Black screen on password dialog from task bar manual update

[jsk]

When performing a manual update, I occasionally get a completely black screen with only a cursor.  The system never returns from this state, requiring a manual reboot (ctrl-alt-del does not bring up the options to get to task manager).

I'm using:
Fully updated Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP2
Avast 5.0.507 (antivirus only, all real-time shields running)
Comodo 4.0.141842.828 (firewall with Defense+, no anti-virus, Windows Firewall off)
SuperAntiSpyware 4.35.1002
Latest versions of Flash, Java, etc.
HP Quick Launch Buttons & Accelerometer (hdd protection utility), and the related HP processes necessary to run them (but no others)
no other programs/services of note (sure, I have Synaptics touchpad driver, Bluetooth driver, etc., but nothing else automatically running that would not be considered part of a standard build)

Auto-update is off for all components (I update manually).  Password protection is on.

This seems to happen when I have IE windows open with some processor-intensive Flash application running and I use the Avast icon in the system tray to request an update.  Since that would normally result in an avast password dialog box, I'd guess that the problem is with the generation of the dialog.  This does not always happen, though -- the dialog seems to work with IE windows open most of the time.

By the way, I'd like to advocate that Avast NOT use a password dialog paradigm that halts access to all other programs -- VERY ANNOYING.  I very much appreciate the program, in general, but would wish that USER CONTROL be a paramount consideration in design and development, and I'm a bit concerned that the direction version 5 seems to have gone (graphically-oriented, etc.) has obfuscated, if not limited, this control.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help or who might work to correct this bug.

[Lisandro]

There isn't any password to block access to any program... Well, avast could have (or could not have) an internal password to control access to its settings, protection, etc.

Please, post the last 300-350 lines of avast log: C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5\Setup\setup.log
(or the shorter C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\log\Setup.log).

You can enable debug logging in avast Settings\Maintenance and then post the correspondent log file
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Alwil Software\Avast5\Log\Logging.log
or
C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\log\Logging.log

[jsk]

There isn't any password to block access to any program... Well, avast could have (or could not have) an internal password to control access to its settings, protection, etc.

Please, post the last 300-350 lines of avast log: C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5\Setup\setup.log
(or the shorter C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\log\Setup.log).

You can enable debug logging in avast Settings\Maintenance and then post the correspondent log file
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Alwil Software\Avast5\Log\Logging.log
or
C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\log\Logging.log

It is the settings, etc., password (protect avast! with a password checked under avast! settings/password) of which I write when noting that password protection is on.

The setup log shows nothing from that time (it never got to the update, having gone to black screen immediately as it would have put up the password dialog) -- I suppose this thread could be retitled black screen on password dialog (changed).

If it happens again, I'll try to put logging on, recreate it and post from the main log.  But I hope not to have to do that.  Thanks.

[Lisandro]

It is the settings, etc., password (protect avast!

Well... you've said it blocks other applications, which is not true.
Also, it's an optional avast feature. You can disable it.

[jsk]

It is the settings, etc., password (protect avast!

Well... you've said it blocks other applications, which is not true.
Also, it's an optional avast feature. You can disable it.

Sorry -- keyboard problem had me posting before I was ready.  Please see my edits, above.

The request to change the password dialog is a separate issue from the black screen.  When the password dialog appears (when changing settings, etc.) it grays our the rest of the screen.  There is no access to the task bar, etc., to use other programs until one has interacted with the dialog by providing the password or by cancelling the action.  I ask that this not be done; a dialog should not hamper the user by, essentially, insisting that it be handled before operations with other programs.

[Lisandro]

It must be done. It's a way to avoid malware to disable avast using automation, macros, etc.
In fact, the black screen is "another" desktop (like UAC).

[jsk]

It must be done. It's a way to avoid malware to disable avast using automation, macros, etc.
In fact, the black screen is "another" desktop (like UAC).

OK, so I'll assume that the password dialog making other applications unavailable shouldn't be changed for that reason and that this is a security enhancement over the behavior of version 4.

This leaves the primary issue of entire screen going black (not gray) with only a "waiting" cursor under the situation described in the original post.  No dialog appears.  The only way out is a hard reboot.  Any ideas?

Thanks.

[Lisandro]

This leaves the primary issue of entire screen going black (not gray) with only a "waiting" cursor under the situation described in the original post.  No dialog appears.  The only way out is a hard reboot.  Any ideas?

So, let focus in that problem. Read my #1 reply again.

[jsk]

So, let focus in that problem. Read my #1 reply again.

Agreed that we should focus on that problem.  So, please re-read my reply to your reply #1:

It is the settings, etc., password (protect avast! with a password checked under avast! settings/password) of which I write when noting that password protection is on.

The setup log shows nothing from that time (it never got to the update, having gone to black screen immediately as it would have put up the password dialog) -- I suppose this thread could be retitled black screen on password dialog (changed).

If it happens again, I'll try to put logging on, recreate it and post from the main log.  But I hope not to have to do that.  Thanks.

So, is there any insight as to why the initiation of the internal avast! password dialog would cause an entirely black screen (rather than a grayed-out screen with the password dialog box) when IE is open with processor-intensive Flash applications running?

[Lisandro]

So, is there any insight as to why the initiation of the internal avast! password dialog would cause an entirely black screen (rather than a grayed-out screen with the password dialog box) when IE is open with processor-intensive Flash applications running?

No. Maybe you could test the latest 5.0.542 to test.

[jsk]

So, is there any insight as to why the initiation of the internal avast! password dialog would cause an entirely black screen (rather than a grayed-out screen with the password dialog box) when IE is open with processor-intensive Flash applications running?

No. Maybe you could test the latest 5.0.542 to test.

Update -- this continues to happen in 5.0.545.  However, it now gets to the password dialog if I let the screen remain black for about 10 minutes.