I am having a similar problem. Avast has been working fine for a couple of months. Then, today, when the computer restarted after a power failure, Avast had difficulty starting. This had happened a couple of months ago, but recurred.
I am running Windows XP Home Edition, SP3.
Internet Explorer 6 (build 6.0.2900.5512.xpsp_sp3_gdr.100216-1514)
Avast 4.8 Home Edition Free (Build 4.8.1368)
Avast starts normally, except that Web Shield and Internet Mail Shield get stuck. Both display a message that they are waiting for a Subsystem to start. When I check my Task Manager, it shows 4 or 5 ashWeb.exe processes running, most of them going gangbusters. More interestingly, the process aawService.exe is obviously stuck, with Memory Usage over 100 MB and CPU usage raning from 10% to 98% at a time. During this time, the entire computer is so consumed with aawService.exe that it takes several minutes to open up Avast and terminate the two providers. It takes several minutes to open up any other program (such as Task Manager).
I installed the most recent update to Avast, but that did not resolve the problem. I do note that I currently have the same Virus update as the other user who has problems (100414-1).
I forced aawService.exe to end, but it started back up almost immediately. After a couple of reboots and a couple of times terminating and then trying to restart the two providers, I forced aawService.exe to end. This time it stayed inactive, and lo and behold the two providers began working again. Thus, it seems that the problem is not with the providers themselves, but with the "subsystem" represented by aawService.exe.
Could it be a sporadic incompatibility between Avast and IE6? I notice it is only the internet-capable "providers" that are having problems.
Any thoughts on how else to resolve this than spending an hour or more getting it to work?
