avast! service stopped working ever since of avast! Free Anti-Virus 5

[Roley]

Dear avast!

I had been an avast! user for many months now and I am very satisfied with the product. Today, when I heard of avast! 5 being released, I quickly downloaded it and let it remove avast! 4.8 and install avast! 5.

After Restarting the computer, as requested by Avast!, I get introduced to the new avast! icon. The problem? It now has a terrifying X on the bottom left corner of the icon, saying

Code: [Select]

avast! Antivirus: WARNING, your system is UNSECURED.
I double click the icon, and it says the following:

Code: [Select]

The avast! antivirus program has been stopped, or is in an inconsistent state. Please re-start the program to resume protecting your system.
I click the Start Program button, but nothing happens. I also click the FIX NOW button on the top of the window, and nothing still happens. My avast! doesn't work now, and I am now afraid to be going on the Internet, knowing that I am not fully protected anymore.

What should I do? How can I fix this? Please let me know, I have no idea what to do, and I never had this problem with avast! 4.8

Thank You,
-Roley


P.S.: I took a screenshot of how does avast! look like on my computer as of January 19, 2010, 6:04 PM in GMT-5 (Canadian Eastern) Time. Please follow the TinyPic link posted below:

http://i45.tinypic.com/2il0tno.png

Please reply ASAP. I love avast!, and I want to continue to love it  :'(

[GS25]

Yea, I am having the same problem. I am using Windows XP SP3.

[Jack 1000]

I don't have Version 5.  But my guess would be that you should register the product.  After you get your license key entered, you should get the updates for the program. (Whatever you need to do to get the updated definitions.)  I am pretty sure that once connected to the Internet, and you have your license key, the definitions should automatically get updated each day.



Jack

[Vlk]

Looks like a corrupted install. Did you try to Repair the installation? (and/or try again installing it)

[dawags]

Had the same problem. I wound up uninstalling v5. Then download uninstaller to desktop.Get it here:http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility.
Follow the instructions on the page(make sure to use safe mode as it says). After rebooting,download v5 again and install. There's maybe another way, but this worked for me on my netbook with  XP sp3. As to the registration mentioned earler, it wouldn't let you do that either when you try to install over 4.8.

[GS25]

Okay I got this working.
I shut down Avast and then went to Control Panel - Add Remove programs - Avast and then selected Update.
After update I restarted Avast and then selected Fix now and Start Programs button and waited a couple of seconds.
Now program runs fine.

[Roley]

I don't have Version 5.  But my guess would be that you should register the product.  After you get your license key entered, you should get the updates for the program. (Whatever you need to do to get the updated definitions.)  I am pretty sure that once connected to the Internet, and you have your license key, the definitions should automatically get updated each day.



Jack

Hello, Jack.

The product is already registered ever since of avast! 4.8. This is what the Registration Panel looks like (follow TinyPic link posted below)

http://i48.tinypic.com/zjuv5c.png

I assume 01/12/2010 means January 1 2010, correct?

Moreover, I am not able to update the Virus Database or Engine (VPS) or the Program as it will say that the avast! service is currently not running.

Looks like a corrupted install. Did you try to Repair the installation? (and/or try again installing it)

Well, I can try uninstalling it and then re-installing it. However, instead of using the avast! uninstaller utility and booting up Safe Mode, is it okay if I use Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and simply remove avast!? Or shall that leave damage to the PC?

Okay I got this working.
I shut down Avast and then went to Control Panel - Add Remove programs - Avast and then selected Update.
After update I restarted Avast and then selected Fix now and Start Programs button and waited a couple of seconds.
Now program runs fine.

I hope you don't mind, but can you make step-by-step instructions in how to do what you had done to make avast! work again?

[Lisandro]

I assume 01/12/2010 means January 1 2010, correct?

January 12 2010.

Moreover, I am not able to update the Virus Database or Engine (VPS) or the Program as it will say that the avast! service is currently not running.

Hmmm... did you try to repair your installlation? Any other antivirus in this computer?

