files in Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, Hidden files and folders, see image.

I don't know what you mean 'and it does nothing' what did you do, I can only assume you double clicked it ?
It isn't a tool to be run (stand alone) in that way, it is called by another function and needs parameters for what it should scan (that is what you are attempting to do with the task scheduler).
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 04:34:12 PM
I meant that I found a file named only ashquick not ashquick.exe, and when I scheduled it to run nothing happened.  Thanks for your assistance.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 04:44:03 PM
I tried to show hidden files and folders.  I checked that box.  However, I cannot find any file labeled ashquick.exe.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: DavidR on December 31, 2008, 04:48:00 PM
The post and image shows why you don't see the .exe file extension, because MS consider it a know file extension (known to MS), but when not shown causes much confusion, which is why I suggested unchecking the 'Hide extensions for known file types' to avoid that confusion...

Now you have found the correct file and overcome the permission error, I suggest going over the instructions again about how to assign what to scan.

It is the  'Hide extensions for known file types' option that you need to uncheck, if you set all the options to the right of the red line it will include that option.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 05:13:07 PM
Got it!  I successfully  scheduled ashQuick.exe to run.  It came up but did not start to run.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 31, 2008, 05:19:06 PM
Got it!  I successfully  scheduled ashQuick.exe to run.  It came up but did not start to run.
You need to add parameters...
Howto do with Home version: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=3796.msg27225#msg27225
Drawbacks on Home version: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=29962.msg246925#msg246925
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 05:41:33 PM
It's working.  Thanks so much for the help.  When it starts scaning the top of the window says "quick scan".  Can a standard or thorough scan be sceduled?  Thanks again.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 31, 2008, 05:48:38 PM
When it starts scaning the top of the window says "quick scan".
It's the quick scanner (not scan). It's a thorough scanning (the deepest possible).

Can a standard or thorough scan be sceduled?  Thanks again.
Already answered... but only in Professional mode you can reduce the scanning level.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: marcus58 on December 31, 2008, 07:20:49 PM
Thanks for all your help.  I quess that closes this one for me.  If I have any other questions regarding avast I'll sure post again.
Title: Re: scheduled task set up
Post by: Lisandro on December 31, 2008, 10:51:13 PM
Thanks for all your help.  I quess that closes this one for me.  If I have any other questions regarding avast I'll sure post again.
You're welcome. Feel free to come back any time you need help or just to change experiences 8)