Author Topic: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience  (Read 24652 times)

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windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« on: September 08, 2015, 08:30:05 PM »
Dear Avast,

Today when I faced this issue myself, then I thought of posting this feedback. There are many many forums out there complaining about Avast.

I appreciate Avast for giving the free antivirus and I recommend to many people. But it gets tough for all Avast fans/supporters to justify when recommended friends, colleagues, family members, etc. face issues like the ones mentioned below.

If you guys can think I can be of help for testing, etc.  To make the product better,  Please let me know I will be happy to contribute.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-10/372745-windows-10-start-menu-cortana-not-working-fix-here-hopefully.html

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/74116/20150805/windows-10-issues-cortana-and-start-menu-show-critical-error.htm

http://www.tenforums.com/general-discussion/8823-critical-error-start-menu-cortana-arent-working-wll-try-fi.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/3fdrxz/windows_10_critical_error_start_menu_and_cortana/

http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread.php/171100-Windows-10-critical-error-start-menu-and-cortana-aren-t-working

Regards,
Gautam.

Offline bob3160

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2015, 11:12:38 PM »
Dear Avast,

Today when I faced this issue myself, then I thought of posting this feedback. There are many many forums out there complaining about Avast.

I appreciate Avast for giving the free antivirus and I recommend to many people. But it gets tough for all Avast fans/supporters to justify when recommended friends, colleagues, family members, etc. face issues like the ones mentioned below.

If you guys can think I can be of help for testing, etc.  To make the product better,  Please let me know I will be happy to contribute.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-10/372745-windows-10-start-menu-cortana-not-working-fix-here-hopefully.html

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/74116/20150805/windows-10-issues-cortana-and-start-menu-show-critical-error.htm

http://www.tenforums.com/general-discussion/8823-critical-error-start-menu-cortana-arent-working-wll-try-fi.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/3fdrxz/windows_10_critical_error_start_menu_and_cortana/

http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread.php/171100-Windows-10-critical-error-start-menu-and-cortana-aren-t-working

Regards,
Gautam.
The simple answer to this problem has nothing to do with Avast.
Simply boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode. Then reboot into regular mode and the problem will be history.
If you need help with booting Windows 10 into safe mode, take a look at the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb5n6kTqQ1A

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2015, 08:42:00 PM »
I too have had this same problem. After quite a bit of hunting around I found a post that says you should remove your anti-virus software to fix the problem and a few sites seem to be pointing the finger at AVAST saying that their software seems to be causing the most problems. Although this might not be caused by AVAST lots of people are pointing the finger at them!

I found that after removing AVAST my computer immediately performed some Windows updates. We're these being blocked by AVAST and so inadvertently causing the problem? My computer is now working well again but has no anti-virus installed. Not a good situation! Is it safe to re-install some AV (ideally AVAST again) or will the problem come back immediately or the next time there are Windows updates to be installed? If you have any experience of trying to do this what did you find?

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2015, 08:43:03 PM »
Should have said that I have 3 Windows 10 machines - all running AVAST but I only had this problem on one of them (so far at least!).

Offline bob3160

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2015, 08:47:51 PM »
I too have had this same problem. After quite a bit of hunting around I found a post that says you should remove your anti-virus software to fix the problem and a few sites seem to be pointing the finger at AVAST saying that their software seems to be causing the most problems. Although this might not be caused by AVAST lots of people are pointing the finger at them!

I found that after removing AVAST my computer immediately performed some Windows updates. We're these being blocked by AVAST and so inadvertently causing the problem? My computer is now working well again but has no anti-virus installed. Not a good situation! Is it safe to re-install some AV (ideally AVAST again) or will the problem come back immediately or the next time there are Windows updates to be installed? If you have any experience of trying to do this what did you find?
It's a Windows 10 Problem as already pointed out in the post before yours.
Simply follow those directions and you'll be good to go. Since the fix requires that you boot into Safe Mode and, since a clean install of Avast also involves going into Safe Mode,
someone made the wrong assumption. We all know that one should never ass u me. :)
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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2015, 12:04:12 AM »
I think its related to their firewall or firewalls in general because I upgraded to paid version which includes firewall and started having problems then I uninstalled it and went back to free version and so far so good. Have not seen a good answer yet as to why one version of avast works and another doesn't.  I guess if anyone is out there using the free version and having these problems then its only a matter of time before I start having errors again.

