Windows Firewall startup - Suprising problem.

Hello Gentle People,

I run Windows XP. SP3. New Avast 5 (free edition) Anti Virus,
SuperAntispyware, Spyware Blaster and Malwarebytes. I don't know whether
Avast and Windows Firewall may have conflicts buit I have recently noticed
that at bootup Avast appears with a warning that the system is unprotected.
No firewall is on. Then Windows firewall kicks in with a warning from
Security Center that No firewall is on then after about an unduly long
period of thirty seconds, sometimes quite shorter. I have never experienced
this unusual behaviour before. It has become a nuisance problem.

I am thankful for any advice and/or suggestions with a view to finding a
solution to this problem as it severely lengthens the bootup.

Stan Lee.
--
Paralegal