In answer to your first question, no I have an unlimited broadband account - there's no time limit for being online.
In answer to the second point - how do I switch off the alerts? I'm perfectly happy that Avast is blocking these, great to have a little extra protection. I just don't want these pop ups all the time.
I think the server is certainly doing something, what I don't know but if Avast is protecting me - which it is - I don't really need to know about it unless I have a virus of some kind:)
Not that nervous, I've been using puters since the early 1990s, have had my own since January 2001 and teach how to use Avast over at VU. I just wanted to be sure what this was before I switched something off I shouldn't:) and I went all over the program last night but couldn't see how to switch off the alerts and still have the network shield protection which is what I want to do. In fact I couldn't find any access to the network shield at all.