Windows 7 hangs after upgrade from Free to Internet Suite

[SammyKitty]

After it read the license key file and downloaded and installed the Internet Suite upgrade code, Avast Free requested a restart of Windows 7 Home Premium.

I restarted the computer, and it hangs prior to the desktop displaying.

After quite awhile, I get a "Windows didn't start properly" error message and Windows tries to do a System Repair.

It will restart to the desktop in "Safe Mode", but not "Safe Mode With Networking".

I've had to go back to the previous Restore Point that has Avast Free.

It doesn't matter whether I upgrade using the license key, or install from the CD (after uninstalling Free), it always hangs.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[SafeSurf]

Welcome to the forum SammyKitty. 

Were you having any problems with your machine prior to this happening? 

Some questions for you:
1.   What is your OS, 32 or 64-bit?
2.   What version of Avast did you have on your machine prior to this?  5.0.594? 
3.   What other security software do you currently have or did you have in the past on this machine including antivirus (AV), firewall (FW), and other security programs (resident and on-demand)?  If they were in the past, how did you remove them (the vendor's uninstaller's tool or another way)?  Make sure you do not have another FW on if you are using the AIS FW.
4.   When was the last time you did any kind of scan in Avast, and if were you clean?

I suggest that you uninstall Avast and do a clean install of AIS:

1. Save a copy of newest version of Avast (5.0.594) for the version you need and save it to your HDD:
AIS  –  http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_ais.exe
2. Download the Avast Uninstall Utility, aswClear5.exe http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility and save it to your HDD (it has uninstall tools for both 4.0 and 5.0).  You will need to uninstall the previous versions you had on your machine as well as AIS.
3. Disconnect from the Internet at this time.
4. Uninstall Avast through "Add/Remove Programs" through Control Panel if possible. 
5. Boot into Safe Mode (hit F8 repeatedly) and run the Avast Uninstall Tool.
6. Reboot.
7. Install the newest version of Avast and reboot.
8. Get Internet access and update Avast definitions.
9. Register your copy or add the license key for AIS.
     
Let us know how this works for you.

[SammyKitty]

Thanks for the quick response!!!
Regarding the questions posed in your message:

1. 32-bit
2. Free 5.0.594
3. Only Windows Defender, which I turned off when Avast Free was installed.

I have also run Chkdisk on the hard drive and the report showed no problems with any of the five steps.

I have done this several times and each time I end up restoring to the point where Free was installed.

I have downloaded the two items cited and will give it try.
Let you know how things turn out.

Thanks for your help.

[SammyKitty]

I followed the instructions.

I tried two times - the second try I turned off Windows Firewall and had my network connection active.

The second attempt was slightly different - I eliminated the IE web page not found error when AIS tried to get temporary license key.

Other than that it hung on both attempts at the point my desktop icons should be displaying.
Then the long wait before the error message about windows not starting and asking
me if I wish to do a system restore.

In answer to your question about problems in the past - this just recently cropped up.
 

[SafeSurf]

I need some clarification (see items 1- 6): 

1. At this point now, do you have Avast Free or AIS on your machine after doing the uninstall/install?
2. Can you now boot up into normal mode other than it hanging?
3. Did you do a system restore?  If so, was this before or after doing your uninstall/install of Avast?
4. Did you have any previous AV on your machine (even a trial version) prior to Avast?
5. For your safety, you can enable Windows FW if you are not using AIS and have Avast Free installed.
6. Are you able to download anything? 

If you are able to download, I'd like to check for malware to see if this is causing your problem with Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware (MBAM):

·   Download free http://www.malwarebytes.org/ for an on-demand scanner.
·   Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
·   After install, click update so you have latest database before scanning.
·   Under Settings:
o   General: Automatically Save File After Scan Completes is checked off
o   Scanner Settings:  Check all boxes
o   Updater: Download and install update if available is checked off
·   Once the program has loaded, select "Perform FULL Scan", then click Scan.
·   The scan may take some time to finish, so please be patient.
·   When the disinfection scan is complete, a log will appear in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note).
·   Click the “remove selected” button to quarantine anything found.  You will find the infection details under the Quarantine tab.
·   The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
·   Copy & Paste the entire report in your next reply.

[SammyKitty]

1. There may have been a "trial version" shortcut on the desktop when I bought the HP Netbook, but since I knew I was going to be installing Avast, if the trial was installed I would have uninstalled it. If the shortcut was to install the software, I deleted it. This was months ago.