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2015, 12:11:05 AM »
I think its related to their firewall or firewalls in general because I upgraded to paid version which includes firewall and started having problems then I uninstalled it and went back to free version and so far so good. Have not seen a good answer yet as to why one version of avast works and another doesn't.  I guess if anyone is out there using the free version and having these problems then its only a matter of time before I start having errors again.
It pays to read before posting. The problem as already explained, is a Windows 10 problem NOT an Avast problem. :)
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Offline Dijenga

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2015, 12:49:26 AM »
The simple answer to this problem has nothing to do with Avast.
Simply boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode. Then reboot into regular mode and the problem will be history.
If you need help with booting Windows 10 into safe mode, take a look at the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb5n6kTqQ1A

Bull Puckey!

When I called Avast tech the only solution they had was: "Why did you upgrade to Windows 10? Go back to windows 7!" Sorry,  I was on windows 8 professional, but since he made the statement without hearing me out, it was apparent he didn't want to listen.

Yeah, the reboot into safe mode and restart works ONE TIME for me.

I have uninstalled then reinstalled Avast 5 times now and believe I am about done with this.

I have solved the issue, remove Avast and don't reinstall it.

I went for 2 months without the problem. Figured I would see if Avast fixed it yet ... NOPE!

Don't cover over the failure. You can't fix a mistake until you own up to it. It's your error, embrace it and fix it.

Am I angry about the problem? No.

Am I angry when people lie to me? YES!!!!!!!

The problem is with Avast. 3 computers with windows 10, and this problem. One computer with windows 8, no problem.

For the 2 months I was without Avast, I used Windows Defender ... no problem, but prefer having the option of a boot time scan, unavailable anywhere else.

I've been looking at Vipre if this problem isn't addressed and fixed. Haven't read anything about their having problems with Windows 10.

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2015, 12:23:32 PM »
What I do not understand is why, when I have AIS and windows 10 build 10576, have never experienced this problem in any shape or form, and I have been running 10 since the first preview...  If it was Avast related then I would experience it which would suggest that you need to be running the right (wrong ) combination of programmes to trigger the error.  But, the question is what is the programme combination ?   I run no other security or privacy software.  My start up just has Avast, a theme changer and Flux

 

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2015, 02:23:10 PM »
The simple answer to this problem has nothing to do with Avast.
Simply boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode. Then reboot into regular mode and the problem will be history.
If you need help with booting Windows 10 into safe mode, take a look at the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb5n6kTqQ1A

Bull Puckey!

When I called Avast tech the only solution they had was: "Why did you upgrade to Windows 10? Go back to windows 7!" Sorry,  I was on windows 8 professional, but since he made the statement without hearing me out, it was apparent he didn't want to listen.

Yeah, the reboot into safe mode and restart works ONE TIME for me.

I have uninstalled then reinstalled Avast 5 times now and believe I am about done with this.

I have solved the issue, remove Avast and don't reinstall it.

I went for 2 months without the problem. Figured I would see if Avast fixed it yet ... NOPE!

Don't cover over the failure. You can't fix a mistake until you own up to it. It's your error, embrace it and fix it.

Am I angry about the problem? No.

Am I angry when people lie to me? YES!!!!!!!

The problem is with Avast. 3 computers with windows 10, and this problem. One computer with windows 8, no problem.

For the 2 months I was without Avast, I used Windows Defender ... no problem, but prefer having the option of a boot time scan, unavailable anywhere else.

I've been looking at Vipre if this problem isn't addressed and fixed. Haven't read anything about their having problems with Windows 10.
1. You didn't speak to Avast but to a "tech" at a third party support group that didn't know anything except what's written in his cheat book.
2. The problem happens on computers that have never had Avast installed on their systems. It's a Windows 10 Problem.
3. I've not had the problem again in the current Preview Builds. (I'm currently using 10576)
4. Using the Avast removal tool (aswclear) reboots your system into Safe Mode (with networking) and therefore utilizes the recommended Microsoft
fix for the Start Menu and Cortana problem.
5. No one lied to you.

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Offline Lisandro

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2015, 07:22:00 PM »
I'm also on Windows 10 and no issues with Avast 2015 or even Avast 2016 Beta. But, indeed, I have an issue on first upgrade to Windows 10 if I remember correctly. I'm uninstalled Avast and installed again... Not that much pain as we can backup/restore Avast settings...
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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2015, 09:11:38 PM »
What I do not understand is why, when I have AIS and windows 10 build 10576, have never experienced this problem in any shape or form, and I have been running 10 since the first preview...  If it was Avast related then I would experience it which would suggest that you need to be running the right (wrong ) combination of programmes to trigger the error.  But, the question is what is the programme combination ?   I run no other security or privacy software.  My start up just has Avast, a theme changer and Flux
Going off of your post, I just upgraded to the same build yesterday, and the issue has been persistent since a few versions back. If I can give any insight into this problem, I'm thinking it may be relative to how your system has upgraded to newer builds over time.

