Since upgrading to v8: Error 101 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_RESET)

[way2tall]

I upgraded to v8, rebooted, etc. Now, when trying to get to about half the websites I usually go to (including avast.com - I had to turn Avast off to get to this forum), I get this error:

CHROME:
This webpage is not available
The connection to www.avast.com was interrupted.
Here are some suggestions:
Reload this webpage later.
Check your Internet connection. Restart any router, modem, or other network devices you may be using.
Add Google Chrome as a permitted program in your firewall's or antivirus software's settings. If it is already a permitted program, try deleting it from the list of permitted programs and adding it again.
If you use a proxy server, check your proxy settings or contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working. If you don't believe you should be using a proxy server, adjust your proxy settings: Go to the Chrome menu > Settings > Show advanced settings... > Change proxy settings... > LAN Settings and deselect the "Use a proxy server for your LAN" checkbox.
Error 101 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_RESET): The connection was reset.

INTERNET EXPLORER:
This page can't be displayed
•Make sure the web address http://www.avast.com is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.

FIREFOX:
The connection was reset
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

THUNDERBIRD:
Also, when checking e-mail in Thunderbird, I get a popup error for all 10 mailboxes I check:
"An error occurred with the POP3 mail server. Mail server XXXXX responded:" (yes, the response is blank)


All these errors go away when I turn off Avast shields. Turning off the web shield fixes the browsers, and turning off the mail shield fixes e-mail - but none of the settings within the shields change the behavior. Only turning them completely off has helped so far.

This is quite upsetting, as I have actually paid for this antivirus, which is now completely useless to me.

I am running Win7 64bit, and all the browsers / clients are the latest versions, as is Avast. This started immediately after the upgrade, without me having changed any settings or even opened the new GUI.

Does anyone know why this could be happening?

EDIT: It only seems to error on http, and not on https.

[way2tall]

This is brilliant!

I tried opening a support ticket, and since they helpfully allow you to upload files in the form with the ticket, I decided to include the "support package" file generated by the software - the one that says "This feature allows you to generate a data package that will help our support engineers to troubleshoot the problem." I was careful to not check the "full dump" box as there is a warning that by checking this box the file may be quite big.

I attach the file to the ticket and click "send", and get a very helpful "403 entity too large" error, and of course I can't just click "back", so I lost everything I typed and had to retype my entire support ticket again.

Nice one.

Why would they 1) allow you to upload files in the "open a support ticket" form, and 2) allow you to create a "support package" from the software, if the form can't support the file size (~4mb) generated by the software? Or - at the very least - why not either put a notice or pop up a "file too big" error, instead of a 403 server error that makes you lose everything you typed?

[vojtech]

Hello,
do you use avast firewall or another? Check if something is not blocking connections from the avast service (AvastSvc.exe).

[way2tall]

Hi vojtech,

I use Online Armor firewall, and AvastSvc.exe (and all other Avast processes) are all "allowed" and "trusted"...

[vojtech]

Maybe the firewall rule is somehow bound to the previous version. You can try to delete the rule, re-create it and restart the avast service.

[way2tall]

That seems to have fixed it. I have simply uninstalled Online Armor, and will try out the Avast firewall.

Thank you!