Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: Dyslexic on May 06, 2010, 10:14:51 PM
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I have read through most of the other similar threads and made no progress. For the record I am a computer repair tech for a living and have used avast for years.
Product: Avast 5 Free (Registered)
OS: Vista Home Premium SP2 32 Bit
Computer: Dell Inspiron 1525 - Celeron 2.00/3GB
General:
Other systems on the network can update.
Info:
Can connect for windows updates
Can surf internet anywhere fine, including avast.com
Can ping avast update servers (downloadXXX.avast.com - Last fail was download642.avast.com, pingable)
Have tried, uninstall/reinstall & repair options.
Have redownloaded avast setup.
Have used aswclear before natural uninstall and after.
Have run removal tools for mcafee and norton, which were previously installed on the system.
Have run CCleaner, checked HiJackThis, and several other manual checks.
Have cleared hosts file.
Have checked IE proxy settings through internet options and also the registry.
Maybe have done some other things, can't remember.
Problem has persisted over 2 days so not a "busy" issue.
System does everything perfectly, except update avast.
Open to any suggestioins. I had this happen on one other system in the past but it turned out to be either the host file or proxy settings. Not the case here. Thanks in advance.
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Hi,
a few others have reported the issue (with updating), it hasn't been addressed so far I think (unless I missed a thread...). Most recurrent issues on Avast 5 reported here are originating from XP computers...don't know if you're on XP, you didn't specify. I don't know, hope someone else here can help, I never had this issue.
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Sorry forgot that very useful information. Vista Home Premium SP2 as specified above now.
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the problem is that from what I read in your first post you seem to have eliminated all possible causes already, I think you've checked everything so my best reasonable bet is that there's an issue with Avast most likely, and may be with the free version only...not easy to tell, I wouldn't mind an avast dev to post here. The thing is that the free version "connects" to tens of sites related to web content displayed in the UI like the AIS promo. But I doubt this could interfere as AvastUI (the process that connects) doesn't have anything to do with updates. I blocked it once when I was running the free version and the update process wasn't affected. So, just in case there still would be anything related between those connections when they're established (I have no idea just guessing...) and the update processes, you could always try that (I know some here won't like this suggestion ;D )....block AvastUI with your firewall and see if updating works again...(probably won't ;) )
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I'm really up for trying anything, so I did. No change.
Only thing other I can think is I believe avast was installed prior to SP1 and SP2 being installed. It never asks if avast can connect to the internet on any of the process even though I've reset the windows firewall several times it never asks. It's like it's not really trying to connect.
The other system that did this was XP based.
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did you check in the "advanced firewall" interface if there's no rule left behind that could block it?
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did you check in the "advanced firewall" interface if there's no rule left behind that could block it?
Hmm, perhaps this is something I'm not familiar with? I've cleared the exceptions and used the Windows Firewall -> Advanced -> Restore Defaults. That's supposed to clear all rules/exceptions. If theres something else, please elaborate.
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okay type "windows firewall with advanced security" in the search box of your Windows menu (I'm on Seven but you got almost the same fw interface in Vista) >>> see screen shot, and check outbound and inbound rules there.
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Interesting. Never had reason to use it I guess. Two Avast rules under inbound, deleted them. No change.
For the heck of it I created rules under outbound for all the relevant avast files and still no change.
Then rebooted just in case, still no change.
Thanks for trying. Avast people you around anywhere, this is very broken...
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Hmm, just solved it.
Settings -> Updates -> Proxy Settings -> Direct Connection (no proxy) instead of Auto detect (use Internet Explorer Settings)
Where does it read these settings because IE works fine, Avast wasn't.. ?
EDIT: Confirmed, changing it back and it breaks again but IE keeps working. Where is Avast looking for IE Proxy Settings?
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oh okay, nice you found the parameter that was triggering that ;)
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Still wouldn't call this resolved. Clearly, Avast is broken to some degree. It's using settings that can't be changed by normal means to check for a proxy server. That's broken.
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Still wouldn't call this resolved. Clearly, Avast is broken to some degree. It's using settings that can't be changed by normal means to check for a proxy server. That's broken.
I agree the issue can't be considered resolved, but this could also be your proxy settings being broken somehow, because I don't have any problem when switching the proxy setting in Avast.
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The proxy settings that internet explorer uses are not keeping internet explorer offline. Avast, supposedly, uses these same settings but is being kept offline. Something is not right about that and it doesn't sound like internet explorer.
