Hi Veeramani,
Thanks for your patience! I had to wait until the issue happened again before I could take the screenshot. As I mentioned before, it's off-and-on, usually only happening a few times each week, and only for the first 10-20 minutes that I turn my laptop on.
Here is the screenshot:
For the record, all the other laptops on my home network worked fine, so if there was any Internet or DNS issue, it was just with my laptop, and it was only temporary.
After I took the screenshot, I went to command prompt and flushed my DNS. Then I closed my browser and opened it again. After that, it seemed to work okay, but I'm not sure if it's because I flushed the DNS or simply because the DNS issue had run its course. (That whole process took 10-15 minutes, and usually the tech issue only lasts for the first 15 minutes after I turn on my laptop.)
To answer your question, I have AVG Anti-virus Free. Also, how do I update AVG Anti-Virus Free and check the status?
Funnily enough, the activity that I thought would trigger it (editing a Google Docs file on my smartphone via hotspot) didn't seem to have any effect on it. On Monday I made a point to edit a Google Docs file on my smartphone to test this theory. When I came home, I had no issues with Internet on my laptop on Monday or Tuesday. Then it just suddenly started happening Wednesday morning.
There's only one thing that I did differently yesterday that might be connected to the issue. Earlier in the day, I received a message from AVG telling me that it had safely aborted my connection to a website that had been blacklisted. I made sure to close that window, and everything seemed fine. But I forgot to close the AVG window before I shut down my computer at the end of the day. So as my laptop was shutting down, it told me that I had one apllication still open that was preventing my laptop from shutting down: AVG Anti-Virus Free. But before I could click the button that would allow me to stop the application, the screen went dark, and I assume it shut down properly.
To be clear, I don't think the fact that I clicked on a link to blacklisted site has anything to do with this problem. This issue was happening off and on long before I accessed that site. And anyway, if I get that "connection aborted" message from AVG, it means they cut off my connection with the website before any malware could do damage, right?
Anyway, I'm just wondering if the fact that I forgot to close an application before shutting down could somehow mess with my Internet when my laptop is first starting up the next day.
Come to think of it, I recall that I would often receive notifications that an application (a background program, not AVG) was still running when I tried to shut down my laptop during the period where this tech issue was most prominent (Nov 2021 to April 2022). It's not an issue that I had every day, and I can't remember if it only happened on the days right before I experienced the DNS error or if there was no pattern to them. But I seem to recall that this happened more frequently when I was shutting down my computer in November-April, and it hardly ever happened during April-June, when the DNS issue seemed to have been resolved. Could the DNS issue and the applications still running during shutdown be connected?
If this means anything to you, there was a particular background program that was apparently running sometimes when I tried to shut down my laptop. It wasn't every time I tried to shut down my laptop, but it was definitely the most common program to be still running if I got a message saying the app was preventing my laptop from shutting down. The application was called "RtlS5Wake.exe." I did a quick Google search for it ( What is RtlS5Wake.exe? and RtlS5Wake.exe Windows process - What is it? ). Apparently it's not malware, but it may not be strictly necessary for my computer to run, either. But I didn't try to uninstall it because I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't necessary. I seem to recall reading that "RtlS5Wake.exe" had something to do with connecting automatically to WiFi whenver you turned on your laptop – or something? If you do think I should try removing it, I first want to make sure it won't affect my laptop's WiFi connection in any way.
Hello Gian,
Thank you for providing the information.
We apologize for the inconvience.
Regarding your Network Inspector query, it will not cause this issue.
We suggest you to check for conflicting Antivirus and remove them (if any)
Also if you have any VPN application, please disable it and check the issue.
If still the issue persists, kindly uninstall (https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?urlname=uninstall-avg-antivirus) and reinstall (https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?urlname=install-avg-antivirus-free) AVG Antivirus then check the issue.
If you face any issues, please get back to us and we will certainly help you.
Thank you and keep us updated.
Let us attempt to clarify this for you, Giancarlo.
You can be rest assured that accessing the same document on both the devices at the same time, doesn't cause this issue as informed earlier.
Alternately, you can try accessing sites in a different browser after booting your computer to check if it happens irrespective of browsers.
Regarding the version, we see that the program has the latest patches applied to it.
Thanks for your patience, Dinesh. Sorry if I'm jumping to conclusions about what the problem might be. I was trying to give you as much information as possible to make it easier for you to resolve the problem, but I might only be making things more complicated for you.
Regarding trying a different browser, I did try using a different browser once when I got the DNS error message previously, and it didn't fix the problem. Note that I tried this when I was troubleshooting the issue when it happened back in April. I didn't get a chance to try it more recently. In fact the issue hasn't happened since July 15.
I don't recall for certain, but I'm pretty sure I rebooted my computer at some point when troubleshooting this issue in the past. Given that my laptop takes a long time to reboot, sometimes as much as 15 or 20 minutes, I'm not sure if rebooting would tell us much, since the DNS error only lasts about 15 or 20 minutes and and rarely ever happens two times in a row (even when I turn my laptop off and back on again). Though, if you want I can try that to troubleshoot whenever it happens again, after I am done trying the other two troubleshooting techniques you recommended (temporarily disabling AVG and trying a different browser).
