Avast 5 causes Windows XP to hang on start up, system tray doesn't load

[Dch48]

Well, as I say, to each his own.

Personally, I want my anti-virus software to be the first load.
The whole idea being that it is suppose to protect me from start up.
But, whatever floats your boat.

You're not going to be exposed to anything until startup has completed and you take your first actions anyway so the order is really irrelevant.

A boot scan is a completely different animal and is only effective or even needed after an infection has already occurred
Well, I disagree with this statement, and there are plenty of "boot scans" that would also disagree, but like
I said, whatever you feel comfortable with.

[PapaSmurf]

Well, as I say, to each his own.

Personally, I want my anti-virus software to be the first load.
The whole idea being that it is suppose to protect me from start up.
But, whatever floats your boat.

You're not going to be exposed to anything until startup has completed and you take your first actions anyway so the order is really irrelevant.

A boot scan is a completely different animal and is only effective or even needed after an infection has already occurred
Well, I disagree with this statement, and there are plenty of "boot scans" that would also disagree, but like
I said, whatever you feel comfortable with.

There are plenty of nasties that HAPPEN at startup...it is the very action of...STARTUP..that..well..starts them up.
Why would you NOT want your protection to be the first thing to start? I am open to ideas as to why, I just cannot imagine any.

[Dch48]

There actually is no way to make Avast! be the first thing that starts. It obviously can't run until the essential parts of the OS that make it even possible to load have been started.

[PapaSmurf]

There actually is no way to make Avast! be the first thing that starts. It obviously can't run until the essential parts of the OS that make it even possible to load have been started.

Ok, maybe I misunderstood. After the computer powers up, after the bios loads, after the OS and its' vital services load, avast should load, unless you have a software firewall that you wish to load before avast, then it would be power, bios, OS+services, firewall, then avast.

Or, for those of us who think the computer starts after we see desktop, avast should load after the desktop.
 

[Dch48]

There actually is no way to make Avast! be the first thing that starts. It obviously can't run until the essential parts of the OS that make it even possible to load have been started.

Ok, maybe I misunderstood. After the computer powers up, after the bios loads, after the OS and its' vital services load, avast should load,

I think that is how it behaves if you select the delay option. the XP problem stems from things trying to load all at once.