Avast4.8 stopped working with Win98SE

[Diehard Win98]

On around October 3rd 2015, Avast 4.8 stopped working on my Win98 builds.  Still works fine on my Win2K builds on the same machines, so hardware is not the issue.  BTW I run all operating systems up to Win7:  I like to play around  and compare operating systems.

Problem is likely Win98 OS can't digest a virus database that is larger than about 200Mb.  Neither increasing the swapfile nor decreasing the maximum vcache setting helps.  vpsupd4 reports success, but on reboot none of the Avast modules initialize.  Running an earlier (10/2/15) vpsupd4 puts 4.8 back to working condition.

I know Win98 is not officially supported by Avast, so a program update is unlikely.  But, if anybody finds a workaround, I'd like to know of it.

Avast4.8 is the LAST resident virus scanning program for Win98, so it's a shame to loose it.  ClamWin doesn't do resident scanning.

[Eddy]

Windows 98 (SE) can handle files up to 4Gb.
Have you tried downloading and installing the latest standalone vps ?

[Diehard Win98]

The 4Gb filesize limit is more a FAT32 limitation than a Win98 limitation.

What I meant to say was the Win98 implementation of Avast4.8 doesn't work for virus databases larger than about 200Mb.  That happened around Oct 3rd 2015.

An ideal solution would be if the guys at SourceForge who created Kernelex could come up with a patch.  Then the Win2K implementation of Avast4.8 could be installed on a Win98 build.  As I said, Avast4.8 still works on my Win2K build.

[Pondus]

ClamWin doesn't do resident scanning.

For real time protection you need to ad Clam Sentinel. http://clamsentinel.sourceforge.net/

[Diehard Win98]

Thanks for the info Pundus

I installed Clam Sentinel 1.22.  I immediately noticed my hard drive was constantly busy and the system idle processes were using a lot of resources.  Though the scanner runs in the background, everything runs slower because the HD is being used heavily.  This probably shortens the lifetime of the HD.

On Avast4.8, one can configure the standard shield to scan only modified/created files.  This reduces the HD usage I think.  (I ran a full scan on all files periodically).  There is no such option with Sentinel.  Even if you exclude a bunch of folder/files to scan, the HD is constantly busy. Maybe they'll improve it on the next version.  After all, it's a public domain project.  Still, I give the guys at SourceForge, or more exactly Delphi, kudos. 

I'll miss Avast4.8 on Win98.  I'd been using it since circa 2002

[Eddy]

System Idle is not a process 

Don't worry about the lifetime of a drive.
Some break down one month after manufacturing, others still work after 50 years.
Oldest one I have is a 40Mb(!) hard-disk, close to the size of a shoe-box  , and it is still working.

The only way to know the lifetime of a drive is when you know the manufacturing date and the date that it broke down.

[Pondus]

It may be just first time after Sentinel install, and later it will only check new/changed files?

[Diehard Win98]

Update from prior post:

Clam Sentinel apparently includes a VXD for Win98 that checks if a file is modified.  If you enable this VXD, then I guess Sentinel only scans modified files. 

The real drawback to Sentinel is that it uses the ClamWin scanner which is slow in comparison to Avast4.8. A full scan takes over twice as long as a quick 4.8 scan. ClamWin has no quick scan feature. Each time the scanner is started, it has to load the virus definitions anew. This also takes time. 

Unless you are running a newer machine running at say 2Ghz, the scanner runs well behind the program.  For example if you are browsing using Opera12.02, even when you exit Opera and the machine is otherwise idle, the scanner is still trying to scan files.  So this is not truly a real-time scan. 

Your only workaround is to exclude a bunch or folders/files and also exclude a bunch of file extensions to scan

Documentation on Sentinel is scant, so these are my personal observations

It might be tempting to say install Win98SE on a newer, faster machine.  But on a newer machine you'll never find drivers for Win98




 

[Pondus]

Who need W98?

[Diehard Win98]

We're not on the thread anymore.  Who needs Win98?

Outside of the the developed countries many users still run Win98 systems.  They can't afford better.   I read an article a couple of years ago that claimed over 10% of the world's users run Win98.  I was amazed.

Otherwise, the Win98 users are those who like to test the limits of the operating system.  These are the guys who created Kernelex for example.  The creator of Clam Sentinel said she is a Win98 lover in their forum.

On the Kernelex blog you'd be amazed at the activity of guys trying (and with success) to get Win2K and WinXP apps to work on Win98

And, there are those who have  favorite Win98 apps that never got a version in a later OS.

[REDACTED]

@  Diehard Win98

I noticed the same problem at my second old PC still running Win98SE with Avast 4.8 in the beginning of October. I supposed like you that it has to do with the bigger growing vps files. I am happy that I feel confirmed in my opinion by your thread.

And I still want to keep this system running with a lot of old still running programs.

Like you I noticed that with an older vpsupd4.exe I could awake Avast 4.8. But my last/newest vpsupd4.exe ist several years old.
I unterstood your first entry on this thread that you have a vpsupd4.exe from 0/2/15 which moght be the last running version for WIN98SE.
I there a chance to get a copy of your file? At the web I find only very old ones or the too big ones.

I am from Germany, if you too we could change language, otherwise you have to live with my english. 

greetings, Fried (I am not toasted too hot, thats my first name)

[Diehard Win98]

Fried, you are among others (those who were too shy about posting, but instead sent private mail using  'my messages') wanting a copy of my 10/2/15 vpsupd4. 

Sadly, my vpsupd4 was lost when the flash drive that held it got corrupted. I too don't have another recent vpsupd4 that works with Win98

I do have the 10/2/15 400.vps file on my Win98 build though: This is the actual virus database that the Avast4.8 scanner uses.  It can be inserted directly using a few tricks.

I can't e-mail it because it is larger than 25Mb.  I need to find a FREE cloud-based service where I can upload the file and it will stay there indefinitely.  Then anybody who needs it can have access.  Suggestions anybody?

Maybe the Avast team will take pity on the Win98/ME users and put the a re-configured 10/2/15 vpsupd4 on their website somewhere?  Better yet, a patch to make Avast4.8 work again?!

BTW, I was told that Avast4.8 stopped working at the same time for WinME.  Win98 and WinME are similar in the way they handle memory. This is the problem that results in the 'not enough storage...' error, not how much actual memory there is.

[Pondus]

I can't e-mail it because it is larger than 25Mb.  I need to find a FREE cloud-based service where I can upload the file and it will stay there indefinitely.  Then anybody who needs it can have access.  Suggestions anybody?

yes you can       Filemail   http://www.filemail.com    free up to 30GB file, and file is available for download 7days

[REDACTED]

Hello Diehard,

thanks for your answer. It is a pity that the vpsupd4.exe doesn't exist anymore. But I am interested in your 400.vps file. If you have a way to uplpoad please inform me. Do you need a personal message with further informations from me?

It might be, that more than the 400.vps file is necessary. I found several older vpsupd4.exe files (elder than 2012) at the web and tried to update a new installed AVAST4.8 Build 1368. Some other files in the Avast DATA directory change date and size too.

I tried already to insert a 400.vps from later than Third of October ( http://files.avast.com/files/latest/400.vps ) , but after that AVAST says the vps is corrupted and I could install again. 

I have not to much hope, that AVAST will do helping for this problem- But perhaps.....

I would be happy for a work around or your 400.vps file. Let me know if there any news.

[DavidR]

Have you tried this link http://www.avast.com/download-update that is still showing 4.8 VPS update vpsupd4.exe at 200MB.