By the way, it's okay if you prioritize other forum posts for the time being. The issue has only happened two or three times in as many weeks, and it's certainly not urgent.
Let me know if there's any other information you need.
Hello,
Thank you for writing back to us. We will surely check and help you to resolve it. Could you please share the screenshot of the message appear about DNS resoultion?
Are you using AVG Anti-virus free ot AVG Internet Security paid subscription?
Have you tried to update AVG Anti-virus and check the status? We look forward for your response.
Hello,
Thank you for writing back to us. We will surely check and help you to resolve it. Could you please share the screenshot of the message appear about DNS resoultion?
Are you using AVG Anti-virus free ot AVG Internet Security paid subscription?
Have you tried to update AVG Anti-virus and check the status? We look forward for your response.
My bank statement shows the amount of $93.99 was paid to AVG on 22/6. Pay Pal was not used. Please confirm my account is fullyn paid.
Bill McConville
We will certainly check and help you.
First, we would like to clarify that AVG Antivirus will run in the background in order to protect your PC against malware in real-time. If you open AVG Antivirus but failed to close the application and reboot your PC, then you may get a message that 'AVG Antivirus is running, close and shut down anyway'. This issue does not have any connection with the DNS issue.
We suggest you to close AVG Antivirus before initiating a PC reboot.
Also, we would like to clarify that RtlS5Wake.exe is related Realtek-WOWL-Utility application which will run upon PC start-up. If you do not use that application, you can uninstall it from the control panel > Programs and features.
Are you getting a DNS error while accessing certain websites or all the websites?
Are you able to access the website if you disable AVG Antivirus free?
If you have not disabled AVG Antivirus and checked if the issue persists, then please follow the steps in the below article and disable AVG Antivirus.
https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?urlname=disable-avg-antivirus
Please ensure that the program update of the AVG AntiVirus and Virus Definition are up to date.
Updating Virus definitions and AVG AntiVirus application version: https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?l=en&urlname=Update-AVG-Antivirus
Thank you and keep us updated.
Thanks for your patience! I had to wait until the issue happened again before I could take the screenshot. As I mentioned before, it's off-and-on, usually only happening a few times each week, and only for the first 10-20 minutes that I turn my laptop on.
Here is the screenshot:
For the record, all the other laptops on my home network worked fine, so if there was any Internet or DNS issue, it was just with my laptop, and it was only temporary.
After I took the screenshot, I went to command prompt and flushed my DNS. Then I closed my browser and opened it again. After that, it seemed to work okay, but I'm not sure if it's because I flushed the DNS or simply because the DNS issue had run its course. (That whole process took 10-15 minutes, and usually the tech issue only lasts for the first 15 minutes after I turn on my laptop.)
To answer your question, I have AVG Anti-virus Free. Also, how do I update AVG Anti-Virus Free and check the status?
Funnily enough, the activity that I thought would trigger it (editing a Google Docs file on my smartphone via hotspot) didn't seem to have any effect on it. On Monday I made a point to edit a Google Docs file on my smartphone to test this theory. When I came home, I had no issues with Internet on my laptop on Monday or Tuesday. Then it just suddenly started happening Wednesday morning.
There's only one thing that I did differently yesterday that might be connected to the issue. Earlier in the day, I received a message from AVG telling me that it had safely aborted my connection to a website that had been blacklisted. I made sure to close that window, and everything seemed fine. But I forgot to close the AVG window before I shut down my computer at the end of the day. So as my laptop was shutting down, it told me that I had one apllication still open that was preventing my laptop from shutting down: AVG Anti-Virus Free. But before I could click the button that would allow me to stop the application, the screen went dark, and I assume it shut down properly.
To be clear, I don't think the fact that I clicked on a link to blacklisted site has anything to do with this problem. This issue was happening off and on long before I accessed that site. And anyway, if I get that "connection aborted" message from AVG, it means they cut off my connection with the website before any malware could do damage, right?
Anyway, I'm just wondering if the fact that I forgot to close an application before shutting down could somehow mess with my Internet when my laptop is first starting up the next day.
Come to think of it, I recall that I would often receive notifications that an application (a background program, not AVG) was still running when I tried to shut down my laptop during the period where this tech issue was most prominent (Nov 2021 to April 2022). It's not an issue that I had every day, and I can't remember if it only happened on the days right before I experienced the DNS error or if there was no pattern to them. But I seem to recall that this happened more frequently when I was shutting down my computer in November-April, and it hardly ever happened during April-June, when the DNS issue seemed to have been resolved. Could the DNS issue and the applications still running during shutdown be connected?
