Resident scanner is disabled on it's own

[harry123]

Hi all.
I m  new to this forum. I need a  little help. I have an avast 4.8 home edition. My resident scanner always remains disabled, no matter how many times i enable it and set it to high. The icon is also not displayed in the system tray.
I have uninstalled it many times and installed by downloading new installation file but it didn,t help. My avast doesnot even automatically update itself when connected to net. I don't know whether it is a new virus or whatever. I m really worried. Please somebody help.

Thanks in advance.

[DavidR]

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

What is your firewall ?

avast! icon missing - As a temporary measure until this is resolved you can create a desktop shortcut for this file C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashDisp.exe (the avast icon and interface to the providers).  Right click on the file and select Send To, Desktop (create shortcut). You will need to run this after each boot until the problem is resolved.

What other security based software do you have that might block new startup entries, e.g. Spybot S&D (TeaTimer), AdAware (AdWatch), SpySweeper, Spyware Doctor (StartUpGuard or OnGuard), PrevX, WinPatrol, ProcessGuard, etc. ?

Check the option in the Appearance tab of Program Settings. Or Make a link to ashdisp.exe in your startup folder.

[harry123]

Thanks but i m sorry to say that i have tried all these options. Also my tune up start up manager has a (avast service GUI component) option. i also don't have any other AV installed. Few days back my avast key expired.. after registering with the new key, this problem started..
please suggest some other option.
Thanks
Harry

[DavidR]

The other questions are more important than the options I gave as they are likely to be the cause of the problem which would re-occur on reboot.

I didn't just ask if you have another AV installed but also what other AVs that you have previously had installed as these have a monotonous habit of leaving behind and this can cause this ?

The question about other software, tune-up you say has an entry for the avast GUI (ashDisp.exe?), delete that entry as on occasion even items that are allowed are mysteriously blocked) and reboot. I would have though it would ask again if that is OK answer yes.

You didn't say what your firewall is,
We ask questions so we can get a better understanding of the problem and its possible cause, without answers we are in the dark and unable to suggest anything.

[harry123]

Thanks for ur reply. I have this avast from the last 6-7 months and no other AV has been installed from, i last formatted my PC. So there r no traces of other AVs.
I have no other Firewall, just the windiws fire wall. I wud again like to tell that it was working fine until i last entered the new registration key. My virus chest is also not working well. It gives the message

Initialization of Chest files

Action was completed with errors!

Initialization of Chest files
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program will try to load all Chest files from the following server: (null)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action was completed with errors!

My AV doesnot even update automatically when i connect to net, it always used to do it earlier. It can take manual updates. I have again tried to uninstall it in safe mode using the uninstall utility, and then again reinstalling it but all in vain. Also i have defragmented the registry... but no use.

[jquin3]

Hi, I also have more or less the same problem as you. I had the free Avast Home installed for several months now and had no problems with it except about 2 weeks ago. All of a sudden the avast icon  and vdrb icons are missing from the tray and so no background antivirus service. I can still call up the Avast antivirus except same as you the resident scanner is always disabled even if I move it to high. Had the same problem with the chest. I uninstalled, used the avast cleaner, remove all registry keys and reinstalled and still same problem. I'm sure I removed all traces of previous entries of earlier antivirus (Avira) before I installed Avast months ago. I tried again to uninstall avast and reinstall Avira but it has the same problem. It will not run in background. Its like something is blocking the antivirus background scanner or service from starting. When I try to manually start the service via the Administration tool, services tab, it wont start also. It may be a deep seated virus, I dont know but so far nobody has been able to help me. I may do a reformat and reinstall of windows soon.

[DavidR]

@ jquin3
- Please start a New Topic of your own as this seems different to the original posters problem and will just confuse the topic and we will try to help.  - Go to this link, http://forum.avast.com/index.php, scroll down to the avast! 4 Home/Pro forum and click it, click the New Topic button at the top of the list and post there.

[DavidR]

What is your operating system ?

