when i downloaded avast free from afterdawn.com then all avast shields was disabled by default after installing it. http://no.afterdawn.com/nedlastinger/sikkerhet/antivirus/avast_free_norsk_versjon.cfm
Download and install the new version (Pre-Release) 5.1.874. http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=68927.0
Don’t forget to remove the old version, first… and see if the problem solves with the new avast!.
Also, there have been times over the beta testing that a ‘second reboot’ has cleared the shields being disabled for me. Although 5.1.874 is a prerelease it did work for me.
If you have further problems, please let us know. 
it works great now with avast 5.1.874
thanks
You’re welcome. We are all here to help.
No worries