avast interferes with Windows 7 Update

Error message: “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You many need to restart your computer.

I keep getting the above error message when I try to do a Windows Update on Windows 7 system until I disable the avast. How can I go around it? Failing that I have to remove avast from the system. Please help!

What exact version of avast do you have installed?