having problems updating avast 4.7

[plastermans]

hi Been using avast for some time now, however having problems updating avast 4.7 home addition.The update icon comming up red. Could some one give me some advise?

[rdmaloyjr]

Have you registered your copy of avast!?  avast! will update for only 60 days without registering.
http://www.avast.com/eng/home-registration.php

[rassel]

What did the red icon pop up write? Is the red icon writing that avast having problem with updating or cannot be updated?

[billigerent]

This has all the signs of a bug in a recent Avast prog update.

I've also used Avast for some time now and a variety of red 'cannot connect to update' error messages have been appearing for the last couple of weeks or so. I've also been asked by two other Avast users about this problem over the same time period.

Today my error message was: 'Cannot connect to download36.avast.com'

It's now happening on both of my recently re-installed XPpro partitions, and over the last few days I have re-installed Avast 3 times on both - without any resolution.  There are no blocked entries in my Firewall. Manual updates of both prog and vps work normally.

I noticed elsewhere that the New Comodo version is having the finger pointed at it. That could be so, but I am still using the same old Comodo v2.4.18.184 that has worked perfectly with Avast for a year. (I always avoid new versions of software until they have been fully shaken down!)

Interestingly, the problem is not happening on my old Win98se box, which is updating perfectly.

Thinking caps on boys?   

Regards,  Bill

[billigerent]

I think this problem may simply be the result of firewall blocking Windows XP Pro process: Svchost.exe (a generic host process name for services that run from DLLs).

Whilst many of the installed programs trying to update via Svchost.exe can be blocked to stop them 'phoning home', doing so for your AV updates is obviously going to produce a 'failed to update' error message.

When I fired up a few moments ago, Comodo popped up a new block of Svchost.exe access requests and 'Allowing' resulted in a normal Avast update and the blue update confirmation box.

I have no idea why this problem should suddenly have arisen with Avast, because mine was certainly updating OK before it started error messaging a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps there have been some changes to the way in which Avast updates??

There's more info on how to check the list of processes running under Svchost.exe here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314056

Regards,   Bill