I recently updated my Avast antivirus on my Windows 10 PC, and since then, my web browsing has been really frustrating. After the update and reboot, many websites started taking ages to load or timing out completely. I'm not talking about just one site; it's a mix of popular ones like ESPN and Reddit. I tried using different browsers, but the problem persists. Oddly enough, my laptop without Avast loads these same pages just fine, as does my phone. I even had issues with Gmail loading slowly. To troubleshoot, I uninstalled Avast with their removal tool, but that didn't solve anything. I also ran the flushdns command, but no luck there either. I did a speed test: my download was 80 mb/s, but the upload was only 0.08 mb/s. I'm using a wired connection on this desktop, but when I switched to Wi-Fi, everything loaded much faster. I'm confused because I don't think there's a problem with my ethernet cable since some websites still load quickly. Could this issue be related to my DNS settings or Ethernet drivers? Any suggestions would really help, as this is impacting my online experience.
4 Answers
Yeah, I've seen Avast cause trouble with internet speeds ever since they changed a few things. A clean uninstallation is key, and I'd suggest using Windows Defender instead. It's pretty solid nowadays. Just check your network settings too—they can sometimes conflict with antivirus software.
You might want to consider ditching Avast altogether. I've heard from a lot of folks that it isn't as reliable as it used to be. Just using Windows Defender should be enough protection for most users. Also, updating your browsers might help improve the speed.
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely try updating my browsers and see if it makes a difference.
Honestly, many users have found that some free antivirus programs do more harm than good over time. If possible, consider reinstalling Windows as a last resort. But first, you might want to investigate whether Avast altered your DNS settings, which can definitely affect your browsing.
Good point! I'll look into the DNS settings next and see if that’s the culprit.
You could also check to see if Avast installed a VPN or changed your network settings to use a proxy, which could explain the slow speeds when wired. If you find any settings like that, make sure to revert them.
That sounds like a plan! I'll switch to Defender and see how that goes.