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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: jayjonbeach on September 20, 2011, 01:54:23 AM

Title: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 20, 2011, 01:54:23 AM
4 days ago (approx) after an update (I assume), my chrome stopped working.  

Today, Firefox does not work.  

Today, when I guessed Avast was likely the problem behind both issues, I disabled Avast (for 10 minutes) and voila, both explorers work perfect.  

As soon as 10 minutes is up, both stop working again.  

Please fix this ASAP I don't want to have to disable my Virus protection.  

Windows XP SP3, WIRED connection, behind router, did not change any Avast or Router settings last 4 days

Thanks for any help
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: Gargamel360 on September 20, 2011, 02:18:42 AM
"Does not work/Stopped working"?  Need a little more detail than that.  Are they crashing, really slow/failing page loading, or something else?
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 20, 2011, 03:35:47 AM
Well I thought it was pretty clear   :) 

To clarify, as soon as Avast "disabled mode" times out and it starts up again, all functionality in Chrome and Firefox stops (ie. NO pages will load up, more or less no internet at all)

Disable Avast, both browsers resume normal operation ie. work again. 
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: Gargamel360 on September 20, 2011, 04:46:53 AM
That sounds like a Web Shield related problem.  To confirm that, disable only the Web Shield rather than all Avast!, see if the browsers work then, they likely will.  What firewall are you using?  And have you had any other security software installed on this PC?
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 20, 2011, 04:58:41 AM
Thanks for the help   :)

Disabled just the Webshield and yep Chrome starts working.  

FF seems to be intermittant, this last time it enabled FF continued to work so not sure how this plays into the big picture but right now for sure Avast and Chrome are NOT getting along, at all.

The D-link router has a built in Firewall, for software firewall only Windows XP for now. No other active security software is running and no changes to anything in last week for sure if not months

There are several threads on Google Forums of people complaining of the same error in Chrome (Error 324 (net::ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE): The server closed the connection without sending any data.) and I wonder if Avast is the culprit, in one thread someone mentioned AVG being the cause, its an unsolved issue as of yet. The last 3 days FF was fine and Chrome was buggered, now they are both buggered. 

Edit - FF just quit when I tried to submit the post, 10 minutes was up....
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: ady4um on September 20, 2011, 09:27:11 AM
Try with web shield enabled and:

Avast main GUI -> web shield -> EXPERT settings -> "well known browsers only".

It may also be related to other settings, but let's try this one first.

Please report back.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 20, 2011, 05:09:39 PM
Well today after boot up and latest update FF and IE are both working, so far.  (I checked IE last night and it too would not work at all with Avast running). 

Chrome is down for the count.

Tried the "well known browsers only" setting and no dice as well. (Don't think I would want to leave that setting in place?)

So the mystery continues and any help is appreciated.   

At least I can safely use FF today, last night I was surfing a reputable website with Avast disabled with Chrome and Chrome told me it was infected with Malaware, it seems the Internet is laregly becoming a VERY unsafe place lately....

Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: Gargamel360 on September 20, 2011, 06:20:15 PM
Try reinstalling the Web Shield.  Start as though you are going to uninstall Avast! normally through control panel, but choose the "change" option.  Untick the Web Shield component. You will probably have to reboot to finish uninstalling it.  After reboot, reinstall the Web Shield by doing the same thing, Control Panel>>Change>>tick the Web Shield component checkbox back on again. 
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 20, 2011, 07:03:38 PM
That was probably a good call, tried it but no luck. 

FF is fine still (not sure why it was wonky yesterday only) but Chrome still not working with re-installed WebShield active.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: ady4um on September 20, 2011, 10:09:35 PM
Just a thought: What about uninstalling Chrome, reboot, reinstall anew?
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: Nesivos on September 20, 2011, 10:21:24 PM
Thanks for the help   :)

Disabled just the Webshield and yep Chrome starts working.  

Interesting.

When I was testing Chrome 15.x Beta I had no problems with it accessing the internet and browsing, other being slower than FF in loading pages, with Webshield enabled.

ISTM that this is another problem that could be XP related or maybe Firewall related.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 21, 2011, 06:34:12 PM
Having trouble with FF again today and of course Chrome is not usable.  