If this means anything to you, there was a particular background program that was apparently running sometimes when I tried to shut down my laptop. It wasn't every time I tried to shut down my laptop, but it was definitely the most common program to be still running if I got a message saying the app was preventing my laptop from shutting down. The application was called "RtlS5Wake.exe." I did a quick Google search for it ( https://www.freefixer.com/library/file/RtlS5Wake.exe-288241/ and https://www.file.net/process/rtls5wake.exe.html ). Apparently it's not malware, but it may not be strictly necessary for my computer to run, either. But I didn't try to uninstall it because I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't necessary. I seem to recall reading that "RtlS5Wake.exe" had something to do with connecting automatically to WiFi whenver you turned on your laptop -- or something? If you do think I should try removing it, I first want to make sure it won't affect my laptop's WiFi connection in any way.
Hello Bill,
We're glad to check & help you with that.
Please write back to us in your own/new post, so that we can obtain further details, locate your account and assist you further.
Thank you for understanding in advance!
Thanks for your patience, Dinesh. Sorry if I'm jumping to conclusions about what the problem might be. I was trying to give you as much information as possible to make it easier for you to resolve the problem, but I might only be making things more complicated for you.
Regarding trying a different browser, I did try using a different browser once when I got the DNS error message previously, and it didn't fix the problem. Note that I tried this when I was troubleshooting the issue when it happened back in April. I didn't get a chance to try it more recently. In fact the issue hasn't happened since July 15.
I don't recall for certain, but I'm pretty sure I rebooted my computer at some point when troubleshooting this issue in the past. Given that my laptop takes a long time to reboot, sometimes as much as 15 or 20 minutes, I'm not sure if rebooting would tell us much, since the DNS error only lasts about 15 or 20 minutes and and rarely ever happens two times in a row (even when I turn my laptop off and back on again). Though, if you want I can try that to troubleshoot whenever it happens again, after I am done trying the other two troubleshooting techniques you recommended (temporarily disabling AVG and trying a different browser).
By the way, it's okay if you prioritize other forum posts for the time being. The issue has only happened two or three times in as many weeks, and it's certainly not urgent.
Let me know if there's any other information you need.
Let us attempt to clarify this for you, Giancarlo.
You can be rest assured that accessing the same document on both the devices at the same time, doesn't cause this issue as informed earlier.
Alternately, you can try accessing sites in a different browser after booting your computer to check if it happens irrespective of browsers.
Regarding the version, we see that the program has the latest patches applied to it.
Yes, you need to monitor the issue, if it hasn't happened after Jul 15th.
If issue recurs, please disable Fake website shield once & check (if you've not tried earlier).
We understand your concern, Giancarlo.
However, you needn't worry, as the AVG Antivirus Free/AVG Internet Security program gets installed in your computer, the Windows Defender default protection will get disabled & the AVG Enhanced Firewall component will replace it as the default protection.
To check if you have any other Antivirus programs installed in your computer, we'd request you to navigate to 'Control Panel > Programs & Features > Programs list'. Then, please check if any other Antivirus programs are visible under the Programs list.
Regarding the DNS error you've been receiving, we've sent you an email with detailed instructions to contact our additional support. They will further investigate the root cause of this issue & will try to fix it.
If they can't, they'll collect the necessary data (screenshots, diagnostic logs) & escalate your case to our higher level of support.
Please check your inbox/spam folders to find the email and use it to contact them at your convenient time.
Thank you for understanding in advance!
Thank you for providing the information.
We apologize for the inconvience.
Regarding your Network Inspector query, it will not cause this issue.
We suggest you to check for conflicting Antivirus and remove them (if any)
Also if you have any VPN application, please disable it and check the issue.
If still the issue persists, kindly uninstall (https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?urlname=uninstall-avg-antivirus) and reinstall (https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?urlname=install-avg-antivirus-free) AVG Antivirus then check the issue.
If you face any issues, please get back to us and we will certainly help you.
Thank you and keep us updated.
I am not sure what you mean when you ask if I made changes to the program. I assume you are referring to AVG AntiVirus Free. Do you mean changing any of my basic settings from the default? Or do you mean more advanced settings that affect how the program runs? I definitely didn't do any of the latter, and I don't recall doing any of the former, either. I've done smart scans and I'm pretty sure I did a deep scan at one point, but I believe neither of those involve making changes to the program. The only thing I've really done is decline AVG's offers to make AVG my default browser.
Did you want me to share a screenshot of AVG AntiVirus Free > Settings > Basic Protection > Network Inspector? Do you think my current network settings in AVG could be connected to the issue? Note that I didn't change anything in that section since I installed AVG.
As I mentioned in my previous post, my current version of AVG Anti-Virus Free is Version # 22.6.3242 and Build # 22.6.7355.732. My AVG Anti-Virus Free appears to be set to "automatically update my application." I even clicked the "Check for Updates" button to make sure I have the most current version, and it seems like I do. So does that mean I don't need to update AVG Antivirus Free, and I should just monitor the issue?
Thank you for your efforts typing all the information.
We regret for the inconvenience caused.
Upon checking your previous cases we could see that you are facing DNS server issue that has been fixed and now resurfacing again.
Could you please confirm if you made changes to your program, also provide us the current version of your AVG Antivirus free? Kindly update AVG Antivirus and monitor the issue.
Thank you and keep us updated.