Avast! severely disrupting browsing and stuttering all media playback

[REDACTED]

I was running Avast Free version and had no problem streaming one of my favorite sites. In fact, I'm streaming it now on another Windows 7 computer running Avast Free version with no problem.

Yesterday I purchased Avast Internet Security suite and am running Avast program version 2014.9.0.2021 on a brand new laptop running a fresh installation of Windows 7 with all current updates.

I can stream Youtube videos without issue but cannot stream the video found at this url:
http://www.shepherdschapel.com/satellite-feed.htm

It just keeps acting as though it's loading without ever my seeing the video. So there's something about Avast that is preventing me from viewing that particular stream.

I added the url to my exclusions list to no avail. One thing I did notice is that I can view the video in the browser when in SafeZone mode.

Anyone have any ideas as to why I can't view that video stream while running in standard Windows 7 mode running Avast Internet Security suite?

[magna86]

In respect to the script fix, I didn't run it because it looks the same as a section in the last script you wrote me, wherein, after I ran that fix it deleted Startpage which is my default browser and homepage, and Ant Tool Bar which is my preference for an internet video grabber.


From your perspective could you briefly explain what the problem is with Startpage and Ant Tool Bar?

Obviously you know what you're doing. I can not explain, as these are the most basics things. I shall remove the tools now.


Download DelFix by Xplode to your Desktop.

Run the tool and check the following boxes below;
Remove disinfection tools
Create registry backup
Purge System Restore
Click Run button and wait a few seconds for the programme completes his work.
At this point all the tools we used here should be gone. Tool will create an report for you (C:\DelFix.txt)

The tool will also record healthy state of registry and make a backup using ERUNT program in %windir%\ERUNT\DelFix
Tool deletes old system restore points and create a fresh system restore point after cleaning.

[REDACTED]

Hello magna86 

Forgive me, but I don't understand your previous reply.

I asked you briefly explain because I know next to nothing about the help you've provided and the tools and scripts you have asked me to run.
If I learn nothing from the troubles I'm experiencing I won't be able to recognise red flags in future.

Startpage is a popular search engine concerned with protecting user privacy and I've used it for years.
Ant Tool Bar is a popular internet video grabber and the best freeware grabber I've used.
All I wanted to know was why, from your perspective, I cannot have these on my system and must use an alternative?
Something that is basic to you is far from to someone like me who is patting around in the dark here.

I no longer have any browsing problems nor Flashplayer problems as described in my OP.
From my perspective, the main issue I still have is unsmoothe, stuttery playback while watching films/TV in media players, i.e. MPC-HC, VLC, etc.
As I've mentioned in this thread, the only way to cure this is to kill the avastui.exe process, whereby I must uncheck Avast! in both Services and Startup of System Configuration then restart my laptop. When avastui.exe is not running media playback is perfect.
The aggro comes from the time it takes to restart my laptop and wait for everything to get up and running. A particular svchost process always maxes out CPU for at least 10 minutes right after restart and I have no option but to wait for it to settle down. It's a whole lot of bother to do everytime I want to watch a film/TV show/doc, etc. Then I have to go through it all again just to get back online.
If I could just turn Avast! off without having to restart that would be no bother, but I cannot, it is always there meddling in the background.

The original script you wrote didn't change the media playback issue. With Startpage and Ant Tool Bar rid from my system playback was still unsmoothe and stuttery. That is why I redownloaded and reset them. On my end they have both done nothing but serve me well.

Your assistance hasn't been taken for granted. I appreciate the time given to help a total stranger.

If you don't want to explain that's cool, but it's not fair you hold it against me for asking.

Thank you,

usersurname

[bob3160]

If I could just turn Avast! off without having to restart that would be no bother, but I cannot, it is always there meddling in the background.

It is actually there in the background protecting you. I thought that's why you installed avast! ?

[magna86]

Hello,



First, know that there is no user privacy on internet. Do not live in ilusions ...
As for Ant Tool Bar, I was target this as part of my cleaning routin as these kind of extensions contains adwaresing.

The alears was cause a large number of junk files (aka temporaly data or cache data ...etc). You also had some software restrictions on executed files (malware behavior). You also had some adware leftovers ...etc.

... stuttery playback while watching films/TV in media players, i.e. MPC-HC, VLC, etc.

This issue isn't malware related.

The original script you wrote didn't change the media playback issue.

Nor I was intent to.  Bots script (first you did run and the second you cleverly refused to run) contain varius operations that meant good for your system for speed up and smootly running ...etc.

