cannot scan using win98se

[guestja]

On this computer I am using win98se win Avast home. I also use a web accelerator for which I have a manual proxy setting  for localhost on port 5400. This set up has been working fine for some time but recently I find I can not do a scan at all. I have read another post where a individual was having somewhat the same problem.  So far I have tried to repair my installation (didn't help) , have gone into avast folder and tried to execute the ashimple.exe and ashimp2.exe files and I get the same result as when I try a manual scan using  the Icon -  I get a pop up that says "the process cannot access the file because: avast simple user interface cannot load configuration"  I also tried to run and register the file C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE ACTSKIN4.OCX . This also did not help. Any Ideas what I should try next? I think this is connected to the new program update.

[DavidR]

Has this happened recently, like immediately after a program update ?

Try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select 'avast! Anti-Virus,' click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow. You need to be on-line to do this.

[guestja]

Thanks DavidR.      I don't know if it happened right on the update because I didn't notice it until I tried a scan, and this is a secondary computer. I have tried the repair and some of the other things mentioned above that I got from the thread you were involved in earlier with, I believe, Crofty59.

[DavidR]

Yes that is the thread I was thinking about as it gives a temporary fix download until the next update.

Though I'm not 100% sure this is identical, as if I remember correctly (could well be wrong) crofty59 didn't get this error and I believe he was able to run ashSmpl2.exe. What version do you have, 4.7.942 is the latest ?

You could try the fix it shouldn't hurt, but somehow I don't have much confidence of it working. Then I feel you are down to a reinstall.

Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, find it here and save it to your HDD so you can find it later.

It would probably be best to download the latest version of avast and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall.

Then uninstall, reboot, run the uninstall utility, reboot, install the latest version, reboot.