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

Comodo Internet Security - CIS Install / Setup / Configuration Help - CIS
21

Let us be clear. I followed closely, very closely the story of KB which would, I say have been responsible for this BSOD. After graduation, he is sure this is not MS that is involved but some manufacturers (there are not that history prevx).

Can you explain why I never had any problem with the KB installed last month and a half, I’ve installed any new software, I have not updated drivers (I checked everything …) and that it is day or CIS installs an update of two files that the problems begin?

Again, this is not the version 3.13121240.574 poses a problem as in all the topics raised in recent weeks, but yesterday presented a version, version, which, coincidentally has disappeared …

Strange … I made a system image for security (installed version of CIS 3.13.121240.574), I searched for updates to the product and therefore normally the CIS would offer me the latest product yesterday to upgrade to the 3.xxxxxxxx577, and there are no updates available … Amazing, huh? The update yesterday (actually it was two files), it would have been removed? Note that I had completely uninstalled CIS, I cleaned it, I have reinstalled the latest version available on the website (3.13.121240.574), so that I found myself in exactly the same situation as Yesterday afternoon, when they asked me to update.

So to summarize, the update xxxxx577, consists of two files that I had yesterday is gone, it’s a ghost, nor in direct download or as updates from the software. It should explain. As for my setup, I gave yesterday

Windows x64 Pro version 7 box
P6T MB
Intel Core i7 920
6 GB Corsair DDR3
GC 4670 HD Gigabyte ATI Catalyst 9.11
HD Seagate Barracuda 12 750GB in AHCI (system) + 2 other Maxtor Sata II 750 and 250
Ethernet Card Realtek GBE controler
Audio Realtek High Definition Audio
Tuner Card AverMedia USB A 850 HD +

I’ve changed nothing, absolutely nothing to anything since mid November or graphics settings, or other software, since KB is installed as long as the version 3.13.1212240.574, graphics drivers, for that matter .

So for 1 ½ months, not a concern, not a shadow of any blockage. The day CIS offers me a new update that has gone … it’s a catastrophe. If KB Windows were installed for over a month without worry, and just after installing an update to CIS, the same update has disappeared from the server the next day, I have problems, there who consider updating Comodo, and slightly less than those of MS, or any software that I have not changed, and with no problem, equipment ( I’m a maniac surveillance system and components) do not you think? I would add that no concern yesterday, returning back with a system image, either now with the complete reinstallation of version 3.13 … … .574.

22

I just wanted to give you an update on my observations - The Christmas Edition Report :smiley:

Before I do that, I’d like to say a few things:

First of all, my impression is that Comodo was too quick to label this as a ‘not my fault’ issue. I don’t blame you guys - hey, since I’m into software development too, I know the feeling but this issue, yours or not, is hurting your product.

Not having the luxury of developing for a closed platform like Apple/OS X means that bringing a stable product to market is much harder. Debugging & solving everyone’s problems is not easy, if not impossible.

However, this ‘dead-lock’ problem is, I think, effecting quite a lot of systems and should be significant enough to take under consideration.

I think that it’s best for everyone if we/you try to find the real root of this problem and come up with fix to alleviate it.

It may involve some changes - redesign your ‘pop-up’ system/ system hooks maybe? - but in the end, it will lead to a better product & happier clients. Comodo is becoming a good brand and I’d hate to see it go the Norton way…

My new findings:

I was wrong to assume that all errors were fixed by downgrading the video driver. Most were…especially the black screens but the desktop still locks under various conditions (see below) and trying to bring the task manager to kill the applications leads to total lock.

‘Non gaming’ applications which use DirectX features cause this kind of crash just as easily as games do: Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader(sometimes, not always) and Microsoft Expression 3 Suite are just a few of them.

For instance: stating & recording with MS Expression 3 Encoder Screen Capture followed by starting MS Expression 3 Encoder (to encode whatever was recorder - launched from within the Screen Capture app) causes the screen to freeze when the 2nd application is loading.

Disabling Comodo’s Firewall and D+ fixes the problem. The other solution is to close the first application then manually start the 2nd one, instead of leaving the first one run in the background.

Tired of these errors, I replaced the GF8800GTX with a Quadro FX5500. Of course, I did a proper uninstall of the drivers & cleaned all the leftovers in Safe Mode first.

I’m at the second set of Quadro drivers and I can say that there’s no improvement over the 190.xx Geforce drivers :frowning:

Does Comodo have some way of enabling some logger that would help identify the issue?

I’m really out of ideas/options here…let me know if there’s any kind of test/diagnostic you’d like me to run.

PS: other applications like Yahoo Messenger seem to have no problem with popups - true, they don’t have to lock the applications nor attach any kind of system hooks.

