Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: pukunui on March 29, 2011, 09:45:21 PM
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Hi there,
I'm also experiencing the issue whereby Avast Free Antivirus 6's Web Shield appears to be blocking my internet access. I've got Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit with SP 1. I originally had McAfee Security Center on here, but when it expired, I got rid of it and downloaded Comodo Internet Security instead - but its antivirus kept crashing the computer when I did a scan, so I got rid of the antivirus but kept the firewall and downloaded Avast antivirus instead. It's always worked brilliantly on my laptop, which is running Win XP, so I figured it'd work great on my Win 7 desktop as well. But this morning I turned it on to discover that while things like Outlook were working fine, I couldn't access webpages in a browser (neither IE or Safari) unless I first disabled Avast's Web Shield.
I have searched the forums. None of the other suggestions I've found seem to work:
- Uninstalling and reinstalling didn't get rid of the problem
- My TEMP folders and the registry keys are all set up properly already
- Disabling and then re-enabling the web shield (or all the shields together) does NOT grant me access, like it does for some users
- I tried updating to the latest pre-release 6.0.1044(?), but that didn't help either.
Anyone got anything else?
Thanks,
Jonathan
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If you have'nt already ! go to here http://uninstallers.blogspot.com/ and get the McAfee removal tool to get rid of any leftovers off your system, you may have to do a clean install of avast just in case it has been corrupted and also make sure to add the exclusions to avast and your firewall.
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OK thanks. I'll try the uninstallers. How do I do the exclusions thing, though?
Also, I find it odd that I'm having this problem on my desktop (Win 7) but not my laptop (Win XP), even though I've now set them both up to have Avast Antivirus and Comodo Firewall.
EDIT: OK, I ran the McAfee uninstaller then rebooted and now everything seems to be working properly.
Should I still do the exclusion thing? Or is it not necessary?
EDIT 2: OK, so while I can now access the internet with Web Shield up and running, Avast now appears to be unable to successfully update its virus definitions.
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EDIT 2: OK, so while I can now access the internet with Web Shield up and running, Avast now appears to be unable to successfully update its virus definitions.
You should repair or reinstall Avast, McAfee corpses might have interfered with proper install process.
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Seemed to be a temporary problem, as it has now successfully updated itself without me changing anything.
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OK, now I haven't been doing anything differently, but now all of a sudden the Web Shield appears to be blocking my internet access again ... >:(
EDIT: Oh, but Windows did just download an update for Windows Defender, whatever that is. Could that be the problem?
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Is Windows Defender turned off? If not please do so.
http://www.vista4beginners.com/How-to-disable-Windows-Defender
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Windows Defender has nothing to do with blocking Internet access!
It runs perfectly fine on my Windows 7 system.
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I turned off Windows Defender, but that didn't make a difference, so I ended up just uninstalling and then reinstalling avast. So far so good.
I figure it's OK to have Windows Defender turned off anyway, though, since I'm using Comodo Firewall/Defense+ - and it says having more than one can slow down the computer.
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Windows Defender in advanced mode (configured via the membership options, rather confusing) prevents automatic adding of autorun and other stuff). Quite possibly messed up your Avast install. Given the overhead WD adds for not exactly great results, I tend to ditch it everywhere.
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hi,
I have the same problem, avast6 works well with win 7 but after installing SP1, no internet access unless i stop the web shield.............
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I don't use defender (disabled) 'cause it's really unneeded while running Avast but if it was not disabled, it certainly wouldn't prevent a correct Avast install. I sometimes, following a new Windows install, forgot to disable Defender a few hours/days, got Avast installed, up and running during that time and never had a problem with that.
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WTF?! I've just turned on the computer and Avast is at it again! >:(
This time I've got no ideas. It worked fine all of yesterday. I didn't do anything in terms of updating Windows or any other software for that matter. I didn't fiddle with any settings or anything. It was just business as usual yesterday. And now the Web Shield is back to blocking my internet connection again! What gives?! It seems like everything I've tried so far has only suppressed the problem for a day or two rather than actually fixing it.
Anyone got any other ideas? This is getting very frustrating.
EDIT: I just tried updating to the 6.0.1044 pre-release. Didn't help.
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Well I think your OS is simply messed up and would best be reinstalled. Sorry if this is not what you would like to hear, but the behaviour you are describing does not sound like a sane system.
