Avast latest version Web Shield blocking ALL websites, in all browsers

[Bonnikins]

I've been a happy user of Avast and have recommended it to many others but this past week I've been very disappointed and annoyed at the total web block that's going on.  It doesn't matter which broswer I use, I get total blocking on all of them, I can't access any website.

As soon as I turn off the Avast Web shield, I get instant access to websites, so I know it's Avast.

I have followed advice to completely uninstall and reinstall the latest version, but nothing changed. When I reinstalled, Avast couldn't even update its own databse online or register me!!! It couldn't even get online itself, let alone anything else.

I use Windows 7 Pro, and usually Chrome, but as I say I've tried this in other browsers. I don't know what to do now. I have to turn off the Web Shield just to get online. Otherwise I just get the timer going round and round and eventually the web page has a notice saying (depending on which browser) that the page is inaccessible, just as if I have no Network or my network settings were corrupted. In fact, I thought that was the case before and did a rollback!! I wish I hadn't.

I have seen that others have this problem. What can I do, apart from abandoning Avast altogether. ARe they bringing out a patch for this problem??

[Asyn]

Which avast!..?? (Free/Pro/IS)
Which version..??
OS..?? (32/64 Bit)
Other security related software..??

[Bonnikins]

Version 6.0.1367 Free version
Windows 7 Pro, 32-bit
Other security software iObit Malware Fighter and Advanced System Care (makes no difference when I turn them off though)
I used to have Vipre Antivirus installed byt the subscription ran out. I took it out of startup and de-selected all the shields in the program. From time to time it asks me to renew the subscription, but I exit the program. None of this makes any difference to the Avast problem.

My husband had exactly the same problem on his computer, which is Windows XP Pro, with the same version of Avast. He also was using Vipre and he's completely uninstalled it, but still his browser is blocked. He has now given up on Avast and is using Komodo instead, which lets him get online.

[Bonnikins]

Here's a strange thing, and has something to do with what's happening. In my bookmarks menu there is ONE web page that loads, even when I've cleaned the history, cache, cookies and everything, and it's this: https://www.play.com/integratedlogin.aspx?returnUrl=%2fOrder.aspx

What is the difference?

Unfortunately, others probably won't be able to go to that particular page as it's my Play.com login page. It works for me, for some insane reason that I can't figure out. Nothing else does.

Is this some kind of problem with security??

[YoKenny]

Other security software iObit Malware Fighter and Advanced System Care (makes no difference when I turn them off though)
I used to have Vipre Antivirus installed byt the subscription ran out. I took it out of startup and de-selected all the shields in the program. From time to time it asks me to renew the subscription, but I exit the program. None of this makes any difference to the Avast problem.

You must remove iObit Malware Fighter and Advanced System Care plus you have to completly un-install Vipre Antivirus then probably a re-install of avast! is in order.  

[Asyn]

Other security software iObit Malware Fighter and Advanced System Care (makes no difference when I turn them off though)
I used to have Vipre Antivirus installed byt the subscription ran out. I took it out of startup and de-selected all the shields in the program. From time to time it asks me to renew the subscription, but I exit the program. None of this makes any difference to the Avast problem.

You must remove iObit Malware Fighter and Advanced System Care plus you have to completly un-install Vipre Antivirus then probably a re-install of avast! is in order.  

+1

[Bonnikins]

You must remove iObit Malware Fighter and Advanced System Care plus you have to completly un-install Vipre Antivirus then probably a re-install of avast! is in order.  

I have always run these before without a problem, up to last week, and I'm not prepared to remove programs I've paid for and which work correctly, in order to resurrect a program that doesn't.

Advanced System Care (pro) from iObit.com isn't even an anti-malware program (unless you run a scan manually) - it's a set of computer system tools that work perfectly. I use ASC for many things, but you say I "must" uninstall it. Great solution. How about making Avast work instead?

I have already reinstalled Avast with no effect. It's time to go renew my subscription to Sunbelt Vipre now I believe. Bye.

[Asyn]

Bye.

Bye and good luck.

[iroc9555]

Bye and good luck.

Come on Asyn. Just have to show why Bonnikis should drop ¡Obit products.

http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/iobit.com

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/askjack/2010/feb/24/iobit-antivirus-system-care

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/virus-spyware/f/3522/p/19302221/19580881.aspx#19580881

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/virus-spyware/f/3522/p/19361807/19809706.aspx#19809706

and there are more around the web. Bonnikins you decide.
 

[ady4um]

Unfortunately, this topic turned to a completely irrelevant issue.

The only important issue here is the main issue presented in the OP. And the solution is simple: firewall rules.

Delete the firewall rules related to web browsers and rules related to avast. You need to delete firewall rules of all firewalls installed, whether they are enabled or not. Then reboot.

The rules will be re-created correctly according to the current version of avast and the browsers should work.

Please report back.

[Bonnikins]

I looked at the iObit links but found nothing much to make me uninstall ASC. And I'm not just being obstinate here. It's just easier to get a new antivirus than uninstall programs I regularly use, and I'm probably not alone in feeling that.

So I have bought another subscription to Vipre, which I've used all last year and liked. It let me go on the Net without doing anything to the firewall. Of course, it demanded that I uninstall Avast, fair enough - but didn't complain about iObit.

Every virus program protects itself from rivals, I accept that. But AVC isn't an anti-virus program, as I said before. Added to which, I've never had any kind of clash with iObit products before. So I see no reason to uninstall them just because you tell me I "must".

I'm willing to bet it would have made NO difference anyway, since I had turned that and the Malware program OFF, without resolving the Avast problem. All of this I did explain in my posts!

However, I came here asking for a solution to a problem I had with Avast, and - until the helpful reply left last (which I hadn't seen earlier) - there was nothing but "goodbye and good luck", NOT what I needed to hear.

Sorry, but not good enough!

[ady4um]

As I said, IO Bit is not related to the issue (and it shouldn't be brought up, at least until the main issue would be resolved, or even not at all).

The reason for https links to work correctly is that those are not related to firewall rules nor web shield restrictions.

The reason your new security tool was not requesting you to do anything to the firewall rules is because the tool was just installed, and any change that could be needed was done with the just - installed version of that tool.

Unfortunately, I have no way now to assure (or demonstrate) you that deleting the relevant firewall rules and rebooting would had been enough, simple and fast. Faster than what took all of us to write this whole topic, specially with unrelated comments.

Although I'm just a simple user, sorry for the inconvenience and waste of time, and I sincerely wish you good luck with your new security tool.

[YoKenny]

More evidence of IOBit not being good:
IOBit Theft Conclusion
http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=33217

[CraigB]

What the OP should have done was what YoKenny suggested in reply 4 by getting rid of malware fighter and vipreAV as even if disabled there are still active low level drivers running that will more than likely cause conflict.

Never have two AV's on one system, uninstall Vipre reboot and run there removal tool to clean up leftovers then reboot again and install avast

Replace Malware Fighter with Malwarebytes 

[ady4um]

O - M - G !!! Are we still OFF TOPIC, even when the OP already said good bye to avast?

Yes, there might have been many issues, problems, conflicts, malware, "bad" companies... and the world might be in crisis. So what?

The description of the first post was so clear about the solution to the particular problem (firewall rules) that I can NOT understand why the need to point out that some other potential problem may exist.

Yes, many other issues may exist, but the solution for the OP is deleting the firewall rules, reboot and let them be re-created.