Author Topic: Avast! Freezes during Scan  (Read 19847 times)

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dbarber001

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Avast! Freezes during Scan
« on: March 24, 2011, 03:13:25 AM »
For some reason Avast! freezes when it scans my computer at 1%.  I have tried to just scan a folder and it still freezes.  Avast!,after failing to scan, will start freezing up my computer by using 99% of the CPU processes.  I have already uninstalled and reinstalled the program and thought I had solved the problem.  Once Avast! started scanning, the problems started again.  Has anyone else experienced this with Avast! 6.0.1000?  If so, what can I do to fix this problem?  Thanks.

Daris

  • Guest
Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2011, 06:10:23 AM »
Which version of windows are you running? What other security software do you have alongside Avast? How did you uninstall the previous version? What previous version of Anti Virus was on or came with your Computer?
  Keep us updated!!

SafeSurf

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Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2011, 09:50:21 AM »
In addition to the above questions asked and waiting for a response from you:

1.   What is your OS, 32 or 64-bit?
2.   What other security software do you currently have or did you have in the past on this machine including:
- Antivirus (AV)
- Firewall (FW)
- Trial versions of AV, FW and other security programs
- Other security software
- How did you uninstall previous versions of any of these software (via the vendor's uninstaller tools or some other way)?

We also need the following information from you:

1.  What kind of scan are you trying to do?
2.  Did you make any kind of changes to your scan (Custom, PUP's)?
3.  Have you changed any settings in Avast?
4.  What product of Avast are you using?
5.  What is the file name that the scan is getting "stuck" on during the scan?
6.  Have you cleaned your machine with something like CCleaner Slim Version http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds prior to scanning?
7.  How did you uninstall Avast (use the Avast Uninstaller tool http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear6.exe) or some other way?



dbarber001

  • Guest
Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2011, 11:49:01 AM »
1.  My OS is 32
2.  I currently have Avast! 6.0.1000 - the free version and Malwarebytes (the free version)
I have had Avast! on my machine for over a year and have had no problems until recently.  I uninstalled using the Windows control panel.
1.  Any scan - Quick, Full and the scan that can be run before the system boots.  If I tried to rerun a scan immediately after I stopped one, it would freeze on the same file; however, if I waited until hours later to rerun, it did not freeze on the same file. I had noticed it seemed to stop on a file within the same folder (not the same file).  Therefore, I ran a scan just on a folder -- not the one it kept freezing on.  This time Avast! froze at 3%.
I also have Avast! on another computer.  I tried running a Quick scan on it last night and it froze up at 0% and Task Manager, after I stopped the scan, showed Avast! using 50 CPU processes.  The other computer has never had any other security programs other than Avast! or Malwarebytes--the free versions.
2.  I had not made any changes to my scans.
3.  I had not made any changes to Avast! settings.
4.  I am using the free version
5.  It does not seem to get stuck on the same file name--other than as explained above
6.  I have not cleaned my machine
7.  I uninstalled Avast using the control panel
I am currently using Windows XP.
Thanks!





7.  I have not cleaned
 

jester4519

  • Guest
Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2011, 04:02:18 PM »
You aren't the only one.  I am experiencing the EXACT same behavior since version 6 was installed.  I've laid it out in another post in this forum.  The last recommendation I had was to uninstall my ZoneAlarm to see if that helps.  I will try that tonight but I'm not hopeful.  I've tried scanning in Windows Safe Mode and it hangs then too.  ZoneAlarm isn't even loaded in safe mode.  Same goes for the boot scan which also hangs.  When it hangs the AvastSvc.exe process takes 99% of the CPU and the system starts crawling.  I have to reboot at that point.


jester4519

  • Guest
Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2011, 12:14:59 AM »
I uninstalled ZA as was suggested in the other thread.  Still no difference.  The Avast quick scan stops at about 3% of the hard drive an thats it.

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2011, 01:52:30 AM »
How exactly does it freeze? Does it happen always approximately at the same place/folder of the scan?
Do you see a hard disk activity (when it freezes)? Is only the program frozen, or the whole computer (possibly with mouse cursor)?

You can go to the program settings and turn on the creation of the report file (with "OK files" to be included as well in the report). This way, you can find out where the scan really stopped (it's going to be close to the end of the report).

After avast! disappears, check the end of the report file - the "troublesome" file is likely to be close to the end (close in the sense that this particular file will probably not be written in the report, but the previous one will be the last line, so it shouldn't be hard to guess). They would certainly like to have this file - if it really causes problems to avast! - so that they could fix the problem.

The report file created (if you turned it on in program settings) will be (default location) at C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\report (on Vista).