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Uh, yeah, that's not really helpful. If anything, this is the sanest computer I've ever had! This issue with Avast aside, it runs like an absolute dream. In fact, Avast is the ONLY program I've ever had an issue with, so I'm more inclined to think there's something wrong with it rather than my system. For the record, it's a Dell Studio 540S.
I'm thinking I may have to just give up on Avast and find something else.
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Seems to be working OK today. But Windows Update wants to download IE 9. We'll see how things go after that. (Before someone says, "IE? Well there's your problem!", whenever I *do* have this Web Shield problem, it blocks the internet in Safari as well.)
EDIT: OK, so I can still access the internet after updating to IE 9. But all day so far I've been getting an error message from Avast whenever it tries to update its files. I was getting one last night when I was using my Win XP laptop as well.
Seems like I can either have internet access or updated data files but not both. LOL.
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OK scratch that. Today the Web Shield is blocking my internet access and Avast can't connect to the file update server.
Anyone got any suggestions for the next best free antivirus besides Avast? I tried Comodo's free antivirus, but it kept crashing whenever I tried to do a scan.
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pukunui... you had problems with avast and CAV...
Seems remains of other antivirus/firewall are blocking the correct installation and working of the antivirus.
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The only other antivirus software that was on this system was McAfee, and running the uninstaller was one of the first suggestions in this thread. I thought it had solved the problem initially, but now it seems to be coming and going every other day. :(
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I would also suggest contacting your ISP and asking about the quality of service.
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pukunui, sorry if I insist, maybe running the uninstaller again and double check for remains.
Sometimes, avast must be uninstalled first to the proper running of McAfee uninstaller.
I suggest, after that, an installation from scratch.
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@doktornotor: My ISP service hasn't been an issue before.
@Tech: That's how I did it. I uninstalled avast, ran the McAfee uninstaller, then reinstalled Avast. I've uninstalled and reinstalled Avast at least once since then as well. Doesn't seem to help. Every "fix" so far has only been temporary. The problem keeps coming back every other day or so. Yesterday it went away on its own - when I started up the computer, I could access the internet just fine. Today, though, it had come back - when I started up the computer, I had to first disable the Web Shield before I could access the internet.
EDIT: Also, for the record, I already had Win 7 SP1 installed on this machine prior to downloading and installing Avast. So my case isn't like some of the others' where Avast 6 was working fine until they installed SP1.
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Well, ISP has not been an issue but it happens just every other day or so, also you say your machine is perfectly sane but it happens just every other day or so and when you install a different antivirus it crashes all the time. I kinda do not buy that the OS is in sane state.
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I don't think the ISP has anything to do with it. I'm not having any trouble downloading my e-mail in Outlook, nor am I having any trouble accessing webpages on my laptop (Win XP SP3). The only problem I'm having on both machines is updating the virus definition files. Avast seems to be having trouble connecting to the server on both machines.
The main problem I'm having on my Win 7 desktop is that Avast's Web Shield is intermittently blocking access to webpages. The only permanent fix I've been able to find so far is to simply turn off Avast's Web Shield. But that's obviously not a very good solution. Also, for the record, I've found that turning the Web Shield off and then back on again doesn't seem to help, like it has for other posters on this site. When this problem exhibits itself, it happens whenever the Web Shield is active, no matter how many times I've turned it off and back on again.
Like I said before, this is a Dell machine. It came with Windows 7 preinstalled on it. The computer has worked like a dream up till now. I've never had any problems. It's the most stable, crash-free computer I've ever had, and that's saying quite a lot. So I'm sorry but I am extremely hesitant to declare my computer "insane" just because two programs I downloaded for free off the internet appear to have some compatibility issues. ::)
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I don't think the ISP has anything to do with it. I'm not having any trouble downloading my e-mail in Outlook, nor am I having any trouble accessing webpages on my laptop (Win XP SP3). The only problem I'm having on both machines is updating the virus definition files. Avast seems to be having trouble connecting to the server on both machines.
Set "no proxy" into avast update settings to test.
The main problem I'm having on my Win 7 desktop is that Avast's Web Shield is intermittently blocking access to webpages. The only permanent fix I've been able to find so far is to simply turn off Avast's Web Shield. But that's obviously not a very good solution. Also, for the record, I've found that turning the Web Shield off and then back on again doesn't seem to help, like it has for other posters on this site. When this problem exhibits itself, it happens whenever the Web Shield is active, no matter how many times I've turned it off and back on again.
