I've ditched AVG 8 in Security http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20402773 en Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:06:47 EDT Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:06:47 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20573731 darcilicious : I'm using AVG 8.0 Free -- installed and working great for about three weeks on my new Vista SP1 desktop (came with SP1, not my choice). This past week I signed up with Netflix, mostly to make use of their streaming movies/tv shows and let me just say that these two do not play nicely together. After viewing four episodes in a row, Netflix wouldn't let me stream any more, stating that I'd been using their service on more than four computers (which was not the case).

I had to call Netflix support and he guessed right off that bat that I was 1) running Vista SP 1 and 2) AVG 8.0.

I let him remotely connect to my system so he could run a patch, fix the Netflix ID in the registry (which he claimed that AVG mucked with in a way that confused Netflix), and said my best option was to uninstall AVG :p

Which I will be doing later today. Sigh.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20573731 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:22:02 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20572588 Jan Janowski : Here's an interesting feature of AVG V8
My HP Network printer stopped working in Vista Home Premium IE V7. Prints fine in EVERY OTHER PROGRAM BUT IEV7.
I had thought it was a Vista issue, and others thought it was an HP issue. Call and Support Charge to HP didn't get it fixed by HP, and if fact they gave up! Call to Dell, and they said they'd heard of it, and just turn off Protected mode, and get on with my life!

So I copped out, and turned off Protected Mode, Then I could get it to print.... So I turned off Protected Mode, after taking a swing at HP and Microsoft....
Here's that thread: »[Vista] Printer that prints test page--but won't print in IE

After removing AVG V8, and swtiching to AVAST, I decided to try Protected mode print again.... AND IT WORKED FINE WITH MY HP Network Printer (Deskjet 7310)..

I went to the post in Microsoft forum to print this new information, only to find that MANY OTHERS had discovered the same thing: Not being able to Print out of IE V7 with an HP Network printer, without turning off Protected Mode -- WAS AN AVG V8 BUG!!!

Be aware.... I'm sorry to see this program degrade such!
--
Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20572588 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:09:10 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20570083 Tyreman : Yes no question about that.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20570083 Sat, 31 May 2008 18:02:33 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20569863 Thug21 : What a pitty that AVG couldn't have just "pre tweaked" it. It used to be so install/forget. Maybe they should hire some of the posters in this thread! ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20569863 Sat, 31 May 2008 17:08:23 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20569387 Tyreman : Yes once you get it configured with the tweaks, its running fine here to.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20569387 Sat, 31 May 2008 15:05:01 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20569312 PentiumIII : Yes, if you followed the above "tweaks" AVG 8 will perform noticeably faster than the default AVG 8 installation. I have noticed no slowdowns whatsoever even compared against AVG 7.5 from the resident shield and regular computer usage.

The only time you may noticed AVG 8 might be slower is when you're doing a full computer scan. Mine took about twice as long to complete now but seeing as how it combines both AVG 7.5 and AVG Antispyware it's actually the same time as if I were to do the 2 scans.

Be not afraid of AVG 8, I actually found it to be rock solid.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20569312 Sat, 31 May 2008 14:49:09 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20568952 major marco :
said by PentiumIII See Profile :

There seems to be a few major concerns about AVG 8 which can be taken care of if one were to take a bit of time to configure it. I'm not saying one should need to tinker with the system from the beginning but after doing the following I'm happy to report that my AVG 8 is solid and performing better than AVG 7.5.

1. LinkScanner - You can install without it with the following command to install
save the AVG Free installation file directly to disk C:\

a) open menu Start -> Run
b) copy and paste
c:\avg_free_stf_en_8_100a1295.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch
then press enter to begin installation
2. Yahoo Toolbar - You can install without it on the UI during the initial installation with or without step 1 above
3. Dropdown Notification on main window - You can simply rename/move these two files in your AVG8 directory (found on the AVG Free Forum)
a) avgresf.dll
b) avgmwdef_us.mht
Nicely done, but have you actually implemented any of these recs and does it actually speed up AVG 8? I'm curious because after 9 yrs with AVG, if I am forced to migrate over to v.8, given all the complaints in this thread, I'm going to dump AVG. At the present time, I keep getting the nag screen to upgrade to v.8., but I don't do that unless and until someone provides some kind of substantial feedback on whether or not your above referenced suggestions actually speed up the app.
--
The Toll

Shit on Pitt. Let's go Wings!
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20568952 Sat, 31 May 2008 13:25:54 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20566931 Jan Janowski : On wife's Vista Home Premium laptop, I switched from AVG 8 to AVAST 4.8.
I wasn't having specific issues with AVG, but $55 a year seems a bit steep, seeing that I'll have 3 other 7.5 Pro systems to update later this year...
Avast install prompted me to re-download it's setup file, and delete IE cache first. Other than that, it seemed to be easy enough...