<snip>
I wud again like to tell that it was working fine until i last entered the new registration key. My virus chest is also not working well. It gives the message

Initialization of Chest files
Action was completed with errors!
Initialization of Chest files
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program will try to load all Chest files from the following server: (null)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action was completed with errors!

My AV doesnot even update automatically when i connect to net, it always used to do it earlier. It can take manual updates. I have again tried to uninstall it in safe mode using the uninstall utility, and then again reinstalling it but all in vain. Also i have defragmented the registry... but no use.

I'm at a loss as to what to suggest as you have tried a clean install yet that hasn't resolved it (as it commonly does).

Since the manual update works and you only have the windows firewall which doesn't check outbound protection (XP firewall, the Vista firewall has the outbound checking disabled by default).

How do you connect to the internet, broadband or dial-up ?

Check the avast Program Settings, Updating (Connections) and check only the option that you use to connect either, Dial-up or permanently connected. Next click the Proxy button... set that to Direct connection (no proxy) assuming that you don't have to use a proxy to connect (do you ?).

The only other thing that I can suggest is to do another clean reinstall but first uninstall tune-up start up manager.

Download the latest version of avast http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall. Ensure that you scroll down and select the avast direct download link for the English version and not Cnet as that is for an on-line installation (not what you want to do).

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

• 1. Now uninstall (using add remove programs, if you can't do that start from the next step), reboot.
• 2. run the avast! Uninstall Utility, reboot.  If step 1 failed it may be necessary to run this from safe mode, once complete reboot into normal mode.
• 3. install the latest version, reboot.

[corneliusism]

dear davidR

I'm also getting the same problem like our friends from the Phillipines and India.
Reinstalled and cleaned....so on....but it's not solved any of these problems....
yesterday it was working, updated virus database....and today it just don't want to work since than....
So i guess it was something in the update or i have no idea.....
no conflict with other virus killers.....it killed itself....well it is a free stuff....
but i think tomorrow you will get hundreds of mails like ours....
so i think don't try to find the problem in our computers ..... it is in the avast software....

becool,peace,love

[DavidR]

I'm sorry but there are some other things going on with this original poster problem, it simply gets too confusing to follow with multiple people jumping on the same topic. So all I can suggest to you is either follow what is suggested on this topic or create one on your own.

The free version is essentially the sane underlying code as the pro version so it isn't because it is free, and I have been using the free version for over five years without this happening. Believe me when I say that with millions of avast home users, if this were truly an avast free issue these forums would be absolutely buzzing. So far we aren't seeing that so I won't speculate on the figures for tomorrow.

[harry123]

Hi David
thanks again for ur co-operation. I have a windows XP SP-3 installed.
I think there is a virus in my system.
Pls suggest, do i need to re format my c:?
I have tried the solution u suggested in ur last reply but it also doesn't work.

Harry

[DavidR]

Format is an option of last resort and this isn't it. If whatever is causing the problem is replicated after the format and reinstall then you will have achieved nothing, since we didn't identify the cause.

When you say avast is disabled what exactly do you mean by that ?

The icon not being displayed doesn't necessarily mean avast is disabled as the icon isn't part of the protection.

- What avast processes are running in Task Manager, they begin with ash or asw, see image ?

If you haven't already got this software (freeware), download, install, update and run it and report the findings (it should product a log file).

• 1.  MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, On-Demand only in free version http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/malwarebytes/mbam-setup.exe, right click on the link and select Save As or Save File (As depending on your browser), save it to a location where you can find it easily later.
• 2. SUPERantispyware On-Demand only in free version.

[harry123]

I installed mallwarebytes and this is the log file.

[DavidR]

Whilst this looks bad at first glance it is in fact good news as the one infection (c:\documents and settings\Your User Name\svchost.exe) is responsible for all of this.

The Registry Keys Infected: 91 entry is just what it is trying to block 91 possible security applications to prevent them running and possibly running to be able to detect/block/kill it.

It also disables the windows security centers reporting of when your security applications are disabled.

So try doing a manual update and it should update.

[harry123]

I can do a manual update. but this is not the remedy to the problem.
Please sujjest how to remove that infection through it's root.