Avast Free Antivirus suddenly asks to restart my computer!

[bob3160]

I didn't say I thought it would work in 7.

You said it works in 10 and 11. I said: "Good to know. Might come in handy some day."

You didn't have to repeat yourself. I can read. Thank you very much.

Here's what you said" Good to know. Might come in handy some day. Doesn't seem to work on Win 7 though.
Avast is still looking for a screenshot.

[Rundvleeskroket]

I didn't say I thought it would work in 7.

You said it works in 10 and 11. I said: "Good to know. Might come in handy some day."

You didn't have to repeat yourself. I can read. Thank you very much.

Here's what you said" Good to know. Might come in handy some day. Doesn't seem to work on Win 7 though.
Avast is still looking for a screenshot.

I'll reiterate: I did not say I thought it might, or expected it to, work on 7. You misinterpreted. Let's call it a miscommunication and leave it at that.

[InvisibleMan]

Hello InvisibleMan, can you please share your logs? Send them via support tool and provide package ID or please copy and pack logs from c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log\ - feel free to send them directly to me: petr.blatny@avast.com
+I'm really sorry for your trouble, overseer should not cause reboots. It would be great to have your logs and check the cause.
Petr

@petr blatny

I restarted my computer. And it did it again right now!

I'm getting rid of this Overseer. That's it.

Also, it seems like it could triggered by updates of virus definitions.

But it never happened before. Why does computer suddenly require restarting every time I update virus definitions?

Is it because I use Windows 7 instead of most the modern one and nobody tested it on Windows 7? I don't know...

I don't really want to go into that trouble, since it's obviously Overseer.

But I will provide you with the confirmation:

1. Yes, it was Overseer. But I never said it caused reboots. It only caused Avast to update/fix itself silently and then Avast in its user interface told me I need to restart my computer.

How do I know it's Overseer?

I actually was checking the time of the last running of the Overseer's task  in Window's Task Scheduler: all several instances of this behavior happened within minutes of the last task running. Logic dictates: it was Overseer.

Additionally: ever since I disabled Overseer task and restarted my compuer (again), this problem got fixed!

2. What I suspect could be a reason:

Every instance of this behavior was accompanied by Avast Free Antivirus shortcut appearing on my destkop immediatelly!

I suspect, Overseer's new function is to "fix" the absence of the Avast Free Antivirus shorcut on my desktop,
when I prefer not to clutter my desktop with shortcuts I don't click on very often and keep all rarely used ones in a separate folder.

I suspect it's also because I have Windows 7, and I'm sure that Overseer (and Avast) isn't being tested on this OS all that well.

[petr blatny]

@InvisibleMan
thank you for more details, overseer probably triggers avast installer to repair the AV. We would like to help you and find out why reboot is required repeatedly, but we need to check your logs. Removed desktop shortcut is not a reason for restart, there should be something more in your case.
Logs can be found here:
setup: c:\ProgramData\AVG\Persistent Data\Antivirus\Logs\
ui and svc: c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log\
feel free to send them directly to petr.blatny@avast.com or share them via support tool.
Thank you

[InvisibleMan]

@InvisibleMan
thank you for more details, overseer probably triggers avast installer to repair the AV. We would like to help you and find out why reboot is required repeatedly, but we need to check your logs. Removed desktop shortcut is not a reason for restart, there should be something more in your case.
Logs can be found here:
setup: c:\ProgramData\AVG\Persistent Data\Antivirus\Logs\
ui and svc: c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log\
feel free to send them directly to petr.blatny@avast.com or share them via support tool.
Thank you

I don't have AVG. Only Avast Free.

What I found unusual and of relevance in the logs is this:

[2022-05-26 15:30:03.955] [info   ] [opm_window ] [ 3756: 4624] Constructing of 'toaster' (msg id: 'AVAST_AV_CAMPAIGN_TOASTER_FREE_FULLSCALE')' finished with result '0'.
[2022-05-26 15:30:03.957] [warning] [opm_client ] [ 3756: 4624] Show content by product failed.
[2022-05-26 15:30:03.957] [warning] [nl_client  ] [ 3756: 4624] The callee failed under reserve lock, the lock is canceled.
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.024] [info   ] [opm_client ] [ 3756: 4624] Opm change event arrived, placement 'toaster' count of message(s) '1'.
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.024] [info   ] [opm_client ] [ 3756: 4624] Show content for message id: 'AVAST_AV_CAMPAIGN_TOASTER_FREE_FULLSCALE'
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.024] [info   ] [nl_client  ] [ 3756: 4624] Reserve action 'toaster_limit' called.
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.025] [info   ] [nl_client  ] [ 3756: 4624] Reserve action - acknowledge request.
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.026] [info   ] [UI:Brows:1 ] [ 3756: 4624] WindowManager::ShowToaster request in Silent mode is IGNORED!
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.026] [info   ] [opm_window ] [ 3756: 4624] Constructing of 'toaster' (msg id: 'AVAST_AV_CAMPAIGN_TOASTER_FREE_FULLSCALE')' finished with result '0'.
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.026] [warning] [opm_client ] [ 3756: 4624] Show content by product failed.
[2022-05-26 15:30:04.026] [warning] [nl_client  ] [ 3756: 4624] The callee failed under reserve lock, the lock is canceled.

