statman,
I believe it must be another problem (the original [updating] problem was hopefully resolved for good).
First, you're saying you have avast!
and AVG...? On the same machine?

It doesn't work, does it?
Otherwise, I really don't know what to advise because your description of the problem is too vague... We'd need to know
exactly what the computer is doing at the moment it freezes...
Thanks
Vlk