Now I have to learn this one.... SIGH.....
--
Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20566931 Fri, 30 May 2008 23:13:54 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20556146 anon :
said by FiOS Dan See Profile :

... as in bye bye CFP (v2.4) that I tested for over a year on my laptop. Back to ZAF which I have been running on my two PCs with nary a problem nor intrusion of which to speak...
Like avira the more I use it.

Starting to head bang with Comodo (CFP) the more I use it. Was wary of ZAF because it got bloated, but FiOS probably right and going back ot it as it was never as much pain as with comodo ("yes" probably me being useless).

Tried Avast on another PC, but think I'll stick to Avira (seems like the toss of a coin).

Just yesterday had two more friends and family with AVG 8 problems (e.g. chronic slow startup and scanning on a geological timescale). Will leave them on ZAF, but start with Avira installs.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20556146 Thu, 29 May 2008 04:56:03 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20548124 jerry666 : i bought avast pro $79.00 for a 4 license package]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20548124 Tue, 27 May 2008 19:26:55 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20548071 Jan Janowski : I may be in the same boat.. I've got 6 days left on my V8 evaluation, and though I don't mind paying for an AV, it appears that they want ~$50 for one year, instead of $35 for two years.....

Seeing that I've got 5 computers that presently run AVG (one W98SE (AVGFREE) which I use off the network, 2XP Home(Full AVG 7.5Pro License), 1 XP PRO (Full AVG Pro License, and one Vista Laptop, AVG 8 Evaluation month)

I have a decision to make on at least the Vista one....

I wish the options were clearer......

Jan
--
Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20548071 Tue, 27 May 2008 19:15:28 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20547576 Graystoke :
said by jerry666 See Profile :

"My view is that AVG is going the same way that Trend's PC-Cillin did; from a competent, efficient anti-virus solution to a bloated, resource wasting, "jack of all trades" security suite. Not what I require in an AV program. Their use of scare-mongering phrases such as "poisoned web sites" at every opportunity does not impress either."

we have a winner !! you have just stated exactly what i think AVG did wrong .
They all seem to be heading in that "jack of all trades-bloated" direction. :huh: Are there any nice "AV Only" software left?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20547576 Tue, 27 May 2008 17:57:01 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20545160 jerry666 : "My view is that AVG is going the same way that Trend's PC-Cillin did; from a competent, efficient anti-virus solution to a bloated, resource wasting, "jack of all trades" security suite. Not what I require in an AV program. Their use of scare-mongering phrases such as "poisoned web sites" at every opportunity does not impress either."

we have a winner !! you have just stated exactly what i think AVG did wrong . ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20545160 Tue, 27 May 2008 10:50:53 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20544397 RandomZero : IMO, avira antivir wins.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20544397 Tue, 27 May 2008 03:55:36 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20543413 a4nic8er : Sorry to drag this back on topic, but...

Having used AVG since dumping PC-Cillin many years ago, I am not going to go with AVG 8 in it's current state. I conducted the following experiment when a friend asked me to do an OS reinstall on their PC. (I prefer to experiment on someone else's equipment if possible ;) ).

HP Pavilion 521a, 1.3 GHz Celeron, 128MB PC100, onboard video (behind a NAT router + firewalled DSL modem).
Low-level formatted the 40GB HD.
Installed: XP Home (new install CD); SP3 (from CD).
Windows update: patches/hotfixes; IE7; .NET 2.0
Installed (from CD or USB drive): DirectX RT9.0c; Sun Java 6.4; SpywareBlaster 4.0; Spybot S&D 1.5.2; HP Precision Scan LTX; Nero 7 Essentials; Nero BurnRights; Open Office 2.4; Winzip 7.

Created partition backup image (using BartPE/TrueImage boot CD).

Installed AVG Free 7.5 and scanned Computer.

Restored partition from TrueImage file.

Installed AVG Free 8 (without toolbar) and scanned Computer.

The scan times were so close as to be negligible (probably determined by HD speed). At Idle, AVG Free 8 used 19,656K more memory than AVG Free 7.5
AVG Free 8 = 23,856K (4 processes)
AVG Free 7.5 = 4,200k (4 processes)

What annoyed me most were the 120 false positive "warnings" AVG Free 8 produces during a scan. All were registry entries. All were from SpywareBlaster 4.0 (190) and Spybot S&D 1.5.2 (30) protection measures.

So, AVG Free 8.0 describes 190 of SpywareBlaster's 10,346 protection measures and 30 of Spybot S&D's 35,811 Immunization measures as adware, loggers, trojans, downloaders or hijackers. I know to leave them be but the unsavvy user may well decide to remove them, thereby disabling some of the protective measures those programs have initiated.

My view is that AVG is going the same way that Trend's PC-Cillin did; from a competent, efficient anti-virus solution to a bloated, resource wasting, "jack of all trades" security suite. Not what I require in an AV program. Their use of scare-mongering phrases such as "poisoned web sites" at every opportunity does not impress either.

