A few pointers please...
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 758
Likes: 2
From: morayshire
I suppose it makes a change...
...from being sniffy and giving the line "should have bought a Mac" in answer to any problem involving a PC, to being sniffy about Vista. So it's not great but it's what I'm stuck with at the moment. C'est la vie.
The Ancient Mariner
The Ancient Mariner
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 15
From: Wellington,NZ
There was a problem with Avast and Vista (SP1 or less) that sounds a bit like the message you've been seeing (on re-reading the OP).
Basically the computer fails validation after an Avast-related event. Common factors (from what I've seen on the thread at the Avast forum) are that it only affected Vista computers, and most (if not all) of those affected were not running the latest Vista service pack.
The latest program update of Avast addresses this compatibility issue. It is 6.0.1203. (Right click the tray icon for avast and select "about" and it will give your current version. Same again and select "update>program" to update it. Restart required.)
Avast thread here.
Latest forum update info here.
Basically the computer fails validation after an Avast-related event. Common factors (from what I've seen on the thread at the Avast forum) are that it only affected Vista computers, and most (if not all) of those affected were not running the latest Vista service pack.
The latest program update of Avast addresses this compatibility issue. It is 6.0.1203. (Right click the tray icon for avast and select "about" and it will give your current version. Same again and select "update>program" to update it. Restart required.)
Avast thread here.
Latest forum update info here.
More bang for your buck
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,513
Likes: 1
From: land of the clanger
My view on Free apps.... if they are free:
1\ Who ever writes them cannot have the resources to respond to the dozens of new viruses which are released on a daily basis -its too big\complex a problem even for a genius....
2\ If its not a 'proper commercial company' with a lot of Kudos, how do you know something you dont want isnt being embedded onto your system.
3\ Of all the companies I have used, almost 100 hundred small to medium networks - Norton (2011) is currently my preferred choice, and a vast improvement on the CPU hogging 2008-2010 versions.
1\ Who ever writes them cannot have the resources to respond to the dozens of new viruses which are released on a daily basis -its too big\complex a problem even for a genius....
2\ If its not a 'proper commercial company' with a lot of Kudos, how do you know something you dont want isnt being embedded onto your system.
3\ Of all the companies I have used, almost 100 hundred small to medium networks - Norton (2011) is currently my preferred choice, and a vast improvement on the CPU hogging 2008-2010 versions.
As for Norton I wouldn't have it anywhere near any m/c I own because of the problems it's caused me in the past.
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 15
From: Wellington,NZ
An interesting article (yeah, OK, it's Cnet, but still valid anyway) about how one free antivirus keeps up with the bad guys.
Interestingly, Vince Steckler, until a year or so ago the CEO of Symantec, left their employ to take up a better offer with Avast.
Interestingly, Vince Steckler, until a year or so ago the CEO of Symantec, left their employ to take up a better offer with Avast.
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 18,575
Likes: 4
From: UK
Originally Posted by Tarq
Right click the tray icon for avast and select "about" and it will give your current version. Same again and select "update>program" to update it. Restart required.)
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 758
Likes: 2
From: morayshire
Further update chaps...
...as I type this my mate is fetching back the laptop fully "S".
When he switched it on, it fired up as normal. Carefully shut it down and then restarted it, still ok. Investigating he found an incident with Avast that caused the validation problems mentioned above by Tarq57. Cleared that up and found 498 important updates that madame had ignored!! That has been sorted.
Now that it has been properly "fettled" it is, in the words of the old wireless operators, "singing like a box of birds."
He had the tools to get past the blank wall that I faced (I believe it involved LINUX). All is well and a modest cost paid. Happiness reigns in the Rossian household again. Hurrah!!
The Ancient Mariner
When he switched it on, it fired up as normal. Carefully shut it down and then restarted it, still ok. Investigating he found an incident with Avast that caused the validation problems mentioned above by Tarq57. Cleared that up and found 498 important updates that madame had ignored!! That has been sorted.
Now that it has been properly "fettled" it is, in the words of the old wireless operators, "singing like a box of birds."
He had the tools to get past the blank wall that I faced (I believe it involved LINUX). All is well and a modest cost paid. Happiness reigns in the Rossian household again. Hurrah!!
The Ancient Mariner
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 758
Likes: 2
From: morayshire
Re ECDL for SWMBO
...she did it ages and ages ago (at her own expense). As she finished and got the stificate the system changed!!
I put Avast and Malwarebytes and CCleaner on her laptop and said "now you have to run them/update them". After nigh on 45 years of married bliss I know there is no point in nagging her to do it.
Today, after having newly fettled machine back and listening to the brief from my mate, siutably chastened, there is an entry on her desk calender to update everything every Wed (and she will do it!). That admonition came from an independent source, you see husbands know nowt.
The Ancient Mariner
I put Avast and Malwarebytes and CCleaner on her laptop and said "now you have to run them/update them". After nigh on 45 years of married bliss I know there is no point in nagging her to do it.
Today, after having newly fettled machine back and listening to the brief from my mate, siutably chastened, there is an entry on her desk calender to update everything every Wed (and she will do it!). That admonition came from an independent source, you see husbands know nowt.
The Ancient Mariner
Last edited by Rossian; 5th July 2011 at 18:03. Reason: spooling and punctuation
