Avast! & RealVNC Server

[Ed_P]

Wow!!  A VERY active forum.   

On my desktop I removed PC-cillin today and installed Avast! 4.7 Home.  Prior to these actions I could connect to the desktop via RealVNC server running on the desktop and RealVNC viewer running on my notebook.  Now, I am unable to connect to the desktop remotely.  The Avast log is empty so I don't know what to change.

Suggestions?  Ideas?   

BTW What is the BART version of Avast!?  Any connection to BartPE?

[alanrf]

Is there any more information that tends to implicate avast?

What operating system are you using on the two systems?  Which firewall(s) are being used?

If you stop avast on access protection (right click avast tray icon > Stop On-access Protection) does it then allow you to connect with VNC?  If it does can you restart the on-access protection and see if you can isolate one provider that, when stopped, allows the connection?

I have used RealVNC in my home environment with avast active on both machines without problems but that was with an earlier release of avast.  Last November (2006) another user reported a similar problem with UltraVNC (they all seem to be close kin) and I had no problems with using that product.

I assume that the two machines reside on the same LAN - is that correct?   

[Ed_P]

Is there any more information that tends to implicate avast?

No.  Worked before Avast! doesn't work after Avast!

What operating system are you using on the two systems? Which firewall(s) are being used?

Win XP Home on both machines, Windows firewall on the nb, ZA on the desktop.  Neither changed.

If you stop avast on access protection (right click avast tray icon > Stop On-access Protection) does it then allow you to connect with VNC? If it does can you restart the on-access protection and see if you can isolate one provider that, when stopped, allows the connection?

I haven't tried that option.  Couldn't even find it till now.    And I've run Avast! on the nb for several months.  I turned off the Outlook protection, which I don't use and the P2P protection for the same reason.  I temporarily terminated the  Network Shield thinking it would be the culprit but that didn't help.  I also reinstalled RealVNC since I had read somewhere that Avast! was purging a VNC dll.  And of course several reboots.  None of which helped.

I have used RealVNC in my home environment with avast active on both machines without problems but that was with an earlier release of avast. Last November (2006) another user reported a similar problem with UltraVNC (they all seem to be close kin) and I had no problems with using that product.

That's encouraging to hear.

I assume that the two machines reside on the same LAN - is that correct?

Yes

Thanks for getting back to me. 

[alanrf]

Before I try to install RealVNC and check it out in my environment ...

are you using the VNC Personal Edition or Free Edition?

[Ed_P]

I'm was using the free Home edition.  To resolve the immediate problem I restored the hd to a point in December and thus lost the Avast! install.  But since my PC-cillin AV is expired I need to replace it soon.  PC-cillin has been my main AV for 15 yrs.  I would like to retry Avast!, I have it on the nb and it appears to be a fine app.  I prefer it over AVG.

At this point everything on the network works, again.  When I retry Avast! I will make a current hd backup, uninstall PC-cillin and reinstall Avast!, reboot and retry VNC.  If I am unable to connect with VNC I will again suspect Avast! as the problem because nothing else will have changed.  And with no error msgs or logs to show what is going on I'll be back to where I was,
 which means, I'll be back here.     

[alanrf]

I will install the free version of RealVNC here and see what happens.  As it happens I have two Win XP SP2 machines, one using the Windows firewall the other ZA so it is a reasonably similar setup.

[igor]

BTW What is the BART version of Avast!?  Any connection to BartPE?

No direct connection. It's the same concept (a bootable CD, build on Windows PE) - but there's no other connection (the similarity of names is just a coincidence).

[alanrf]

With avast 4.7.942 on both machines referred to above I downloaded the current version of RealVNC Free edition and installed it on both machines.  I made no changes to the default settings of RealVNC. 

The only challenge of any sort I faced was from the Windows XP firewall which recognized RealVNC and asked if I wanted the firewall to permit it which I did. 

I first ran one machine as server and the other as viewer, checked out that all ran ok.  I then switched roles for the two machines and again checked out that functions could be run with cross machine control. 

I should add that on the machine with ZoneAlarm as firewall I had already set up the range of the home LAN IP addresses as trusted.

Normally after testing like this I revert my system(s) to a point before the install to expunge all trace of the installed program.  However this testing went so well I think I am just going to keep this software on the machines this time.

