I installed Avast in place of AVG Free for the first time a couple of days ago after numerous recommendations. It was fine yesterday, but on booting up today I was unable to open IE7 or Firefox. I disabled the On-Access Protection and voila - both browsers were back to functioning normally.
I uninstalled Avast and reinstalled it after seeing this recommendation on a tech forum for a person who was having the same problems with Avast On-Access Protection.
Unfortunately, the same issue has recurred, right from when the new installation was completed! I had to turn off Avast On-Access Protection to open FF to go to this forum and type out this post. I am currently unprotected, which is not a good feeling.
I am on the point of returning to AVG, which never gave me issues like these, even if it is considered second-best to Avast by many.
Please run the AVG Remover which removes all parts of the previous AVG installation…
(Remaining parts can cause conflicts…)
Then run the Avast! Uninstall Utility
And then try to install Avast again with a new installation file from the Avast! Homepage
Did you also use any other security software before? (before AVG/parallel with AVG)
Are you using any other security software parallel to Avast?
(Antivirus, Firewall, Antispyware,…)
If yes - which ones?
onlysomeone, I was using Zonealarm (free) years ago on this computer and have not reformatted since then. I am currently running Spybot and Adaware as well as Avast.
Re your query, Vladimyr, I was using the most recent AVG (8.5).
I’m interested to know if you think any of these programs has conflicted with Avast in some way that might have produced the problem I’m having with the IE7 and FF. I’d rather be running less, rather than more of these anti-virus/spyware programs, so if I’m needlessly doubling up or over-protected and this is resulting in conflicts, I’ll be happy to uninstall the offender(s). I WANNA like Avast, believe me, as AVG seemed to be getting a little bloated in its current version, slowing the computer down a bit I suspected, and was taking a bloody long time to run its check on the HD!
The problem is that Antivirus Programs sometimes let something on the computer although they get uninstalled…
So please try what I suggested in my first post
Spybot and Adaware shouldn’t conflict with avast… so you can let them on your PC.
Tech, my firewall is the Windows one (OS is Win XP Home + SP2). I don’t know what you mean by your question “is ashWebSv.exe allowed to connect” - could you explain please?
I’ve done all you suggested. The new installation of Avast, again, will not allow IE7 or FF to open while On-Access Protection is on. As soon as I disable it, both browsers start operating normally, as before.
I’m not sure how to tell if AVG has been completely removed - maybe it hasn’t been and this is the problem. I ran the AVG remover several times and restarted the computer each time. Still the same two entries come up in the Win DOS window each time I run the remover. How do I know whether the remover has, indeed, removed all remnants of AVG, please?
If AVG has been completely removed, WTF is going on? I want to give Avast a fair try, but this is starting to look like too much of a hassle. Maybe I should just go back to AVG - I never had a moment’s problem installing it. Disappointing, though. Avast looked good. Any other suggestions as to how to rectify this browser problem, and I will follow up on them, though. I don’t want to give up on Avast without trying it properly. Damn!
I have run AVG Removal multiple times, and just did a search of my files/folders containing “AVG” - I was surprised to discover many still left! I manually deleted those that I could, but some indicated that removal was not possible (forget the explanation).
I’m still not able to open IE7 or FF after now 3 times uninstalling and reinstalling Avast - except when disabling the On-Access Protection. Having followed all suggestions by you kind folk who have responded to my post, I am now completely stuck.
I’m not clear, you say you can’t ‘open’ IE7 or FF, is that exactly what you mean or do you mean you can’t browse and sites when using them.
If you literally mean you can’t physically open them, then there is something going on in the background, that appears to be conflict. Typically two AVs trying to hook a file to scan it, so what is strange is that this only effects IE7 and FF and not other executable files when you try to run them. So there is certainly something strange going on in your system, as it has all the hallmarks of a conflict yet it is only when opening browsers ???
To get round the problem, you could pause the standard shield open the browser, using about blank as your home page so it doesn’t connect immediately and once open resume the standard shield so you are protected.
This isn’t a permanent solution but a test, can you then browse or do you experience other issues and if so what ?
What were the errors when you tried to manually delete what avg registry entries you found ?
I suspect some sort of permission error, in which case you would have to take control of the key, e.g. Right click on the key, select Permissions, and ensure your user account is allowed Full control, that should allow you to delete that avg entry in the key.
When On-Access Protection Control is on and I attempt to open up IE7 I get a page with the following statement:
"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage
Most likely causes:
You are not connected to the Internet.
The website is encountering problems.
There might be a typing error in the address."
When I try FF, I get a page stating:
“Connection Interrupted
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.” (Trying again makes no difference).
