Setting recommendation for DAIL-UP to avoid freezes, slow loading, lock-up issue

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Since Avast 7 update every time I login or boot I get a connection request for vl.ff.avast.com which seems to lockup the computer and I have to reboot and make sure I connect to internet even if I don’t want to.

What settings do I need to TURN OFF so that my internet connection will be faster and avoid freezes and lockup issues?

I have disconnect “CLOUD” and changed “AUTO SANDBOX MODE” to “Ask”.

So far loading is very slow and often fails (some pages NEVER load) and the computer continues to freeze for periods of times and will still lockup as well since Avast 7.

I am thinking that Avast is NOT working well with DIAL-UP and would like to know what I need to change to allow DIAL-UP to continue to work as it did before.

thanks in advance.

2

avast! auto updates everytime you turn on or login. Open avast, settings (top right), Updates, and check “I only connect to the Internet using a dial up modem”

3

Thanks for the reply. I’ve ALWAYS had this checked and went back in and checked again. This option IS CHECKED.

I think it has something to do with Avast connecting to and using vl.ff.avast.com.

Does anyone know what this is doing?

4

What ver. number do you have?

5

Yes, as this vl.ff.avast.com connection was I believe a problem in 7.0.1407 (even when cloud services disabled, etc.), but resolved later build and should be in 7.0.1426.

6

My current version is 7.0.1426

7

You do not need Windows Defender with XP Home Ed and only 256 meg RAM.

Best to un-install Windows Defender.

8

Have you tried changing the update setting to you connect using dial-up, then avast shouldn’t connect until you establish a connection. If you have disabled cloud services - then it would then check for an update and then at the interval set (240 minutes default) to check again.

I don’t believe that you really need to disable the cloud services, as they too wouldn’t establish a connection, but when you establish a connection the cloud services would probably be established. The amount of traffic would be minimal as there aren’t that many streaming updates and these would generally be smaller than the regular VPS updates.

9

Thanks, I’ve been told that regarding other issues before this and do not use Window Defender on my XP system.

I have more than one computer but don’t use that older one that much. The system I’m posting about is a 2 year old laptop using Windows 7. I haven’t kept up my system info as evidenced by Avast 5 listed there.

10

Thanks for the reply.

Do you mean by “connect using dial-up” the check for “I only connect to the Internet using a dial up modem”?

I’ve ALWAYS had this checked and went back in and checked again. This option IS CHECKED to “I only connect to the Internet using a dial up modem”.

I think it has something to do with Avast connecting to and using vl.ff.avast.com.

I always get a message when I login or boot that I need to dail-up and connect because vl.ff.avast.com is requesting a connection and I’ve noticed that if I don’t connect right away then the computer will freeze up. I’ve had to reboot after which it seems to start doing all the requests I had been asking for all at once to catch up then then starts slowing down again. And the computer has even locked up on reboot at which time I had to power down the computer. Even if I do connect web pages are loading very much slower than before if at all.

Do you know what vl.ff.avast.com is doing?

11

Try a forum search for vl.ff.avast.com as this has been raised in another topic.

I don’t know why it is asking for the connection, that may be more to do with your internet connection settings (non-avast) as I recall when I was on dial-up I had my settings never to connect, so it was me establishing the connection.

12

I tried a search for “vl.ff.avast.com” and only found the discussion stream for this topic.

I’m not sure what setting your referring to as “never to connect” but my dialer has no setting like that and I’m not using anything out of the ordinary that I know of. Also since I’ve got Avast “Update Settings Parameter” setting set to “I only connect to the internet using a dial up modem” as suggest before. I would think this would only apply to when Avast wants to update the program anyway as I have definitions update automatically.

I am not aware of any OTHER SETTINGS that have to do with “DIAL-UP” in regards to connecting to the internet, DO YOU?

My XP system doesn’t ever ask for this but then I haven’t updated Avast to the most recent version on that computer either.

13

Well it is some time since I was using dial-up but I believe it was in Network Connections, whichever one was your default one, etc. Unfortunately I have removed all of my old dial-up connections, so I can’t check it.

Try just searching for ff.avast.com as the vl. bit might differ.

14

You have to search from the main board.

You probably just scrolled up to the top of this thread and searched?

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=94926.0
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=95079.0
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=94145.0
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=95208.0

15

^ your right about my search, I found a few threads on the vl.ff.avast.com topic but I haven’t found any help perusing the results of the search. I have also not found any settings that might help in “Network connections”.

At this point I’d like to know how can I return to a previous version 6 of Avast?

I am not only having issues that I’ve already mentioned but I’ve also been having problems with the virus definition updates which have been failing to update and I keep getting a message that the update failed so I’ve been clicking on the link to go ahead and update but each time it doesn’t seem to update because the same message pops up that the update failed next time I dial up again. I’ve watched the status bar a few times for awhile and noticed that it doesn’t move when the virus definition is updating. Once again this time the status bar didn’t move past the starting point and as it has apparently been doing lately I got this error: “Last encountered error: the package is broken” even though I was connected the entire time. In this last case the total time was also displayed as 22:55 below the message. This is probably due to the poor quality of performance I’m getting on my DAIL-UP since upgrading to Avast 7. In the past virus definition updates have not taken very long, as of now since upgrading Avast they don’t seem to be able to successfully update any longer.

I don’t have the time to be spending as much time as I have so far with these issues. I usually wait for awhile when updates are available. I made the mistake to go ahead and update to early on this one apparently.

