I upgraded from Avast 4.8 to 5.0.594 about a week ago. Since upgrading, I am not able to connect to the internet while Avast is operating. Avast stops Internet Explorer, Firefox and Newsleecher from connecting.
It is not blocking internet access completely, because the utility I use to measure my ISP usage is able to connect, and when I run the "Download test file" function to measure the download speed, it is able to download the test file at my normal maximum speed.
The only way I can access the internet fully is to disable all shields. Just disabling the web shield is not sufficient. With the web shield alone disabled, I can use my web browsers most of the time, but Newsleecher is still blocked.
I had none of these problems with Avast 4.8
I did a full boottime scan with Avast 5 and it found no problems. I also did full scans with Malwarebytes and Superantispyware, and no problems were found.
I have given full permission to Avast in Online Armor and Superantispyware.
I have uninstalled Avast 5, run the Avast removal tool in Safe Mode, and then reinstalled.
I run Online Armor Pro firewall, Superantispyware Pro resident, Windows XP Pro SP3.
I have used Avast for several years, but I am very close to shifting to another product. I hope someone can help with this.