Hello bridezilla924 and welcome to the forum.
In situations like this, it is usually the person's firewall (FW) causing the problem, but it can also be a problem with the install since you just installed Avast Pro, remnants of previous security software, or malware can be an issue.
1. First, as the previous poster noted, make sure your FW is not blocking anything related to Avast. If you made changes in your FW to block certain exe. files, change things back to default for now unless you absolutely know the file is not Avast-related.
2. Second, make sure you use the default settings listed below for connections:
Please check the following to check the settings:
Open Avast GUI > Settings > Updates >
A. Engine and Virus Definitions:
- Automatic Update (default)
- For “Manual” or “Ask When Update Available ” > Settings > Status Bar > Uncheck the last box
B. Update Parameters: all boxes unchecked (default)
- If you use DSL, you may want to set #2 above to "My computer is permanently connected to the Internet."
- If you use dial-up, you will want to use #2 above to "I only connect to the Internet using dial-up modem."
C. Proxy Settings: Auto Detect using IE Settings (default)
- Some people have found that using "Direct connection / No Proxy" have worked for them.
- Use "Specify Proxy Server" if you use a proxy and complete the information below it for the proxy server > click "OK."
3. What other security software do you
currently have or did you have
in the past on this machine including antivirus (AV), firewall (FW), and other security programs, including trial versions? If they were in the past, how did you remove them (the vendor's uninstaller's tool or another way)?
4. Forth, did you reboot after your installation and put in your license information?
If you have done all of the above, I'd like you to try an Avast Repair:
- Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove programs > Avast Antivirus.
- Scroll down and choose Repair function in the pop-up window.
-
Reboot.
Please report back with your findings. Thank you.