Did you change the default WebShield settings?
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1) OK.
2) I tried toggling some of them once or twice, but it never seemed to make any difference, so I've just left them all on the default.
Oh, I have tried ticking the "load avast only after other system services" option under Troubleshooting, which was a solution I saw in another thread, but I haven't tested it to see if that helps or not yet.
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Oh, I have tried ticking the "load avast only after other system services" option under Troubleshooting, which was a solution I saw in another thread, but I haven't tested it to see if that helps or not yet.
It doesn't look like this would be a solution since your browser connection fails without rebooting even after it has been working. Worth a try though.
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It doesn't look like this would be a solution since your browser connection fails without rebooting even after it has been working. Worth a try though.
Yeah, I'm not convinced it'll make a difference, but as you say, it's worth a try. At this point, just about anything is worth a try. I want to be loyal to Avast. I've been using it on my laptop for several years now (although I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have updated to v6 on my laptop because it seems like it's not working perfectly on that machine either, since it can't seem to connect to the virus definition file update server).
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Have you actually bothered trying what has been suggested multiple times?
1) Uninstall Avast.
2) Re-run the McAfee removal tool (http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe).
3) Re-install Avast.
I would then suggest updating the definitions straight away after installing and running a full scan.
For good measure, run a scan using a separate Malware removal program too - personally I prefer MalwareBytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org/).
If none of the above makes any difference, apparently doing this (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=74768.msg625499#msg625499) helped some users too.
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Have you actually bothered trying what has been suggested multiple times?
Have you actually bothered reading the entire thread? ::)
In response to your comments:
1) Yes, I have actually bothered to do that.
2) Yes, when it lets me update the definitions. One of the problems is that it can't always connect to the update server.
3) Yes, we've just been talking about how I tried the solution in that other thread. I don't know if it's solved my problem yet or not.
EDIT: OK, so after a restart (with the "load avast after other programs" option ticked), I am able to access the internet with the Web Shield running, but I'm back to not being able to connect to the definitions update server. I'll let you know what happens when I start up the computer tomorrow morning (it'll probably go back to blocking the internet again).
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This is odd.
I would recommend a Malwarebytes Antimalware scan, just to make sure there is no bad stuff causing this.
If you have done so already, please disregard this post (I scanned over the thread and I think this was recommended before but I did not see you confirming the Malwarebytes scan has been done)
Cheers
Zyndstoff
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No, I haven't tried a malwarebytes scan. I'll try it tomorrow.
EDIT: I left my computer idling while I went out for dinner earlier this evening, and when I got back, the Web Shield was blocking webpage access again! >:(
What gives?! This really is crazy! This morning when I turned on the computer, the Web Shield was blocking webpages. So I ticked "load avast after other programs" and then restarted. After I'd restarted, Web Shield was not blocking webpage access and I was able to do stuff on the internet for an hour or so. Then, after leaving the computer to idle for about an hour and a half, it spontaneously decides to go and block webpage access again! Sigh ...
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You have spent 10 days troubleshooting something... now ask yourself how long would an OS reinstall take. I consider this thread pretty much closed, nothing productive will come out of it.
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Dude! I'm not rebuilding my whole computer just because one program is having issues! That's what's insane! You can consider this thread "closed" all you want, but I'll keep posting in it until I resolve the issue or until I give up and move on to some other antivirus software.
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Good luck then. You have tried 3 AVs so far and apparently none worked for you (McAfee uninstalled, Avast! blocks and does not update, Comodo AV just crashes.) Meanwhile, 10 days wasted with no result and you keep calling the computer is perfectly sane. Reinstall would take about half a day. But maybe your computer just hates antivirus applications. :P
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McAfee worked fine. I only uninstalled it because the subscription expired and I didn't want to have to pay to renew it. Plus, we all know McAfee's not actually that good at its job.
As for the rest of it: I wouldn't call it 10 days wasted. It's not like I've been giving this my full attention during that time - which is what I would have to do if I were to rebuild my computer. And I'm not sure I can devote my full attention to something like that, even for "only" half a day, especially when I'm not convinced that it's going to help. So thanks but no thanks. I'll keep trying other things and leave rebuilding my computer as an absolute last resort.
