XP x64 and Avast! Shutdown problem

[wyndlpoons]

I have been using Avast! with XP x64 since August and have continually had this problem. Having the Avast! system tray icon running(w/ all the services running EXCEPT Outlook/Exchange ) and either restarting or shutting down Windows(doesn't matter which) causes XP to hang on the blue "shutting down" screen.  I have various other programs running also, but can confirm, through extensive trial and error, that it only occurs when the Avast! system tray is enabled. This isn't too big of a deal, except for the fact that it takes Windows 5 minutes to start back up, and there's the possibility of corrupting files.(but that's what System Restore's for, right?? ;-\  )

I have enabled Outlook/Exchange service before and the system still stalled on reboot w/out shutting it down first. I have not had another antivirus on this system prior to avast. I have also uninstalled/reinstalled Avast! thinking that would help, but did not. I do all of my programs/drivers up-to-date.

Now, I can (and do) right-click the icon and close it out before Shutting the system down /restarting and Windows has not once locked up while doing this. But this is very tedious and a lot of times I do forget. Has anyone else had this problem and been able to fix it? Also, does anyone know of some sort of shutdown manager/ Windows script that I can just use to have the Avast! systray shutdown and the computer restart/shut down in one easy step? I have been looking at MANY software sites and tried lots of different googled sites, but none of the programs that I have found are compatible.

System Specs:
Shuttle SN25P
Athlon 64 (3700+)
2GB Geil RAM
60GB Seagate SATA HDD

System Tray processes running also(have uninstalled/reinstalled each of these for testing and none affect the outcome):
Nvidia Firewall/Windows Firewall
Microsoft Antispyware
Spybot Search and Destroy(Teatimer)
Rainlender

[CharleyO]

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Welcome to the forums, wyndlpoons.   

Somewhere on the forums is a thread about someone else who had a similar problem when using the nVidia firewall. Perhaps a search (top of page) of the forum would help you with this ... if that is the problem you are having.


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[wyndlpoons]

Thanks for the help CharleyO. Unfortunately those issues are different than mine as they involve BSODs (which I'm not getting) just seems more like an infinite loop at the "Shutting Down" screen. Or they involve problems with nVidia firewall itself.

Those problems are all too familiar, as I had similar problems to these in my own system's nVidia firewall(Blocking all images and most websites in IE/Firefox on the Low security setting? ) but that turned out to be an incompatibility between it and my BIOS.

But since that time, I ended up having to do a clean install of Windows w/out nVidia firewall installed. I have had a new stable version of the BIOS since September and only recently installed the firewall. The freezing problem happened continuously in this period when the nVidia firewall wasn't installed.

If I right-click the avast icon and "Stop On-Access Protection" before I shut the computer down/restart it, there's no problem 100% of the time. It's weird because I would  think that Windows shutting it down automatically would have the exact same effect.

[wyndlpoons]

I don't know if there was an intentional fix or not, but since upgrading Avast! to version 4.7, there has not been any sort of lock-ups while shutting down/restarting windows with the system tray icon running!   Now I don't have to worry about my system messing up from this.

[CharleyO]

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Welcome back, wyndlpoons.   

Thank you for posting that your system is now operating correctly with avast.

Please come back often, learn more, and maybe help others.   


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