Weirdly, a few minutes ago FF started working normally for a short while when I had the On-Access Protection on. I managed to bring up two sites, then the “Connection Interrupted” page came up when I tried a third site. That’s persisted since, so I turned OAP off and now I can browse normally. Still, it’s the first time either browser has worked at all for browsing while OAP was on. - even if it was only for a couple of sites.
I just tried to duplicate the errors I got when I tried to manually delete the AVG files I found on a search of the HD, but now I can find NO TRACE of anything to do with AVG! I don’t know how this came about - there were certainly AVG remnants on view when I was trying to delete them this morning, but that they’re gone now (however that happened) is a plus, I guess.
I don’t understand your suggestion “you could pause the standard shield open the browser, using about blank as your home page so it doesn’t connect immediately and once open resume the standard shield so you are protected.” What is “about blank” (that you suggest using for a home page), for instance?
Anyway, thanks for your comments. I thought people had deserted the thread. I would REALLY like to get this browser issue sorted out so I can give Avast! a fair go for a while.
That is more like it as I couldn’t believe you couldn’t even open them.
Now this aside from possible conflict with another AV (that also monitors web traffic) it could be firewall blocking (this is more common). However, now you say it worked for a time and that would indicate that the firewall isn’t blocking. But we are back to what appears to be conflicting processes for web traffic scanning.
Did AVG alter the IE (or firefox) proxy setting to be able to scan the internet traffic, I believe I have seen this before in the forums and that change wasn’t reversed when it was uninstalled.
Check the Internet Options, Connections tab, Settings button, Proxy Server, if there is anything there remove it (unless of course you have to use a proxy ?).
Whilst this is going on, you are scaring me to death, so I have no idea what it is doing to you. You keep mentioning switching off The on-Access Protection leaving you with your trousers round your ankles metaphorically speaking, Just Terminate the Web Shield as that would be the only avast element involved and it leaves the standard shield as a last line of defence.
avast has 7 shields/providers, right click the avast ‘a’ icon and hover over the Pause provider and from the list select the Standard Shield, this is reversed by right click the avast ‘a’ icon, and from the Resume provider select the Standard Shield. This however shouldn’t be required as contrary to what you said IE and FF are opening, my suggestion was to allow them to start and the re-setting home bake of your browser was to avoid it trying to connect when you had no defence.
Thanks for your ongoing interest in this annoying problem of mine.
I checked the Proxy Server - there is nothing there.
I terminated Avast’s Standard Shield as you suggested, and immediately got the “Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage” page when I tried IE, and the “Connection Interrupted” for Firefox. I then tried terminating the Web Shield instead - same result. Then terminated both the Web Shield and the Standard Shield - same result. So all these combinations render the web unsurfable while On-Access Protection Control is on.
I know that is not what you expected. Does this new information, including the absence of any Proxy, give any other clues as to what could be going on, please?
The suggestion on the standard shield is totally unrelated to the problem (I also said Pause not Terminate), as I said it was only suggested because of your comment that you couldn’t ‘open’ IE or FF not that you couldn’t browse when they were ‘open.’ So the suggestion related to possible blocking of the executables that are run for IE or FF.
The Termination was related to the ‘Web Shield’ as I said:
No problem, glad I could help. Welcome to the forums.
So you will have to read carefully or you could leave yourself unprotected.
I now want you to ensure the standard shield is running, reverse what you did and do the same for the web shield so they are both running.
I want you to manually set your browsers to use the avast proxy and see if that makes a difference. The IE one may relate to IE6 but I’m sure you can find the appropriate settings if it differes in the version you are using.
I meant “paused”, not terminated. I do read your advice carefully - my carelessness was in my phrasing when responding. I am, as you may have noted, terminologically challenged, although I am fairly well experienced on computer matters generally…but as with many non-techies, there are yawning gaps in my knowledge that may make me appear more ignorant than I am.
I am new to Avast, having used AVG without a hitch for years. The reason I made the change was that AVG was taking a long, long time to scan, and several folk I trust who are up with the tech side of things recommended Avast as a superior and more streamlined free alternative to AVG. So, I ask for your patience. I am close to abandoning Avast, simply because I can’t resolve whatever this current problem is with the browsers, and as you say, it is dangerous to leave myself unprotected when I am forced to stop On-Access Protection any time I need to browse (like now!).
I really do want to try to get this bloody problem fixed, though.
I have tried setting FF to use the Avast proxy - I couldn’t browse with FF at all, whether On-Access Protection was on or off!
So, getting nowhere fast.
If you or anyone else have any further suggestions, I’ll gladly follow them. In the meantime, I’ll uninstall and reinstall Avast later, and see if that works now that the remnants of AVG appear to be gone.
