Author Topic: very annoying : Avast 4 wants to upgrade, but fails (Win 98 SE). Advice wanted !  (Read 10606 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

User98

  • Guest
 :( I'm very annoyed, can someone please help here ?

I'm a user of Avast (free) for Windows 98 SE. Now Avast started bugging me that it is going to expire and I must download the new version. However I downloaded it thrice (!!!) and every time it failed!

OTOH I just checked and on the site it does not mention Windows 98 SE as being supported, this can't be right can it ? If it were unsupported (God forbid) why does it still bugs me to download and install the new version then ? How unprofessional. If, unfortunately, Avast 5 were incompatible to my system, wil Avast 4 continue to work ? Will it get virus definition updates ? Will it go on bugging me into upgrading to Avast 5, which apparently fails every time ? Please help ASAP, this is very annoying. Despite the program is free, these things should not be allowed to happen. Is my only way out to uninstall the AV ?

Thaks

YoKenny

  • Guest
Sorry but Windows 98 SE is a very old operating system and there are very few anti virus applications that support it now.

I have read that ClamWin still supports it though:  
http://www.clamwin.com  

Offline CraigB

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Serious Graphoman
  • *****
  • Posts: 11239
  • No support PM's thanks
Support for the 4.8 version will finish sometime soon in the new year as it is expensive for avast to keep supporting these old versions of the software and outdated operating systems and it is holding back development of the future avast 5/6 development.
Avast will still work on your system but you wont get any update's.
I dont know of hand what other av's support 98se.

Offline Lisandro

  • Avast team
  • Certainly Bot
  • *
  • Posts: 67195
avast 5 does not support Windows 98.
Unfortunately, version 4 will be supported only some more months and it's about to be dropped.
The best things in life are free.

User98

  • Guest
First thing, thanks to all responders! You confirmed my fears, that Avast is dropping support for Windows 98. IIUC you also are saying Avast 4 will continue to work, even if unsupported, or is it only for some time ? I would hope virus def updates stay compatible even if the new program has got more functions.

Further question and a very big one, why does the program advertise upgrade and seems to do the download, shouldn't it be aware the update won't succeed on this system! Grrr... how much time I've spent before coming to ask to this forum ! In the future, how can I suppress the splash screen that almost forces me to (try to) upgrade ?

Also, since the program spent a long time downloading that impossible upgrade, and then failed to instal (without even pooping up an explanation or reporting cause in to the log)- I also suspect it might have left useless downloaded files somewhere, if so what is (are) the names of (maybe partial) downloads and where should I look for them in order to remove ? Problem is, I have a dozen partitions on 4 different hard drives here, it is not easy for me to locate unknown junk that I don't have a clue where it might reside and how named !

Thank you anyway. I've loved Avast since I first installed, it's a pity we may have to part.

« Last Edit: November 27, 2010, 04:36:58 PM by User98 »

Offline CraigB

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Serious Graphoman
  • *****
  • Posts: 11239
  • No support PM's thanks
Your avast 4 will work but you wont get any update's so it's pretty much useless as you wont be covered for any new viruses.
Once you delet avast though add remove program's and then run the uninstall tool you wont have any leftover's but since the new avast didn't install you should only have some bits in temp folder's, dont know if ccleaner will run on 98se but that would generally clean up the left overs.

swarnava

  • Guest
@USER98
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2010, 05:06:55 PM »
why you dont upgrade your pc to atleast windows xp? is your pc does not meet minimum system requirement or any other reason?

Do you know even Microsoft of support of Windows Xp SP2..Microsoft now give suppot Win XP SP3 & Windows 7..try to upgrade atleast Windows Xp if possible...

Offline Asyn

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Certainly Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 76037
    • >>>  Avast Forum - Deutschsprachiger Bereich  <<<
...dont know if ccleaner will run on 98se but that would generally clean up the left overs.

No, it doesn't.
asyn
W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

Offline CraigB

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Serious Graphoman
  • *****
  • Posts: 11239
  • No support PM's thanks
My advice is if nothing is going to work on your old system it might be time for an upgrade, windows 7 is great :)

User98

  • Guest
Re: @USER98
« Reply #9 on: November 27, 2010, 05:49:40 PM »
why you dont upgrade your pc to atleast windows xp? is your pc does not meet minimum system requirement or any other reason?

Right on the spot doesn't. And even if it did I \\\ oh well evaluation of  Microsoft's products and policies is surely off topic.

Quote from: craigb
if nothing is going to work on your old system it might be time for an upgrade, windows 7 is great

LOL thanks but no, thanks - see above. In addition everything I need or care about is working great on this old system, why should it suddenly stop working - except of course when some AV vendor cease to provide definitions, but that is not the OS fault !

Edit : bugging you again, I didn't seem to get a reply to : how do I suppress the phony upgrade reminder ? Pop-up can't be closed, not even Alt-F4 will, only way so far has been to click so it opens the browser to Avast download page. Again, how annoying and (sorry) unprofessional !
« Last Edit: November 27, 2010, 05:56:47 PM by User98 »

Offline Asyn

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Certainly Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 76037
    • >>>  Avast Forum - Deutschsprachiger Bereich  <<<
Re: @USER98
« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2010, 06:01:42 PM »
...but that is not the OS fault !

It sure isn't. Still, keep in mind that w98 is way outdated and not supported by MS anymore. Means that there are no security updates of any kind and many holes in its security...
asyn
W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

Offline CraigB

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Serious Graphoman
  • *****
  • Posts: 11239
  • No support PM's thanks
Plus there are next to no new programs that will run on your system, not even av's so you will eventually become stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Dont know if the update msg can be turned off, someone else maybe able to answer that.

swarnava

  • Guest
Re: @USER98
« Reply #12 on: November 27, 2010, 06:36:13 PM »
oh well evaluation of  Microsoft's products

install evaluated OS then lol :P

Offline Gopher John

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 2098
...dont know if ccleaner will run on 98se but that would generally clean up the left overs.

No, it doesn't.
asyn


There should be a version available that will run on Win98.  See http://www.oldversion.com/CCleaner.html.  Version v2.21.940 (25 Jun 2009) mentions Win98 support fixed at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/version-history.
AMD A6-5350M APU with Radeon HD Graphics, 8.0GB RAM, Win7 Pro SP1 64bit, IE11
i7-3610QM 2.3GHZ, 8.0GB Ram,  Nvidia GeForce GT 630M 2GB, Win7 Pro SP1 64bit, IE 11
Common to both: Avast Premium Security 19.7.2388, WinPatrol Plus, SpywareBlaster 5.5, Opera 12.18, Firefox 68.0.2, MBam Free, CCleaner

Offline Lisandro

  • Avast team
  • Certainly Bot
  • *
  • Posts: 67195
You have 4 disks and 12 partitions on Windows 98 ??? ::)
Really, time to upgrade :)
The best things in life are free.