Windows Vista 64bit freezes at the progress bar Avast 8 Final

[SteveAv]

mistowize thanks for the reply

However i dont understand how you got avast 8 onto your machine.
What procedure did you use?
Do you have all the services running?

[MoreThenYourAverageGuy]

I had it running, on vista x64 after a bit of tinkering around.

I had fully removed all avast stuff using removal tool, added an environment variable to show non present devices in device manager, went to non plug and play devices and removed all entries to avast devices. Rebooted.

Installed avast 8 with installer. Everything installed fine, waited for avast definitions to update. Did a run/msconfig , load system services in selective startup. Rebooted. Waited for avast to load. (If avast does not load then there is a system device interfering, maybe could try to disable com ports if your mobo has them. That worked for me in another instance.)

If everything went ok, run/msconfig again select normal startup. Reboot and cross your fingers lol. (if still no joy, try disabling services one by one, until you find which one is messing with avast)

If still still no joy, perhaps there is a rootkit/something/infection/crazy killer bug messing with you. Maybe could try combofix. (Be Careful Using that)

Avast 8 really does run on vista x64.

[mistowize]

@ SteveAv

I didn't use any special procedure , Avast had a program update and I allowed it to update , this
resulted in the Avast 8 being installed , then of course once it was installed and asked to restart my PC that is when
the freezing began.
I had to go into safe mode several times then eventually the computer started ok.
I wasn't a 100% sure this was a Avast problem at this point ,only suspicious because it happened only
after the program was updated.
So a few days later there was another program update that I allowed..needless to say it froze again when prompted to reboot after the update, this is when I knew for sure it was a Avast problem.
I uninstalled the Avast I had on my machine and reinstalled again from the Avast website.
The very same thing happened freezing on the progress bar after I was prompted to restart .
Again had to go into safe mode disabled Avast and restarted my pc.
This all brought me to this forum and low and behold I found I was not alone in this problem with Avast 8
Is there any reason that I shouldn't have been able to install it on Vista Ultimate , because it did install even
tho it froze on the progress bar.
Yes and all my services are running then and now.
I just know that to avoid the computer freezing I have to not do a "program update" this is what triggers the
problem asking you to restart your computer after the update is installed.
I will wait for awhile to see what Avast does ,if they continue to avoid this issue I will go to another antivirus.

[mistowize]

@ SteveAv

Also I'd add
I don't see why any services would be interfering ,if I was able to install through a simple program update and a lot of
people who installed Avast 8 did it through the update.
Just because it froze on the progress bar after rebooting doesn't mean it doesn't get installed.
I haven't heard of anyone having to disable services to get it installed ,but maybe that's another problem entirely.
You should of received a program update notification with your Avast 7 , did you ?
Or have you tried installing the program directly from the website ?
When installing from website and getting ready to install do you "run as administrator" , sometimes when installing programs that one little thing can make a difference , its just a thought.
But if you do install the Avast 8 you will more then likely run into the PC freezing problem ,if you make it through
that just don't do another program update until Avast offers a fix , or just stay with Avast 7 as long as your getting
virus definition updates then your Avast is apparently working.

[SteveAv]

Thanks mistowize

My understanding is that you
1) installed avast 8
2) freeze on reboot
3) reboot in safe mode
4) disable avast service
5) restart normally
6) Enable avast service again
7) reboot and is ok

I did
1) update 7 to 8 and got freeze.
2) rebooted with last good setting.
3) booted in safe mode and removed avast 7 using their clear utility aswclear.exe
4) removed a few drivers that were still present. I removed all the non plug and play devices, that are related to avast.
Needed to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings -> Environment Variables -> right-click the bottom box and enter the string devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices and give it number 1 and show hidden drivers as suggested by another post.
5) did clean install of avast 8 rebooted and freezed.
6) downgraded to 7

I wonder if the freeze happens when avast is trying to perform a boot scan.

Re: You should of received a program update notification with your Avast 7 , did you ?
Answer: yes i do get update notification with your Avast 7 but i ignore it. virus definitons are being updated.