Even in FF, this whole time it seems videos don't load properly or at all and Yahoo messenger and email is somewhat buggered up as well.  Today though FF is virtually unusable as well (like other day)

Shutting Avast Web shields down fixes all.  
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: Gargamel360 on September 21, 2011, 07:05:23 PM
What AV did this PC have before Avast!?
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 21, 2011, 07:36:29 PM
Been using Avast for about 2 years, which is when I acquired this computer. (and I think the guy before me had nothing)

I was also using IE during that whole time, until I recently got the Master Boot Virus and brought this computer back from the dead (that was no easy task), now using FF and Chrome.  

After the virus everything was working fine for about a week, then all of a sudden all these problems. Come to think of it though, I immediately had trouble connecting to the net when computer booted into Windows for first time. I have two computers hooked to the same router and that seemed to be causing grief, unhooked one, the other would work etc. Then I added the second computers MAC address to the router IP Filtering and that seemed to do the trick. Everything was working for one week, then Chrome stopped working for about 3 - 4 days, then it spread to FF and thats when I posted and figured out Avast "seems" to be the culprit, since disabling it enables everything to work properly.  

Will be going to dualboot Ubuntu system as soon as I have time as well, Windows is such junk especially for security so Ubuntu for Internet in future.  

Even to get this post to submit in FF I have to disable Avast.  
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 21, 2011, 09:42:17 PM
And now after 5 hours of fighting, FF and Avast are now friends again??!!   :-X

Pretty stumped on this I have to think Avast is the culprit when it affects all 3 Browsers, intermittently at that, but maybe I am missing something.

Why in the hell would FF not work for the last 5 hours unless Avast is disabled, and then 30 minutes ago when "disabled" timed out after a full hour, Avast starts up but this time FF keeps working where before no pages would load, nothing would work at all.   ???  (virus def's updated but I dont see how that would have helped anything...)
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 23, 2011, 03:40:34 PM
FF has been fine last few days, Chrome still not usable, at all. 

Do any admins check these forums?   

I would really like to be able to use Chrome again without disabling Avast.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: YoKenny on September 23, 2011, 11:34:58 PM
Chrome works just fine on my XP Pro system.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 24, 2011, 05:55:00 AM
Maybe this will help. 

I can browse https://chrome.google.com/webstore?hl=en-GB&category=ext%2F15-by-google

the Google web store no problem but then when I go to load any other pages I get a 324 error?

Any link in that store will work, yet no other web pages of any kind will work?  Goofy
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: Shiw Liang on September 24, 2011, 04:21:39 PM
Has he tried to make a clean uninstall with avast's uninstall tool and re-install avast after rebooting ???
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: YoKenny on September 24, 2011, 06:05:46 PM
Has he tried to make a clean uninstall with avast's uninstall tool and re-install avast after rebooting ???
That sounds like a good idea as I have no problem browsing around in the Google web store.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on September 28, 2011, 08:21:54 PM
Tried uninstalling Chrome, rebooting, then reinstalling. No dice. 

I have another computer hooked up to my router and Chrome and Avast are getting along on it no problem so the issue is localized on this laptop. 
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: ady4um on September 28, 2011, 11:01:07 PM
Good that you tried reinstalling Chrome. Now try what was actually suggested: uninstalling Avast, then use http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility (http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility) from Windows Safe Mode and then use a new download of the latest Avast to reinstall. Reboot again after the installation before testing it.
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: jayjonbeach on October 03, 2011, 11:44:48 PM
Good that you tried reinstalling Chrome. Now try what was actually suggested: uninstalling Avast, then use http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility (http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility) from Windows Safe Mode and then use a new download of the latest Avast to reinstall. Reboot again after the installation before testing it.

Sarcasm not appreciated, chum, advice is though....  

I was trying to avoid a complete uninstall/reinstall of Avast for a few reasons one of which was thinking it wasn't going to work anyway.

Followed those instructions to the T, again, no dice.  
Title: Re: Avast Free is causing problems with Chrome & FF for 4 days already - please fix
Post by: ady4um on October 04, 2011, 01:37:40 AM
Just a blind idea, but it is easy to try.

Avast main GUI -> web shield -> EXPERT settings -> "..."well known browsers only".

Avast main GUI -> settings -> troubleshooting -> "load avast service after other system services".

If you have firewall rules, delete all rules related to Avast (avastsvc.exe, avastui.exe and avast.setup).

Save and reboot. Then test. Your firewall (if you have one) should be set in "learn mode" (or however it is called) so to rebuild the rules for Avast.

If these settings don't work for you, please revert them back to what they were before.

Other shields might be related, but let's try those settings first.