About the tools I use here, I can not much to say. You can read initial description here;

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/gmer/
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/tdsskiller/
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/farbar-recovery-scan-tool/


Cheers

[REDACTED]

If I could just turn Avast! off without having to restart that would be no bother, but I cannot, it is always there meddling in the background.

It is actually there in the background protecting you. I thought that's why you installed avast! ?

Hello bob3160,

What exactly is Avast! protecting me from while I watch a downloaded film from my HD in a media player?

I don't need Avast! to protect me while I am not online, hence, it is meddling in the background because there is no function for me to simply turn off the cause of the problem, namely, the avastui.exe process.
If I could simply cancel the user interface process or switch Avast! off so that it's totally inactive while I watch a film then it would be no bother at all. I could watch the film then switch it back on. Easy.
This is not how it is.
This is why I have returned to this thread again and again.
avastui.exe is the problem and I am nowhere closer to discovering what exactly in the user interface is causing unsmoothe, stuttery playback.

usersurname

[bob3160]

I don't turn off my protection at every whim.
I also have no problems producing, uploading, downloading or watching videos despite the fact that
avast! is running in the background. You appear to be fishing at straws and somehow have yourself convinced
that it must be avast!'s fault that you have problems watching videos.
I suggest that you dig a little deeper and find the true problem.

[REDACTED]

I don't turn off my protection at every whim.
I also have no problems producing, uploading, downloading or watching videos despite the fact that
avast! is running in the background. You appear to be fishing at straws and somehow have yourself convinced
that it must be avast!'s fault that you have problems watching videos.
I suggest that you dig a little deeper and find the true problem.

Hello bob3160,

You have thousands of posts to your name yet deduce that because Avast! is working peachy on your machine and OS it must be working peachy on my machine and OS. By that logic the latest version of Avast! is either flawless or we all need to buy your machine and match your set-up.

At no juncture have I criticised Avast!, quite the contrary.
If you had reread my OP before posting your aforequoted reply you would have noted that this problem emerged after an Avast! update. Right after.
Once the avastui.exe process is fully disabled I have no playback issues whatsoever.
In the 8 odd years I've run Avast! I have never experienced unsmoothe, stuttery media playback. Not once. Then right after the latest version update I do. When I write right after, I mean within minutes I knew something was amiss.
Bigger than that, magna86 mentioned in his/her last post that the playback issue is not malware related, consequently, if correct, this implies my conclusion.
There are clear compatibility issues with the latest Avast and loads of users machines and OS's, old and new. Take a look around. I'm not assigning blame, it's just evident.
The method to switch off all Avast! processes is arduous. That's the only temporary fix I currently have. If there was a quick and easy way to do this I wouldn't need to revisit this thread.

usersurname

[Eddy]

Disable one shield and try to play a dvd.
If it stutters, enable the shield and disable the next one.

Let us know which shield is causing the stuttering.

[REDACTED]

Disable one shield and try to play a dvd.
If it stutters, enable the shield and disable the next one.

Let us know which shield is causing the stuttering.

Hello Eddy,

I wrote a reply before but it posted incomplete for whatever reason/s.

I went through and fiddled with the uncomplicated stuff before making my OP.
Disabling shields one-by-one or all together makes no difference.
Unchecking boxes in Troubleshooting one-by-one or in combinations makes no difference.
Unchecking the numerous other options in preferences and combinations thereof makes no difference.
As I have explained, the only way to cure the problem is > System Config > uncheck Services > uncheck Startup > restart machine. That I am aware and advised, this is the one and only method to fully disable avastui.exe process which I believe is the cause.
This would all be rather inconsequential if disabling Avast! was as simple as disabling all the shields. The User Interface is clearly doing something while I watch a film/etc in my media player.
That is what I would love to know. What is Avast! actually doing when its three active protection shields have supposedly been disabled?

Thank you for reading my post.

usersurname

[REDACTED]

Hello forum,

On the grounds that I have still yet to correct the issue detailed throughout this thread, I must ask once again, could somebody familiar with Avast! please explain exactly what the User Interface is actually doing when its three active protection shields have supposedly been disabled?

The avastui.exe process shows that memory still bobs up and down between 2,650K-3,850K when all three shields are disabled.
The AvastSvc.exe process memory bobs around 16,000K when all three shields are disabled.

If this can be diagnosed then I may be able to figure out a far quicker temporary fix than having to disable Avast in Startup & Services and restarting my machine everytime I want to use a media player.

Thank you

usersurname

[REDACTED]

1) Comments like these worry me:
"Had no choice and pulled the plug"
"It doesn't have a power button and I have to short it with a paperclip to start up."

Check your hard drive and OS which could be a major reason why you are experiencing problems.  Run chkdsk /f first and make sure your HD is sound.

