Firefox I.E7 down after installing Avast Only windows version of Safari connects

[alsnyder]

I installed Avast, ran the boot scan, came back up and now I.E. 7, Firefox 3.01 and Chrome don't work.  They are all cleared for access to the internet through Zone Alarm in it's programs section.    My windows copy of Safari is the only browser that will connect to the internet.

Originally thought it was my router, but rebooted both cable box and router, and that didn't do anything.  Emails and web servers are up and functioning.  Then out of an act of desperation, I tried Safari and sure enough it went right through.  Now it's the only browser I have.  Zone Alarm is only acting like a firewall.  I disabled everything but that.  I'm using vista 32.

Does anyone have a fix for this?

[DavidR]

This is probably down to your firewall blocking the web shield and I don't believe that the windows version of safari is being monitored by the web shield.

Does Zone Alarm allow ashWebSv.exe internet access ?
- If it does (as you said it does) delete the entry for it and reconnect to the internet and browse with one of the previously mentioned browsers that didn't work. This will force the firewall to ask permission again for ashWebSv.exe allow it.

What version of ZA are you using the Free or Pro version ?

[alsnyder]

Hi, yes I'm running ZoneAlarm Security Suite version:8.0.020.000.  I had ashWebSv.exe, and deleted it during my first post, but when I tried to launch I.E and the others, I wasn't challenged.  Which is bad in itself. 

I just shut down ZoneAlarm and tried again with I.E., and the weirdest thing happened.  It took me to my home page, which was all scrambled, text out of place, images gone, so I went to Google's main page which looked fine.  Then I tried another site and I couldn't connect through I.E. again?  Back to square one.

[DavidR]

Well for a start anything with a suite in the name I guess would have an AV element and if this is the case you should uninstall the AV element. This may require a complete uninstall of the suite and a custom install without the AV element.

I also believe the Security Suite comes with the Privacy function (?) that plays merry hell with the web shield in the past. If so you should have had a compatibility question when you installed avast about disabling the web shield transparent proxy ?

WEB SHIELD ISSUES - ZONE ALARM -  also see bottom of page.
http://www.avast.com/eng/webshield_issues.html

- Zone Alarm - avast! Web Shield compatibility dialogue - Install/Update Question - YES or NO

If you are using ZoneAlarm Free you should click NO, because privacy features are not present in ZoneAlarm Free this will not turn off web shield transparent mode proxy (Note the avast check should now be able to differentiate between ZA and ZA Pro so you may not see this interface if using ZA free).
Use a text editor and edit the avast4.ini file, the default installation location is C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini (I would advise you copy avast4.ini before editing it, just in case).
If you answered incorrectly, Locate the line containing ZoneAlarmCompatibility= and delete that line (avast will ask again, answer NO) or change the value to =0.  Save the edited avast4.ini file.

If you are using ZoneAlarm Pro and Privacy Control in ZoneAlarm is set to High and if you click YES in avast compatibility dialogue box the transparent mode proxy in web shield will be turned off you have to manually configure browser to access internet. To manually configure your browser watch instructional video

For IE - broadband users: - Tutorial - Web Shield Proxy Set-up for IE
For IE - dialup users - Tutorial - Web Shield Proxy Set-up for IE (Dial-up)
For Firefox users - Tutorial - Web Shield Proxy Set-up for Firefox


Personally I fell that ZA is a poor firewall even the pro version doesn't do to well in tests.

See http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewall-challenge/results.php.
See A Forum discussion on free firewalls http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=30808.0

[alsnyder]

DavidR,

Thanks for all of the valuable information and help working through all this confusion.  I completely uninstalled ZoneAlarm and that did the trick.  IE and Firefox work again!  I agree with you about the assessment about ZoneAlarm's Firewall capabilities (and it's virus detection capabilities for that matter).  It's just not what it used to be, so out with the old and in with the new.

I also want to thank you for the tutorial links.  I'm sure that they will all come in handy.  After paying for the Suite, I guess ZoneAlarm just reminded about how true the old Tom Waits line is:

"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away."

[DavidR]

No problem, glad I could help.

The tutorials were mainly if you stuck with ZA if it had the privacy feature. Without ZA the web shield should work transparently without the need to manually set your browser up to use it.

There are exceptions to that as there is a list of approved browsers, unfortunately that list isn't available to view, but generally if the browser is a main stream one it should be OK, Windows Safari and Chrome however may not fall into that category.

Welcome to the forums.