Avast Web Shield and Zonealarm Pro Incompatible

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

To all readers,

I am having a problem since doing the last update to Avast Home Edition now Ver 4.6.623. :frowning:

I am running Win XP pro SP2 with all the latest updates.

I connect to the internet using BellSouth Fastaccess service in an apartment complex so instead of a DSL modem I connect through a WAN Miniport PPPOE.

As a firewall, I am running Zonealarm Pro Ver 5.5.062.011 also with all the latest updates.

Until the update everything was working fine with no problems noted. Once the update occured and was installed, any attempt to access the Web with IE resulted in the error message “The page cannot be displayed” and “Cannot find server or DNS Error.” Programs that accessed the internet directly, e.g. Yahoo IM, Avast virus sig update, etc., worked without difficulty.

I first disabled Zonealarm, and was able to browse the Web with IE without difficulty.

Next, thinking there was a problem with Zonealarm, I read their forums and saw something about problems with Avast Web Shield so I restarted Zonealarm and disabled Avast [completely] and was able once again to browse the Web using IE without difficulty.

Since then, I have tracked the problems to once specific setting in Avast Web Shield. If I go to “On-Access Protection Control” then “Web Shield” under “Installed providers” then click on the “Customize…” button under “Provider Configuration” and delete the number “80” from the box under the “Basic” tab next to “Redirected HTTP port[s]” everthing functions normally again. Putting “80” back into that box, once again, causes the same problem to occur and deleting “80” restores function.

While this has solved my immediate problem, i.e. being unable to access the Web through IE, I can’t help but feel that it is not the best solution because, though I can’t confirm it, I feel I have essentially done the same thing as just disabling Web Shield entirely [Which BTW also fixes the problem].

Can anyone provide some insight into this problem? Thanks in advance for your time and efforts. :slight_smile:

Sincerely,

William

end.

2

Make sure the process ashWebSv.exe has granted Internet access in ZA (especially outbound access on port 80).

Removing the “80” from the list of redirected ports effectively disables WebShield. It’s basically a troubleshooting option only.

3

Thanks,

I checked the program access and sure enough it marked for not allowing access, although I don’t know how it got set that way [cough…cough…wife…cough]. ;D

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

William

end.