How do I shutdown Avast?

[mreeves3514]

When I installed Avast, presumably I opted to not have the Avast-icon show in my taskbar. Is there a way to now get it to show?  Also, I can't figure out how to shutdown the program.  I'm having issues with IE not opening and thinking it may possibly be due to Avast or Zone Alarm.  I can shut Zone Alarm down, but can't figure for the life of me how to shut down Avast.   

[DavidR]

Try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select 'avast! Anti-Virus,' click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow. You need to be on-line to do this.
If that doesn't work try, uninstall, reboot, install, reboot.

Why would you need to shutdown avast?
What version of ZA are you using free or Pro?
Check out this information http://www.avast.com/eng/webshield_issues.html

[Coloberg]

It is common practice to shutdown an antivirus program before installing new software. 

I'm installing Visual FoxPro 9 on a Vista machine, but repeatedly get warnings to shut down Avast! services before continuing.

Are we able to shut down Avast temporarily (e.g., until next reboot)?


Brett

[DavidR]

It certainly isn't my practice to shut down my antivirus before installing any new software, that is the time you are most likely to become infected.

If some software wants me to disable my AV I have to wonder what it is that they are getting up to that would require an AV to be disabled, especially when this isn't a security based product (which is possibly the only reason I would disable my AV).

I have no idea why a programming language would need to disable the AV to install.

But if you accept the risk in doing this, yes there is a way, right click the avast 'a' icon and select Stop On-Access protection, install and reboot when avast should restart, if not same drill again, but the Start On-Access Protection would be the choice.

[cogadh]

On more than one occasion I have had software installs hang due to the on-access scanning of anti-virus software. Just the other day I was re-installing KOTOR 2 and I had to stop Avast after I switched to the second install CD. The InstallShield wizard kept telling me there was no CD in the drive all while my Avast tray icon was quietly "spinning" as it scanned the CD. Once I stopped Avast, the install routine continued normally. This same type of thing has happened with nearly every anti-virus product I have used (some more often than others). Most retail software will tell you in either the install instructions or in the InstallShield wizard to disable the on-access scanning while the install is running for just this reason. Every driver installation instruction I have ever encountered tells you to do this as well. They are not trying to get up to anything by telling you to do this, they are just trying to make the install process as painless as possible. Besides, legally purchased retail software made by respectable manufacturers better be virus free, otherwise those software manufacturers will be going out of business very quickly.

Freeware and shareware downloaded off the internet, on the other hand... well, let's just say you get what you pay for.

[Lisandro]

It is common practice to shutdown an antivirus program before installing new software.

Pure myth: if the antivirus will mess the other software installation, they will conflict and should be used at the same time.

On more than one occasion I have had software installs hang due to the on-access scanning of anti-virus software.

If the software is clean, nothing should be warned...
I install and test lots of software and NEVER turn off avast to do so.

They are just trying to make the install process as painless as possible.

I cannot agree... bad installation routines will have this softwares...

Besides, legally purchased retail software made by respectable manufacturers better be virus free, otherwise those software manufacturers will be going out of business very quickly. Freeware and shareware downloaded off the internet, on the other hand... well, let's just say you get what you pay for.

Ok... user must know what he/she is doing...

[DavidR]

I guess I must be lucky for all these years as I have only paused or disabled my AV when installing other security based software. I have even left it running for windows updates, though now I tend to download the file and install off-line, but I still leave avast installed.

[diligentinquirer]

To mreeves3514:

I'd listen to DavidR, Tech and cogadh. Avast, itself works, at least as a virus detector. But like you, I too have probs. I wound up having to disable avast except for cleaning viruses. There is a way to do this, then go from there.

This does not mean other avast progs do not work. They do all the time. It might be..and likely is, as suggested, that you have another malware/virus or something else that is interfering with your avast program from working.

If I can make things work on a very old win 98 gold, using dialup, you can make things work on what you have. I'll try to help on setups so you too can do this, but I'd talk to (e.g.) DavidR first because he has been around more than I, unless you have an older system than I do, and then I would still tap his alert knowledge.

Diligent

[Lisandro]

I wound up having to disable avast except for cleaning viruses. There is a way to do this, then go from there.

I can't understand... you're infected and you disable avast while cleaning viruses?

[diligentinquirer]

My puter ran so very slooooooooow on web page connections, or did not connect, I disabled avast (and certain other progs) from continually running by using msconfig and unchecking the avast and other running progs. The avast virus repair still runs when I ask it to.

It was a choice between (1) my puter not working (not connecting) and using the avast and other running progs, or (2) have my puter connect and not let the running progs run (including avast running progs), and solely scan and fix malware/viruses, repair the registry, cleans cache's etc. when I want to.

