Avast 4.8.1296 disables Spybot notification in Windows Security Center

[bnc1]

I have been using Avast Home edition 4.8.1229 for some time now on 4 different PC's. Yesterday I updated one system (Vista Ultimate x64) to Avast 4.8.1296. Everything seemed to be functional until I noticed that my Spybot antispyware was no longer listed in the Windows Security Center. Strange, so I checked my other systems that were still on 4.8.1229 and Spybot is listed correctly in the Windows Security Center. I tried several things to resolve the issue :

 Uninstall/reinstall of Spybot
 Repair of WMI repository (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=23457.msg193534#msg193534)
 Restart of Avast antivirus service (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=40016.0)

None of these did anything to bring back Spybot into the WSC. Next I tried another Avast upgrade to 4.8.1296, this time on a Vista Home Premium x32 system. Once again the same problem. Spybot was gone from the WSC even though it was active and the only changes made were the Avast upgrade. Finally I decided to uninstall Avast using aswClear.exe and walla.. Spybot reappears in WSC ! I then installed Avast 4.8.1296 fresh from a newly downloaded setupeng.exe and once again Spybot has disappeared from the WSC. 

[DavidR]

Well avast is anti-spyware certified as well, so  in Vista Security Center could also be recognised as an anti-spyware application also. But it isn't avast that changes the VSC settings but the Vista Security Center.

You say that Spybot disappears from the VSC but you don't say if avast actually appears as the anti-spyware, if so the above reason is the likely cause. I can't recall how long this anti-spyware certification has been in Vista but I believe it pre-dated 4.8.1229.

[bnc1]

Avast is listed in the WSC under antiSpyware in both 4.8.1296 and 4.8.1229 with one noticeable difference.

 in 4.8.1229 it shows :

  avast! antivirus 4.8.1229 [VPS-081129-0]

 in 4.8.1296 it just shows :

  avast! antivirus

In my view the evidence is clear that Avast 4.8.1296 has a problem with the WSC, especially since this change was listed in the program revision history http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-4-home_pro-revision-history.html

added support for the Windows Security Center in Vista SP1 (new API)

  Certainly not the worst problem by far, but it should be fixed at some point (perhaps the new API is the issue ??) I am not the only user to observe similar issues . See http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=40284.0

This only happened after the newest update for me,so it is not a microsoft bug because it was not doing this before the program update to 4.8.1290.How can we fix this?anyone knowknow

[bnc1]

 

[DavidR]

Well your evidence such as it is isn't related to your topic Title that avast disables spybot notification in Windows Security Center. Nor was it introduced in 4.8.1296, the added support for the Windows Security Center in Vista SP1 (new API) was introduced in 4.8.1282.

There have been changes in the WSC API which by all accounts are causing problems, a forum link http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=40037.msg335369#msg3353695 has been mentioned as a very poor piece of coding, polite interpretation

As your final quote also indicates this problem occurred after the update to 4.8.1290, which is strange because the change to the added support for Vista SP1 API was in the 4.8.1282, so again strange and inconsistent.

[bnc1]

Posted by: DavidR 
Well your evidence such as it is isn't related to your topic Title that avast disables spybot notification in Windows Security Center. Nor was it introduced in 4.8.1296, the added support for the Windows Security Center in Vista SP1 (new API) was introduced in 4.8.1282.

Huh ??  ..you are clearly missing the obvious. What difference does it make exactly when the added support for the new WSC Vista SP1 API occurred ? Whether it was 4.8.1282 or 4.8.1296 is totally irrelevant. The bottom line is when I installed 4.8.1296 I noticed a problem. I researched these forums and tried to fix it and reported my findings. Blame someone else if you want to, but remember in my case, the WSC Spybot entry reappeared only after I uninstalled Avast 4.8.1296. As I stated in my previous post,

 I am not the only user to observe similar issues

Similar issues does not mean the exact same problem. In the post I linked to and the one you pointed out there is discussion of WSC issues with the new release of Avast. My post is adding more evidence to that issue. I repeat, the evidence is clear that Avast 4.8.1296/1290/1282 has a problem with the WSC. Instead of an intelligent discusssion of the issue at hand, you seem to want to diverge into minor irrelevant points. Very disappointing 

[ronnycopeh]

Just wanted to add that Superantispyware was listed until Avast remove it and placed itself there along with windows defender which is off. Not a biggie but just wonder why

[CharleyO]

***

Does it really matter what WSC reports as long as the your program (Spybot, SAS, etc) is up and running?

To me, the point being made here is null as I can not even remember the last time I looked at WSC.


***

[ronnycopeh]

I feel each to their own, It has a purpose, that the reason its there, some people have antivirus, etc but don't bother to update them. If something on my Pc I like to make sure its running right of disable it.

[Dwarden]

the question maybe lay: what API support is in Spybot S&D ? i assume the old one

maybe new (avast) vs old (SS&D) means one vanish ...