SOLVED concurrent connection limit in avast! exceeded(pass:0, processes:thunderb

system · 2017-01-06T14:27:17.000Z

Hi every one,

after an Avast Update (free version) I faced this problem :

“concurrent connection limit in avast! exceeded(pass:0, processes:thunderbird.exe[50] when trying to send an email.”

Despite this message, the outgoing email was stored in the ‘Sent’ folder in thunderbird making me believe it has been sent…
After a test I realized it was NOT !

I read this forum and found this thread https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=181383.0 where it was indicated to modify the file ‘EmailShield.ini’ somewher on the HD.
I discovered this file doesn’t exist on my PC…
I tried to de-activate Avast and check if the emails were able to go out…
I first received an exception confirmation from TB (because of self registered certificates), accepted it and the emails went out smoothly.
I re-activated Avast and now things seem to run OK.

I don’t know if this is a bug (it looks so) but I hope this thread will help !!

Pondus · 2017-01-06T14:32:29.000Z

does it work if you turn off mail shield?

I re-activated Avast and now things seem to run OK.

OK ;)

DavidR · 2017-01-06T15:45:22.000Z

fxpublic post:1:

I read this forum and found this thread https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=181383.0 where it was indicated to modify the file 'EmailShield.ini' somewher on the HD. I discovered this file doesn't exist on my PC...

As mentioned in the topic link you gave, there is a possibility that this location may be hidden, depending on your windows explorer settings (Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > View).

The EmailShield.ini exists on both systems I checked winXP Pro and Win10, so it looks like you need to change the Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > View settings to show hidden files and folders.

system · 2017-01-06T17:39:21.000Z

Thanks for your replies.
For some reason, the file EmailShield.ini appeared in the folder (I swear it wasn’t there when I posted my first message :-[ )… but contains only 2 lines:

[Common]
ProviderEnabled=1

I don’t know if this is common not to have any [EmailScanner] section in it…
But for now I will assume that all is OK as long as all seems to be working well !

Thanks to all !

EDIT : SOLVED !!

DavidR · 2017-01-06T18:54:01.000Z

I believe that the [EmailScanner] section should be there by default. But many default mail shield settings are by default and they may not be shown in the emailshield.ini file.

If you did happen to need to make changes then you could create the [EmailScanner] section header.

Hopefully this was just a hiccup and that you are good.

ReineCoco · 2018-08-30T22:15:42.000Z

Only partially solved I think. The folder C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast is strongly protected and requires not just an Adminstrator account but permission from Administrators to make any changes. With all, well as many other locations as I have needed access to, or just wanted to know what Windows was hiding in it, I have had no difficulty breaking in, changing ownership, changing permissions etc, but with this folder - ah, ah! It has not been possible.

Does anyone know how to break in? I have tried all of the schemes that I know and can find…

DavidR · 2018-08-30T22:47:25.000Z

To modify avast files (EmailShield.ini) you will almost certainly need to disable the avast self-defence module in the AvastUI > Settings > Troubleshooting

When you have done that only edit the EmailShield.ini file using the standard notepad editor, no other text editor.

ReineCoco · 2018-08-31T19:37:30.000Z

DavidR

Thank you.

I had thought that Avast may be protecting itself, but the messages that Windows gave suggested that somehow I needed to get Administrators, rather than Administrator, to provide permission. Unhelpful messages from Windows I think, but then what else could it say, I guess it had no more information than that. However, perhaps as part of Avast’s self defence mechanism it could interrupt the second Windows message, having confirmed Administrator privileges, with its own message that it is the one defending the files, and its ownership, rather than Windows doing so.

Concerning the concurrent connection limit being exceeded, the message is clearly ‘limit in Avast! exceeded’ Outlook may indeed have 48 connections open, but I understand that the Avast default is 50, so we have two left. Even so, Outlook had not exhibited this problem until the .2349 (or was it .2346 I am now confused about this) update had been applied.

In my view Avast should not prevent Outlook from performing its task, just because Avast cannot get hold of a connection. Yes, warn the user of course, but allow the user to proceed, with a ‘this is risky’ message if thought necessary and a link to a simple mechanism within the UI to increase the limit, or redirect the user to other potential causes of the problem.

I had initially thought it was simply a ‘tired’ Windows issue, and rebooted the machine, but it was not. The problem was there from the moment Outlook started.

And I have no doubt I have mentioned things here that should perhaps be in another thread, like asking for a new feature or new behaviour from Avast, and if so I ask for your forbearance.

Kind regards
Coco

DavidR · 2018-08-31T21:07:46.000Z

The problem is, the only interest avast has in those connections (as far as I’m aware) is that it wants to scan them before they hit your system.

Avast has set what for most people will be a reasonable limit for concurrent connections, that number hasn’t changed for some considerable time, certainly not recently. Commonly those that get trapped by this limit are also downloading usenet (news readers also downloading content), but I find it strange that you should suddenly experiencing this problem.

Unfortunately I don’t use MS Outlook so I can’t do any testing.

Are you using the Avast plugin for MS Outlook ?
If so, that is actually working from within MS Outlook so I don’t think it would or can intervene with system error messages. Essentially the only way is to change the limit.

I’m not sure if not using the the Avast plugin for MS Outlook would work either as the EmailShield should take on the mail scanning task.

spiralmind1 · 2019-02-21T14:19:18.000Z

Hello, hacking a file is not a solution to me. Why is there not a setting in the interface to change this? I am a business owner with many emails and use 3 email programs simultaneously all day and cannot be burdened with this limitation.

ReineCoco · 2019-05-06T10:24:22.000Z

All

I forget now how, but the problem from August 2018 went away, but has now returned, and there has been no change in the behaviour and reported messages.

Avast, if I have understood the information provided correctly, still refuses to let Outlook send messages because it, Avast, cannot scan the connection. Why will it not provide a better message? Why will it not provide a tool to overcome the problem and allow the user to increase the concurrent connections limit, even if only a temporary basis? Perhaps as well it should show a list of all fifty, or however many, indicating which applications are using the connections? If this were provided, then surely we would be able to close down the programmes we are not using and free up some connections.

However, if it really were Outlook that were hogging all fifty connections, then I would anticipate that closing Outlook would free those connections. Outlook restarting would surely, perhaps I hope too much of MS software, immediately grab them all again, and this problem would go away, but it does not. Avast continues to claim that the number of concurrent connections has been exceeded, and continues to refuse to allow Outlook (and I understand form other comments other client email applications would be similarly affected) to send email.

I mentioned in the earlier post that even a reboot of the machine did not clear the problem, so the problem is not of the operating system’s nor the running applications’ making. And yet, somehow the problem goes away for a time.

Will Avast fix this? It is clearly an avast problem as it is Avast that is standing in the way.

ReineCoco · 2019-05-06T10:26:15.000Z

I meant to add: SOLVED in the subject line does not adequately reflect the status of this issue.

Kind regards

Coco

abbb_2 · 2021-01-05T17:14:14.000Z

This issue still isn’t solved. In my opinion there is only one solution for this problem: say “Thank you Avast for protecting my computer with your Antivirus for the last years” and make a clean cut and take another Antivirus. I had a lot of very important mails which seemed to be sent, but never reached the recepient. This issue is definetely known since 2016 in the community and there will never be a practicable solution. Registry Hacks aren’t the way to write E-Mails in my case with Thunderbird. And all the provided links in this community doesn’t present a simple solution. Avast denies writing in the Registry (perhaps in Safe mode). But that was only one of many issues in the last months.

Security is very important, but if the rest of the computer is unusable, this target can be achieved differently.

A last “Thank you very much” and good-bye

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