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The proxy settings that internet explorer uses are not keeping internet explorer offline. Avast, supposedly, uses these same settings but is being kept offline. Something is not right about that and it doesn't sound like internet explorer.
just tried with IE proxy (switched from "no proxy"), and my update interface still works fine...
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I have repeated several times the same question.
Where does Avast read its proxy settings from, settings which are supposedly Internet Explorers settings, but IE works fine, the settings in the registry are fine, every other piece of software on the computer works fine.
It would seem that maybe Avast uses a non-standard location for proxy settings.
Are you understanding the question now?
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I have repeated several times the same question.
Where does Avast read its proxy settings from, settings which are supposedly Internet Explorers settings, but IE works fine, the settings in the registry are fine, every other piece of software on the computer works fine.
It would seem that maybe Avast uses a non-standard location for proxy settings.
Are you understanding the question now?
since you're using that tone I'm done with that thread ;D
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I have repeated several times the same question.
Where does Avast read its proxy settings from, settings which are supposedly Internet Explorers settings, but IE works fine, the settings in the registry are fine, every other piece of software on the computer works fine.
It would seem that maybe Avast uses a non-standard location for proxy settings.
Are you understanding the question now?
since you're using that tone I'm done with that thread ;D
That tone? Oh you mean irritated by someone repeatedly not answering a question yet telling you you are wrong? If that's what you mean, then perhaps. Otherwise, you never got started on this thread.
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you know what, I don't care if that thread gets locked or if I get banned for it, just edited OFF !!! ;D
you might call yourself a tech man, but you're a noob on Windows ::)
edit: I don't work for Avast, and I owe you nothing got it? >:(
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LOL. Sad little person you are. You don't owe me anything, correct. But don't parade around like you know everything when you can't answer one question. Congrats on your sad little life, i hope you reach 4500 posts soon so you can feel useful. You're the only person on the forum that tried to help, so I guess the forums pretty useless. I'm done with this thread, you, and this forum. I believe I'll stop using avast as well.
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cool 8) bye :D
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nice ::)
After I did those steps, the manual update works now. I don't konw if the auto will work...? Thanks.
Differences between auto-detect proxy and direct connection are the use of two different download engines - wininet.dll (used by IE, it's the auto-detect setting) or winsock (direct connection).
Usually direct connection (winsock) helps for users with ADSL connection where the wininet engine fails.
Also, some malware can install as wininet proxy and when it detects connection to their servers, the downloaded stream returns just a file filled with zeros instead of real data. Setting direct connection bypasses this too. So, it's good to check if your computer is virus clean right now.
(bold is me...)
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=45434.msg380690#msg380690
I have seen the no-proxy thing recommended here a few times, and Tech's reasoning may have something to do with it...what would cause the wininet engine to fail, (as described in the quote) I don't know...
-Scott-
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meaning that Avast reads proxy settings from the two available API's, like other programs do, interesting ;D >>> not directed at you Scott but at the OP who thought Avast could read the proxy settings from an alien API ;D
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meaning that Avast reads proxy settings from the two available API's, like other programs do, interesting ;D >>> not directed at you Scott but at the OP who thought Avast could read the proxy settings from an alien API ;D
I'm sorry, I believe I asked where it reads it's settings 4 or 5 times, an answer you couldn't provide. Never did I claim to know, nor did I claim to be a programmer. I could have sworn you said you were done with my thread, and told me to <profanity> off. So stop wasting my time.
Someone else has come along with knowledge you didn't have, to answer a question you clearly didn't understand. But rather staying out of the thread or providing an answer you came back to try to belittle me because you were ignorant of the answer. Good job at proving your uselessness.
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excuse me you're the one wasting the forum bandwidth 'cause you don't have much to say do you, especially since you randomly found that changing your proxy settings in Avast could solve your issue, and stupidly deduced that Avast was broken (yeah, they all say that ::) ) ...looking for a mysterious API Avast would be reading from ;D And I should have answered that ??? you're kidding or what? I'm afraid you're not :D
Btw didn't you say that you were done too..? I'm just having fun, but what are you doing ? (insert 140 characters here :D )
edit: what did the other poster tell you exactly? did it help ??? he just told you about available network APIs in Windows? did you get it? does it change anything ? NO!...you're still stuck speculating about Avast being broken ::)
ps: belittling someone like you is really fun, because you just deserve it + it's easy ;D
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edit: what did the other poster tell you exactly? did it help ???
