Firewall post-install process wrongly keeps running EVERY reboot!

So, I re-installed Comodo Firewall v6106_53 (latest as of posting date), and the first phase of the installation went fine. At the end of phase 1, it forces a reboot, and after the system starts again, it continues the install using a “post-install” process. This also worked fine.

However, that post-install process never removed itself from the automatic startup list, so it continues to run OVER and OVER and OVER every time I boot! The full error message this produces is:

Comodo Firewall Installer

Failed to initialize installer - Stored data format is invalid.

In order to stop this, I used the AutoRuns tool as well as several other startup management tools to try to find and remove this unwanted post-install process. The first time I did so, I found this post-install startup and removed it permanently. However, that did NOT solve the problem! Somehow it’s hidden itself so that it no longer shows up anywhere I can find it in any of the several startup entries, yet it continues to run OVER and OVER and OVER every time I boot!

What’s going on? How do I stop this post-install process from running at every boot?

It sounds like it may not have installed properly. Try a clean install following Most Effective Way to Reinstall CIS to Avoid/Fix Problems by my colleague Chiron. It will provide a reliable and clean starting point.