[delta doc]

After successfully ridding my Win 98 SE system of all traces of AVG 7.5 and 8.1, I installed Avast. Seems to run ok, although, each time I use my modem to gain internet access, Avast commandeers my system while it performs its duties.

However, I also have Evidence Eliminator, which I've had for years. I like the way it cleans up the PC so it runs like I just reformated and started fresh.

However, and this may just be coincidence, even shutting down Avast's three "Providers", if I run the defragger, it stops at about 30% complete, and just sits there while the green light on the hard drive blinks continuously. I've rebooted several times, and even ran it on the partitioned D drive successfully, but it won't complete the active drive (C past the 30% mark. Even if I let it sit there spinning its "wheels" for 2 or more hours.

So, what should I do? Try uninstalling Avast and see if the defrag works again? Boot into safe mode and see if that clears it up? Reformat the C drive (takes me 2 whole days to reload everything, but fortunately, I keep all program .exe files on the D drive where they're safe during a reformat of the C: drive.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
doc

[Davec]

What is the size and free space on C:?

[lawson_jl]

Avast is the likley cause of your issue. You can never completely shut down Avast, AVG, or any other Antivirus program anymore without unistalling it. I'm surprised that you can run your PC in a usable fashion with either AVG 8 or Avast to be honest, maybe the comment about Avast takign over means you can't really.

[delta doc]

Yes, I am running out of free space on C:\.

But I booted into Safe Mode, and ran the Defrag from there. It took an awful long time, but it did make it through to the end instead of hanging at the 30% point. As a matter of fact it hung there at 30% for a very long time, so I knew it was running into something!

I also did a scandisk while in Safe mode.

Then I rebooted into normal Windows 98SE. I re-defragged again, and while it did hang for a while at the 30% point, it eventually made it's way through. That part of the problem solved!

Then I used msconfig to shut Avast off on startup, and rebooted again. No Avast this time. I shut down all the other programs from Task Manager. Then I ran Scan Disk and then Evidence Eliminator. I sat there watching the EE go through all of its steps, and when it was deep scanning C:\, I saw it hang up on a bunch of AVG files again. SO I wrote down the address: C:\Windows\All Users\Application Data\Grisoft\AVGxxxx.

When every thing was finished, I went into that location and found a Grisoft folder and an AVG 7 folder. Over 40 mb of useless stuff. I deleted both of them, rebooted again, and checked, and my free space on C: went from about 36 mb to 78 mb. (There is only 4 GB on my hard drive and it is partitioned into an active C:\ drive and a D:\ drive. I keep all of my important info on D, including all the .exe's for all my programs. Just in case I have to reformat C, I don't lose D, and after reinstalling Windows, I just go into D and re install everything from the D folders. Many applications have to update themselves off the internet, and that is one reason I dislike having to reformat. And exactly why I like EE so much as it keeps my drive "clean" just as though I had just reformatted. Its been many years since anything went wrong where my only option was to reformat.

Just as an added note, I found that whenever I dial up the internet, I just wait 5-10 minutes while Avast does its thing, and then I can go about anything I want to do and it doesn't seem to interfere at all.

I like it much better than AVG.

Thanks,
doc