How To Install And Use Avast Antivirus In Linux Mint / Ubuntu

Written by admin. Posted in Apps, Linux, Mint, Ubuntu

Tagged: Avast Antivirus for Linux, Avast Linux Home Edition, Install and Use Avast Antivirus In Linux Mint, Install and Use Avast Antivirus In Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Ubuntu

• sal

  after update avsta i’ve got problem dos’nt work:An error occured in avast! engine
  i try to disinstall and reinstall but the same result,what can do?

• Liana Bee

  Thank you so much for the instruction. It’s my first time using Linux and I’ve never used a terminal in my life but your directions were easy to follow and everything worked out. However, I did encounter two speed bumps that need to be addressed: firstly, for those of you having trouble figuring what to type for the directory path (I did at first), right-click the avast! file and go to Properties. There should be a line that says “Location.” To the right of that is what you need to type. Secondly, should you encounter the problem the comment above me had–to put it clearly, should avast! shut down after you attempt to update and refuse to reopen due to an “Invalid Argument”–run this command in your terminal:

  sudo sysctl -w kernel.shmmax=128000000
  kernel.shmmax = 128000000

  I don’t know what it does or why it works, but I found it on a forum in the avast! website and it does fix the problem.

  • http://ihaveapc.com admin

    Liana- Glad you found the post helpful and many thanks for the info about troubleshooting Avast.

• Bob

  I can’t get past the first step!!! I get a different site to what you’re showing!! HELP!!

• Bob

  Can’t get past first step….shows different site page….I’m lost….????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

• william

  I have installed Avast for Ubuntu successfully and run the scan but like when I tried AVG Free edition all I see is permission denied ???

  What am I doing wrong ?

• lucamax

  Thanks for the informations
  Install in Mint 12 was without problems but unfortunately after the update Avast gives an “error in avast engine:invalid argument”

  • http://ihaveapc.com admin

    Lucamax,

    Here is what you can do :

    As root, try changing /etc/sysctl.conf file (use any text editor like vi or gedit).
    Add the following :
    kernel.shmmax=128000000

    Only that entry should be there.

    Cheers.

    • lucamax

      Your solution should be better because permanent, the one I proposed last only for current session.

      Thanks !
      Luca

• lucamax

  I found a fix:
  in terminal give this command:
  sudo sysctl -w kernel.shmmax=100000000

  Then start Avast from menu.

  Here the discussion on Avast forum: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=57764.15

  • TsjuunTze

    That dit it! Now it updates and runs great on mint 13

    Thx!

• Geoff

  Help! Thanks

  I get the following error for step 3 command:

  avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb
  [sudo] password for scales:
  dpkg: error processing avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb (–install):
  cannot access archive: No such file or directory
  Errors were encountered while processing:
  avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb
  scales@scales-Satellite-1to1 ~/Desktop $ sudo dpkg -i avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb
  dpkg: error processing avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb (–install):
  cannot access archive: No such file or directory
  Errors were encountered while processing:
  avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb

  • http://ihaveapc.com admin

    @ Geoff :

    Try running the dpkg command from within the directory where Avast package is downloaded or alternatively give the full path of the directory where it is downloaded to like : sudo dpkg -i [full path where the package is located]. Suppose if present is in /home/me/downloads, then it will be : sudo dpkg -i /home/me/downloads/avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb

• Gustavo García

  I have installed Avast. Here is the terminal output:

  gustavo@Pavilion:~$ sudo dpkg -i Downloads/avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb
  (Reading database … 216333 files and directories currently installed.)
  Preparing to replace avast4workstation:i386 1.3.0 (using …/avast4workstation_1.3.0-2_i386.deb) …
  Unpacking replacement avast4workstation:i386 …
  Setting up avast4workstation:i386 (1.3.0) …
  Processing triggers for man-db …

  I have done this several times, always ended ok. Even used Ubuntu Software Center. There is a link, which I find pressing Super+a. I see the Avast icon under Recently Used and Applications. When I click on the Avast icon nothing happens. The focus just bounces back to the window I was in beforehands.

  Thanks

• TsjuunTze

  I have found the solution for this problem.

  A temporary fix is to run the following command in a Terminal window before trying to start avast!

  sudo sysctl -w kernel.shmmax=100000000

  This should obviate the problem during any one particular ubuntu intrepid (linux) login session.

  Having to run the aforementioned command every time you start your system, however, can be avoided by creating a bash script file that will automatically run and issue the command every time you start ubuntu intrepid.

  To do this, open a Terminal window and do the following:

  1. Create a bash file (here called ‘avastshm.sh’) by running

  sudo gedit /etc/init.d/avastshm.sh

  You can name the file anything, the only caveat being that the file must not already exist in the /etc/init.d directory, and don’t forget the .sh file extension.

  2. Paste the following text into gedit and then click ‘Save’

  #!/bin/sh
  ### BEGIN INIT INFO
  # Provides: avastshm
  # Required-Start: $local_fs $remote_fs
  # Required-Stop: $local_fs $remote_fs
  # Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
  # Default-Stop: 0 1 6
  # Short-Description: change kernel shared memory
  ### END INIT INFO
  sysctl -w kernel.shmmax=100000000

  3. Shutdown gedit

  4. Assign executable status to the avastshm.sh file by running

  sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/avastshm.sh

  5. Include the avastshm.sh file in the list of files to be executed with every ubuntu intrepid start-up by running

  sudo update-rc.d avastshm.sh defaults

  You should now be able to restart your system and the avastshm.sh file you created above will automatically be executed with every start-up, thus allowing avast! Linux Home Edition to start and update without the aforementioned errors.

  Addendum:

  To remove the avastshm.sh file from the list of files to be executed with every ubuntu intrepid start-up, run

  sudo update-rc.d -f avastshm.sh remove

  And finally, if you wish to delete the avastshm.sh file, run

  sudo rm /etc/init.d/avastshm.sh

  The above information may also be appropriate for other versions of the linux operating systems. Good luck!

• OldGrampa

  Tx for the info.

  Anyone figured out how to put a right-click context menu item,
  to scan a folder with Avast?

• Eds

  As of now.. maybe before… I had no trouble by double clicking the .deb file from Avast. Self/auto install.. Linux needs more of this.

• Eds

  If your getting: “An error occured in avast! engine: Invalid argument” after updating, try this in terminal:

  sudo sysctl -w kernel.shmmax=128000000