1) The firewall in Avast 6.0.11 and above has some issues specifically with windows 7. It blocks certain connections like ICMPv4 - whether or not it is enabled in windows firewall,even if using the HOME network profile in Avast. Only solution is to mark the "Allow" option for programs with no defined rules under Firewall Policies, for the profile being used.
2) what does the network shield scan and block for outgoing network connections? Also, how important is the web shield, and how/what does it scan for?
Thank you, your response will be very much appreciated...