Avast will not start

[tobias]

Hey!

I just installed Avast for home users on Ubunto 6.1. The install when perfect.
Then I started Avast up for the first time, it asked for the registrationkey and I provided it. So far so good
Then a window with different scanning & update options opened. I started a standard scan.
Then avast just closed, no error or anything! I tried to start it up again, but then I get a window with notification about avast deleting a stale lock-file and when I click on OK avast asks for the registrationkey again. When I give it avast just closes.

I hope some can help!

[Lisandro]

Did you boot only once? I'm not sure this will work, but I worth the test.
I use avast on Kubuntu 6.10 and it works, I have to add the key only once. 

[tobias]

I just tried to reboot! It did not help Still the same, first telling me it has deleted a stale lockfile, and asking me for the registrationkey!

[zilog]

Hallo,

please make sure that there isn't old engine library in Your system (libavastengine-4.so.6).
You can check using cmd version of scanner whether the engine works on Your distribution (the "avast" app instead of "avastgui").

When the application asks license key, then it's started probably first time (in ~/.avast/avastrc there's no line key=BLABLASOMEKEYBLABLA in section [license] yet).
After typing the right key in (wrong keys block the OK button), application starts and engine initialises itself and VPS is expanded, and the main gui window pops up.

Are you able to get to this point?

If so, try to scan another "harmless" location - for example, "/etc" directory (selected folders). This must work with no problem, if not, please tell me more details.

Otherwise, You should be able to find out which particular directory (or particular file) causes the scan to fail so badly using strace. Plese, write more details about this case.

Regards,
PC

[tobias]

Hallo,

please make sure that there isn't old engine library in Your system (libavastengine-4.so.6).
You can check using cmd version of scanner whether the engine works on Your distribution (the "avast" app instead of "avastgui").

When the application asks license key, then it's started probably first time (in ~/.avast/avastrc there's no line key=BLABLASOMEKEYBLABLA in section [license] yet).
After typing the right key in (wrong keys block the OK button), application starts and engine initialises itself and VPS is expanded, and the main gui window pops up.

Are you able to get to this point?

If so, try to scan another "harmless" location - for example, "/etc" directory (selected folders). This must work with no problem, if not, please tell me more details.

Otherwise, You should be able to find out which particular directory (or particular file) causes the scan to fail so badly using strace. Plese, write more details about this case.

Regards,
PC

there is no old engine library in my system (libavastengine-4.so.7.0.0), I just installed it!

When I run avast in terminal, I just get this reponse:

test: 95: ==: unexpected operator

No license key found.
Please run the GUI version (avastgui) and enter your license key.


And when I try to run avastgui (from terminal) this is what I get:
<Terminal output>
test: 95: ==: unexpected operator

(process:12697): Gdk-WARNING **: locale not supported by Xlib

(process:12697): Gdk-WARNING **: can not set locale modifiers
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
</Terminal output>

<GUI output>
I get a window with notification about avast deleting a stale lock-file and when I click on OK avast asks for the registrationkey again. When I give it avast just closes.
<\GUI output>

[TucciEd]

I get the same thing on CentOS 4.4 x64 version..  it was working fine for me on openSuSe 10.1 x64(changed distros)

[Opteron ~]$ avast
/usr/bin/avast: line 169:  9571 Segmentation fault      $AVAST_PREFIX/bin/$programname $*
[Opteron ~]$ avastgui
/usr/bin/avastgui: line 169:  9581 Segmentation fault      $AVAST_PREFIX/bin/$programname $*

The gui comes up but stops when I try to scan something.. does not matter which folder.. when I restart I get the stale lock file error, too..

Also, Tobias, put the serial number in the gui, then close immediately( then restart it).. it will save the serial.. then see if you get the same errors I am- I was getting the serial error at first, too..

[zilog]

Hallo,

what CPU is Your machine based? (paste here the output of "cat /proc/cpuinfo" and "uname -a" and "file /sbin/init"). Some 64-bit distributions (x86-64 or EM64T) have broken IA-32 environments and the engine might fail.

BUT, for fixing such particular issues on particular (broken) distributions we must know some details, including the most important one - whether it's even possible to run avast on such distribution.

How to find it out? Let's go, I have written utility for this - here: avastcheck.tar.gz - it's 600MB tarball.

Simply, extract the application and run it .
If You don't have any engine installed and there's no avastengine.conf in /etc, never mind -  just get the 400.vps file and point the utility there using the "-d path_to_dir_with_400_vps" switch).

If everything is OK, then it's possible to patch avast! for running on Your distribution.
If not, set "export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.4.0" and run the utility again. If this won't help then it's time to reconsider using these juvenile 64-bit distributions...

Regards,
PC

[TucciEd]

CentOS is "an Enterprise-class Linux Distribution derived from sources freely provided to the public by a prominent North American Enterprise Linux vendor.  CentOS conforms fully with the upstream vendors redistribution policy and aims to be 100% binary compatible. (CentOS mainly changes packages to remove upstream vendor branding and artwork.) "  http://centos.org/

Here's the output:
[Opteron ~]$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor       : 0
vendor_id       : AuthenticAMD
cpu family      : 15
model           : 5
model name      : AMD Opteron(tm) Processor 250
stepping        : 10
cpu MHz         : 2390.437
cache size      : 1024 KB
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 1
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 syscall nx mmxext lm 3dnowext 3dnow
bogomips        : 4785.23
TLB size        : 1088 4K pages
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 40 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management: ts fid vid ttp

[Opteron ~]$ uname -a
Linux Opteron.localdomain 2.6.9-42.0.3.EL #1 Fri Oct 6 06:02:37 CDT 2006 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
[Opteron ~]$ file /sbin/init
/sbin/init: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, AMD x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.4.0, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

[zilog]

vendor_id       : AuthenticAMD

/sbin/init: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, AMD x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.4.0, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

Yea, thanks, so now we know it's one of the mentioned 64-bit compatibility issues (and the statements on CentOS page are probably not as 100% as claimed .

Now, please, run the utility to check which kind of incompatibility it is (and paste the log here).

Thanks,
PC

[TucciEd]

Hey, I forgot to say "thanks" before.. thanks
OpenSuSe is definitely an "easier" distro than CentOS- I switched to CentOS because a job I'm starting uses it..  it was a good refresher setting up things manually.. I got spoiled by openSuSe

Here's the output:
[Opteron Temp]$ ./avastcheck -d/home/ejam/Temp
Version of utility: 0.0.1
Datapath to 400.vps: '/home/ejam/Temp'
Workspace directory: '/tmp/_avast4_'
VPS version: 000706-2 25.01.2007
Please enter Your license key (or press just enter): W3089488H3800A1106-XXXXXXXXChecking avast license key 'W3089488H3800A1106-XXXXXXXX': valid until 1.3.2008
Probing engine initialisation (might crash here in the worst case): OK, success.Checking scanning abilities: Check #1 OK Check #2 OK
Stopping engine: OK, stopped.
EOF

[zilog]

Thanx, seems that You're lucky and fixed version for Your distro can be made in the same style as EM64T/x86-64 patch, available on out pages (note that replacing the engine only isn't sufficient to solve the issue, there are also changes in the applications which use the engine).

Beta will be available probably today evenings or tommorow (or on Monday, depends on the connectivity .

Regards,
PC

[TucciEd]

Great.. thanks..!  I'll check it out when it's ready

[zilog]

Hello,
now it's ready - please read this post: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=26386.0

PC