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I suggest you two stop arguing.
pukuni, have that Malwarebytes scan done first. No use shooting in the dark now. If the scan turns out clean, we'll have to look for something else.
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Dude! I'm not rebuilding my whole computer just because one program is having issues! That's what's insane! You can consider this thread "closed" all you want, but I'll keep posting in it until I resolve the issue or until I give up and move on to some other antivirus software.
look, it normally - normally - shouldn't take more than a few hours maximum to solve almost any issue on any computer, and in your case a supposed to be Avast issue. Avast works fine, some setup break, but mostly a clean install works. If it doesn't on your system after 10 days like Dok said, then either your whole Windows setup is fucked up, either there's something else installed that conflicts, something you don't want to talk about.
No idea why you're taking now that threatening tone, ie switch to another AV etc...: dude, that's your PC. Do whatever you wanna do with it, that's your problem ;) There's gonna be only one person posting in this thread in the end: you. Have fun ;D
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then either your whole Windows setup is fucked up
It certainly doesn't look like it is. And aside from this one problem, it's not acting like it is either.
either there's something else installed that conflicts, something you don't want to talk about.
LOL. Yes, I'm deliberately keeping something from you guys because I don't actually want to fix my computer.
No idea why you're taking now that threatening tone, ie switch to another AV etc...: dude, that's your PC. Do whatever you wanna do with it, that's your problem ;) There's gonna be only one person posting in this thread in the end: you. Have fun ;D
Sorry. It wasn't meant to sound threatening. I'm just frustrated with doktornotor.
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@pukunui there's one thing that you can't expect from anyone on any forum, it's managing your computer. People can help, but there are limits. Dok like most of us here is a user, he owes you nothing. We do not work for Avast and we do not represent them. If after several days of "investigation" at user support level you estimate that the issue is on Avast side, then contact Avast ;)
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he owes you nothing.
??? What makes you think I think he owes me something? And I certainly don't expect any of you to manage my computer for me. What gave you that impression? That's actually what's frustrating - I know none of you can see what I'm seeing at my end, which is why I'm finding suggestions like "rebuild your computer" as particularly unhelpful. Sigh ...
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http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=75630.0
Outta this thread.
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Outta this thread.
Thank you.
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OK, I've uninstalled Avast using the clean uninstall tool. I've run the McAfee clean uninstall tool again. And now I'm running a Malwarebytes scan. Oddly enough, there doesn't appear to be a clean uninstall tool for Comodo Antivirus. Hopefully that's not what's causing the problem. Anyway, if the malware scan comes back clear, I'll reinstall Avast and see how I get on.
Also, on a side note: one of the first suggestions I got in this thread was to "exclude" Avast and Comodo Firewall from each other, but no one ever told me how to do that. How do I do it?
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Can't say for Comodo, but in Avast the exclude-lists are in the General settings and the individual shield settings.
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OK thanks. Now is that something I should do anyway just because it's a good idea, or only if I'm experiencing problems?
EDIT: Here's the result of the malwarebytes scan:
aMalwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.50.1.1100
www.malwarebytes.org
Database version: 6297
Windows 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
Internet Explorer 9.0.8112.16421
7/04/2011 10:57:56 p.m.
mbam-log-2011-04-07 (22-57-56).txt
Scan type: Full scan (C:\|)
Objects scanned: 356458
Time elapsed: 34 minute(s), 29 second(s)
Memory Processes Infected: 0
Memory Modules Infected: 0
Registry Keys Infected: 0
Registry Values Infected: 0
Registry Data Items Infected: 0
Folders Infected: 0
Files Infected: 0
Memory Processes Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Memory Modules Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Registry Keys Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Registry Values Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Registry Data Items Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Folders Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
Files Infected:
(No malicious items detected)
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OK thanks. Now is that something I should do anyway just because it's a good idea, or only if I'm experiencing problems?
Sorry, can't say.
You have Comodo FW installed?
I would suggest to uninstall that too prior reinstallation of Avast, and check if Avast is running okay.
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Well, so your PC is clean and the problem is not malware related.
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You would add the comodo program file to the exclusion's in setting's and in file system shield exclusion's, not sure about how to add avast to comodo but it would be something like applications or processes then set all avast services to allow.
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Sorry, can't say.
Well, what do you do?
You have Comodo FW installed?
