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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: archerslo on January 03, 2010, 07:56:50 AM

Title: Internet Connectivity Loss
Post by: archerslo on January 03, 2010, 07:56:50 AM
I just spent hours troubleshooting a sudden loss of Internet connectivity. I had just updated my Logitech Quickcam software and drivers before the problem first appeared as I was starting a Skype call. So I wasted a lot of time on the assumption that the problem was somehow related. Anyway, I wasn't able to go to any web site using IE - it would never connect. The Windows network diagnostic tool wouldn't detect any problem. I could ping sites just fine and my two web cam gadgets were connecting to their remote feeds just fine. Ultimately, that clued me in to the source of the problem. Yesterday, I had added one URL exclusion for the domain of my web cams. Cutting to the end of a very long story... my connectivity problem is definitively being caused by the Web Shield. Whenever it's enabled, I lose my ability to surf the web. Help!
Title: Re: Internet Connectivity Loss
Post by: Shiw Liang on January 03, 2010, 10:05:11 AM
Try a repair for now :-\,
Seem that the experts are not here,
go to control panel
add/remove program
add/remove avast!Antivirus
Try to scroll down choose repair
And continue the steps.

When it finished repairing try to reboot your computer then see if it works.
(No worry nothing dangerous to try a repair :))
Title: Re: Internet Connectivity Loss
Post by: DavidR on January 03, 2010, 05:00:19 PM
The problem is more likely something blocking the web shield so it can't get access, so you can't browse HTTP port 80 sites, that is why pings get through and no doubt any HTTPS secure connection as they aren't monitored.

What is your firewall ?
Does it allow ashWebSv.exe internet access ?
- If it does delete the entry for it and reconnect to the internet, this should force the firewall to ask permission again.

Have (or did) you another Anti-Virus installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?
Title: Re: Internet Connectivity Loss
Post by: archerslo on January 03, 2010, 11:40:05 PM
Thanks for the input. Avast is all that's ever been on this PC (in terms of antivirus). The problem has just gotten worse. I was doing okay with just Web Shield disabled, but now I've had to shut the scanner down altogether. Repair didn't have any effect. I'm behind a router and I just use the Windows 7 firewall (but I've had it completely disabled while trying to resolve this). I'm going to proceed with uninstall/reinstall. I've never had any previous problem with Avast in the year or more that I've used it. The ONE time I adjusted a setting (URL exclusion), it seemed to break. Very disappointing.
Title: Re: Internet Connectivity Loss
Post by: DavidR on January 04, 2010, 12:00:32 AM
What was the URL exclusion as care has to be taken if * wildcards are involved ?

A clean reinstall would be a good start:
Download the latest version of avast http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html (http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html) and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall. Ensure that you scroll down and select the avast direct download link for the English version and not Cnet as that is for an on-line installation (not what you want to do). - Direct download for avast Home, English version, http://files.avast.com/iavs4pro/setupeng.exe (http://files.avast.com/iavs4pro/setupeng.exe).

Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, find it here (http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-uninstall-utility.html) and save it to your HDD.
Title: Re: Internet Connectivity Loss
Post by: archerslo on January 12, 2010, 04:21:38 PM
I was able to resolve the problem by uninstalling, rebooting, and reinstalling the program. I hadn't seen the previous post, so I didn't have or use the extra uninstall utility. All is well.

No offense, of course, but regardless of the URL and any wildcard that may have existed, it's certainly not an expected result that things didn't return to normal after removing the URL. So I feel pretty comfortable concluding that there's a bug in the exclusion feature.