With this particular computer, a bad build upgrade forced me to start over fresh with Windows 10 on a post-main release insider build. Since around that time, I've had this issue with Avast. Prior to reinstalling, Avast worked just fine.

Going further into this, I've noticed similar situations presented by Windows 10 itself in relation to upgrades and clean installs. Using older builds way back when, I continued to upgrade to newer insider builds as they were released. In doing so, I noticed small bugs arising that should not have existed, such as the Settings and Power buttons being missing from the Start Menu, like in older builds, when they should have reappeared. Reinstalling the same build fresh resolved it. I also remember Microsoft recommending Insiders to use released ISO's to reinstall their insider build systems clean every so often to avoid any upgrade bugs.

Knowing what I know now, it is leading me to believe that somewhere in Windows 10, in some sort of specific scenario like this, Avast is triggering an existing Windows 10 bug, (whether it be Avast's fault or Microsoft's is yet to be seen). That being said, I think a better permanent solution should be sought out rather than everyone arguing over who is at fault. Either Microsoft or Avast is going to need a fix or workaround for this, and with them both pointing blame elsewhere, it isn't going to happen. I say we, as a community, attempt to research the issue in our own scenarios, and try to find a common ground that leads to a solution, as we have done in the past. Clearly something is wrong on someone's end. It doesn't really matter who made the mistake or created the issue so long as it gets resolved quickly and efficiently.



I would like to also point out that, for the sake of research, that I have also read CCleaner as being at fault for this. I also have this application, and I had it before and after every upgrade mentioned in the previous half of this post, (which was installed alongside Avast, but was only run manually). Given the number of people reporting this issue with Avast, I'm doubting all of them have CCleaner, but to say that Microsoft is entirely at fault may not be fair. Obviously the OS has a bug in it, but the trigger is still unknown. It could be multiple different kinds of software out there, Avast and CCleaner included, that cause it to arise. If Avast finds a solution, it could eventually be shared with the other applications causing the issue. (Now that seems like even more reason for us to figure this out, if you ask me).

For what it is worth, this issue also only affects me personally after running the computer for an extended period of time. I often also hibernate it now, and sometimes come back to it being turned on by itself for unknown reasons. I'm doubting that this relates to the issue, but maybe it can provide some common information to diagnosing the problem.
~SugarD-x~

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2015, 09:20:05 PM »

@SugarD-x,I've experience this problem with a new clean install of Windows and with upgrades from both Windows 7 and 8.
I've had the problem when Avast was installed and on a system that didn't have Avast.
The Windows insider help forum is full of posts where this happens to people who have never run Avast but are using
a different AV and also to those that only use Defender.
It is a Windows 10 problem but, I haven't experienced it in the later Insider preview builds.

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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2015, 11:35:17 PM »

For the 2 months I was without Avast, I used Windows Defender ... no problem, but prefer having the option of a boot time scan, unavailable anywhere else.

I've been looking at Vipre if this problem isn't addressed and fixed. Haven't read anything about their having problems with Windows 10.

Just a word of warning....

This is not meant to be an end-all way to know everything there is about an AV app of course, but one thing you can look at is the percentage of one-star ratings reviews (keep in mind that "total number" is generally meaningless unless the sampling is virtually same which is why "percentage" must be used. This is because 100 one-star reviews out of 1000 reviews which by percent is 10% is by far better than the smaller 25 one-star reviews out of 100 because this equals a much higher 25% of one-star reviews reported).

With that said we find on CNET Download the following reviews:
Vipre = 43% one-star ratings, clearly not good at all LINK
Avast = 6% one-star ratings, very good indeed LINK

And for context take a look at the WD reviews, since you've mentioned:
Windows Defender = 25% one-star ratings LINK

Then of course CNET has review ratings for the current versions for each as well.  The problem with this of course is that very often the sampling for current versions will be far too small to be very meaningful.  Nevertheless Vipre does not fair well so far for the current version either tabulating 100% one-star reviews to date (only two reviews however).

In conclusion: The percentage of one-star Avast ratings is over 7X's better than the one-star ratings for Vipre, for what its worth.  All AV apps are going to have their share of complaints which comes with the territory, that said, Avast does actually fair very well in this regard (however admittedly the current Avast version suffers more than it has in the past so far).

I have my complaints with Avast of course, but with that I still stick with what I feel is a good thing regardless.  ;)
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Re: windows 10+Avast = unpleasant user experience
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2015, 11:51:43 PM »
Wow, another off topic novel.
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