Is it possible to exit ESS completely (not just disable protection)? I have some software that needs an active internet connection to register and it won't work. Some people have said NOD32 can cause issues so I assume the same could be true with ESS.
ESET Smart Security will not interfere with most of your software . Don't disable it because this way you'll disable the firewall as well. Perhaps switching the firewall to Interactive Mode will to the trick