My old win 98 runs snappy this way--though it is slow but that is because I use dialup that is slow, but not REALLY Sloooooooooooooooooow or not connect.

I do not believe I have infections, but do routinely run avast & other progs, so other than usual adware tracking malware, I am free of infections (I think).

Hope that clears it up for you Tech!

Thanks, Diligent

[Lisandro]

My puter ran so very slooooooooow on web page connections, or did not connect, I disabled avast (and certain other progs) from continually running by using msconfig and unchecking the avast and other running progs.

Well... you're being unprotected and, for sure, asking for further trouble. If your computer is abnormally slow, without reason, disabling the antivirus won't help... you're bypassing the problem...

The avast virus repair still runs when I ask it to.

Sure, the on-demmand scanning... but the virus could be active in your system, harming it and scanning later, on-demand, could not help...

I do not believe I have infections, but do routinely run avast & other progs, so other than usual adware tracking malware, I am free of infections (I think).

So, why are you so slow? Did you change the Standard Shield sensibility of avast to Normal level?

[diligentinquirer]

My puter ran so very slooooooooow on web page connections, or did not connect, I disabled avast (and certain other progs) from continually running by using msconfig and unchecking the avast and other running progs.

Well... you're being unprotected and, for sure, asking for further trouble. If your computer is abnormally slow, without reason, disabling the antivirus won't help... you're bypassing the problem...

The avast virus repair still runs when I ask it to.

Sure, the on-demmand scanning... but the virus could be active in your system, harming it and scanning later, on-demand, could not help...

I do not believe I have infections, but do routinely run avast & other progs, so other than usual adware tracking malware, I am free of infections (I think).

So, why are you so slow? Did you change the Standard Shield sensibility of avast to Normal level?

[diligentinquirer]

Forget the last re-quote. I was trying to quote you, and not knowing how to use the quote, I goofed. Let me know how to make a quote, will you please?

You asked "So, why are you so slow?". Boy oh boy is that the question. Either I cant use my puter, or I do what I am doing (as described), and use my puter.

I do know it has something to do with the amount of data in the cache. I clean it real regular. If I don't let over about 1.5 MB be stored, I'm in pretty good shape. But if I let it go, web access time crawls downward corresponding to the increase in the amount of data stored in the cache (IE or FF).

When it is slooooow, it does act like an adware prog hooked in, but I can tell this is not the case, at least according to Ad-Aware, SE Personal. Spybot, SUPERAntiSpyware, and Xsoft, and Avast of course, that show no infection.

Just this January, installed orig win98 (HP). OK at first, then came the same sloooooooow, or fail to connect. I knew it was not likely to be malware/virus.

HP, in such cases, says to increase connection speed to disable all uneeded running progs, except (basically) two. I know that exposes my puter, but what good is a puter that I cannot use to surf the web, because I have a lot of protection to be able to use my puter? Its either one or the other!

In sum, you acurately say (1) "...without reason,... you're bypassing the problem", and (2) "So, why are you so slow?"

D***ed if I know. Pretty sure it not malware/virues. but some of these bugs stays deep insde, and generate when qued. Ran sooo many virus prog, such dialer like probs unlikely, but whoooo knows----you know?

With the ultra clean puter I have described, one possible que exists.

Even after a full cleanup, when I dialup and that connects, when I access FF
my puter takes about ohh 4 minutes to begin to and conntecting to FF. After that (most times---not all) everything is pretty darned snappy. So it has to be something to do with the initial start up process, at least it seems so to me.

Also, pictures and images are the worst culpert when downloaded with web pages, only in accessing the web page, or even otherwise.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks, diligent.

[Lisandro]

Forget the last re-quote. I was trying to quote you, and not knowing how to use the quote, I goofed. Let me know how to make a quote, will you please?

Click the quote button. Each quote should start whit the [quote ... command and end with /quote]
 

When it is slooooow, it does act like an adware prog hooked in, but I can tell this is not the case, at least according to Ad-Aware, SE Personal. Spybot, SUPERAntiSpyware, and Xsoft, and Avast of course, that show no infection.

I don't recommend XSoft program... The others are good.

[diligentinquirer]

when I click the quote button, all the quotes appear. How do I select just one quote, or part of one quote?

Why do you not recomend Xsoft. I know its your opinion and you won't be badmouthing xsoft. I have noticed, in the last two moths or so, that it has not been picking up too much, but once in a while it will catch something. That could be because I use FF that is supposed to block out the effects of adware.

Any idea on the initial (post cleanup) sloooooow (about 4 min.)?