Author Topic: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup  (Read 13213 times)

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Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Hey guys!

I want to update my Avast Antivirus to the latest version regarding a notification on my laptop about virus definitions. Wanting it or not, I then opened the antivirus app and clicked on Settings>Update>and then clicked Virus Definitions. For some reason the virus definitions couldn't update, so for my own safety I turned to updating the program itself. Started yesterday, but the bar is stuck and can't move. It's still stuck on Step 1.

This morning I tried to reinstall it but the setup took forever. Even tried to download the offline setup but took about 42 minutes and canceled the download. Then wanted to uninstall it but the setup was the reason why it couldn't uninstall. Waited and the bar does nothing. And still, the bar does nothing. Is it because of the Wi-Fi connection that's slow where I'm staying now?

Oh, and if you're interested, here are the specs of my laptop:

Windows 10 64-bit
8GB RAM
Intel Core i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50 GHz
1TB of HDD (only)

Thank you in advance, any help would be much appreciated.
Just a girl addicted to video games.

Offline Asyn

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2018, 05:38:32 AM »
- Which version of Avast Free..?
- Other security related software installed..?
- Which AV(s) did you use before Avast..?
W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2018, 02:45:20 PM »
1. 18.5.2342 (build 18.4.3895.327)
2. Nothing related to security only Avast antivirus
3. Only Avast is installed on my laptop

PS. Can't uninstall it again because setup has been running for 5 days already. Nor can I reinstall it. Setup takes forever, is it because of the Wi-Fi?
Just a girl addicted to video games.

Offline Asyn

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2018, 02:50:02 PM »
1. Download Avast Free Antivirus: https://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe
2. Follow instructions: https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility (Run this tool for all prior installed Avast versions..!!)
3. Reinstall Avast with the downloaded installer from point 1.
4. Reboot.
W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2018, 04:35:32 PM »
If I try uninstalling Avast Antivirus in Normal mode, is it the same as running avastclear.exe in safe mode?
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Offline CraigB

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2018, 04:38:04 PM »
If I try uninstalling Avast Antivirus in Normal mode, is it the same as running avastclear.exe in safe mode?
No, avastclear is designed to remove avast if there are problems with a normal uninstall.

Offline mchain

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2018, 08:55:12 PM »
Run avastclear.exe by double-clicking it in normal mode.  It will ask you to run it in Safe Mode.  Click yes and, assuming you didn't change the default install locations, run the executable as is in Safe Mode.  If you changed the default install locations to somewhere else, you'll need to point the cleaner at those locations.

Be careful.  Cleaner will completely erase folders and files it is pointed at.

Reboot.

Setup and Self-Defense will not run in Safe Mode, which is why this should work.  You must run it in Safe Mode.
Windows 10 Home 64-bit 22H2 Avast Premier Security version 24.1.6099 (build 24.1.88821.762)  UI version 1.0.797
 UI version 1.0.788.  Windows 11 Home 23H2 - Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Avast Premier Security version 24.2.6105 (build 24.1.8918.827) UI version 1.0.801

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2018, 10:42:41 PM »
Run avastclear.exe by double-clicking it in normal mode.  It will ask you to run it in Safe Mode.  Click yes and, assuming you didn't change the default install locations, run the executable as is in Safe Mode.  If you changed the default install locations to somewhere else, you'll need to point the cleaner at those locations.

Be careful.  Cleaner will completely erase folders and files it is pointed at.

Reboot.

Setup and Self-Defense will not run in Safe Mode, which is why this should work.  You must run it in Safe Mode.
Do you mean folders related to Avast or other folders? Note that the Antivirus is installed on C:/ drive, not on an SSD, therefore my laptop has only one hard drive, C:/ (as an HDD).

Also, do you mean running Windows in Safe Mode or just the program?

Is it the same installing offline setup of the antivirus rather than the online setup? Just because I'll be absent for a couple days and I don't know about the Wi-Fi connection there, which is recommended for me to install?