Answered the question you were too arrogant or ignorant to answer. Yes, it gave me something useful to try.
You still don't understand a word that has been.
Avast is the only thing having issues with proxy settings, so yes avast is broken. So I asked where it looks for those settings, you had no answer. You babbled on uselessly as you continue to do. I don't have much to say, which is why i came here to ask a question not to say things. I wasn't looking for a "mysterious api" i was thinking more like registry settings, like IE uses. I'm not a programmer, i don't look for APIs. Should you have answered what? Are you worth the air you breathe? I'll answer that, No you aren't. Should you have answered the question I asked, Yes or you shouldn't have said anything at all, all you did was waste time. I came back because someone with useful info posted, and someone else told me, quote:
In http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=59406.msg500951#msg500951 you have met Logos and his arrogance.
Listen to what spg SCOTT and Tech say and ignore Logos as he will wear you down just like Chinese water torture.
Seems it's common knowledge you are a useless, arrogant pile of shit.
As I said, you are merely trying, and failing at that as well, to belittle me. Useless people can't belittle because they are in no way better at anything. Grats. Go troll elsewhere moron.
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how are you doing with that new dyslexia software (V1.5 right?) , not too good it seems...can you spell your own name? wow wow wow...looking for registry settings? isn't it too early? >>> wait for version 1.6 :D
edit: I know exactly where this quoted post comes from, that's a pm and it came from Mr Yokenny himself :D
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I'm not a programmer, i don't look for APIs.
Well, then there's no point in asking and just move on because the answer won't be relevant to you in any way.
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Fountains of useful information around here. There is a point in asking, the answer has been provided. It is relevant, because it may be a corrupt file or bad registry settings. Things that are not only relevant to programmers. Thanks for trolling by, now take your misery elsewhere.
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Hmm... ::)
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Hmm...
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Hi guys. Does anybody found a solution? I updated my avast yesterday and I have the same problem. Version 4.8 always worked fine but version 5.0 doesn't get any update.
I have a glorious Windows 2000 Professional with Ashampoo firewall installed. All internet tools works fine (firefox, email, skype, emuIe, etc. etc.) except avast update. I tryed to turn off Ashampoo but the avast update still doesn't work. I tryed all 3 options of the avast proxy configuration (direct connection, auto detect and specify a (free) proxy) but it still doesn't works. Is there some hero who fixed this issue? Thanks!
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P.S.
My avast was originally installed in italian so I tryed to add the english language. The download of the new components worked fine and now the product is in english language. But the virus definition update still doesn't work.
(http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b401/marcofumetti/sceenshot/avast5updateerror01.gif)
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Was this solved or it is still pending of solution?
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Still pending...
See http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=59190
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Hmm, just solved it.
Settings -> Updates -> Proxy Settings -> Direct Connection (no proxy) instead of Auto detect (use Internet Explorer Settings)
Where does it read these settings because IE works fine, Avast wasn't.. ?
EDIT: Confirmed, changing it back and it breaks again but IE keeps working. Where is Avast looking for IE Proxy Settings?
I have the same can't connect to server issue like lots of other avast! 5 users after update to the latest 5.0.545. It works after I read your post when I change direct connection to auto detect.Very strange, becouse I would never try to change the proxy setting. Why avast! begin to use IE proxy setting?It's been 5 days that I can't upate the lastest def and it makes me confused and upset.I was thinking to uninstall it.
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Hmm, just solved it.
Settings -> Updates -> Proxy Settings -> Direct Connection (no proxy) instead of Auto detect (use Internet Explorer Settings)
Where does it read these settings because IE works fine, Avast wasn't.. ?
EDIT: Confirmed, changing it back and it breaks again but IE keeps working. Where is Avast looking for IE Proxy Settings?
I just registered to this forum so that I could bump this...
I was having the same issues listed above after upgrading from 4.8 to Avast 5.0.545 on Win XP Pro SP3 using only windows firewall.
I uninstalled via the add/remove applet, rebooted to safe mode, ran the removal tool, rebooted, reinstalled, rebooted and it still wouldn't update.
I went to control panel/ windows firewall applet/ advanced and restored default settings.
Then I opened the avast ui and clicked settings and then selected the updates settings page.
I checked the box for "My computer is permanently connected to the internet". Then below I selected proxy settings and selected "Direct connection (no proxy)".
I then went back and started the update and it worked.
Thank you Dyslexic.
Kev
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"Direct connection (no proxy)"
Indeed it solves a lot of troubles...
Welcome to forums!