Using Avast 4.7 Home and IE7. Just recently, IE7 will no longer load any site if Avast is running. If I try to load a site, the progress bar sticks about half way. Firefox is fine. If I suspend On-Access Protection, IE will load the site.
If Firefox works… maybe it’s not a firewall trouble.
By the way, which one do you use?
Which OS are you using? Is it up to date?
Do you have any other antivirus installed in your system? Did you have in the past?
Any other security programs that could interfere?
Using XP. I have XP firewall. The key point though is that IE works if Avast is turned off. Which is why I’m presuming the issue is with Avast.
I bet on something interfering… it won’t be possible just an issue between avast and IE… tons of users will be complaining…
1st replier asked if I had had other AV in the past. I have had AVG, but Avast replaced it a long time ago (several months at least). The problem has only arisen in the past week. The progress bar stops halfway and the Avast icon doesn’t spin. If I then turn off on-access protection, I still can’t access any site. But if I exit IE and reopen it, I then can. I am posting with IE7 now, but with Avast suspended.
I think we definitely have a bug here with the web shield. Last night at home some web pages did not load. I had to keep refreshing. I updated my work laptop today from 4.7 to 4.8 and same thing. Every once in awhile a page does not load. Firefox says error and I have to click try again.
I’m having the same issue. After upgrading to 4.8, IE or Firefox will not open any sites unless I disable Avast. Any other info I can provide? thnx!
This is most likely a case of your firewall not recognizing the update to avast and blocking the Webshield.
If you are using a firewall then please remove the permissions for avast (ashWebSv.exe) and allow for them to be requested again.
had to get to work, will try tonite and update then, thnx!
It’s all good! thanks alanrf!
You’re welcome - glad you are back to normal running.
I didn’t have an exception in XP Firewall for Avast. So I created one and IE works.
Curious, though that it was only IE affected, not Firefox or Opera.
I had the same problems (IE7 did not load any site) after upgrading to Avast 4.8. My PC configuration:
Windows XP Pro with the latest updates - IE7 - AVAST4.8 - ZONE ALARM 6.1.744.001
Removing in Zone Alarm every AVAST Program allowing for them automatically to be renewed did not work!
Either disabling Web Protection or disabling Zone Alarm did allow IE7 to connect to the internet, also without modifying anything on the Windows Firewall
I then decided to upgrade to the latest release of Zone Alarm 7.0.470.00 and now everything works fine! 
RHK, strange that Windows Firewall just control inbound connections and avast does not need them…
balrog, thanks for the report. Seems some glitch between avast and the old ZA.
Hello,
I’m also having a problem with WebShield on my computer since update. Configuration is WinXP SP2 + latest Microsoft updates + Spybot v1.5 up to date and AVAST 4.8.
If I activate Webshield, then I’m not able to connect to any website neither with IE 7 nor with Firefox.
The behaviour is the same even if WinXP firewall is not activated.
If I shut down the Avast Webshield, then I’m able to access all websites… I tried to remove and install avast again but problem remains.
This problem seems to be encountered by some of Avast users but I must say I had no other antivirus software installed in the past (perhaps Symantec evaluation version when I bought the computer but I don’t remember because I uninstalled all evalaution versions of all softwares).
From my point of view, it looks like the redirection through AVAST for IE/Firefox or in the way is not working. Others protocols are working fine (POP, SMTP, PING, …). As behaviour is the same with/without XP firewall, I think that a setting for the http stream’s redirection is not working, perhaps something wrong in the registry or something like this.
I tried to activate Webshield log but nothing is written into the file when browsing…
Is it a specific key describing redirection I can search in the registry ?
- Use Norton Removal Tool for Windows 2000/XP/Vista. Boot.
- Then install avast! (or repair the installation) and boot.
Activate logging in WebShield:
- Edit \data\avast4.ini file
- Find the section [WebScanner]
- Add the line:
EnableLogging=1 - Restart Web Shield in XP\Vista (terminate and start again) or whole PC in case of Win98
- Browse (trying to access some webpages)
The log file are \data\log\ashwebsv.log and ashwebsv.ws.
They would be accessible when WebShield is terminated again.
Post them here or send by mail to rypacek (at) asw.cz
After that, disable the logging to avoid a big log file.
Ok, the result of log files after browsing different websites (avast, Microsoft, Windows update,…) is :
AshWebSv.log content :
06/04/2008 10:43:06,“”,“”,“”,HTTP Status: -1,0,0,0,0,0,0,Unknown process,PID: 0,CON: 127.0.0.1:12080->127.0.0.1:1158 ↔ :0->:0,SEQ: 0
AshWebSv.ws is empty
I’ll try to use Norton removal tool and update this thread.
I just try Norton Removal Tool + repair and it still doesn’t work. The only way is to disable WebShield. Does the log help ?
I think this problem has been encountered by several people with different posts but with different subject names. It would be great to investigate this issue carefully.
Regards
Franck
FranckM,
forgive me if you have already told us but are you using a firewall? If you are which one?
This problem is almost always a case of the firewall blocking network access to the Webshield component ashServ.exe.
It it essential that this be granted network access in the firewall for the Webshield to work. Even when this has been done previously some firewalls are not good at recognizing a program update and start to block ashServ.exe rather than asking again for renewed permission.
If you have a firewall where you have previously granted permission to avast modules then please remove those permissions for avast and allow them to be requested again.
I’m not using any firewall on my computer. Neither WinXP one nor others. I removed previous Norton and used Removal tool.
The only software I have on this computer is SpyBot S&D v1.5
Firewalls are external to computer because they are integrated into routers, so I assume it doesn’t disturb Webshield.