Well, I can try uninstalling it and then re-installing it. However, instead of using the avast! uninstaller utility and booting up Safe Mode, is it okay if I use Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and simply remove avast!? Or shall that leave damage to the PC?

It's ok.

I hope you don't mind, but can you make step-by-step instructions in how to do what you had done to make avast! work again?

Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove programs > avast! antivirus > Remove. Then choose Repair function in the popup window (Repair).
If this does not help, can you uninstall / boot / install / boot again?

[Roley]

Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove programs > avast! antivirus > Remove. Then choose Repair function in the popup window (Repair).
If this does not help, can you uninstall / boot / install / boot again?

Thank you so much! I did the Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > avast! > Remove > Repair , and avast! started working and the database was updated. Thank you so much!

Also, I don't think the expiration date for my current registration is January 12, 2010, because it still says that its Registered.

[Lisandro]

You're welcome. Feel free to come back any time you need help or just to change experiences

Also, I don't think the expiration date for my current registration is January 12, 2010, because it still says that its Registered.

You can register avast 5 by its own interface: Maintenance > registration (if I'm not wrong).

[Roley]

Well there are a few more things which concern me with avast!

When I go to Scan Computer > Scan Now, the screen looks like this:

http://i47.tinypic.com/w8ap1c.png

And, under the real-time shields tab, IM Shield, P2P Shield, and File System Shield doesn't seem to be working, as their protection status all say UNKNOWN, and when I click the Start button, I get a window saying "Unable to start <Shield Type> Shield! Shield Unreachable."

Lastly, when I go to Maintenance > Update, I try to manually update the Engine and Virus Definitions or the Program, but the updating process gets stuck on the 1st step "Initializing, Please Wait.". It does not proceed to the next step and I tried to wait for a minute and is still frozen at the same step.

I did not restart the computer ever since of the repairing of the installation. Should I try restarting?


Please and Thank You,

-Roley

EDIT: Okay I found another problem. Whenever I right click a file and try to scan that single file with avast!, The scanning window will pop up, but no scan will occur. Is my avast! still corrupt?


EDIT 2: After restarting the computer, the scan now window is now seen with icons and texts, as it is supposed to be. Also, the single/manual selected area scan is now working perfectly. The 3 shields I mentioned before still don't work, but its okay, because at least the main, essential avast! shields are working perfectly. Well, after struggling for about an hour to an hour and a half, I can finally say that avast! 5 works perfectly and awesomer than ever. Thank you, Alwil Co.!

[Lisandro]

I did not restart the computer ever since of the repairing of the installation. Should I try restarting?

Yeah boot right now.

[sm2345]

Hello. I have the same problem as mentioned in this thread. I also get the same error on installing avast 5. In addition, if I try to start the avast service from services.msc, it gives the error:

"Error 1053: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion."

I have XP Service Pack 3. I tried the following:
1. Repaired the program from Control Panel-> Add or Remove Programs, and then restarted.
2. Uninstalled it from Control Panel, and then downlaoded the setup file again, restarted, reinstalled & again restarted my pc.

Still I cannot get avast to work.  When I click "Fix Now" in the main window, there is hard disk activity for a few seconds and then nothing happens.
I had no problems with 4.8, and avast is the best antivirus I've ever seen. I have been using it for the past 3 years without any problems and this is my first time encountering one.

I would be glad if someone helped me out. Thanks in advance.


EDIT:
Got avast 5 working.
1. First uninstall Avast 4 completely form your system using the aswclear utility or from Add/Remove programs BEFORE trying to install Avast 5. Do not upgrade directly from avast 4.8.
2. Then install avast 5, it should work fine.

[lon]

No i give up now, nothing here works for me. 4.8 still the best but i cannot go on unprotected and i have no choice than to move on to something else for protection. Avast were always the best , but it seems to me that it became an IT job to install 5. 

[Classic]

wow, so I'm not the only one having this problem. How are they going to harass you to buy the pro version and then make upgrading such a pain in the ass? This is ridiculous.