[Ed_P]

Thanks alanrf.  realVNC is real easy to get use to. 

Tonight after backing up the desktop machine I uninstalled PC-cillin and rebooted the machine.  I tried and was able to connect to it with the notebook using realVNC.

I then reinstalled avast! on the desktop machine.  I noticed this time an avast! warning msg about a Zone Alarm incompatibility.  It asked if I wanted the incompatibility disabled, I chose Yes.  I think the last time I installed avast! I may have replied No.  I vaguely recall a window under another window and clicking quickly and them going away but this was the 1st time I remember reading about the Zone Alarm conflict.  (BTW My ZA is version 4.5.538)

Anyways, I clicked Yes, avast! came up along with several ZA alerts requesting 'net access.  I replied to them, updated avast! iAVS and Program updates and rebooted. Avast! came up along with the several ZA alerts again, I replied and everything seemed stable.

I then tried accessing the desktop machine with realVNC from the notebook and voila, I'm in. 

So my problem was not replying properly to the Zone Alarm / avast! compatibility issue.

It doesn't sound like you encountered my problem but for the sake of others I wanted to document my experience.

Thanks for your help alanrf.

@igor

Thanks for the update on the BART sw.  I did read up on it here and found that it was a totally different beast than what I originally thought.

[Lisandro]

I noticed this time an avast! warning msg about a Zone Alarm incompatibility.

Which avast version are you installing? 4.7.942

My ZA is version 4.5.538

Wow... you need an update...
ZoneAlarm Free is on version 6.5.737.000

So my problem was not replying properly to the Zone Alarm / avast! compatibility issue.

Last avast & ZA versions work together very well.

Into the firewall settings, the following programs should be allowed to connect:

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe (avast! Web Scanner)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe (avast! e-Mail Scanner Service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup\avast.setup (avast! Update executable). This is a temporary file that just appears when an update (check) is about to launch, and disappears again afterwards.

Don't need rights to connect:
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe (avast! antivirus service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe (avast! Update Service)

[Ed_P]

Which avast version are you installing? 4.7.942

No it was the version just before that one.  The avast! update brought me to that level.

Wow... you need an update...
ZoneAlarm Free is on version 6.5.737.000
....
Last avast & ZA versions work together very well.

I know but when ZA started the 5. series there were a lot of problems and I have never gone back.  Besides, firewalls, unlike antiviruses and anti-malware, don't need to be updated every day.

So my problem was not replying properly to the Zone Alarm / avast! compatibility issue.

The thing is I see no way to reproduce that msg and thus no way to access the link shown in it.

I also don't know why/if it caused my original realVNC problem.   But everything seems to be working so I should probably leave well enough alone. 

Into the firewall settings, the following programs should be allowed to connect:

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe (avast! Web Scanner)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe (avast! e-Mail Scanner Service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup\avast.setup (avast! Update executable). This is a temporary file that just appears when an update (check) is about to launch, and disappears again afterwards.

Don't need rights to connect:
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe (avast! antivirus service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe (avast! Update Service)

I currently see:

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe (avast! antivirus service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup\avast.setup (avast! antivirus Update )
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe (avast! e-Mail Scanner Service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe (avast! Web Scanner)

The latter not allowed 'net access without a prompt. 

[Lisandro]

No it was the version just before that one.  The avast! update brought me to that level.

Last avast version shouldn't have a problem both with ZA and updates...
On contrary, the versions between 4.7.892 to 4.7.942 could have them...

I know but when ZA started the 5. series there were a lot of problems and I have never gone back.  Besides, firewalls, unlike antiviruses and anti-malware, don't need to be updated every day.

I don't think so... I agree earlier 5 version have problems but they were corrected since then. Security programs do improve drivers, compatibility, packers scanning, add features...

Sorry but I can't help further with your realVNC problem... I can't figure out what's wrong...

[JamesChio]

  I have 2 computers installed VNC Free Edition few years ago and works fine.  I have the  windows XP Pro firewall set exception VNC port 5900 on both computers.   I want to test the trial version avast antivirus, I installed on one of the computers and after that I not able to VNC from any of the computers. 
Is there anythings I need to set on Avast software?   

[JamesChio]

And I have one server installed Avast File server, but the server cannot connect to the one computer that I installed avast trial.  The server able to connect to the computer that does not have avast.