I wonder if there is a way to maybe put a link into your software, because there is not a lot of people who are going to know how to do this at all. However with the video that is very easy. Most people have no clue when they download it that they need to do this at all. I had 2 people delete it thinking that it just wasn’t compatiable with there computer. It may save time just putting a link on how to do that right in the software. Or setup something to add that proxy to the default explorer.
I have to ask what is your operating system and still further why you feel the need to disable the important scanning of Web activity by avast (that works just fine for the overwhelming majority of us) that could save you from a lot of grief?
We just want to understand the problem you are encountering and try to help.
This is the exception rather than the rule, as this is suggested to overcome a problem on a system. For the greatest majority on newer OSes, win2k, XP, Vista, etc. this is not necessary. So please don’t read this as a requirement for all users, it isn’t.
If you are using win9.x or win ME (?) then had you checked the avast help file there is a bit about this in the Resident Protection, Web Shield, see image extract.
I am using windows vista. I have also just tried the following examples above to try to get my internet to work again and if i do what the video shows above i can’t use ie at all. It will not even think about going to an address. If i disable the proxies and just run off of my own internet connections it runs perfect. I guess i will not be able to have web scanning at all.
This isn’t the first time i have heard of this or seen this. I had a laptop that it didn’t work on either.
I fear that you may have misunderstood how avast works.
If you do not need a proxy to connect to the Internet for your normal use then you need to make no changes to avast for it to work with the Internet and protect you either.
Can you please let us know, as Tech asked above, if you use a proxy to connect to the Internet (forgetting all about avast)?
Please believe that all of of us in this thread - simply avast users just as you are - want to try to help you get this working - but that does mean you have to work with us too.
I am so glad I decided to check out this forum, as I think this was my Windows Vista issue. I followed the instructions in this article and found out my Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level was set to “highlyrestricted” rather than the demonstrated “normal.” How it got set to that level, not sure since this was an HP factory-installed system.
But I am also experiencing the same exact problem for 2 months now. I have Windows Vista Home Premium SP 1, and upon uninstalling the factory-installed Norton AV so I could use Avast with my install of Zone Alarm Version 8.0.065.000, I started having intermittent connection problems. As soon as I would disable Avast and just run ZA, all of a sudden I could connect. It has to be the Web Shield feature interaction with Windows Vista, but how it ties into the TCP Auto-Tune I am not clear yet.
I’ll let you all know if these instructions solved my connection problems. I belong to a collectors forum, and after logging in it isn’t long after that my internet connection stops, yet any of my Windows XP systems (I have 5 computers total) never have an issue.
Norton can be a pig to remove, ensure you have it all removed. A link worth looking at, which is a program removal tool that can remove the remnants of a number of different Norton Programs: Removing your Norton program using SymNRT
What version of ZA do you have, Free or Pro ?
Care needs to be exercised as the free version comes with the pro trial and unless you opt for the free only, you end up with pro privacy functionality and that can throw up its own issues.
Did you get a compatibility pop-up relating to Zone Alarm and the web shield, if so what did you answer ?
I’ll still run the registry cleaner to flush out all the Norton hidden connections. Smart move.
Zone Alarm Free, which I ensured to choose FREE when it presented the Wizard asking which I would want.
I’ve used ZA for over 7 years now, so realize if I select to NOT allow access to a program, it cannot connect. When the problem started, I even went back into ZA, removed all programs, and started from scratch to see if maybe accidentally I had not allowed access.
It has something to do with Avast’s interaction with that auto-tuning as previously when the problem would occur, I would turn off Avast, wait for the messages to come up what had just been turned off (e.g. Stopping Provider “Web Shield,” etc), and immediately I would have access again.
There is nothing else I am adjusting that would relate to ZA, former install of Norton AV, or not being connected to the internet. All my other XP-based systems can connect NO PROBLEM, yet my Vista desktop locks up periodically.
Folks, I think this is fixed finally after every day having to turn off Avast to do some work on the internet (I know, crazy having to turn off an AV program). I’ve been freeze-free for over an hour now, and that was never the case.
So I would lean heavily towards figuring out why the auto-tuning and Avast run into this problem, or at least how to mitigate the issue.
The interaction of ZA and avast, specially in Vista, from time to time, brings troubles.
Sometimes, keeping avast installed, uninstalling ZA, booting, installing again can solve the issues.
But in this case I did nothing to either Avast or ZA, but rather followed the instructions on how to disable auto-tune TCP.
Would that still be an Avast or ZA issue, or more how they interact with auto-tune via Vista? You know what I mean?
It is too easy to just raise our hands and say the two programs interacting is always the issue. So how can we narrow it down to what the true issue was for me? As soon as I disabled auto-tune and hit all my regular sites, NOT ONCE did IE lock up.
What does that auto-tune TCP feature do? Maybe that is what we need to dig into and spread the word as part of troubleshooting procedures, right?
Thanks for the update, however, by “having to turn off Avast to do some work on the internet” is as you say crazy when all you need do is either pause or terminate the Web Shield as a temporary fix as this doesn’t completely leave you with your metaphorical trousers round you ankles whilst on-line.
Unfortunately I can’t help with either Vista (don’t, use it - read avoiding it like the plague) or Zone Alarm, I gave up on zone alarm over 6 years ago for my existing firewall Outpost Pro (use the free version for a while first). In all that time I have only had one very small issue, which was quickly resolved.
Disable the provider and answer ‘yes’ to persist the changes. It’s not a good idea, although. If you visit a website, webshield can stop infection before the files are saved to the disk.
Sometimes it’s buggy.
We suggest PcTools, Comodo or Online Armor or, if you don’t mind that much, Windows firewall only.