Avast stops startup programs... I think

[Epsi]

When my PC goes on it boots direcly into windows XP SP2. And in the bottom right corner, next to to the clock only the avast and my lan icons come on. So every time I have to log off, and log back in for all my icons to show there. I tryed the "Delay Avast service.." option in the troubleshooting section, it makes no difrence on my system. Can you guys please fix this? or tell me how I can fix this on my system? I can give you a full list of all the programs that runs when windows starts, but I dout the problem lies there.

Also the update dialog is very basic and big... how about adding more info to it? like estimate download time, time passed... Avg download speed... just make it more informative please.

Thanks I've been useing avast for about 2 months now, and except for not detecting VirtuMonde it has not failed me.

Epsi

[DavidR]

1. Have (or did) you another AV installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?

It could possibly be your internet connection has started and avast is checking for updates, how do you connect to the internet, broadband, etc. ?
If so you could try to delay the update checks until your system has stabilised.

You need to edit the [InetWD] section of the C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Data\avast4.ini file and add the following line:
Broadband connections, add this line: AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120

The figure is seconds and the above equates to two minutes, you could try that and adjust upwards if required, 180, 240, etc.

2. The avast update dialogue shows you how big the file is that will be downloaded and it also has progress bars to indicate how much has been downloaded. Since avast uses incremental updates for the VPS (signatures) updates the download size is often very small 25-50KB frequently less, any time taken or time remaining is likely to be pointless (IMHO).

I was never a fan of the AVG update, horrendous and very long, one of the major reasons why I jumped the AVG ship almost three and a half years ago and I haven't looked back.

3. VirtuMonde can be a pain but for the most part it is adware/spyware, whilst avast detects much adware/spyware signatures it isn't a specialist adware/spyware application. To that end I would advise toy have an anti-spyware application.

If you haven't already got this software (freeware), download, install, update and run it periodically.

1.  If using winXP AVG anti-spyware (formerly Ewido). Or SUPERantispyware Or Spyware Terminator.
2. Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition
3. Spybot Search and Destroy
4. Spywareblaster Don't install this until you are clean.

[Epsi]

1. NO I did not have anything installed. Actually I had to reformat my PC after I tried to uninstall Norton. So once I had windows on I did a bit of research and decided I'll give Avast a go,since its free. And if it's crap I'll switch over to NOD32. As you can see I'm still runing Avast, it's just these 2 small things that I anoys me.

2. The update dialog of Avast is just so big and bulky, either make it smaller or give it a reason to be so big, by makeing it more informative (IMHO).

3. I run Spybot Search and Destroy v1.4 and Ad-Aware SE Professional Build 1.06r1. Actually Its Ad-Aware SE Pro that detected VirtuMonde. Spybot has it in its Defintion file but failed to detect it. Also Ad-Aware SE Pro can detect it, but was unable to remove it. Had to get Symantec Adware.VirtuaMonde Removal Tool 1.0.3 to get rid of it.

Anyway that's not my point.

I can promise you 99% of people are not going to edit their avast4.ini file, it should be in a option dialog somewhere.

[DavidR]

1. personally I don't feel that avast is cr*p, having had it for 3¹/₂ years and it hasn't let me down either.

2. it has been a huge amount of time since I used AVG update and then it was butt ugly and so slow. I don't know what resolution you are using nut on my system (1680x1050) the update dialogue isn't large, nor is the text. So I'm not even sure we are talking about the same dialogue, see image actual size.

3. I thought adaware would catch it since it is adware.

Unfortunately there isn't in a dialogue to change the update delay and it is outside my influence as I'm just an avast user like you. Personally I feel the default value should be at least two minutes before avast checks and I feel that everything should have settled by then. avast is extremely flexible and configurable unfortunately if you but all of this in a dialogue that would be very large and unwieldy. To get an idea of the settings you can adjust through avast4.ini check out this thread Understanding avast4.ini file.

So if you are in the 99% that won't edit the avast4.ini file (which I don't think is the case) we will never know if this was the reason for the problem.

There are many who having come to the forums and been offered the option to edit the avast4.ini file they have. Some expressed concern over a lack of confidence in how to do this and we give them more detailed help. No one would know about editing the avast4.ini file unless they had come to the forums and that option had been suggested, so it is not as if they would be doing this on their own initiative.

[Lisandro]

I can give you a full list of all the programs that runs when windows starts, but I dout the problem lies there.

Can you write down this list here?

Also the update dialog is very basic and big... how about adding more info to it? like estimate download time, time passed... Avg download speed... just make it more informative please.

