Avast setting for ZA won't be retained.

[testy]

Last week after updating Avast (no problems before) I get asked every reboot for Avast  permission to access internet.  It says program has changed.  I go into ZA setting and give Avast full access for every Avast entry.  It  doesn't stick, it goes back to the way it was before.  And yes, I have searched and read for hours about it here on this forum and have tried several things but nothing works.  I have been using Avast with ZA  for about 15 months with no trouble till now.  I don't have webshield activated. Also I'm curious as to why its trying to connect to internet when I have it set to manual updates?  There is no reason for it to.

[Abraxas]

testy:

  I have been using Avast with ZA  for about 15 months with no trouble till now.

You obviously know what your doing . My  thought at first was have you checked ( Ticked) the program alert popup from ZoneAlarm , " Avast  (module xxx ) is trying to acess the Internet." I'd say you have ?
My advice ; totally remove your installation of ZoneAlarm.

Go HERE ; follow the removal instuctions ,  and do a clean install.
Goodluck, report back and  let us know if that fixes the problem, as others may have an alternate solution .

[Lisandro]

I go into ZA setting and give Avast full access for every Avast entry.  It  doesn't stick, it goes back to the way it was before.

Sometimes, if you answer the question and check it for remember, the answer is lost when you shutdown.
Maybe, if you set ZA, close it and exit it, boot.
Start it again if it's not automatic and check that if that setting is saved.

[alanrf]

Avast can "change itself".  Avast has internal security checks at startup and if something does not seem right to avast it will, as I understand it, try to revert components back to something it does like and, potentially, try to go out to get a clean version. 

That's why when we get one off updates from avast they are accompanied by a .sum file to prevent avast from reverting the updated component at the next restart.

So, it is just possible that ZoneAlarm, far from being the problem, is just doing what it is supposed to do, noticing that avast has changed and asking for updated permission.   

Let's remember that the change you made to your system was to reinstall avast not ZoneAlarm.

Have you tried an uninstall and fresh install of avast?

Does the problem still exist if you go back to version 691?

[testy]

Well, I fixed it, I updated ZA and rebooted and the issue seems to be resolved so far.  Thanks

[essexboy]

I go into ZA setting and give Avast full access for every Avast entry.  It  doesn't stick, it goes back to the way it was before.

Sometimes, if you answer the question and check it for remember, the answer is lost when you shutdown.
Maybe, if you set ZA, close it and exit it, boot.
Start it again if it's not automatic and check that if that setting is saved.

This may well be the answer - in my experience ZA can be forgetfull especially if you have fast shutdown. Just close ZA one time before shutdown and that should cure your problem

[alanrf]

This may be something the ZA folks have worked on in the latest point release they just issued.

I always prefer to do a complete uninstall/reinstall with ZA updates and so I have had to go through setting all the program permissions, trusted zone entries for my home lan etc.  I've noticed a couple of times that ZA has popped up a screen (I had not seen before) saying "You have made changes - do you want them saved?".

[Lisandro]

Avast can "change itself".  Avast has internal security checks at startup and if something does not seem right to avast it will, as I understand it, try to revert components back to something it does like and, potentially, try to go out to get a clean version. 

Can you be more specific... ?
I never heard about this. avast.setup could 'change' but 'avast change itself'...? What's that?

[alanrf]

Avast has some level of self protection.

That is why when we get zip updates like the one you recently installed (aswEngin) it was necessary for a .sum file to be included.  If you did not install the .sum file you would find on the next restart that avast would automatically go back to the previous version.

In such circumstances (which I experienced back during a beta test earlier this year) I installed an update without the .sum file.  ZA quite properly recognized the update and asked for updated permission for avast.  I restarted my system, avast put back the previous version of the program (because I did not install the .sum file) and ZA recognized it as another change to avast and asked for updated permission for avast. 

Now I could have run off and said that ZoneAlarm had lost its brains and did not remember my updated permission.  Instead I realized my error, re-installed the avast update and the .sum file and again gave updated permission in ZoneAlarm which it remembered without problem and all was well.

I was speculating that if there had been (for whatever reason) an incomplete update of the of the latest release of avast it could result in confusion for avast about what versions it should have and give rise to the problem encountered by  testy.     

[Abraxas]

Well, I fixed it, I updated ZA and rebooted and the issue seems to be resolved so far. Thanks

Great ! 
Avast! and ZA have both released program Updates.There's no real logic why Updating ZA has resolved your problem.
I always follow the un-install info though with a ZoneAlarm program update . Then do a "Clean" install of the Updated program. I've had horrible  problems in the past installing ZA without uninstalling the previous version.

Remember that when online,  you can go to ADD/REMOVE  programs, & Repair Avast!'s installation.

[alanrf]

Simply, a vote of support for an open mind and the advice of Abraxas.

[Lisandro]

That is why when we get zip updates like the one you recently installed (aswEngin) it was necessary for a .sum file to be included.  If you did not install the .sum file you would find on the next restart that avast would automatically go back to the previous version.

Ok Alan, it`s the .sum check while a file is not the default ones. Now I see.

[alanrf]

It's not just that Tech, I'm asking you to imagine what would happen if, for some unknown reason, the installation of an avast point upgrade was incomplete for a user.

I suspect that it would be be possible for avast's self defense mechanism to become very confused.  I may be way off base here and no doubt the avast team will shoot me down, but I have been a software developer and senior IT manager for more years than I care to recall.  My basic rule has been:

if your system is running smoothly, you install a product update and your system does not run smoothly then you first suspect the product update (and you do not first blame all the other components of your system).

Many of us are here because we are enthusiastic avast supporters.  I think that does not absolve us from having an open mind and being able to question the effectiveness of an avast change.  Too many people have experienced too many problems with the 731 update for me to feel that our friends in the avast development team have got this one right yet.   

   

[Lisandro]

I suspect that it would be be possible for avast's self defense mechanism to become very confused.

I doubt about this... I think the update mechanism do check this very well. But, of course, everything could happen in computers.

My basic rule has been: if your system is running smoothly, you install a product update and your system does not run smoothly then you first suspect the product update (and you do not first blame all the other components of your system).

Ok. Good rule.

Many of us are here because we are enthusiastic avast supporters.  I think that does not absolve us from having an open mind and being able to question the effectiveness of an avast change.  Too many people have experienced too many problems with the 731 update for me to feel that our friends in the avast development team have got this one right yet.

For sure... But we're not discussing the whole process, update process and mechanism, just the 731 update. It stayed 2 weeks as beta, no problems of updating... no problems right now...
I'm not defending avast as it does not have any trouble or could not being improved. Being enthusiastic does not make me blind. Something is strange in 731 update, I've posted this before... Just that I can't imagine what, I can't reproduce ANY update error... so, my answers are theoric, based on avast theory and my experience with it.

[alanrf]

no problems right now...

i'm sorry Tech, but you must be blind not to see the many folks who have reported the VPS update problem - and I have yet to see them all coming in to say the problem has gone away. 

Admittedly, a fix has been provided for the file scanning pop-up error (along with an admission that it was not known how to make the error happen) and there has been an admission that certain heuristic email warnings are over zealous and need further work.

One thing I can agree with you on (and I have noted it before) none of these problems surfaced in the beta testing.  I think that the avast team are going to need to question the number/variety of us who are willing participants in beta testing and the length of the beta "soaking".