Unless there is a way to FIX this version can someone please inform me as to what the method is to go back to a prior version that works and can someone explain how I do this step by step.

This is a great help board and I appreciate all the help I’ve received. Thanks in advance.

16

This morning after dialing in my FF browser failed to load my start page or any other pages. I tried using IE browser and watched what was being scanned by Avast. I noticed a number of “downloads” from Avast that were being scanned. My start page only partially loaded the first time and then failed to load at all thereafter.

I disconnected and found another DIAL-UP PROMPT FROM AVAST asking to CONNECT TO DOWNLOAD 846.AVAST.COM.

I dialed back in using FF browser again and this time my start page did successfully load.

It appears that Avast is now “downloading” files and if there are problems it causes my connection to slow to a crawl and finally stop in which case I have to disconnect and I get a prompt from Avast to connect for a “download” which in this case solved the problems I was having.

I’ve been getting a lot of requests to connect from avast for “vl.ff.avast.com” but I think this may be the first time I’ve noticed the connection request for “download846.avast.com”. Most of the traffic was on the Network Shield which was showing some of these Avast download scans.

Btw, I’ve received another request from Avast to update the virus definition file which fails to update each time I’ve requested Avast to do so. The progress scan bar advances very little and then stops. This time I had a “connection not established” error presumably because I disconnected when nothing was working the first time I dialed in.

I haven’t received any help about returning to an Avast 6 version yet.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN: On the “Current Status” page I have a message that says: “Not connected with any Avast Account”. When I click on the link to “connect” it says “retrieving information” but nothing happens or changes. WHAT IS THE MESSAGE MEAN: “Not connected with any Avast Account”?

I have another couple of questions:

  1. Is there any way to TURN OFF Avast as far as all of these “downloads” it needs?
  2. Is there a place where I can find “known issues” in as much as I’d like to know if these issues are going to be addresses ASAP?

Thanks again in advance.

Addendum: I tried updating the Virus Definitions file (VPS files) and it was successful this time (attached file).

This took 11 minutes if I recall because of using DIAL-UP.

I’m thinking that with all of the Avast “DOWNLOADS” that are occurring this could be a problem with DAIL-UP USERS because of the potential for “partial” or “interrupted” downloads that would occur because the DIAL-UP CONNECTION by it’s very nature will NOT always be CONNECTED.

Is it possible that these inevitable “partial downloads” that would inherently occur using DIAL-UP could be CAUSING THE ISSUES OF SLOWING DOWN INTERNET TRAFFIC, FREEZING AND LOCKING UP AT TIMES?

If a “download” has to occur and is CRITICAL to Avast then perhaps a prompt message should be given to a DIAL-UP user if in the event a DIAL-UP DISCONNECT interrupts an “Avast DOWNLOAD” that would tell the user to REMAIN CONNECTED until the “Avast DOWNLOAD” finished (perhaps another prompt message could be displayed when it is finished in these cases). Just a thought.

17

Nothing in this regard has changed from avast5 through to avast7, when a connection is established avast will check for updates.

The connection to downloadXXX.avast will be from avast.setup which is responsible for the avast updates. You only have a limit on dial-up bandwidth so whilst a VPS update is happening that bandwidth will be shared. Nothing has changed in that regard.

The “Not connected with any Avast Account” means A) you either haven’t setup an avast account (https://my.avast.com) and or B) you haven’t linked the current installation with your my.avast.com account.

I though you would have by now applied the delay update check, which I generally recommend dial-up users to apply:

  • In avast7 you need to edit (using notepad) avast5.ini the [InetWD] section of the, C:\ProgramData\Avast Software\Avast\avast5.ini. Win7 location

  • Dial-up connections, add this line:
    RASWaitSeconds=600 and
    UseRAS=1 if not present (or edit UseRAS=0 to UseRAS=1)

[InetWD] UseRAS=1 RASWaitSeconds=600
When complete save the changes, avast's self-defence module will ask for confirmation, etc. answer Yes.
18

The UseRAS=1 was already there, but the RASWaitSeconds=600 was not so… I tried the .ini file change. I had to add the “.ini” file extent using notepad using “all files” since I figured that the “txt” extent would be applied otherwise (if this makes any difference to my outcome) but after answering all the prompt questions i.e. Did I want to replace etc, then after another Avast warning a file will change I got a prompt that said “ACCESS IS DENIED”, so I couldn’t change the file.

All this change in the “.ini” file would do however is delay my “updates” by 10 minutes, right? So wouldn’t I still potentially have the same issues but just delayed?

Btw, As I was curious, I’ve tried clicking on the link you provided where you referred to “setup an avast account (https://my.avast.com)” but have been waiting now for about 45 minutes while it continues to be “Transferring data from static2.avast.com” all of this time. In awhile I guess I’ll try stopping the web page and restarting it. But then I’m of the opinion this is not contributing to my issues anyway, right?

Thanks for all of your help, it’s greatly appreciated.

19

Did you use notepad as suggested as that is the only text editor that the self-defence module will allow to edit the file, if so because of windows UAC you may have to run notepad.exe as admin.

It rather depends on just how much activity is going on at the time of update, since this is likely to be greater when you first establish your connection, then 10 minutes later shouldn’t be the same.

Currently the my.avast.com is having server issues, so I would leave it a little while.

20

With dialup I simply had to opt for manual updates all the time. Check for updates once or twice a day when you first connect. Takes just a few minutes and you’re done. A little extra effort but sure saves a lot of hair pulling, and I don’t have much left to pull. :smiley: