Internet security suitev2014.9.0.2016/2018 corrupts my Network sharing settings

[carfal]

Hi all.  I have a problem with my PC not being able to access my shared files on my WHS 2011 after i update to Avast .2016 from .2013.

When i open Windows Explorer and click on "Network" it complains that i have to turn on Network discovery. When i go into "Change advanced sharing settings" , i notice that next to "Public" it says " Current Profile" in brackets. If i try to switch my profile back to "Home Network", it appears to do something but my sharing still does not work. Also the "Public" profile remains as the Current Profile. I am able to access my server via the Remote desktop console oddly enough and i still have internet access so my network settings seem to only effect the sharing side.

BTW, after updating to .2016 and rebooting, my sharing works at this stage. It's only after the second reboot that the network gets corrupted. Also i never tried to turn on network discovery on the Public profile because even if that works, its not the way i want my system setup and it doesnt change the fact that there seems to be an issue here.

Luckily i have Rollback installed and was able to cleanly revert back to .2013 where my network works normally.

Does anyone else have this issue and/or are the avast developers aware of this issue?

[Mawa]

I too have the same issue, originally thought id got a virus/malware so wiped my computer, re-installed os and checked settings and all was good. then installed Avast and its now locked to Public (Current Profile) no matter how many times i try to change it, this means I'm unable to turn on media sreaming to connect to my Xbox One.

I've also noticed then when you click on the Network location option to select home/public/work, the public option has a box around it as if selected even though my sharing shows the home network icon..

I've un-installed avast and everything works fine, but when re-installed I can't do anything, unfortunately I'm unable to rollback to a previous version so I'm either stuck with no avast or no streaming.

 Any ideas?

[soryps]

Hello! Same problem here!
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=148867.msg1081374#msg1081374
(maybe a moderator should merge the threads)
It is clear for me that the last update is the culprit.
Anybody from Avast listening please?

[essexboy]

Try the solution here http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=148867.0

[tlock65]

Hmmm..I don't see a solution there...or am I just blind?

I am also having a similar problem, & I've read a few posts on other forums from people saying they have the same problem. It looks to me like it's a bug with the firewall.

If I install Avast Internet Security, I comepletely lose access to my home network. I've tried disabling the Avast Firewall, and pretty much every other suggestion I've come accross & none of them have worked for me. The only thing I can do is uninstall AIS, & install the free Avast Anti-Virus, and run Comodo firewall or Windows firewall. Everything works fine then & I can access my Windows shares with no problems.

I'm really disappointed with this, as I have used AIS for years now, and would hate to switch to another program (Tried them all, & can't say I found anything better than AIS)
But, as I really don't like running a separate firewall, I'll probably swith to another program.

Does anyone know if there's anyone even looking into this?

Thanks.

[soryps]

I too uninstalled completely, installed only the antivirus (not the free version but I pressed customize installation and unchecked the firewall) and it works but without the firewall people. It is more than obvious there is a bug!

[RReuther68]

I got the same problem. I'm using avast for the first time on a new laptop. I'm running Windows 7 professional. I see the same behavior, When I deinstall Avast I can switch normally, and after the 2nd reboot or so with avast active, my home network gets stuck in public mode.

Did somebody call the Hotline for that yet?

[theswami]

I also had the same problem with version 2016.  furthermore, I could not access the menu settings of my router.  That is, until Netgear recommended I disable the antivirus.  Once disabled, I could access the settings and change them.
It never happened before and I was fairly frustrated this morning. 
And, it seems to work just fine in version 2018.  so, upgrade as soon as possible.

[carfal]

Well, I installed the .2018 version and the exact same issue as i described in the OP is still there. This time around i turned on the network discovery in the "Public (Current Profile) " section and my WHS files are visible from Windows Explorer under "Network".

But....like i've already said, having my network sharing stuck on the Public profile is not what i want. I believe Avast is configuring itself like it does on a W8 system (i believe i've seen a W8 system showing its sharing setup like this) so perhaps something is amiss with the programming because my system is W7 x64.

I hope the Avast developers get to the bottom of this. For now, I'm rolling back to v.2013

[pavelk]

Could you check Firewall logs and Application rules again, please? Thanks.
When the inbound network connections is blocked for svchost.exe, the "Public profile" problem is here. I simulated it.
The firewall has been enhanced in .2018, in .2013 the fw checked rules later then now.

[carfal]

Thanks for your suggestion pavelk but this did not solve my problem. I played around with it for a good half hour during which i deleted the svhost.exe rule a number of times with no effect, even after a reboot. So i did a complete uninstall, deleted any remaining folder traces and then reinstalled to no avail. The Public profile insists on remaining the "current profile" and like before, if i select to "Turn on Network discovery" under the public profile then my WHS (as well as all other network devices) can be accessed through Windows Explorer.

The firewall logs show nothing for the "blocked setting" drop down for v2013 and 2018. The "Rules" drop down reports that "The firewall has detected one of your networks and has automatically changed the firewall mode to:Work/Medium Risk Zone" for both v2013 and 2018 so i dont think this is the issue.

I still say that Avast is trying to configure the network like its a W8 system when my system is definitely W7x64.

Back to v2013 (Thanks to Rollback RX  )