I can't uninstall the program neither from Revo Uninstaller nor from Control Panel, all because of setup that's running. Still, no matter if the Wi-Fi connection is slow, the bar doesn't move.

« Last Edit: August 03, 2018, 10:48:04 PM by Ιωαννάκι »
Just a girl addicted to video games.

Offline mchain

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2018, 06:43:51 AM »
You've got a problem uninstalling Avast because setup is running when Windows (normal mode) is active.

Because Setup is running all the time, you cannot uninstall it in normal mode.
  • Setup will not run in Windows Safe Mode.  You need to run avastclear.exe in Safe Mode, else Setup will interfere with uninstallation.
  • avastclear.exe is placed on your administrative desktop.
  • You double-click avastclear.exe.  It will ask permission to reboot into Windows Safe Mode.
  • Reboot.
  • Enter Windows Safe Mode via the same administrative account - use the same password or credentials you have used before.
  • You should see 'Safe Mode' at each corner of your desktop (4).  That is how you know you are in Safe Mode.
  • Run avastclear.exe after changing antivirus to Avast Free from Avast Premier setting.  Ensure avastclear.exe is pointed to clean AVAST folders only, which it is already set to do.
  • Reboot.
You should find yourself back in Windows normal mode minus avast install.  You should also see Windows Defender running in place of Avast.

If you are unsure about proceeding let us know.

Once Avast is off your system, report back and then we will proceed with the other issues you have. 
Windows 10 Home 64-bit 22H2 Avast Premier Security version 24.1.6099 (build 24.1.88821.762)  UI version 1.0.797
 UI version 1.0.788.  Windows 11 Home 23H2 - Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Avast Premier Security version 24.2.6105 (build 24.1.8918.827) UI version 1.0.801

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2018, 12:26:16 PM »
You've got a problem uninstalling Avast because setup is running when Windows (normal mode) is active.

Because Setup is running all the time, you cannot uninstall it in normal mode.
  • Setup will not run in Windows Safe Mode.  You need to run avastclear.exe in Safe Mode, else Setup will interfere with uninstallation.
  • avastclear.exe is placed on your administrative desktop.
  • You double-click avastclear.exe.  It will ask permission to reboot into Windows Safe Mode.
  • Reboot.
  • Enter Windows Safe Mode via the same administrative account - use the same password or credentials you have used before.
  • You should see 'Safe Mode' at each corner of your desktop (4).  That is how you know you are in Safe Mode.
  • Run avastclear.exe after changing antivirus to Avast Free from Avast Premier setting.  Ensure avastclear.exe is pointed to clean AVAST folders only, which it is already set to do.
  • Reboot.
You should find yourself back in Windows normal mode minus avast install.  You should also see Windows Defender running in place of Avast.

If you are unsure about proceeding let us know.

Once Avast is off your system, report back and then we will proceed with the other issues you have.
I use Windows 10, how do I boot into safe mode?

PS. Can I uninstall the antivirus via control panel in safe mode only or via avastclean.exe?

Thanks in advance.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2018, 02:08:21 PM by Ιωαννάκι »
Just a girl addicted to video games.

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2018, 02:06:36 PM »
Bump
Just a girl addicted to video games.

Offline Asyn

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W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2018, 06:30:54 PM »
After safe mode, will normal mode be back so that I can install the program from scratch or can I do the same in safe mode?
Just a girl addicted to video games.

Offline CraigB

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2018, 07:37:57 PM »
After safe mode, will normal mode be back so that I can install the program from scratch or can I do the same in safe mode?
You run the avastclear tool which will automatically boot you into safe mode to remove Avast, once the tool has finished - reboot - and you'll be back in normal mode where you can reinstall Avast.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2018, 07:41:00 PM by CraigB »

Offline Ιωαννάκι

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Re: Avast Free Antivirus won't update nor can I uninstall it due to Setup
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2018, 10:59:40 PM »
What if after reboot Windows gets stuck in safe mode? Should I have to fix this?
Just a girl addicted to video games.