I’m setting up a new computer.
Win 7 Home premium and using the Win 7 firewall with advanced settings.
All apps that I wanted to grant access to the Internet were configured and connected properly with the exception of Avast 6.
Avast complains it can’t connect to update servers.
How do I configure my firewall rules to allow Avast?
I’ve granted access to all .exe in the Avast program folder and I’m stumped about what to try next.
Set avast! to: Direct Connection (No Proxy)
Solved…??
I set to Direct Connection but Avast still won’t connect to the update server.
Which avast…?
Which version…?
Other security related software…?
AV installed before…?
Avast 6 Free
MBAM
SAS
Javacool Spyware Blaster
It’s a brand new computer that I’m just now setting up and the only AV ever installed has been Avast.
Ensure that your outbound firewall settings allows avast.setup internet connections, that is what does the avast updates.
I can not find any exe or file named 'Avast.setup" in my Avast program folder or on my C ( OS ) partition that I can point to in the firewall rules.
Would it be a good idea to download Avast again…and reinstall?
Open windows firewall from control panel and in the top left there is allow a program or feature though the windows firewall, click there and you will get a popup which will allow you to add avast to the firewall.
See picture
- The first problem that you will come up against as this isn’t a permanent file, it is created at the time of the update. If I remember correctly it is created from the C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\Setup\setup.ovr file, so when created it would be in that folder as C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\Setup\avast.setup.
I don’t use the windows firewall:
So I don’t know if you can use the instructions given by craigb above to manually create an entry for C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\Setup\avast.setup as the program added in his image isn’t for avast.setup but AvastSvc.exe and that doesn’t handle the updates.
You could try launching a manual update and quickly try using the Browse… button (in the above image) to the location I gave for the avast.setup file (before it is removed).
- No point in downloading again as this condition wouldn’t change.
Edit:
Correction…I haven’t seen that method and will give it a try.
I set it as suggested, but Avast still won’t connect to the update server.
Didn’t work
But thanks anyway 
I think the path that is put in there automatically is the ui exe after examining it further and the only other one’s that can be added are in the screen shot which i dont think are going to help either
Sorry I can’t be any practical help as I don’t use the win7 firewall, it isn’t very user friendly is rules based (and you have to create the rules) and you have to enable outbound protection (I don’t know if that is what happens with the Win 7 firewall with advanced settings on).
You might want to give the Windows Firewall Control a try, it is an add-on that makes the windows firewall a little more user friendly.
- Vista & Windows 7 Firewall Control, http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html and this, http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/faq.html.
If your going to use the windows firewall it maybe easyer to get the windows 7 firewall control which is a small addon which makes it slightly easyer to setup rules for the windows firewall
Didn’t see your post David, sorry. 
For now, I think I’ll download the updates directly from here
http://www.avast.com/download-update
and wait and see if a solution pops up with out having to add a third party app.
I’ve been using Avast on my other computers for a number of years with excellent results.
Jack
Updating Avast made the situation worse.
Neither Firefox, IE 9, Money 2000 nor Windows Updates would connect immediately afterwards.
After a lot of changes were tried in configuring rule sets in the Windows firewall ( advanced settings ) …I eventually uninstalled Avast and replaced it with MSE.
All apps now have access according to the firewall rule sets now.
What I did notice was that if the advanced settings were set to default, Avast had no negative impact and there were no restrictions to accessing the Internet.
If someone has experienced this and found a fix, please post the fix, I’m still open to using Avast in the future.
( @smilin Jack, I was just about to post the following when I saw your latest post; my apologies if it is not relevant anymore.)
I haven’t seen anyone with Vista or Seven with “real” problems when allowing Avast in the Windows Firewall. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they are not out there :).
Is there any actual indication / log / pop up / something that shows you that the problem is in the Windows Firewall? Couldn’t the problem be somewhere else (Avast settings included)?
Sorry to ask but, AFTER installing Avast, configured the “no proxy” setting and configured the Firewall, have you rebooted?
There is also another program called Windows Firewall Control from a different company you may wish to look at (I haven’t tired either …this is just from Google and CNet):
Windows Firewall Control: http://www.binisoft.org/wfc.php
I haven't seen anyone with Vista or Seven with "real" problems when allowing Avast in the Windows Firewall.I haven't either, but few users seem to configure the Advanced Settings to control outbound connections. Avast would update with the default firewall settings.
Is there any actual indication / log / pop up / something that shows you that the problem is in the Windows Firewall?No warnings, even turned off UAC just to make sure it wasn't the issue.
Couldn't the problem be somewhere else (Avast settings included)?Anything is possible at this time ;D
Sorry to ask but, AFTER installing Avast, configured the "no proxy" setting and configured the Firewall, have you rebooted?Yes.
Thanks for taking the time to respond
Jack