AIM AOL Messenger Won't Work

[roadman]

I had EZArmour Firewall installed for a year and the license came up.  I uninstalled it and installed Avast Home this evening.

Yahoo Messenger works, but AIM will not allow you to use your keyboard.

Any thoughts or ideas?

I've read a few threads and it appears people were having problems with Norton.

Thank you in advance.

[neal62]

I see where you had EZArmour Firewall at one time, fine. But, why did you mention Norton? Did you or do you also have/had Norton on your pc and put Avast Home on also? Two anti virus programs on the computer at the same time can cause all kinds of problems possibly causing you your AIM problem??

[roadman]

No, never had Norton on this computer at all.

I just noticed on this first page, Norton was mentioned a few times and wanted to find out if there is a possible correlation between Norton and EZ Armour.  It's only speculation on my part.

Thank you.

[neal62]

I do not believe that Norton and EZArmour have any affiliation with each other, but I could be wrong. You didn't mention if you got another Firewall or just put Avast Home on your pc. Avast is NOT a firewall program. You haven't mentioned if your running WinXP with its own firewall etc, etc. AIM can cause alot of problems all by itself on computers without any help from other software. It's very proprietary.

[roadman]

No, I didn't put another firewall on the PC, just put Avast Home on the PC.  I have Windows 2000 on this PC.

[neal62]

Well, just a suggestion. If you aren't using a "router" and don't have another firewall NOW on your pc I would strongly consider getting one ASAP. They do serve a very usefull purpose.  There are some free ones. For instance Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall, Comodo P.F., both are free. Zone Alarm has a free version. I would surely get one of those.

[roadman]

Ok, I will definately look into that.

Do you think that will solve my AIM problem?

(crosses fingers and toes)

[neal62]

If your using Yahoo Messenger along with AIM messenger at the same time, this can cause problems software wise. I have tried both of those years ago, had problems with both of them and uninstalled them both. I use MSN messenger and don't have any problems with it. No I don't think your going to get rid of your AIM problem very easy, not sure how your going to do it. But, I would definitely get another firewall on your machine before too long or it's not a case of if it will catch some Malware, it's a case of "when" it will. 

[DavidR]

No, I didn't put another firewall on the PC, just put Avast Home on the PC.  I have Windows 2000 on this PC.

avast isn't a firewall, which is an essential pert of your system security.

avast does have the Network Shield, but that is by no means a firewall, it is looking at areas that are usually exploited by the likes of Sasser/Blaster, etc. You need a firewall.

Installing a firewall is unlikely to resolve the problem with AIM as Neal said, but without one you could have more urgent and serious problems without it. The time on-line for an unprotected system to infection is counted in minutes and a firewall is an essential element of that protection.