Avast4.ini continually polled

[Vlk]

There have been some changes in this direction in one of the most recent avast program updates... Are you sure you're using the latest avast build? (4.7.892)


Thanks
Vlk

[Don Reba]

Definetely. In fact, I have only installed Avast on this machine three days ago. Maybe those changes do not work in Vista?

[Lisandro]

I do not see how this can possibly be caused by a bad install.

Why don't you try?

1. Uninstall avast from Control Panel first.
2. Boot
3. Use Avast Uninstall for complete uninstallation (read http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_uninstall_util.html)
4. Boot
5. Install again
6. Boot

[Don Reba]

Just went through your list. It did not help.

In response to the (rhetoric) question, reinstalling is normally a last resort, because if I reinstall and the problem goes away, I can not help you find the cause. Of course, now that Vlk has said that this is a known issue that the team has been working on, I could reinstall with a clean conscience.

[Lisandro]

now that Vlk has said that this is a known issue that the team has been working on, I could reinstall with a clean conscience.

I think this *was* an issue in the past and was corrected (apparently). Vlk is saying (as far I understand) that the last version should have no problems at all...

[wolfi]

Same problem for me. I'm on XP Home SP2 (all updates), Windows internal firewall (only), no other a/v scanner, no applications running. Ashserv.exe (port 1892) is accessing avast4.ini continually, doing OPEN, LOCK, QUERY, READ, UNLOCK, CLOSE - this process is run three times every 6 seconds, no matter whether scanners are on/off, ini-file included in etc., .
I do understand that this does not harm system performance (ini file is very small and entirely cached), but still, it is anoying. I'd appreciate any solutions and would be happy to carry out any tests/queries/etc. to narrow down the problem.
Best wishes from Vienna,
Wolfi

[jamesvaul]

I confirm this bug, with the latest avast! build:

1104   9.53.00,3163750   ashServ.exe   1056   CreateFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Access: Generic Read, Disposition: Open, Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a
1105   9.53.00,3167585   ashServ.exe   1056   QueryNameInformationFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Name: \programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini
1106   9.53.00,3172497   ashServ.exe   1056   LockFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Exclusive: False, Offset: 0, Length: 7.327.059.152
1107   9.53.00,3180520   ashServ.exe   1056   QueryStandardInformationFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   AllocationSize: 12.288, EndOfFile: 9.570, NumberOfLinks: 1, DeletePending: False, Directory: False
1108   9.53.00,3185576   ashServ.exe   1056   ReadFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Offset: 0, Length: 9.570
1110   9.53.00,3191533   ashServ.exe   1056   UnlockFileSingle   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   RANGE NOT LOCKED   Offset: 0, Length: 6.239.324.605.684
1111   9.53.00,3194854   ashServ.exe   1056   CloseFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   
1112   9.53.00,3200045   ashServ.exe   1056   CreateFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Access: Generic Read, Disposition: Open, Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a
1113   9.53.00,3203981   ashServ.exe   1056   QueryNameInformationFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Name: \programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini
1114   9.53.00,3208945   ashServ.exe   1056   LockFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Exclusive: False, Offset: 0, Length: 7.327.059.152
1115   9.53.00,3212490   ashServ.exe   1056   QueryStandardInformationFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   AllocationSize: 12.288, EndOfFile: 9.570, NumberOfLinks: 1, DeletePending: False, Directory: False
1116   9.53.00,3216430   ashServ.exe   1056   ReadFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Offset: 0, Length: 9.570
1117   9.53.00,3222819   ashServ.exe   1056   UnlockFileSingle   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   RANGE NOT LOCKED   Offset: 0, Length: 6.239.324.605.684
1118   9.53.00,3226107   ashServ.exe   1056   CloseFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   
1120   9.53.00,3231496   ashServ.exe   1056   CreateFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Access: Generic Read, Disposition: Open, Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a
1121   9.53.00,3238178   ashServ.exe   1056   QueryNameInformationFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Name: \programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini
1122   9.53.00,3243198   ashServ.exe   1056   LockFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Exclusive: False, Offset: 0, Length: 7.327.059.152
1123   9.53.00,3246749   ashServ.exe   1056   QueryStandardInformationFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   AllocationSize: 12.288, EndOfFile: 9.570, NumberOfLinks: 1, DeletePending: False, Directory: False
1124   9.53.00,3250722   ashServ.exe   1056   ReadFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   Offset: 0, Length: 9.570
1125   9.53.00,3260902   ashServ.exe   1056   UnlockFileSingle   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   RANGE NOT LOCKED   Offset: 0, Length: 6.239.324.605.684
1126   9.53.00,3265858   ashServ.exe   1056   CloseFile   C:\programs\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini   SUCCESS   

[alanrf]

Might be interesting to compare avast providers running and whether that has an effect.

I am running WinXP Pro SP2 (up to date).  I run Standard Shield, Webshield and Internet Mail provider
and this file is only accessed less than once a minute.

Even with it being accessed as frequently as reported by Woolfi and JamesVaul ... is the consuming of a few
CPU cycles (this isn't going to be causing disk i/o) that would otherwise go begging in 99.999% of systems
really to defined by the self-determined terms "annoying" or "bug"? 

I'm not  suggesting (for a moment) that avast should not look at the reported issue ... but in the great scheme
of things isn't this rather less than a gnat bite?
     

[DavidR]

Basically I have the same set-up as Alan OS and running providers.

Strange this, I have just monitored file activity (filemon.exe) over ten minutes and I saw Zero activity for ashServ.exe polling avast4.ini. I did see ashDisp.exe poll avast4.ini every minute and a few accesses by ashWebSv.exe during that time, so I'm not seeing that activity either.

[machetti]

Hi there,

Is it possible to avoid the polling of avast4.ini file (every 5/6 seconds) by avast services? The hdd light on my laptop flicker non stop...I don't think it is good for saving battery...Does anyone have a solution for this?

Thank you,
Cyril