Version 5.0.545 Back in the Blue Screen Business SYMSNAP.SYS

[krgoodwin]

I am experiencing blue screens when avast Internet Security 5.0.545 starts up.  The blue screen mentions Symsnap.sys  Version 5.0.545 ran for a day after updating from whatever was the previous version, then this morning started the blue screens with 100% regularity after each and every restart.  I uninstalled .545, reinstalled 5.0.394 (the last saved version I have); it ran fine as it always did, so reinstalled .545; it ran for fine for a few hours and now I am back to the blue screens although not with a 100% occurrence rate (seems to come in from left field at this stage).  Just sent a note to support.  Obviously I have the last memory dump from the last blue screen.  Is it possible to get the full install version just prior to .545 if this starts getting to the point that I have to un-install .545 again and revert to a previous version (none of which since 5.0.393 have caused any problems)?  There have been no configuration changes (new hardware) other than the nominal Windows Vista 32-bit updates.

[krgoodwin]

A search on symsnap.sys indicates that this is a Symantec file (??).  The only Symantec program I run is Norton Ghost Version 14 which I've been running for years.  I do have Norton Ghost/Agent/VProTray.exe in the startup which I would guess gets started just before avast Internet Security.  Since I have taken the Norton agent out of the Startup menu in years past, I will remove it from the startup sequence and see if that gives me any platform stability.  My un-educated guess is that there is a problem between 5.0.545 and Norton Ghost Version 14 that just started with 5.0.545.  I have not had any problems since avast version 5.0.392.

[DavidR]

I kind of hope that this isn't anything to do with ghost as I would like to think that they all don't use the same driver name.

Check out these links for removing remnants of Norton and see if that makes any difference.
A link worth looking at, which is a program removal tool that can remove the remnants of a number of different Norton Programs:
Removing your Norton program using SymNRT
Or ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe

Edit:
It seems that it is part of ghost and it has many google hist for being involved in BSODs.

"Symsnap.sys" is a driver that is responsible for taking "system snapshots" as part of Symantec/Norton Ghost or similar.

Some of those are on forums where an av is also mentioned so I don't know if it is a conflict of drivers. See http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/913824.html, where after uninstalling Ghost no bsod, but that isn't ideal as you would be losing your image backup. You could try uninstalling it and rebooting to see if the system is stable and then reinstall it.

I don't know what version of ghost you are using or if an update might resolve this.

[Hermite15]

interesting business (sorry I had to do it)
http://www.bbspot.com/News/2002/10/bsod_ads.html

[krgoodwin]

What I find amusing is that the last time I saw BSODs was back in the days of Windows 95 but avast has brought them back from dead. When Version 5 was initially released, they became a very common occurrence and forced me to revert back to Version 4 until the problems were resolved.

The crux of the problem is an apparent conflict between avast and Norton that just started with avast version .545  I've removed the Norton Ghost 14 startup monitor program (I'm savvy enough to know when I need to do a back-up) which might avoid the conflict at start-up (which is when it is happening).  I surely can not withstand a crash during a back-up operation however.  I maintain three levels of backup and have no desire to re-do my backup operations and protocols.  If I want to waste another three hours of my life, I guess I can un-install Ghost 14 and go thru the Norton clean-up programs that have been mentioned.  I have had Norton products installed over the last 20 years but I doubt if any of the left-overs are executing and causing the BSODs.

That is the other situation that I find amusing.  I was a long-time Norton customer but after many years of using their products, I came to the conclusion that they were causing far more problems then they were solving so I switched to avast since on some of my other computers, version 4 worked without a single problem.  With the advent of version 5 however, avast seems to be getting into the Norton business of causing more problems then they are solving.  But I will also admit that the open development environment of Windows is probably the root of the problem.

[krgoodwin]

Well removing the Norton start up program doesn't work since I just experienced another BSOD.  I see that SymSnapService (Symantec Snapshot Service) is an invoked process regardless of the startup programs so Ghost must be doing something even without its monitor program running.  Of course there is no basis for assuming avast .545 is the source of the conflict but when I was experiencing BSOD everytime I restarted the computer, uninstalling .545 stopped the BSODs so I naturally assumed that was the root of the problem.

Any way of getting a copy of the avast Internet Security version before .545?  I have versions .392 and .393 but no version beyond those versions.

[YoKenny]

Go to PROFILE then Modify Profile then Forum Profile Information then Signature: and put information about your system just like my signature about your system just like my signature so that the helpers can offer pertinent advice.

DavidR an avast! Überevangelist has this information in his signature.

In Account Related Settings select Hide email address from public to prevent scammers and spammers harvesting your comcast.net email address.

[DavidR]

@ krgoodwin
If you haven't had an Norton AV products in this system, then I wouldn't bother with the various Norton removal tools.

Just removing the Ghost entry from the startup is unlikely to stop the low level driver from being loaded. Since your version of Ghost is designed to be resident that will start the low level driver (outside of any startup entry). It is a little like disabling a resident AV, the low level drivers are still installed and it is these low level drivers that conflict.

You could try this first:
From the avastUI, click Settings, Troubleshooting section, check the 'Load avast! services only after loading other system services' and see if that makes a difference, see image. I'm not too hopeful as this only delays avast by a small margin and only after windows system services and possibly not after this driver.

[Gopher John]

Well removing the Norton start up program doesn't work since I just experienced another BSOD.  I see that SymSnapService (Symantec Snapshot Service) is an invoked process regardless of the startup programs so Ghost must be doing something even without its monitor program running.

AutoRuns is a nice Microsoft utility that shows what is loaded and how.  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx  Download link is near the bottom of the page.

[darth]

any and just about all in formation about your os will be contained in the free utility SIW. example from product key to a-z. view http://www.gtopala.com/.

[krgoodwin]

Avast will correct the problem in the next release to Version 5.0.545  I was told most Windows applications can handle the avast error but Norton Ghost's SYMSNAP crashes.  I am running an earlier version which works fine with Norton Ghost and will await the update to 5.0.545