Black screen and system death with Comodo FW+AV, Windows 7 x64

Comodo Internet Security - CIS Install / Setup / Configuration Help - CIS
1

Hello! Go apologize if that is not clear. English - not my native language, so it asks again :wink:
Faced with not quite understand the problem in conjunction Firewall + Anti-Virus for Windows 7 x64, versions 3.12 and 3.13 with the Russian language. Try to describe what I found and what the solution applied.
Go is to describe the configuration of computer:
Core2Duo 6550
M/B Gigabyte 965P-DS3
ATI Radeon 4870 with single core
Creative Audigy ZS
8gb RAM DDR2 Kingston… frequency can not remember, like 667
HDD 200gb Seagate, 1000gb WD 1000FYPS and 2 1000gb WD 1000EACS which work in a mirrored RAID

Bug is quite understandable system crash at a black screen. It helps just to reboot.
I’ll describe the installation options:
AV - only antivirus
FW1 - only firewall
FW2 - firewall mode “Optimum Proactive Defense”
FW3 - firewall in the “Maximum Proactive Protection”

A “+” will show their different combinations, and by “>” to install one component and then install another.
DNS, Threatcast and other related add-ons I have not used.

Bug was manifested in some games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Stalker: Call of Pripyat, Far Cry 2, as well as in a simple program TFT Monitor test version 1.52. In the early days of its manifestation, the system hung at once, without even having anything to show. Then he dropped only when you try to complete these programs.
It was in the following configurations:
AV + FW2 (default configuration)
FW2
AV
FW3 > AV
In the following configurations bug does not manifest itself:
FW1
FW3

Let us think together what exactly is killing the system?

2

Is this a fairly recent event?

There is apparently a black screen issue going around. Initially people were attributing it to a recent Windows update, but The Microsoft Security Response Center has stated that nothing in the security updates could cause this problem.

Prevx has released an unofficial fix for the problem that you can try and see if it does anything for you. Black Screen woes could affect millions on Windows 7, Vista and XP After the fix, you’ll probably want to refrain from using Windows Update until Windows releases some sort of patch. Otherwise the update may “unfix” the Prevx fix.

3

Please read my post.

https://forums.comodo.com/other_general_gui_etc_bugs/cis_freezing_with_kb976098_kb976098v2-t48113.0.html

4

Thank’s. But your post about something else

5

I would be glad, but Windows Update, it did not affect. What’s wrong with them, that without them, the result was the same.

6

That’s what I’m saying… The problem wasn’t with any Windows updates. That is just what people were thinking at first.

Have you tried the Prevx fix?

7

I think your CIS or system configuration have something wrong by yourself.
I don’t have any problem with Modern Warfare 2, Far Cry 2.
Have you tried to play both games with ‘Training mode’?(D+ and firewall)

1.Run MW2 single play, Multi play with “Traning mode” for a while.(both ‘Firewall’ and ‘D+’)
2.quit the game.
3.go to CIS
4.make iw4sp.exe(Single play),iw4mp.exe(Multi play) to “Trusted” in the “Network Security Policy” and
“Computer Security Policy”
If you already did No1, No2, start from No.3.

After the above.
Make mode to default.
Firewall: safe mode
D+: Clean Pc mode

8

The words “black screen” in Comodo Forum generate 4 pages of replies with the games in full screen !!!

Please Mr COMODO can you resolve this problem with the games ?

9

Similar problem here, only with Vista SP1 x64.

System:

  • cpu: 2x Opteron
  • mb: nVidia professional 3000 chipset (drivers 15.16)
  • video: nVidia 8800 GTX (drivers 195.62)

-OS: Vista SP1 x64
-CIS: 3.13.121240.574

  • UAC: disabled
    -user: admin level

NOTE: I updated both CIS & nVidia video drivers around the same time and that’s when the problem started. I don’t know who’s to ‘blame’ nVidia, CIS or both (some sort of incompatibility)

NOTE2: I cannot send any memory dumps since I cannot generate any.

