I had this problem last week and thought I solved it, but it happened again just now.
My Windows Live Email wouldn’t connect to server, yet my wireless internet connection was all working. After trying everything, I realized that when it said why the server couldn’t connect, it said something about Avast and exceeding my limit. I didn’t know what that meant, but opened Avast, and clicked “stop” for the email, then immediately clicked “start” again and the email worked fine.
I relaxed.
Now this morning, my email wouldn’t work again, same explanation. Did the same thing and now it works again.
I can’t post the exact wording because I can’t get that window to come up while it is working, but I don’t want to have to deal with this once a week.
Is there really a limit of some sort and can I up the limit or fix this somehow? I’ve used Avast for YEARS, and never had this issue before.
Do you happen to use a newsreader as it is usually these which exceed the maximum number of connections (I believe the default is around 50 concurrent connections). The error message normally gives the process consuming the connections.
Now it is possible to increase this limit, but in doing so that process may just consume more up to that limit.
I never heard of newsreader so I’m inclined to think I don’t use it. I haven’t changed anything regarding my email in months if not years, and yet this problem just started. Unless it has something to do with the most recent update? I don’t know.
Something is connecting using email ports and lots of them to exceed that limit, that is why we need the information contained in the error.
Another application type that can cause this are P2P applications as some communicate using common ports used by the email/news applications (25, 110, 119, 143, etc.).
I understand. If you know how I can get to a log or an error connection message in Windows Live Mail that is now resolved, I can try to find it. Otherwise I’ll just have to wait until it happens again, and be smarter (by getting the screen shot) before I stop and restart avast mail scanner.
I don’t know if there might be a record of the error in the Mail Shield log file:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\report\EmailShield.txt (XP) or C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\report\EmailShield.txt (vista, win7), this may be a hidden folder depending on your windows explorer settings.
Or it may be in this file, C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\log\Mail.log (XP) or C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log\Mail.log.
If nothing there it will have to be a wait and see.
The error message was not from Avast. The message I’m referring to, was in the “details” when my email tried to connect to server. It was the explanation of why it could not connect.
I’m sorry if I didn’t explain that right earlier. When my email is trying to connect, if it can’t, an exclamation point comes up, and I can click to see the details. In the past, it may have said something like “server not responding” or “cannot find host” something like that? This is the first time I ever saw anything about Avast, and that’s why it caught my attention, because I tried everything else, like rebooting modem, etc.
And then when it worked like a charm to stop avast email scan and restart it, I assume that was the problem.
Okay it just happened again. I’m attaching the screen shot of what comes up. If you scroll down, it just repeats the exact same thing for the three email addresses that i receive on that one email account.
Well wlmail.exe is a WinMail.exe belonging to Windows Live Mail from Microsoft, that is what is using all of the connections.
Why it is using this number of concurrent connections I don’t know as I don’t use Windows Live Mail (WLM). Is there anything in the WLM settings that deals with concurrent connections that can be restricted to say 25 ?
As I have said, whilst it is possible to increase this limit, but in doing so that process may just consume more up to that limit. So lets see if you can find anything in the WLM settings relating to the maximum number of connections.
If not then we will have to try and raise the limit and see if it eats those too.
I have had avast and used Windows Live Mail for years and this never happened until about 10 days ago. I can’t think of anything I changed or did different in the email or avast that could have caused this. The only think I changed in avast is the amount of time the popup notification stays on the screen.
This is going to drive me crazy though. I am glad that stopping and restarting the avast email scan works, but it is a pain to do that and sometimes there is a long time before I realize I’m not getting emails.
Well avast doesn’t initiate the connections by WLM that is completely WLM, the fact that it is using all 50 concurrent connections means that avast can’t get any connections to be able to scan the email.
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OK, we will try and bump up the concurrent connections limit and see if that works:
Concurrent Connections Error: You could modify the avast5.ini file using notepad, “C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\avast4.ini.” Find the [EmailScanner] section and insert a new line after the section heading, and enter this MaxConnections=75 (if that line exists you can change the value to 75). Save the changes, the avast self-defence will ask if it is OK answer yes.
[EmailScanner]
MaxConnections=75
The default concurrent connection limit is 50 (for mail & news together). This limit exists not to save resources, but to prevent connection looping in strange configurations, so the user can increase it without worry to, for instance, 75. The value 0 disables the limit.
I get to c:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5 (not Avast4) but then can not find DATA etc.
I also found an old post about a similar problem but that person had a Norton conflict with Avast and it was advised to get rid of Norton. I don’t have Norton.
What are all these connections? and why would it start now? How can I contact WLM or should I call verizon?
I did recently run Malware Bites, but I’m wondering if I should do it again. Does this sound like it could be malware?
Sorry, that is something I copied incorrectly and gave you the old program information. Note You said you found c:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5, what avast version you have, you never said (or I missed it) ?
It is possibly by only updated the program from within avast and not a clean install you would retain the old version folder locations. So it is possibly that this is the case, that being so, substitute the \AVAST Software\Avast\ in the paths below for \Alwil Software\Avast5\ that you have.
It should be:
Concurrent Connections Error: You could modify the EmailShield.ini file using notepad, C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\EmailShield.ini (XP location) or C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\EmailShield.ini (Vista, Win7), this location may be hidden, depending on your windows explorer settings (Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > View, see image).
Find the [EmailScanner] section and insert a new line after the section heading, and enter this MaxConnections=75 (if that line exists you can change the value to 75). Save the changes, the avast self-defence will ask if it is OK answer yes.
[EmailScanner]
MaxConnections=75
The default concurrent connection limit is 50 (for mail & news together). This limit exists not to save resources, but to prevent connection looping in strange configurations, so the user can increase it without worry to, for instance, 75. The value 0 disables the limit.