Yes. I originally had the whole Comodo Internet Security suite installed, but as I mentioned, I was having trouble with CAV's scan crashing. I can't remember if I only uninstalled the antivirus, or whether I uninstalled the whole thing and then just reinstalled the Firewall, though.
I would suggest to uninstall that too prior reinstallation of Avast, and check if Avast is running okay.
Hmm. OK.
@craigb: OK. Thanks. I'll see if I can figure that out when I reinstall Avast.
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Have you checked this: Click (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=57443.0)?
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Have you checked this: Click (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=57443.0)?
Yes. I mentioned that as one of the things I'd tried in the OP:
I have searched the forums. None of the other suggestions I've found seem to work:
- Uninstalling and reinstalling didn't get rid of the problem
- My TEMP folders and the registry keys are all set up properly already
- Disabling and then re-enabling the web shield (or all the shields together) does NOT grant me access, like it does for some users
- I tried updating to the latest pre-release 6.0.1044(?), but that didn't help either.
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It sure would help if you went to PROFILE then Modify Profile then Forum Profile Information then select your country in Please select your country: then update your Signature: with information like my signature as this helps the helpers offer pertinent advice.
It looks like you are running Windows 7 but is it 32bit or 64bit ???
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It looks like you are running Windows 7 but is it 32bit or 64bit ???
Little hint: look at the thread title... ;D 8) ::)
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OK, so I've now reinstalled Avast (6.0.1000), and I am now currently accessing this webpage with the Web Shield running. And the virus definitions have just successfully updated. Fingers crossed it'll still work tomorrow!
It sure would help if you went to PROFILE then Modify Profile then Forum Profile Information then select your country in Please select your country: then update your Signature: with information like my signature as this helps the helpers offer pertinent advice.
I actually tried to modify my profile before but I couldn't seem to find that section. Some sort of glitch maybe? I'll do it now.
It looks like you are running Windows 7 but is it 32bit or 64bit ???
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. I did mention that in my OP (not to mention the thread title).
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pukunui, can you ping www.avast.com when WebShield blocks the webpages?
Is your hosts file clean (just 127.0.0.1)?
Something in your network drivers could be mess with McAfee and CIS installed before and not fully uninstalled.
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I actually tried to modify my profile before but I couldn't seem to find that section. Some sort of glitch maybe? I'll do it now.
You need 20 posts to change your own profile. Antispam measure.
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Well, looks like the beast is tamed... hope it stays this way.
Can you add a "[RESOLVED]" to the title of your opening post, please, by clicking "modify" in that first post and editing the title.
Thx
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pukunui, can you ping www.avast.com when WebShield blocks the webpages?
How do I do that? If the problem comes up again, I'll try it - if you can tell me how to do it first.
Is your hosts file clean (just 127.0.0.1)?
How do I check that?
Something in your network drivers could be mess with McAfee and CIS installed before and not fully uninstalled.
Could be. I've run the McAfee clean uninstall tool twice now. Unfortunately, Comodo doesn't have a clean uninstall tool. :-\
You need 20 posts to change your own profile. Antispam measure.
That explains it! Thanks.
Well, looks like the beast is tamed... hope it stays this way.
Indeed.
Can you add a "[RESOLVED]" to the title of your opening post, please, by clicking "modify" in that first post and editing the title.
I'm not ready to declare "mission accomplished" just yet. ;)
I think I'll wait a few days and see if it comes back on its own like it's been doing.
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1. Open the Command line window, write down:
ping www.avast.comPost back the results (failures or success).
2. See location and if it is clean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_(file)
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OK, well at the moment, with everything working, I'm getting these results for the ping:
Ping statistics:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 244ms, Maximum = 246ms, Average = 245ms
OK, I've found the hosts files location (Windows\System32\drivers\etc). If I open up the one called "hosts" in notepad, I get this:
# Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost
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pukunui,
1. ping worked.
2. Hosts clean.
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A much better read about the HOSTS file:
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
I use the MVPS HOSTS file as well as the hpHosts HOSTS file.
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Cool. Thanks guys. It's almost 1am here, so I should hit the sack. I'll let you all know how things go when I turn on the computer in the morning. Fingers crossed it'll all still be fine!
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OK. New day. Computer's on. And Web Shield is blocking webpage access again. So we're back to square 1. Virus definition updater is still working though.
Sigh ...
EDIT: BTW, I pinged www.avast.com before turning off the Web Shield and I still got the same results as last night.