Maybe you can add this to the wishlist at the top of the board (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2.0).

And if it's crap I'll switch over to NOD32.

avast is not a crap. NOD32 is not free.

2. The update dialog of Avast is just so big and bulky, either make it smaller or give it a reason to be so big, by makeing it more informative (IMHO).

Use silent mode for updates.

I can promise you 99% of people are not going to edit their avast4.ini file, it should be in a option dialog somewhere.

I can promise I'm on the 1% of these people.
Welcome to the most configurable antivirus round.
Just click 'Settings' in my signature to see more.

[Epsi]

With this I include a startup report made with Spybot - Search & Destroy v1.5 Beta.

And please I said IF Avast is crap I will use NOD32... Obviosly I'm still running Avast. and not NOD32. So stop Quoteing that part!!!

And I was talking of the download dialog, not the summary one. for that guy that posted the image.

And I dont want to FORCE myself to use silent mode. Also not all of us have fast internet, I live in a 3rd world country and over here internet is a luxery, and rather slow... and unstable... and expensive. thats why a more detailed download dialog would be nice.

[DavidR]

That guy speaking - For me the download and the summary are very much the same size, obviously I couldn't show that as there wasn't one when I did a manual check.

I supposedly live in a developed country and live in the Heart of England, but when it comes to telephone infrastructure the UK is way behind many so called developing countries. I still can't get broadband (too far from the exchange to get a reliable broadband connection), so I soldier on with a dial-up connection.

Silent mode won't improve the download speed that is constrained by your connection/download speed, so in which case you see no information at all (no download file size) to gage how long it might be..

[Epsi]

... so helpfull... and on topic... thank you.

[Tarq57]

Hi Epsi, I can tell you, from using 3 other AV's in the past, that the Avast definitions updates are as fast as any, and a lot faster than some. The update file is fairly small. The program updates, when they occur, are fairly large of course, but this is the case with any application.
I've been using it well over a year, no problems worth speaking of. (ie, couple of minor ones, that were solved easily.)

[Epsi]

...Again. Thanks... BUT THE UPDATE DIALOG IS NOT MY PROBLEM!!!

Every time I start my PC up, it auto logs into my account, since its the only account on the pc, since its my pc. Anyway then the only thing running ... or showing that its running in the bottom corner is Avast, my LAN connection, and my internert conections icons.

So then every time my pc starts up I have to log out and back in. When I log back in all the programs icons in the bottom right corner show up.

So evey time I turn my pc on I have to log out and back in. It's statring to get old fast.

Understand my problem now? I cant make it any more obvios.

[oldman]

You could try DavidR's suggestion about changing the update time in the ini file. This way you could eliminate or determine if the update process is somehow getting in the way of the other programs.

[Epsi]

I did updated the ini file yesterday. didnt work. Below is how my InetWD inside avast4.ini looks.
Did i do it wrong?

[InetWD]
UseRAS=1
AssumeAlwaysConnected=0
UpdatePeriod=240
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120

[DavidR]

That particular edit won't work as it is for broadband always on connections and not dial-up (see below).
[InetWD]
RASWaitSeconds=120

I suspect that this problem at start-up is unrelated to avast's auto update based on Epsi's comment (over here internet is a luxery, and rather slow... and unstable...and expensive.) is on dial-up, which I doubt connects automatically on boot. Like myself I only connect to the internet using dial-up when I want to collect email or browse and disconnect immediately.

@ Epsi
Personally I can't understand why it takes two boots/logons get all your icons in the system tray. If this were truly an avast issue then the problem would be consistent what you get on logon shouldn't change on subsequent logons.

You offered to tell us what other software is loaded when windows starts, so if you could list those for us ?

In the meantime I did a google search, http://www.google.com/search?q=icons+missing+from+system+tray+after+boot and that returns many hits. This missing icons from the system tray is a common issue with XP but not one associated with avast, usually missing icons are the avast ones killed by other security software.

These are just a few of those hits:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/01/04/system-tray-icon-missing-from-system-tray-in-windows-xp/
http://www.tech-pro.net/howto_013.html
http://www.techzonez.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-16911.html

[Epsi]

I already posted my statup list.

... I just think it's Avast cause it's the only icon in my taskbar... along with my LAN. So that is why I suspect Avast. I'll run some tests. find out what it is... maby it's like you said and has nothing to do with avast.

[Lisandro]

I already posted my statup list.

Well... there are quite some programs that could be delayed with Startup Delayer.
This freeware controls the windows startup that does not follow a strict order.