I have Avast Free, before Avast One Free, and its firewall is on, but Windows (10) Defender Firewall is also on and ran “Antimalware Service Executable” which was using 50% CPU.
I’m not sure if Avast forgot to turn off the Windows firewall, or if it’s using it as part of itself.
Avast has warned me that I’m using a weak firewall. Huh?
So, I’m wondering if it’s fine to turn off the Windows firewall, or maybe it’s supposed to be off in the 1st place?
Thanks.
I don’t think that it is Avast that is responsible for turning off the Windows Defender Firewall.
As far as I’m aware this is the same as for Windows Defender AV element, when Windows detects the installation of a 3rd party AV, it switches off the Windows Defender AV element to avoid conflict.
Up until very recently, I didn’t have the Avast Free Firewall component installed so the Windows Defender Firewall was enabled. Recently I enabled/installed the the Avast Firewall component, I didn’t disable the Windows Defender Firewall. So I checked the status of Windows Defender Firewall and that reports it is handled/managed by Avast Firewall, see attached screenshot, click to expand.
Note my system spec below my posts, I too am using windows 10.
Thanks for that.
On my Win 10 there’s no System and Security in Control Panel, but I could get it in Search for Windows Defender Firewall. It too says it’s managed by Avast.
Avast Free saying it has a firewall is like when it tells me my non-existant webcam is in danger. But anyway!
PS I’m using Win 10 Pro, that’s probably why the Control Panels are different, I guess.
When you install the Avast Free firewall, the Windows firewall is disabled and the Avast Free firewall works.
That I feel has nothing to do with the Firewall as such and more to do with avast trying to sell you a solution to a problem.
It doesn’t delve/snoop into if you have a webcam (and if it can be accessed/exploited), it is essentially talking generically that webcams can be exploited. If you have, we ‘avast’ have a solution 
I have a webcam on my laptop, with a high tech solution to the problem, I have a large sticker over it.
The attachment shows that the Windows Defender Firewall is on, and Avast is managing it.
So I assumed that Avast is just using the Windows Firewall as its own, otherwise it would shut it off.
So I assume that there is no Avast Firewall in reality, at least not in the Free version.
Avast free has a firewall component, it has had it for a while, previously it didn’t and that is why I didn’t have the component until I installed the component.
What I mean is that the engine of the Avast Firewall interface appears to be the Windows Firewall, unless the Avast Firewall engine runs simultaneously with the Windows Firewall engine.
But normally a 3rd party firewall would turn off the Windows firewall to avoid conflicts, to my limited knowledge.
Remember that I’m running the Free version, and it has told me that I have a weak firewall and if I upgrade I will get Leak Protection, Port Scan Alerts, and ARP Spoofing Alerts.
So, I wonder what will remain of the Avast Firewall if I should turn off the Windos Firewall? Would you say to leave the Windows firewall on?
Thanks.
Again, I’d turn off the Windows firewall to stop “Antimalware Service Executable” from running and taking 50% cpu.
But not if it weakens everything.
The Windows Defender module has Antivirus and Firewall components, when a 3rd party Antivirus or Firewall is installed, ‘it’ is disabled the Defender components.
I’m fairly sure that since the Defender components Antivirus and Firewall are system level protection. So 3rd party installations ‘shouldn’t’ easily be able to disable them. This is where I believe Windows steps in to disable the Defender components to avoid conflict with the 3rd party program.
The “Antimalware Service Executable” is MS Windows defender antivirus, not firewall.
Did you restart your pc ?
I’m aware of that but Windows Defender has the two components Windows Defender antivirus ‘and’ Windows Defender firewall.
Why would I need to restart my PC I did this months ago not just then.