Downloaded/installed avast free 5.x. Program would not get updates with either automatic update or manual. Uninstalled program, downloaded/installed again. Still have the same problem. How can this be fixed so program will automatically get updates? Did not have this problem with previous avast free version (4.8) Win XP on PC
What errors are you getting when you attempt a manual update ?
What is your firewall ?
Does it allow avast.setup internet access ?
- If it does delete the entry for it and do a manual update, this should force the firewall to ask permission again.
I am using Ashampoo firewall set to give avast 5.0 full access. I deleted that setting as you suggested–still no updates. The error is : “can not connect to server” with both automatic and manual update tries. Firewall did not detect connection attempt with thes tries after access rights were deleted which tells me someting is wrong with connection settings in the program. Am I correct? Any suggestions? Thanks.
Could be Ashampoo not playing nice with Avast! ( it has misbehaved before ), could also be something with IE settings, Avast! uses IE settings by default.
Anyway, try this first
Open Avast!>>Settings>>Updates>>Proxy Settings>>Select “Direct Connection, No Proxy”
Then try to push the update.
Tried your suggestion–still get “can not connect to server” error message with manual attempt.
Don’t understand what has happened as this firewall worked great with avast 4.8.
BTW–I am using dial up connection. Thank you for suggestions.
Avast! 5 is not Avast! 4, total overhaul, so things that used to work, sometimes do not.
There is also a setting to specify how you connect to the internet in the same settings section I mentioned above, don’t know if that would help or not.
Yes, I have the “dial-up” setting activated. I also use avast 5.0 on my laptop with Win7 and it works great–of course that is with Windows defender and their built-in firewall. With my PC running Win XP, in addition to the no update problem, I have also noticed a marked increase in webpage loading time (very slow!). Is there a way to go back to avast4.8 to use with my old PC running winXP? Thank you for your prompt and helpful tips.
Yikes! I should have read other postings on the forum. Just read about 4.8 ending soon, so I suppose that makes my question about using that version moot. Hope I can get 5.0 settings to work! ??? Bedtime. Maybe I can fix this later. Thanks.
4.8 is not dead yet, but since it has not had a program update in some time, it is less safe in addition to its lack of improvements compared to ver. 5.
The next possible culprit I could think of (apart from Ashampoo itself, as I already mentioned, it has given users of ver. 5 problems before, so it might be decision time, i.e. if they wont play well together, one has to go) would be remnants of Avast! 4 conflicting with ver. 5.
Clean-reinstall of ver.5 should solve this, if it is the issue.
How2>> 1:Download a new Avast! 5 install file.
2:Get removal tool, and copy the instructions here>>http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility
3:Uninstall Avast! 5 via Add/Remove Programs. Reboot
4:Run the tool according to instructions.
5:Install Avast!5, then reboot.
Ashampoo FW has definitely caused conflicts in the past; once uninstalled by the vendor’s uninstaller tool, all worked well with users and Avast. Asyn and I worked with several users who had this problem and all had the same results of things working fine after uninstalling this FW. It might be worth a try, then reboot the machine.
However the XP FW is only a 1-way very weak FW. So I suggest you have something ready as a back up for protection, even if it is a trial third-party 2-way FW such as Online Armor, Outpost, Comodo (without AV) - all of these come as free and paid versions and have not caused conflicts with Avast.
Initially after unistalling Ashampoo FW, turn on your XP FW , reboot your machine, then test to see if this resolves your problem.
If not, try an Avast Repair:
- Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove programs > Avast Antivirus.
- Scroll down and choose Repair function in the pop-up window.
- Reboot.
If this does not work, then an Avast uninstall (using the Avast Uninstall Utility Tool http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility and clean install would be required. Then install your other third-party FW after this.
Let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.
Doh, forgot to think of repair… :-[ :
2 much egg nog 4 me ;D
I could use some about now. Care to share? 
Sure, cheers
Gargamel360 and SafeSurf; Thanks for tips. I will try them today and report results. mmmmm, EGGNOG! Merry Christmas! 
Well, I just couldn’t get rid of Ashampoo (works very well), so Avast had to go. I tried your suggestions about uninstall/reinstall, then I inactivated Ashampoo FW–Avast still would not update. I did not want to go looking for another FW.
I may be old fashion, and I am not a computer whiz, but I think a program should adapt to the computer programs I am running–I should not have to dump what has been working to make a new version of Avast function.
Thanks for your help. Good by 
Sorry to hear, but decisions like that need to be made sometimes.
I mean, Avast! is a good AV, can clean your system and protect, but Ashampoo is a firewall and you can wash your hair with it, that is a bargain, right? ;D
“Iniactivating” a software is not the same as uninstalling it because the drivers are still present in your machine, therefore I would not expect your “fix” to work. If you had actually uninstalled the firewall as a true test, you would have seem that this would have worked as it did for all the others here with the same problem as you.
There are plenty of other firewalls (FW) available (free and paid) that we could have helped you with that are compatible with Avast. Should you change your mind, please feel free to ask.
How to close the thread you opened:
In the meantime, we would appreciate it if you could close the thread that you opened by going back to the first open post in this topic, click the modify button in that Post and change the title/subject, add [Resolved] to the beginning of the title so this thread can be closed. Thank you.
“close the thread”
Done.
“I mean, Avast! is a good AV, can clean your system and protect, but Ashampoo is a firewall and you can wash your hair with it, that is a bargain, right?” GOOD ONE! Multipurpose software.
Thank you for your assistance–I will certainly keep Avast in mind. I realize I could have changed FW, but as I stated in my first post, 4.8 worked well with Ashampoo FW and 5.0 did not. I have to keep it simple–so the new kid had to go.
Thanks again.
BTW: I am still using Avast 5.0 with Win 7 and standard settings on my laptop. Works great with that system. So I’m still an Avast fan!