2. When it hangs after installing AIS, and I restore it returns to the point when Avast Free is installed.

3. The only time it will boot normally is when Avast Free is present.

4. I ran the MABM and it gave a clean bill of health (log file at end of this post), as did the Avast Free scan.

5. I thought the problem might be caused by my having the VZAccess Manager app run at startup and that it's trying to load at the same time AIS is trying run the firewall. I unchecked the "run at startup" option but it turns out that wasn't the problem. The computer hangs if booted normally with AIS just installed or with the "Safe Mode with Networking".

6. I have tried installing AIS with and without Windows Firewall turned on. Makes no difference.

7. After one of the failures, I booted into safe mode and went to Programs and Features in control panel and it showed AIS was the installed version.

8. When I tried installing it via license key with network download of AIS, I noticed that the last item displayed during the installation was "Virtualization" whereas when I installed it using the AIS setup file that I downloaded, the last item is "Firewall".

9. After installing AIS the sequence of events goes as follows:

logon
Welcome
screen clears
Welcome (again)
screen clears displaying my blue desktop background, but no icons
small textbox appears in center of screen ("Please Wait")
screen clears
mouse point changes from arrow to hourclass then after a while back to arrow
eventually computer reboots and when it restarts I get a message that windows failed to start (one time the message said windows unexpectedly shut down) then it asks if I want to restore my computer

MABM log file follows:

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.46
www.malwarebytes.org

Database version: 4504

Windows 6.1.7600
Internet Explorer 8.0.7600.16385

08/29/10 20:51:34
mbam-log-2010-08-29 (20-51-34).txt

Scan type: Full scan (C:\|)
Objects scanned: 237863
Time elapsed: 1 hour(s), 0 minute(s), 23 second(s)

Memory Processes Infected: 0
Memory Modules Infected: 0
Registry Keys Infected: 0
Registry Values Infected: 0
Registry Data Items Infected: 0
Folders Infected: 0
Files Infected: 0

Memory Processes Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Memory Modules Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Values Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data Items Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Folders Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Files Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

[Adam Riley]

Good morning,

I am sorry to hear that you are currently having a problem with our software.  I will send you a full email now with some further options to try.

Best regards,
Adam

[SammyKitty]

Replied to your email earlier this morning.
Don't know if it's been passed to you.

The following versions are on my computer:
 
C++ 2005 version 8.0.50727.4053
C++ 2008 version 9.0.30729.4148

[maxtor80]

I went from the free version of Avast to the suite. Right away My HP notebook started hanging when trying to shutdown or sleep. I went back to the free version and so far all sleep and shutdown problems are gone.

[SafeSurf]

Thank you Adam for following up with the OP. 

[Adam Riley]

Thank you Adam for following up with the OP. 

Not at all, thanks for bringing it to my attention! 

Hope all is well with you,
Cheers,
Adam

[SafeSurf]

Yes, it is.  And thank you for helping out with the OP.    Let me know if there is anything I can do to assist.

[SammyKitty]

Tried the 5.0.661 beta last night, but it hangs on restart also.

Have gone back to the Free at level 661 with Windows Firewall.

If I am quick (it takes about 3 - 5 minutes for Windows to do a spontaneous restart from the "hang" condition), task manager shows the following processes running:

csrss.exe
dwm.exe
explorer.exe
nwsvc.exe or nvvsvc.exe (netbook text so tiny - can't tell if character is w or two v's)
taskmgr.exe
winlogon.exe

If I click in task manager it appears to lock up, however I discovered that if I ctrl-alt-del again
I can have a second task manager process which is responsive.

It shows the following services as "stopped":

avast antivirus
firewall
mail scanner
web scanner

If I right-click and try to start the service I get an "access denied" popup.

If I boot into "safe with networking" rather than normal bootup after upgrading,
when I try to start the services I do not get the message but they don't start either.

Does Avast upgrade process create a log file as it upgrades each component?
If not, would be a nice thing to add to the .661 beta edition.
Might help solve problems like this much sooner!!!

[SafeSurf]

I'm inclined to have you do an uninstall and do a clean install and go back to 5.0.594 (see my first post for direction on how to do this), but use this file for the Free version:
Free – http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_av_free.exe

Make sure when you go into Safe Mode and use the Avast Uninstaller Tool that you remove all versions of Avast that you have put on your machine. Reboot.

Have you cleaned your machine out with something like free CCleaner Slim version available as well at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds - 4th option down to help speed up your system? 

Have you defragged your system with something like free Puran Defrag http://www.puransoftware.com/Puran-Defrag.html to speed up your system?  Also does a boot-time defrag and compatible with Win7.

These are suggestions to improve your speed (CCleaner also removes traces of your history for security).

Let me know how this goes.