This problem still persists as of the 19031404 vpsupd
I use Win2K and v8.0.1506
This was on 3/14 :
I tried the 3/10 vpsupd followed by online update. After the 3/10 vpsupd, everything was fine. After the online update it seemed sorta OK. (Actually, after the update I noticed AvastSvc was running more than it should). Then on reboot, Avast wouldn't start, online update info reported 'unknown'
I restored a backup build. Then I tried the 3/14 vpsupd directly. Seemed fine until the reboot, then Avast wouldn't start, online update info reported 'unknown'
Vpsupd is important for Win2K because I've noticed if you haven't done an online update for a while, it will fail with a 'not enough storage' error. Then your only option is vpsupd, or a clean install.
I also use Avast5 and Avast7 on some of my Win2K builds. Updates failed here too.