Avast 5 won't scan memory

[igor]

I'd need to see a dump - to find out why it crashes. I'm not sure if it will work, but if possible, could you please try the following?

1. Disable avast! self defense (avast! settings / troubleshooting)
2. Download ProcDump from here: http://technet.microsoft.com/cs-cz/sysinternals/dd996900(en-us).aspx
3. Extract it somewhere, and run the following command from the command line:
procdump .exe -e -ma AvastSvc.exe
4. Now run the scan that will crash the process

Hopefully, the dump (called AvastSvc.dmp) will be created... if yes, please compress it and upload it to

Code: [Select]

ftp://ftp.avast.com/incoming

[taffy44]

Sorry for taking so long to reply, I have been working all day.

I disabled avast! self defense, downloaded Procdump and extracted it to my desktop. The only problem now though is that it won't open up for me. I press 'run' and the command line box opens up for a split second and then closes. Am I doing something wrong 

[igor]

It's a command-line tool - so if you simply start it, it probably just complains that you didn't supply any command-line arguments and exits (which closes the console).

I'd suggest to extract procdump somewhere else (C:\Procdump folder, for example - you can delete it later)
Then press Win+R and enter (or copy&paste): c:\Procdump\procdump .exe -e -ma AvastSvc.exe

Or, another possibility - you can rightclick on the procdump you have on desktop and select "Create shortcut". Another shortcut to that tool appears; rightclick on it, choose Properties and append the command line switches to the "Target". This shortcut should then work as expected.

[taffy44]

Okay, I followed your last instructions to the letter then attempted a scan which crashed the process. Am I expected to see this AvastSvc.dmp in the same place as the mini dumps i.e.."C:\ProgramData\ALWIL Software\Avast5\Log"? If so, then it is not there.

[igor]

No, not there.
I'd guess in the same folder as ProcDump.exe. If not, I'd look into the folder where AvastSvc.exe is located (i.e. avast! installation folder).

[taffy44]

No, it's not in either of those locations 

[igor]

OK, what if you try again, and specify an additional command-line argument - the dump file location. For example:
c:\Procdump\procdump .exe -e -ma AvastSvc.exe C:\AvastSvc.dmp
(now I assume that your account has rights to write to C:\).

[taffy44]

Yes, I do have rights to write to C:\

I'm still not getting any sign of the dump.

Can I just confirm one thing with you...

When I type c:\Procdump\procdump .exe -e -ma AvastSvc.exe into the 'run' box and press enter, should the command line console open up or is it normal for it to still open and close quickly, because that is what is happening and it is not giving me enough time to read what is written inside it.

[igor]

It should stay open - until the dump is written.
Damn, there shouldn't be the space between "procdump" and ".exe", of course... don't know how it got there.

[taffy44]

Okay, I got rid of the gap between procdump and .exe and tried running it again. It still opened and closed quickly but this time I was able to read what it said inside the console...

" Error opening AvastSvc.exe (3836)
Access is denied "

[igor]

Did you disable avast! self-defense first?
Furthermore - are you logged-on as an administrator? (If not, it might be necessary to use "Run as" to start procdump that way)

[taffy44]

Okay, I decide to take drastic action...

I re-installed Windows 7 (I'd only had it since Christmas, so there wasn't too much to back-up) and unplugged most of the hardware connected to my pc. I re-installed Avast 5 and everything is working fine now, brilliant!!

Therefore, it means that something on my computer, either software or hardware, was obviously conflicting with the Avast memory scan.

I will spend the next few days gradually re-installing all the software and hardware that I had on my pc prior to the Windows 7 re-install and will attempt a memory scan after each install until I hopefully find the culprit. I will then report back with my findings, in case someone else has the same problems that I had.

In the meantime, I would like to thank everyone who offered help, especially Igor, for your time and patience.

[igor]

Well, that's a pity... this way we won't find out if there's a bug in the engine... 

[taffy44]

Update...

By re-installing all the programs on my pc and testing the memory scan with Avast 5 after each program, I have discovered that it was Webroot's SpySweeper, latest version(6.1.0.145), that was causing Avast to crash when attempting a memory scan. I uninstalled SpySweeper and the memory was scanned without any problems.

My subscription to SpySweeper runs out in a couple of months and I had already decided not to renew it due to having 4 other antispyware programs installed (SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, Adaware and Windows Defender), so I have left it uninstalled.

If you want me to re-install it to do tests, let me know.

P.S It is the basic version of SpySweeper, just anti spyware and not antivirus, and I had the real time protection disabled. Only used it as an on-demand scanner.