Avast! U3 Edition: annoying message balloon

[belmeade]

Howdy. Need a little help. I'm running Avast! U3 Edition (program version 1.0.78) on my thumbdrive, and I always get an annoying message balloon when I start up my drive.

It's a message that informs me that the Virus Shields are active, and that I can access the main console by clicking on the icon in the system tray.

How can I disable this annoying message balloon? I don't see that it serves any purpose other than to annoy me. I know the Virus Shield is active already by seeing the icon in the system tray. I don't need a message to tell me that it's active.

If it were a balloon that eventually went away on its own, that would be different, but I have to manually close the message balloon.

Is there a way to disable this??

Belmeade

[belmeade]

I should probably clarify that I'm looking for something within the Avast software that will let me change this.

I know how to disable message balloons on a host computer, but for obvious reasons (I'm using a thumbdrive) I wouldn't want to do this to someone else's computer.

Belmeade

[Lisandro]

Is there a configuration file in the avast installation folder?
I mean, something like avast4.ini file? If so, can you post the contents of it here?
I'll try to help...

[belmeade]

I've got an AvastU3.ini file, here are the contents:

[Stats]
CleanCurr=0
CleanThisWeek=370
CleanTotal=370
InfectedCurr=0
InfectedThisWeek=0
InfectedTotal=0
Updated=1149973572
SplashUsed=7
CurrVpsTimestamp=1133848861
Init=1
OEM=1
HostInit=1
[Settings]
StartShields=1
UpdateDefs=0
ScanHost=0
UseTrustedHosts=1
LogStartupScan=0
PingBeforeUpdate=0
ScanAll=0
ScanArchives=1

The only other thing I've got that could possibly be a config file is called setup.ini. I'll list its contents as well in case the first file isn't what you were looking for:

[Groups]
Group1=avu3_core
Group2=avu3_launcher
Group3=
[Common]
ZeroFootprint=0
NetAcc=1
NetIP=
NetPort=0
NetUser=
NetPwd=
GUID=c04c93ce-3c47-4d1e-b468-a8b1836f530f
Tooltip=b?MTE0OTk4NjA2OA==
[DownloadSettings]
Speed=33
[Parts]
part.program=prg_av_u3-51
part.vps=vps-62304
part.setup=setup_av_u3-51
[PartsLatest]
part.program=prg_av_u3-51
part.vps=vps-62304
part.setup=setup_av_u3-51
[Info]
LastCheckTime=1149986056
LastUpdateTime=1149968706
[PartsLatestTimes]
part.program=1139851788
part.vps=1149853446
part.setup=1140628982
[PartsFirstTimes]
part.vps=1149853446

I appreciate you taking a look at this for me!

Belmeade

[Lisandro]

If I could use (or translate) the U3 interface before, maybe I could help more...
The closer it seems to the PC version is the value called SplashUsed=7
But, as I never used the U3 version, I cannot be sure.
Sorry. Hope that someone from Alwil could help you more...  :'(

Vlk, did you remember your promisse? Will you keep your promisse? 

[belmeade]

Oh well. Thanks anyway.

Belmeade

[bob3160]

belmeade,
In all fairness, this is the weekend.
At least wait till Mon. for Alwil to reply before you start getting discouraged. 
If you still have no reply from them by Tuesday, then we'll all be disappointed with you.

[belmeade]

BOB - in all fairness, I realize it's the weekend. I was simply thanking the guy for bothering to take a look at it in the first place. Try not to be so defensive...

Belmeade

[Vlk]

The balloon cannot be programmatically suppressed in the current version.
I'll make sure there'll be at least an INI file setting that would let you do this in the upcoming version (due probably later this week).


Thanks
Vlk

[bob3160]

Try not to be so defensive...

Belmeade,
It didn't take long to get your answer and please don't read something into my reply that wasn't
there nor was it ever intended that way.
Thanks

[belmeade]

Vlk - thanks. I look forward to the next release I appreciate it.

BOB - try the decaf...please...

Belmeade

[bob3160]

BOB - try the decaf...please...

Gee that's all I ever drink.

[rwaters]

Hi Vlk,

Which version will support an INI file option to disable the balloon message? I'm using 1.0.81.

Thanks.

[Lisandro]

Which version will support an INI file option to disable the balloon message?

The next one as Vlk said 

I wish I could use the U3 version of avast 

[DavidR]

Some of 'U' might find this interesting, from the Windows Secrets newsletter

Beware some new U3 Flash drives

You may have read the recent amusing story at DarkReading.com about a penetration tester who compromised a credit union. He simply left USB Flash drives in the parking lot and other places where employees could find them.

Naturally, the USB drives had a Trojan on them. The employees took the little drives back to their desks, plugged them in, and the Trojan silently installed itself and e-mailed sensitive company information.

Of course, I smugly think to myself that autoplay is disabled by default on Flash drives. These idiots must have browsed through the USB drives and voluntarily run the Trojans.

So a couple of days ago at work, my new Sandisk Cruzer Micro 4GB arrived. While I'm standing there holding the box, my co-workers and I start discussing the story I just referenced

Yes, I walk back to my desk, plug in the drive, and up pops LaunchPad. My new USB drive wants me to install Skype and a number of other applications. All right, this isn't the first time that my USB drives have come with "free" software preloaded, but how did it autolaunch?

I kill the program, and delete the files from the Flash drive. I thought. I insert the USB drive again and the same thing happens. I try harder to delete the files — no dice. I reformat the drive and it all happens again.

It turns out that this drive includes "U3 technology." The short version of the story is that it's not just a dumb Flash drive. It's a "smart" Flash drive that can take a portion of its storage and emulate a CD-ROM drive. In Windows, autoplay is enabled by default for CD-ROM drives. And of course, you can't delete files from a "CD-ROM."

Now I get it. Fortunately, there's an uninstall utility from U3.com that will delete U3 technology and make a USB drive into a plain Flash drive.