Is there some sort of system log I could check somewhere to see if there's an error being noted or something?
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Try removing Comodo:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=74516.0
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You think there's some incompatibility between Avast and Comodo?
The trouble is: because of the intermittancy of this problem, I'd probably end up having to go a whole day without a firewall up, and I'm a little reluctant to do that. I mean, if I uninstall Comodo and then Avast starts working again, I'd need to keep Comodo uninstalled at least until the next day to see if Avast still worked when I turned on the computer again. If that makes sense?
The frustrating thing is that 99% of the time that I have these weird little compatibility issues (and I'm talking over the years with every computer system I've ever had, not just specifically this one I'm using right now), all I have to do is tick or untick something somewhere. Sometimes it's right there in front of my face, other times it's cleverly hidden where I might never find it.
I feel like this might be one of those times, too, it's just that I haven't found the right box to tick or untick yet ...
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You think there's some incompatibility between Avast and Comodo?
The trouble is: because of the intermittancy of this problem, I'd probably end up having to go a whole day without a firewall up, and I'm a little reluctant to do that. I mean, if I uninstall Comodo and then Avast starts working again, I'd need to keep Comodo uninstalled at least until the next day to see if Avast still worked when I turned on the computer again. If that makes sense?
The frustrating thing is that 99% of the time that I have these weird little compatibility issues (and I'm talking over the years with every computer system I've ever had, not just specifically this one I'm using right now), all I have to do is tick or untick something somewhere. Sometimes it's right there in front of my face, other times it's cleverly hidden where I might never find it.
I feel like this might be one of those times, too, it's just that I haven't found the right box to tick or untick yet ...
The only recent incompatibility I know of was with the last but one avast beta on w7 64bit - but that stopped windows loading.
I guess you could always use the w7 firewall for a day if you wanted to give it a try though.
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I guess you could always use the w7 firewall for a day if you wanted to give it a try though.
Yeah, I guess. The thing is, when my McAfee subscription expired, I chose Comodo because of this: http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php
But I did some surfing on the net last night, and unfortunately there doesn't appear to be a proper clean uninstall utility for Comodo (someone's put together a batch file thing on the Comodo support forums, but the thread is full of people saying it doesn't get rid of everything).
So I'm not sure that just uninstalling Comodo via the Control Panel or whatever will be good enough. If Comodo's what's causing the interference, I won't necessarily know that even after I uninstall it because it could be some of the leftover bits that are causing the problem.
Sigh ...
EDIT: By the way, before I took my daughter to school, I ticked the "start avast after other programs" box again (I forgot to do that last night when I reinstalled Avast) and then restarted the computer. I'm back now and I'm able to access the web while the Web Shield is running. But of course there's no guarantee now that it'll stay that way come tomorrow. ::)
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I guess you could always use the w7 firewall for a day if you wanted to give it a try though.
Yeah, I guess. The thing is, when my McAfee subscription expired, I chose Comodo because of this: http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php
But I did some surfing on the net last night, and unfortunately there doesn't appear to be a proper clean uninstall utility for Comodo (someone's put together a batch file thing on the Comodo support forums, but the thread is full of people saying it doesn't get rid of everything).
So I'm not sure that just uninstalling Comodo via the Control Panel or whatever will be good enough. If Comodo's what's causing the interference, I won't necessarily know that even after I uninstall it because it could be some of the leftover bits that are causing the problem.
Sigh ...
EDIT: By the way, before I took my daughter to school, I ticked the "start avast after other programs" box again (I forgot to do that last night when I reinstalled Avast) and then restarted the computer. I'm back now and I'm able to access the web while the Web Shield is running. But of course there's no guarantee now that it'll stay that way come tomorrow. ::)
Yes - no uninstaller for comodo - one reason I've still got it (not that I have had any problems with it - there are just a few ethical concerns).
Having said that, I did uninstall it on my XP machine and replace it with AIS at one time, with no problem. I just used control panel and ccleaner to remove leftover registry items.
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Hi pukunui,
Just so you know, it's not just you. I also had this problem on one of my PC's and the only way to fix it was to scrap Avast and install Microsoft Security Essentials. I didn't want to do this, but after posting my problem on these forums I basically got the same run around you've gotten :) Avast was the only AV I'd ever had installed on that machine so it wasn't remnants of other AV's (nor will it be in your case) and everything else worked fine (and still does). It's an Avast issue, and one they don't seem to want to acknowledge.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=70218.0
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=70111.0
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=75657.0
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=74768.0
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Thanks for the input, simonk. I am aware that I'm not alone. But it seems odd that some of the other people with problems have been able to fix theirs relatively easily, whereas none of those fixes have helped me.