2) There is a new version of Avast since you started this post (10.0.2208).  I would recommend downloading it and then:
a. Reboot
b. Turn off your shields
c. Uninstall your previous version
d. Reboot
e. See if your playback problems continue, if not then proceed...
f. Install the new version (custom install and uncheck all the "extra" tools)
g. Reboot
h. See if your playback problems continue
I. Report back here with much, much less than a month between your posts

[REDACTED]

...figure out a far quicker temporary fix than having to disable Avast in Startup & Services and restarting my machine everytime I want to use a media player.

Antivirus software DOES add some system overhead.  It needs to hook into the operating system, and some of those hooks remain in place even when you temporarily disable features.

You may find that your computer is just barely powerful enough for you to watch video, and when additional software is present it's no longer just powerful enough.

Have you checked the web site of the maker of your video card to see if they've released an updated display driver for your hardware and OS?  Sometimes display driver updates increase the efficiency of display operations.

Since you asked what Avast does in the background, one significant thing is to download updates from the Internet in the background.  There are streaming updates that come in virtually all the time.  Look in the History section to see when and how often.  It's not impossible to imagine that doing data transfer in the background is taking enough time away from your video player to cause visible artifacts.

-Noel

[Sorzy]

Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I suffered with the problem, very similar to mine, my entire last years subscription and swore when it was up I'd get a different virus software program. Then I noticed there was a new update. So, before renewing or going somewhere and with something else, I updated from 2014 to 2015. IT seemed to fix the problem. So, like a dumbass, I renewed. And I say that because the problem is back and I'm pissed. So much so, after posting in the forum, Help please, explaining and even posting a picture of an issue with one website, and not getting a resolution, though at a point I thought it was resolved again, after repairing several times, trying suggestions from the few people who replied.

Long story short, personally, I'm done and want and am asking for a full refund. I like Avast, it's very user friendly and offers a lot for the money. But it's not worth the constant headache.

So, do what you will. But my advice is if you're having these issues, don't expect much help and sure as hell don't expect them to go away.

[REDACTED]

Thanks for the replies folks 

dprout69, I will run Check Disk when I have enough spare free in the event something goes wrong. I'm sure you know to well it can take ages.
As for updating Avast! just replace it with Check Disk in the sentence above.
Don't let the lack of a power button throw you. Countless lappy lovers who own/owned low-end Acers had their power buttons cave in and resorted to a raft of stone-age methods to fire em up. I've been using my trusty paperclip for nigh-on 4 years. Some would call that heroic. 

NoelC, cheers for being the first to offer an explanation pertaining to what Avast! is actually doing in the background.
You clearly know more than me, albeit, I have used Avast! for years and the problems only emerged immediately after an update to the then latest 2014 version.
I would have presumed previous versions were streaming updates virtually all the time in the background in like manner.
But as you've alluded to, maybe the 2014 version has just pushed my system a mite to hard to handle.
As a matter of interest, though my OS and HD are both old and down market, I have always kept my machine as lite as can be. I have 40 processes running at the minute and rarely ever more than that.
Minor problems over the years have come and gone, and as it stands this media playback issue is by far the biggest pain in the arse I've had to contend with.

Lastly, I auto browsed a driver update for my graphics card but it was currently up-to-date. The last release was 2008.
I then surfed around myself and found Intels Driver Utility which determined the newest driver compatible with my OS was the Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver For Mobile.
I downloaded it through their utility, unzipped the file, and then tried to install through their utility but it failed(This is a common nag with the utility according to web searches).
Tried it manually and still couldn't install it.
Decided to laugh it off and deleted the files.
Because the failed install reshuffled all my desktop icons out of position I restarted my lappy.
Typed in password, screen went black, command prompt appeared for a second or two, screen went a spectrum of colours then loaded my desktop as usual but now with Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver For Mobile in the tray and 3 processes running in task manager.
I don't fully understand this driver and its useability. I thought I'd just install it and that's it but there's a whole bunch of settings to fine-tune. It seems something gamers need rather than folks like me.
As it is, it hasn't done anything for my playback issues.
I guessed I could just roll back to my previous driver but that option isn't available.
In addition, Device Manager > Display Adapters shows Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family --- and --- Personalisation > Display Settings > Advanced Settings > Properties > Driver shows Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family --- but --- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver For Mobile is shown as if it's separate.
I thought it would replace it?
What will happen if I uninstall it?
I'm having a slow moment and got myself confused here.
I have attached a few screenshots and a diagnostic report for visual ease. I would be very grateful if somebody would take a wee look and tell me what's what.

Thank you for reading my post.

usersurname