Symptoms:

95% of the time, I get a black screen when starting many D3D full screen applications (at destroy/create device D3D stage, I assume). Keyboard still works (since I can toggle numlock).

Switching back & forth by using ALT+TAB, Windows Start key or CTRL+ALT+DEL is impossible and, in the case of CTRL+ALT+DEL leads to a total system crash: keyboard dead, machine dead (tried to ping it/access it from another machine without any luck).

The other 5% of the times, NOTHING happens upon starting the D3D application - I can still see the desktop, mouse works and I get the loading cursor. However, trying to click/drag/use any windows on the screen produces no results and, if I use CTRL+ALT+DEL to try to kill the D3D application, the machine stops responding at all: screen+mouse+keyboard are frozen.

The only possible solution is to turn it off/reset it.

Disabling D+ and Firewall seems to solve the problem. Antivirus is always disabled.
Firewall is on Custom Policy Mode and D+ on Paranoid mode

For some apps (eg GTR Evolution demo installed through Steam), disabling Aero/Desktop composition Engine seems to solve the problem and I’m able to start the apps. get to the black screen, switch back to CIS and click on the confirmation windows (to approve/block Firewall or D+ events) then switch back to the app and use it.

10

@ bkdc. What you are experiencing is that in full screen mode you don’t see the alerts. Follow A note to gamers and be good to go.

Moving the topic to the help board as it is not a bug report.

11

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your response. I read again the topic.

However, there are some aspects you might not have noticed in my report:

  1. computer crashes: dead keyboard, dead everything including TCP stack. I have a hard time finding this behavior “normal”

  2. it does so even when the application has been fully configured (by hand) by me before running it: I applied both firewall and defense+ settings and there should be NO reason for Comodo to popup any new windows (all options set to either Allow or Deny - neither is left on Ask)

  3. activating the Training Mode pretty much renders the whole firewall useless. Since everything will be allowed (for that application), I might as well disable it. Also, I won’t get a chance to know what the application is actually trying to do…

I hope this clarifies my previous post.

Again, this may very well be an NVIDIA driver bug (wouldn’t be their first…nor the last). If I find the time, I’ll try to revert to an older version of their drivers and see if the computer still crashes. I’ll keep you updated.

12

Uninstalling the 195.62 nvidia drivers and reverting to the 190.62 ones solved all the crashes.

That being said, my problems were indeed generated by the video drivers, not Comodo. Comodo’s D+/confirmation windows only seem to be one of the very obvious ways of triggering the bug :(.

13

I also have this problem as well - Windows 7 fully locks (black screen) when loading Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - disabling Comodo resolves the problem.

I have the same version of the Nvidia drivers (195.62) as bkdc so will attempt to get an older version, but what is interesting is that the first guy who reported this problem (Canniballissimo) has an ATI display adapter so it seems unlikely that both display drivers could experience the same problem.

14

Down grading the nvidia display drivers also resolved for me

15

Guys.

That’s not the CIS problem.
It’s the problem between VGA driver and your system.
I always say ‘latest drivers are not always good’.
It depands on your Graphic card type, vender etc, and MB type, vender, MB drivers etc.

Some people may not have any problem.
But some people may have lots of problem.

In case of this situation, downgrading is the best option for you guys.

recommend for VGA drivers.

a.Use clean install
b.Use latest DirectX.
c.when you install the drivers, change CIS to training mode.

recommend for Gamers.

1.when you install the game ,use training mode.
2.run the game with training mode for a while.
3.quit the game.
4.go to CIS
5.make those game files(main .exe) to ‘trusted’.
(in this case, you must make them tursted in both D+ and Firewall)
6.if you need to use punkbuster, make sure punkbuster’s exe files are trusted.

16

You are totally right - it’s just the problem only manifests when Comodo is running (probably due to a screen pop while the game has started in full screen mode). Still very interesting that it is happening for both Nvidia and ATI users - I’m guessing Comodo must do some fairly funky screen pop stuff (it can’t be main stream otherwise huge numbers of users would be experiencing this exact problem).

