Starting Avast and Shields

[required_username]

I've had Avast for several months and it has worked perfectly.  A month ago I downloaded an app that qutomatically? installed McAfee.  Removed McAfee but, since then, I've been unable to get Avast to restart.
I'm registered I think (got the 'thank you' screen)
Account Settings: Current Status: Disconnected.  I have selected "Connect Now" and received the 'thank you' popup, but still show 'Disconnected.
I have a license key but can find no where to plug it in.
Cloud Intelligence: enabled
How do I re-activate Avast?

[Alikhan]

Just double click the license.avastlic file...

[required_username]

Thanks for the quick reply.  Unfortunately, I can find no "license.avastlic" file on my PC.  Did a search of my HD - twice.

[DavidR]

A search is unlikely to find it, it should have come attached to the email sent when you purchased avast. You need to check for that receipt/transaction/payment email. So if you have that email then you can save the attachment to your hard disk and then double click it.

You said in your first post "I have a license key but can find no where to plug it in."
Well that license should be what was being asked about license.avastlic, so where is that license ?

You can also use the Resend avast License http://www.avast.com/resend-license-paid.php, you will need to enter the email that you used when purchasing the license, e.g. the one that the original email with the link was sent.

[required_username]

The email has no attachment - just my license # and instructions.  I've snipped the relevant part below.
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4) After restarting, you will see the blue a-ball icon in your system tray, near the clock.

Insert the license key into avast!4 this way:
5) Right-click the blue icon representing the resident protection in the system tray and choose "About avast!", or in the simple interface choose 'Help' -> 'About avast!...'.
6) Press the "License key" button in the lower right corner.
7) Enter the license key into presented text dialog.
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step4 - I have no blue icon.  I have an icon that looks red (maybe green).  Right-clicking that icon gives me an "About Avast" option but selecting that gives me a page with no "License Key" button.

[DavidR]

Something wrong with that set of instructions, are you sure it is the latest email ?

The avast tray icon has been Orange for some considerable time not blue.
Avast 4 is as old as the hills and essentially on life-support and could get turned of soon.
Avast 4 did use a license key, the modern versions of avast have a license file, which we have been talking about.

Where did you get this email with a license key from (as far as I'm aware avast 4.x Pro can't be licensed as support may not last a year ?

So which avast version do you have ?
The latest avast version is 9.0.2011, see http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=142936.0.

[required_username]

Oh, the shame of making an obvious mistake.  Once Avast, stopped working, I went to my trusty doc app and looked up Avast.  Didn't check the date.
Nonetheless, when I plugged in the Avast 4 license code, I received a "Registered" message.
With that behind us, here is the Avast 8 email.
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Congratulations - you have registered for your new avast! Account portal.
Now we just need you to confirm your registration by clicking the following link:
https://id.avast.com/en-us/confirm/registration?token=u2yYxBasVJDnlVzXyX8Ui4DpbVU8hYdmFzykdZb0POqBmP6jnR
Thank you, and safe surfing!

AVAST Software
http://www.avast.com
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When I click on the link, I'm sent to my? page with main 3 options - My Devices, My License, My Recommendations.
My Devices shows "You have no devices."
My Licenses shows "You have no commercial licenses yet."
That's all I have.  What have I missed?

[DavidR]

With the free version of avast there is no license file (license.avastlic), just a registration key, that has to be renewed each year. So if that email with the registration key is more than a year old you will have to re-register - this can be done from the avastUI > Maintenance section. If it is less than a year old Scroll down to Offline registration - Insert the license key.

Given that you have had another AV installed and this has somehow impacted on your avast installation, it may be best to do a clean install of avast (see #### below). The latest avast version is 9.0.2011, see http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=142936.0, so I would suggest you install that.

I don't know how you removed McAfee, but it would be worth running its removal tool:
Uninstall possible remnants of previously installed AVs see, http://singularlabs.com/uninstallers/security-software/, this has a collection of manufactures removal tools, so that should remove any remnants, registry, etc.
-  Also see an updated list of AV uninstallers from Malwarebytes MBAM forum - http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=127580&pid=689747&st=0&#entry689747.


####
- Download the latest version of avast, 9.0.2011  http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again (if you didn't save your last download). Use that when you reinstall.

- Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, avastclear.exe find it here and save it to your HDD.

• 1. Now uninstall avast! - using add remove programs, if you can't do that (as appears to be the case) start from the next step, reboot.
• 2. run the avast! Uninstall Utility, it will request it be run from safe mode (and will handle the boot into safe mode), once complete reboot into normal mode.
• 3. install the latest version, reboot.

Note: save the copy of avastclear.exe so it can be reused as some users are reporting that after running it, it is self-deleting.