23

I have the “black screen” problem with the games in full screen. I use Windows 7 64bits. I have this problem since the first version I have tried (573).

I have tested some full screen little games in virtual machines (VmWare). The same problem occurs in all x64 system (server 2008, vista, Seven). sometimes the screen keeps image but the system freeze. VmWare do not use Nvidia or ATI driver !!

at bkdc : wholly accord ! activating the Training Mode pretty much renders the whole CIS useless… and even less if I forget to return it !! I read this solution several times, but it’s the worst of all (ostrich puts its head in the sand !) IT’S DANGEROUS (the head in the sand)

at EricJH : Moving the topic from “Bug Report” board to the “Help” board does not solve the problem !! on the contrary !! (again : ostrich puts its head in the sand !)

at bkdc : wholly accord ! Black SOD merits something better …

I have tested many security suite, all reduce the game when a alert occurs… at least allow ctrl-alt-del, ctrl-shift-esc, alt-F4 or windows key. There, the keyboard is fully blocked (caps lock, num lock also).

Usually I forget the non-functional programs but I think that CIS deserves more.

Please reput this topic in the bug report board. I see many post for “black screen”, “System freeze”, “computer crash” … always for x64 systems with full screen programs…

If we can help to solve this problem I’m ready to test some solution but DON’T PUT THE HEAD IN THE SAND !!

24

Of course it uses drivers by ATI or NIVIDIA. Windows comes standard with drivers for many many devices from a mulitude of manufacturers. They are (significantly) older than contemporary drivers usually.

at bkdc : wholly accord ! activating the Training Mode pretty much renders the whole CIS useless... and even less if I forget to return it !! I read this solution several times, but it's the worst of all (ostrich puts its head in the sand !) IT'S DANGEROUS (the head in the sand)
Another way of working with this is making all .exe and .bat files in the installation folder part of My Own Safe Files. That's my personal favorite method.
at EricJH : Moving the topic from "Bug Report" board to the "Help" board does not solve the problem !! on the contrary !! (again : ostrich puts its head in the sand !)
First of all I am not a Comodo staff member. Moderators are all volunteers with no affiliation to Comodo other than the fact we are forum members who also moderate. When I moved the topic, three weeks it had very much signs of the mentioned classic problem. There is no cover up. Some of the problems later reported in this topic were related to graphics driver.
at bkdc : wholly accord ! Black SOD merits something better ...

I have tested many security suite, all reduce the game when a alert occurs… at least allow ctrl-alt-del, ctrl-shift-esc, alt-F4 or windows key. There, the keyboard is fully blocked (caps lock, num lock also).

Usually I forget the non-functional programs but I think that CIS deserves more.

Please reput this topic in the bug report board. I see many post for “black screen”, “System freeze”, “computer crash” … always for x64 systems with full screen programs…

If we can help to solve this problem I’m ready to test some solution but DON’T PUT THE HEAD IN THE SAND !!

To all who contributed to this topic. I do think problems with the x64 are at least a bit underreported. So I would definitely encourage all of you to report your problems.

However, when you think you found a bug please make sure it is reproducible; that what’s constitutes a bug report.

When your problem is hard to reproduce start a topic in the Help board to see if we can figure out what is going on. When it is found to be a bug it will be moved to the bug boards.

Please don’t hijack other topics with at first sight similar looking problems; simply start your own topic. This way your problem will get all the attention it deserves and other topics will stay on track.

To know what constitutes a bug report read: IMPORTANT: HOW TO SUBMIT BUGREPORTS (READ THIS IF YOU WANT THEM FIXED).

25

Thank you for your reply Eric.

Again make sure a application by “Trainer mode” or by another method is not permissible and advocate that is contrary to common sense. Unfortunately, this is yet systematically proposed solution for this problem (I have read many post about “black screen” with games, all in 64b) …and the topic is closed…

I’m going to install two clean windows 7 (32 and 64 bits in parallel) for test some games in full screen and post a new bug report in workmanlike (the bug is easily reproducible because systematic).

I think that COMODO is worth…

26

:-TU

27

Just wanted to add something to this black screen issue. I run a system with two monitors and an ATi 5850. I was getting this problem on a lot of full-screen apps.

I did a test where I force Comodo to present a popup and then moved it onto my second screen. While doing this, I ran a game that was causing this black screen issue. Comodo had popped up an alert about a dxinput hook (dinput8.dll). Now because an alert was already visible, I was able to get the new alert to the top, and click “Allow”. Now the game runs with no problem.

I suspect that any game/app that runs fullscreen and requires any input via dxinput, is going to present this very same popup, so what it needs is the ability to assign trust to this dxinput hook, independently of any app that might require it.

Don’t know if this is relevant to the problems people are having, but I thought I would add the info to the discussion.