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Thanks for the input, simonk. I am aware that I'm not alone. But it seems odd that some of the other people with problems have been able to fix theirs relatively easily, whereas none of those fixes have helped me.
Good morning. ;D
Well, let's see if the ticking of "start Avast services after other services" solves the problem.
If not, I'ld recommend to drop Comodo and move to another solution like Online Armor, PCTools Fw or Outpost.
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So far it seems to have solved the problem, but I really don't want to jinx it now. I'll let you know tomorrow morning how things are going.
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Nope. It's back today. Except that now it seems like I can do the disable/enable trick to get internet access while the Web Shield is running. Progress? Or just a fluke?
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Nope. It's back today. Except that now it seems like I can do the disable/enable trick to get internet access while the Web Shield is running. Progress? Or just a fluke?
It looks to me like it's a Comodo / Avast problem somehow.
Would you mind running your system without Comodo FW and just the Win7 FW up for a couple of days to find out?
That would mean uninstall Comodo Fw, run something like CCleaner, make a repair install of Avast (just to be sure...) and reboot. Test a few days and see if it resolves the problem. If it does, maybe some devs would like to have more info about the software running on your machine, your hardware etc. Could be of some help, maybe.
Sorry, but more than that I don't have to offer...
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Yes, I think that's what I'm going to try next.
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Yes, I think that's what I'm going to try next.
Okay.
And thanks for hanging in here... 8)
Won't be around much until monday, but I'm sure some others are watching this, so keep on with updates if you have any.
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Will do.
Although, to be honest, now that I can get web access back by disabling/reenabling the Web Shield, I think I could probably live with that. It's not that big a hassle, especially since it still seems to be intermittent.
But I will try uninstalling Comodo to see if that makes a difference.
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My recollection from when I did it was that I uninstalled avast at the same time, ie,
uninstall avast av
reboot
uninstall comodo fw
reboot
run ccleaner until nothing found (about three passes through registry)
install avast
reboot
(and check windows 7 fw is working).
Good luck.
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Good luck.
Thanks. I've got a busy Sunday tomorrow, so I probably won't get to it till sometime this week. I'll check back in afterwards though.
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Just popping back in to say that the problem appears to have resolved itself. I haven't had to toggle the Web Shield in at least two weeks. Comodo Firewall did update itself around that time, so that may have had something to do with it, but I'm not entirely sure.
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Just popping back in to say that the problem appears to have resolved itself. I haven't had to toggle the Web Shield in at least two weeks. Comodo Firewall did update itself around that time, so that may have had something to do with it, but I'm not entirely sure.
Pleased to hear it. :)
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G'day Jonathan. For me (Win 7 64-bit, avast! free 6.0.1367), it's absolutely a Windows 7 SP1 issue. I installed Windows on a new hard-drive, installed avast!, everything was fine, worked through the Windows updates... same problem as you. I thought something weird must have happened, so I started again. Problem came back once SP1 was installed. Problem went away when I used System Restore to rollback SP1. Problem came back again when I undid the System Restore changes...
I've found two ways to get around it - stop the Web Shield altogether, or add the browser .exe as an excluded process (Expert Settings | Exclusions).
I haven't been able to find a mention anywhere else that it's SP1 that messes with avast! Maybe you could test it by rolling back SP1?
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Hi Wilba. Sorry to hear you're having troubles yourself. If you look a few posts up from yours, you'll see that my problem went away on its own. Haven't had any trouble with the Avast Web Shield for the past seven months or so.
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Thanks. Good to know. I've since found out that the real culprit is PC Tools Firewall (see http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=72465.0), and there may be other older firewalls that suffer in the same way from the changes brought on by SP1. I uninstalled PC Tools and I'm running the avast! Internet Security firewall at the moment with no problems. See ya.
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Memorial Day Monday 28 May 2012. I have Windows XP in my fairly new eMachine. And the same sequecnes are happening to my desktop, too. I think that it is a problem that the Avast Company itself can only and must solves themselves for the rest of us. Otherwise, it is crazy. Best wishes.