Re: Or have you tried installing the program directly from the website ?
Answer: Yes as described above

Re: When installing from website and getting ready to install do you "run as administrator" , sometimes when installing programs that one little thing can make a difference , its just a thought.
Answer: I run it as administartor.

Avast 7 is apparently working.

[SteveAv]

Another point.

Other people have done a fresh install on a clean vista 64 install and have had the freeze sympton.

Hence I beleive it is a avast issue.

[DavidR]

For Vista 64bit have you disabled the aswVmm driver - Vista 64bit and avast 8 - Workaround:

In order to fix the issue, you need to disable the aswVmm driver as described e.g. here:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=118632.msg915250#msg915250

It is preferable to make this change from Safe mode.

Thanks
Vlk

[fethiyeman]

Hi all,
         Can i join your ranks, i've just spent the last few days trying to get 8 to work 'had Avast free to start with, the last threa payed for ais No problems whatsoever during that time. In december renewed for a further three years perfect till march till i accidently upgraded to ver8. froze at first restart since then reinstall reinstall reinstall clean restall i've lost count of the number on top of this i can't return to ver7 because clean install means it's gone for ever, strange thing is on the other half of my drive is XP Prof working in harmony with free avast ver8!! . Back to Vista bis i have also tryed the free version of 8 still the same result froze at the first restart Avast in Luxembourg up to this moment have not answered my emails at all. I did another test,downloaded free avg it runs without fault, i have removed it because i still would prefer to use Avast but why i we not getting any help from the company is that they don't how to solve the problem? The forums show it's not just me in trouble. i have had excellent help on this over a virus problem. but everyone seems to have gone silent over a cure for this one
                                                      Icecold computor John

[DavidR]

Did you actually read my last post, especially the information contained on the link about disabling the aswVmm driver as by all accounts that resolves the Vista 64bit freezing.

If you did, have you tried the workaround or not ?

[fethiyeman]

Hi DavidR,
                   Thanks for replying yes i did read your posting , but i have not got a clue as to where those drivers are or how to disable them .I did try the search bar but came up with nothing. could you give me directions  to do'ing this job of disabling the drivers? thank You        As i finished do'ing this message i had a thought instead of typing that drivers name in search i just typed drivers and it came up with 152 drivers which i will now look through. watch this space
                                                                          John

[fethiyeman]

Hi.
      Not really sure what i'm upto here,i have gone into management/services. and have a list of 152 services many on manual!! Am i in the right place to find "aswVmm" and also what is this work round? cheers
                           John

[MoreThenYourAverageGuy]

Easier to just get into device manager, show hidden devices, non plug and play drivers and change startup type to ondemand. No reg editing

Have you guys tried after installing using msconfig, selective startup, system devices only. Reboot, did it freeze? If not change back to normal startup mode in msconfig. Reboot did it freeze?

[MoreThenYourAverageGuy]

Hi.
      Not really sure what i'm upto here,i have gone into management/services. and have a list of 152 services many on manual!! Am i in the right place to find "aswVmm" and also what is this work round? cheers
                           John

Nope right click on computer go to device manager, view, show hidden devices. Go to non plug and play drivers. You will find aswVmm here right click it change to ondemand

[fethiyeman]

Just been in non plug and play, 34drivers none with the name aswVmm  gone thru them twice what now??
                                                 John

[mistowize]

@ SteveAv

It is an Avast issue ,this is why I have no intentions of going in and trying to make changes to my computer
Avast has to find the solution ,and then offer a fix. Why so many people are making changes to their pcs
has got be scratching my head.
Everyone that I know who has Vista whether it be Home or Ultimate has had the same things happen which is
freezing on the progress bar.
I didn't know that people were actually having problems getting it installed "after the freezing" because mine
installed regardless of that issue ( was being installed during that issue apparently)
and I didn't do anything to make changes to get it installed.
Making changes could also possibly compromise the program ,and unknown what the effect can be on the pc if you go into registry.