Another program that Deep Screen disappears

[olddog]

Progeny Genealogy's Ancestral Quest Charting Companion is yet another perfectly good program that disappears when started as a result of Avast 2014 Deep Screen, leaving the application showing in Windows 7 Pro 64 bit task manager, but nowhere else.

Once again the user is given no indication that Deep Screen is responsible, or in fact that Deep Screen mode has even been activated.
Specifically excluding the program from Deep Screen allows it to be used.

If there is something that is meant to let the user know that Deep Screen mode has been activated, then it doesn't seem to work, or is so subtle that it escapes me.

Perhaps it needs a rethink?

[Eddy]

Eh, the user is certainly (or should be aware) that deepscreen scanning is enabled.
It is in the settings.
If the user wants to use a application he/she should take a little time to learn about it.

[olddog]

Eh, the user is certainly (or should be aware) that deepscreen scanning is enabled.
It is in the settings.
If the user wants to use a application he/she should take a little time to learn about it.

I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear. Of course I know when it is enabled, and from my post you can also see I know how to make exclusions to it.  What is lacking is any indication when it activates (which I presume is when it finds a file that doesn't meet some criteria), other than it making programs disappear.

I'm also quite willing to take the time to learn. Do you know where there is some information available to learn from.  I'd be most happy if you would point to any detailed explanation of what this function is all about, and how to recognise when it has found a file it doesn't like. I haven't been able to find that.

[AntiVirusASeT]

@olddog: Deep Screen is a feature enabled as a default Avast! v9 setting. It is visible to an average user as shown in the picture.

Most probably, in its current state, it screens (sandbox analysis) based on the following factors listed here:
- https://blog.avast.com/2012/11/16/what-is-the-avast-autosandbox-and-how-does-it-work/ (Note: in Avast! version 9, it is a fully automated sandbox, i.e. it is not possible to set Deep Screen to prompt the user before analysis)
- http://www.avast.com/en-za/filerep (How file reputation system of Avast works)

Deep Screen would analyse an unknown program in the sandbox for about 15 secs before terminating it.
Depending on analysis, the program would either be
a) quarantined
b) restarted if it does not perform any suspicious behaviour within the sandbox.

If (b) occurs, the program should function properly on restart, done automatically by Deep Screen (no user input).
Note that Deep Screen would automatically add the program to exclusions in this case.

[olddog]

Most probably, in its current state, it screens (sandbox analysis) based on the following factors listed here:
- https://blog.avast.com/2012/11/16/what-is-the-avast-autosandbox-and-how-does-it-work/ (Note: in Avast! version 9, it is a fully automated sandbox, i.e. it is not possible to set Deep Screen to prompt the user before analysis)
- http://www.avast.com/en-za/filerep (How file reputation system of Avast works)

Thank you for providing the two references

Deep Screen would analyse an unknown program in the sandbox for about 15 secs before terminating it.
Depending on analysis, the program would either be
a) quarantined
b) restarted if it does not perform any suspicious behaviour within the sandbox.

If (b) occurs, the program should function properly on restart, done automatically by Deep Screen (no user input).
Note that Deep Screen would automatically add the program to exclusions in this case.

OK, so far all of the programs that have been affected here by Deep Screen, when started, simply disappear, meaning that no sign of them appears on the screen (which could be that they have run in Deep Screen for the 15 seconds you mention).  In every case so far, the programs have not restarted automatically, nor can they be restarted manually, because an incidence has been left in (task Manager) Processes which prevents it being "restarted". At no stage have any of these programs been quarantined, and at no stage have they automatically been added as exclusions. Also at no stage have I seen the dialogue you show in your screen shot, but in all cases excluding the files from Deep Screen stop the problem.

The sandbox mentioned in one of the references you pointed to apparently worked with a distinctive border, which at least would have indicated what was happening. As far as I can see Deep Screen gives no indication at all that it has been invoked (and by invoked I mean that it has decided to act on a specific file).  I'm well aware where the setting is to disable it, and also where exclusions can be added. 

[RejZoR]

Then you have a deeper problem with your system or you're running another security program that is causing this conflict.

So far i've only come across one program (game) that got into some weird loop, Natural Selection 2. But everything else worked fine and in all cases i could see the DeepScreen popup so i instantly knew it was avast!...

[olddog]

Then you have a deeper problem with your system or you're running another security program that is causing this conflict.

Maybe.
This problem only started when I updated from version 8 to version 9.  The programs in question all worked OK with version 8, and they all work OK if excluded from Deep Screen.

I've just done another check with Ancestral Quest Charting companion (a genealogy program), and removed the exclusion I had for it in Deep Screen.  With no exclusion, when I try to start it from its desk top icon, the Windows 7 spinning cursor starts, and does not stop even if left for 5 minutes.  There is no other change on the screen.  If I open Task Manager, the AQCC.exe process is present, and is not able to be ended - I need to reboot to get rid of it. Once it has been added to the Deep Screen exclusions it works normally.

Perhaps there is a problem if one simply updates from 8 to 9 within Avast, and without applying any of the Avast removal programs.  When time permits I'll look at uninstalling it fully and reinstalling. 

[olddog]

Then you have a deeper problem with your system

Thank you RejZoR

After downloading a fresh copy of Avast 2014, I uninstalled Avast 2014 using first Avastclear.exe in safe mode, and then running your Avast Cleanup tool 1.3. 

After a new installation of Avast 2014 I am now seeing the Deep Screen dialogue, and after checking Ancestral Quest charting Companion, it did automatically restart the program, and it did automatically add it to the Deep Screen exclusions.

So the moral of this story would appear to be not to allow Avast to update from 8 to 9 from within the program.

Problem Resolved

[Lisandro]

So the moral of this story would appear to be not to allow Avast to update from 8 to 9 from within the program.

I simply cannot understand your logic...

[olddog]

So the moral of this story would appear to be not to allow Avast to update from 8 to 9 from within the program.

I simply cannot understand your logic...

Simple really. If I had taken note of the number of times people with problems after program updates are told in this forum to uninstall the product and then do a clean install, I would have uninstalled version 8 first and done a clean install of version 9.

I didn't. I let the program update from 8 to 9, and it didn't work as it should have.
Having now done the clean install of version 9, it is working properly.  To me that is a lesson learnt.

The update from within the program may work for some, it obviously doesn't work for all.

[Lisandro]

The update from within the program may work for some, it obviously doesn't work for all.

Yeah. The upgrade process was tested during the beta phase and we have called all beta testers to follow it.
But, of course, each computer has it's own environment and, after all, a clean installation is a clean installation.