It clearly tried to show me some pop-up message I think, but failed to do so.

Could a failure to show some advertisement pop-up be a reason for the Overseer to try to repair the program?

(The failure itself could be related to me blocking internet access to AvastUI ever since in the past it began nagging me with ads about paid versions I don't have spare money for. But in the past it didn't cause Overseer to try to repair the program.)

[petr blatny]

Hello @InvisibleMan, Avast path is: c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\
And a blocked popup is not a reason for reboot or a trigger for overseer to ask for a repair. Blocking Internet access to Avast UI could not cause that neither.
Btw, we did some changes to overseer, is the restart still triggered in you case?

Petr

[InvisibleMan]

Hello @InvisibleMan, Avast path is: c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\
And a blocked popup is not a reason for reboot or a trigger for overseer to ask for a repair. Blocking Internet access to Avast UI could not cause that neither.
Btw, we did some changes to overseer, is the restart still triggered in you case?

Petr

Ah, that's it!

In this directory I found different log files than in the one you gave me previously.

And one file was last updated just recently (2022-05-23), when I had to restart my computer for the very last time, before I disabled Overseer.

It's called AvEmUpdate.log

Here are the last portion of the log on "pastebin",
which inludes ALL those reboots it caused me, related to this update file

Code: [Select]

C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast\setup\auup697.exe
Last log entries: https://pastebin.com/brmtVgrm

It looks like it tried to apply the same exact update

Code: [Select]

http://uupdate.avast.com/files/emupdate/avast_21_r8_697.cabfor three times and all three times the application requested me to reboot my computer (and re-created an avast shortcut on my desktop which I didn't need).

Hopefully that should help you to identify what was going on. 

Btw, we did some changes to overseer, is the restart still triggered in you case?

I didn't risk to enable it just yet. But if the relevant logs you helped me to find above will confirm that the changes you made to overseer should stop it from applying the same update more than one time within a few days, please let me know, so I can enable Overseer task back to test it.

P.S. Maybe it's not even overseer issue? Maybe it's an Emergency update issue?
The thing is, I disabeld BOTH tasks in Task Scheduler, including Overseer and Emergency update (just in case) to stop my avast from requesting those reboots.

[srajer]

Hello @InvisibleMan

can you please upload following log files (if they exist)?

c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log.old
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log.old

Thanks, Roman

[InvisibleMan]

Hello @InvisibleMan

can you please upload following log files (if they exist)?

c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log.old
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log.old

Thanks, Roman

Hello.
Only three of those are in that folder.

I sent you a private message with a link on google drive to a ZIP archive with them.

[srajer]

Hello @InvisibleMan

can you please upload following log files (if they exist)?

c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log.old
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log.old

Thanks, Roman

Hello.
Only three of those are in that folder.

I sent you a private message with a link on google drive to a ZIP archive with them.

Thank you. I can see in Update.log.old that multiple repairs were started. Avast Free Antivirus.lnk was re-created. But none of the repairs led to require reboot.
Can you please also upload the whole directory

c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log\

Roman

[InvisibleMan]

Hello @InvisibleMan

can you please upload following log files (if they exist)?

c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Setup.log.old
c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs\Update.log.old

Thanks, Roman

Hello.
Only three of those are in that folder.

I sent you a private message with a link on google drive to a ZIP archive with them.

Thank you. I can see in Update.log.old that multiple repairs were started. Avast Free Antivirus.lnk was re-created. But none of the repairs led to require reboot.
Can you please also upload the whole directory

c:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log\

Roman

I think you misunderstood. I didn't get a pop-up that prompted me to reboot.

It's just I manually opened the program's GUI interface to see what's going on whenever I saw Avast Free Antivirus.lnk appear on my desktop.

The program had this text shown in its main window, that was similar to this:

Code: [Select]

You are still protected, but you should reboot as soon as possible.After each reboot that text disappeared for a while.

Are you completely sure that this kind of behavior is impossible on Windows 7 SP1 and Avast Free v21.8 ?

I don't want to send that folder with logs, since I notice in some of those files information that I consider private.

And I really don't think those would help you anyway.

I have a question about what you said

I can see in Update.log.old that multiple repairs were started.

Why exactly among those repairs it applied the same looking update for THREE times?
This update:

Code: [Select]

http://uupdate.avast.com/files/emupdate/avast_21_r8_697.cabIt definitely tried to install the same update within a few days.

Was it supposed to be like that?

It's not even a question about reboot prompts anymore.

In any case, after getting rid of emergency updater and overseer tasks, everything works as expected now on my computer.