Also, let's say clearly: if during an avast! scan,
1. avast! freezes or crashes, it's probably avast! problem.
2. The computer freezes or restarts, it could be e.g. a conflict with some other program, or a hardware problem.
3. The computer powers down - it's probably a hardware problem (e.g. overheating). The scan generates a lot of hard disk activity (and is also CPU intensive), which may increase the temperature of your hardware. I suggest to check the coolers in the case.
4. If you get a blue screen, it could have a bug in avast! drivers (but then, there is not a power down).
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jester4519

  • Guest
Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2011, 04:59:02 PM »
How exactly does it freeze? Does it happen always approximately at the same place/folder of the scan?
Do you see a hard disk activity (when it freezes)? Is only the program frozen, or the whole computer (possibly with mouse cursor)?

You can go to the program settings and turn on the creation of the report file (with "OK files" to be included as well in the report). This way, you can find out where the scan really stopped (it's going to be close to the end of the report).

After avast! disappears, check the end of the report file - the "troublesome" file is likely to be close to the end (close in the sense that this particular file will probably not be written in the report, but the previous one will be the last line, so it shouldn't be hard to guess). They would certainly like to have this file - if it really causes problems to avast! - so that they could fix the problem.

The report file created (if you turned it on in program settings) will be (default location) at C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\report (on Vista).

Also, let's say clearly: if during an avast! scan,
1. avast! freezes or crashes, it's probably avast! problem.
2. The computer freezes or restarts, it could be e.g. a conflict with some other program, or a hardware problem.
3. The computer powers down - it's probably a hardware problem (e.g. overheating). The scan generates a lot of hard disk activity (and is also CPU intensive), which may increase the temperature of your hardware. I suggest to check the coolers in the case.
4. If you get a blue screen, it could have a bug in avast! drivers (but then, there is not a power down).


The scan will stop in the same general section of the HDD but not always on the same file or folder.  The HDD activity light stops when this happens but the computer itself does not crash, freeze, or restart.  It is just the Avast Scan that gets stuck.  I have noticed that the file that it gets stuck on is always one of 4 file types: .doc, .xls, .pdf, or .htm.  Mostly pretty benign file types.  The elapsed time of the scan still keeps increasing but the scan goes nowhere.  I've let it sit for up to 1/2 hour while it was stuck on a 23kb Word Document just to see if the scan would resume and it doesn't.  Eventually, I just click the "Stop" button to end the scan and Avast will stop the scan and report that "no threats were detected, scan aborted by user" (or similar language).  From there, I close down the Avast UI and notice the computer is sluggish.  When I bring up the task manager, the AvastSvc.exe process is sucking up 99% of the CPU.  After I reboot the computer, that process returns to normal and will only run wild if I attempt another scan and start the whole thing over.  If I never had started a quick scan I would never have know there was an issue because other than that everything else is normal.  Avast starts and updates without an issue, it just acts up whenever a scan is started.  I should also mention that I attempted a boot scan and that froze as well.  I also tried booting into Windows Safe Mode and attempted a scan and that also froze.  I figured that these two approaches would eliminate that chance that some other process was interfering but both had the same result - scan froze, computer did not.

I apologize but I can't create the report file that you requested because I ended up uninstalling Avast last night and I installed another AV.  I had been having this problem for several days and I didn't feel safe surfing the net with it in this state.  If by chance I were to pick up a virus I feared I would have no way to run a scan to get rid of it.  I would very much like to go back to Avast so hopefully the cause gets discovered.

Offline igor

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Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2011, 05:06:35 PM »
Well, .doc, .xls, .pdf or .htm are anything but benign file types (speaking in general, I'm not talking about your files in particular; especially PDFs are rather common infection vector there days).
Also, the file shown in the GUI might not be the one currently being scanned (the GUi isn't refreshed for every file, so the displayed name may actually be a few files earlier).

Anyway, if you happened to install avast! again and encountered the same problem, it would probably help to get the dump of AvastSvc.exe process when the problem is simulated (it might be necessary to disable avast! self-defense first).

jester4519

  • Guest
Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2011, 05:58:03 PM »
I see.  The files showing in the GUI are all files I created so I knew what they were.  I didn't know that the one being displayed might not be the one causing the problem though.  If I decide to reinstall at some point I try what you suggest.  Thanks for the response.

Offline Ashish Singh

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Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2011, 07:14:33 PM »
Well this problem happens to me when I open Control Panel-Program Features and avast start scanning of all the files there I dont know why? But it consumes a large amount of memory about 70% and the list would load very slowly.... if i disable avast file system it loads very fast
Windows 7 Ultimate(32 bit), avast! free (always latest released or beta), Intel Core2Duo, 2GB RAM, Outpost Firewall Pro 7.5,IE 9,TuneUp Utilities 2011,Diskeeper 2011

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doktornotor

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Re: Avast! Freezes during Scan
« Reply #11 on: March 25, 2011, 07:22:43 PM »
Well this problem happens to me when I open Control Panel-Program Features and avast start scanning of all the files there I dont know why? But it consumes a large amount of memory about 70% and the list would load very slowly.... if i disable avast file system it loads very fast

Eh. You enabled all packers in filesystem shield, right?  :P