Like bkdc said, I also disagree about using training mode though; I use a personal firewall more for outbound protection and want to control exactly what is going out. I find most apps communicate home and many send back statistics / retrieve advertising material and who knows what else.

17

Hello, sorry for my English, I am French (nobody’s perfect)

I do not think the black screens and crashes just graphics drivers.

I had 7 errors as described above.

With AverMedia6 (software for my tuner card)

With Opera, typing my previous message on this forum (no other software was not working)

With Media Center in Windows 7

I do not play, I have no Nvidia graphics card but an ATI, I have not changed at all in my resolution, I have not changed drivers that date back to November without ever any problem until … updating Comodo today (I have the version number since I restored an image …)

I had an Acronis True Image backup made yesterday, I restored, and since no problem, it is this update of Comodo which poses a problem. Before restoring, I looked in the event log and all errors were affected by Comodo and Windows processes or unknown.

I had black screens and before that, complete blockage of the system, even control alt supp did not work.

I will wait until a stable version to update …

Configuration: Win 7 x64 Pro, core i7 920, 6Go ram, ATI Radeon HD 4670

18

Try to check this out.

https://forums.comodo.com/other_general_gui_etc_bugs/cis_freezing_with_kb976098_kb976098v2kb973687-t48113.0.html

https://forums.comodo.com/defense_bugs/bug_report_dell_inspiron_1501_with_cis-t47491.0.html

19

I just watched, and it does not, for several reasons.

I went back to version 3.13.121240.574 with which I have never had any concern before the update yesterday (3xxxxxx700, I think). But the offending installed kb long (more than one month)

My settings of Comodo are not exactly the same: FW security mode ON (Windows off), AV ON, D+ security mode (not paranoid)

Ah, so I have no PC brands like Dell, HP or other, >:( :-TD. I made my own PC.

What troubles me about the solutions presented is that they are old, that my problems dated yesterday with an update of Comodo, and in no way secondary to KB Windows because they are installed over a month … The update of Comodo far behind the KB and is therefore responsible for any problems (evidence, returning to version 3.13.121240.574 with Acronis True Image, everything is normal)

Solutions to refer to the same version, stable for me, I currently and has never caused a problem, or the installation in November, or a month and a half until yesterday, when the change version for the xxxxx 700, while for certain if, apparently.

I still find unusual that we should uninstall Windows updates installed for 1 month and a half, because CIS is updated. It is, in this case, CIS must adapt to the system and not the reverse, since everything worked perfectly until this >:-D CIS update. Moreover, it is unclear whether the source of the problem, the solutions presented in the topics are older, are not really since I have not experienced these problems with the old version of CIS, but with the whole Last yesterday, and the KB are old, that my configuration is not identical.

The solution, would it not, rather, from CIS uninstall completely, completely clean the registry and traces of CIS, with CClener or another, and reinstall the new version, that of yesterday?

Again, my apologies for my English, I + Google translation, I understand but have trouble writing it :wink:

EDIT: new version is not in dowloads…

20

MS said some KB updates may occur those problems including BSOD(Black screen of death)
(do not talk about PREVX stuffs, it’s a different problem. PREVX apologized their mistake)
DELL said some KB updates may occur those problems including BSOD.
MS said MS doesn’t have any responsibility because it’s their VGA driver problem.
DELL said ‘…’
That’s why DELL users got angry.
Do you understand what’s going on?

For your guidance.
My PCs are built by myself too.

Some people took care of their situation with my suggetion about those problems.
But some people couldn’t.
Do you know why?
Because those problems depand on your system.
Also it could be other reason.(not with KB updates)
Drivers, hardware types, system configurations, security software settings, registry etc.
ie)Also some people may have strange problem with their updates because their internet connection
signal is unstable. Unstable connection can make downloaded updates being corrupted.

If you still have problem with CIS, please let us know details about your system.