*edit
Attaching the .csv files produced by AVG 8 (in case anyone ever wants to know exactly which Blaster and S&D measures generated the warnings).
--
If laughter can be contagious, why do we never hear of any mirth epidemics?
080526avg8_S···.csv.zip 7,194 bytes
AVG8_Blaster FPs		080526avg8_S···.csv.zip 1,693 bytes
AVG8_S&D FPs
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20543413 Mon, 26 May 2008 21:44:00 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20543218 FiOS Dan :
said by head_scratcher :

Echo echo ... AVG 8 gone, and Zonealarm too for good measure...Comodo is fantastic, but suddenly I feel like a real firewall neophyte, with lots and LOTS to learn (especially using the defense thingy)... fun really.
Just went the other way on the firewall, as in bye bye CFP (v2.4) that I tested for over a year on my laptop. Back to ZAF which I have been running on my two PCs with nary a problem nor intrusion of which to speak. Don't get me wrong head_scratcher because I wish you well and this is not intended to hijack the thread with a firewall debate. I merely post this lest some newbies get scared off ZAF which I have loved for years now and highly recommend to them.
--
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20543218 Mon, 26 May 2008 20:54:35 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20542711 anon : My main concern with v8 isn't the scanning or browsing/surfing time, but the fact that my computer now takes forever just to boot up properly. It now takes several minutes after the appearance of my desktop before anything in the quick-launch bar will run.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20542711 Mon, 26 May 2008 18:54:20 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541797 theyipper : Hmm, I must be the only one who switched from Avast to AVG.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541797 Mon, 26 May 2008 15:02:31 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541710 pepperxn : AVG 8.0 VERSION DESCRIPTION
===========================

Product: AVG Internet Security
Version: 8.0 (build 111) - SP1

FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS
====================

- Remake of internal communication to eliminate undesired program status appearance (hibernation, sleep mode, cold restart, ...).
- Display of the system tray icon representing running scan (that can be paused or stopped from the context menu).
- Added option to ignore the status of a component: the system tray icon then reports OK status even if a component is in error status.
- New tab added for the rootkit findings in the scan results overview.
- System restore point is created before launching a program update.
- Added new option verifying the ADMIN Server connection in the program's advanced settings.
- Improved EML file processing including scanning of user mailboxes.
- RAM requirements optimization.
- Improved statistics of detected objects in Email Scanner and resident Shield.
- New design of the system tray pop-up window, and more information provided.
- To eliminate AVG collisions with OS, only minimum drivers are installed in safe mode; then it is possible to launch on-demand scanning from the command line only, and a new GUI dialog has been added to ease the scan configuration.
- Added option of restoring a file from the Virus Vault to the original folder even if the folder has been removed.
- Added option of deleting the Resident Shield and Email Scanner history.
- Improved stability and design of GUI.
- Improved GUI accessibility (using keyboard).
- Fixed problem of GUI compatibility with some screereaders, e.g. JAWS.

»www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost···count=31]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541710 Mon, 26 May 2008 14:35:02 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541505 Finger2208 :
said by pepperxn See Profile :

AVG just released AVG 8 build 111 to beta. This should fix at least some of the issues reported.
Hopefully so, as a lot of users running AVG 8 Free seem to have major issues. It's kind of strange too, as although I using the Pro version, I simply disabled the AVG Safe Search in IE and everything has been great for me! And although I'm running a custom rig built by myself, it's certainly not a powerhouse by current standards. But it runs great with AVG 8 :) Even while running online FPS games.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541505 Mon, 26 May 2008 13:38:29 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541494 anon : ..all of AVGs controls can be enabled/disabled. The Linkscanner can be turned off from within the browser, and tip of the day etc can be disabled by renaming one DLL file...

There is nothing wrong with AVG 8 - you lot just don't know enough about software to configure it.

DUH]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541494 Mon, 26 May 2008 13:35:10 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541374 pepperxn : AVG just released AVG 8 build 111 to beta. This should fix at least some of the issues reported.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20541374 Mon, 26 May 2008 13:10:31 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20540486 Pole883 :
said by KeiferW See Profile :

There I sat all broken-hearted,
Used AVG, but then we parted.

I was upset, I was aghast,
But now it's great, I use Avast!

:D :D :D
cool.......]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20540486 Mon, 26 May 2008 09:48:48 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20540010 anon : Echo echo ... AVG 8 gone, and Zonealarm too for good measure. Now on Avira and Comodo. Was a toss up between Avira and Avast - might try Avast on another PC.

Avira detection rates are great, but no email scan. Once the nag screen is removed it seems like a great product (and no spybot conflicts).

Comodo is fantastic, but suddenly I feel like a real firewall neophyte, with lots and LOTS to learn (especially using the defense thingy)... fun really.

Now the nightmare of all my friends and relatives who are pestering me about AVG8. Thanks Grisoft, you just made a lot a work for me!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20540010 Mon, 26 May 2008 04:30:17 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539987 anon : Well today after installing AVG8 I was forced into doing a bit of research. I got rid of AVG after multiple years of harmony.

Installed Avira Antivir (applied the countermeasures for the ad that pops up to upgrade to PRO after updates) and all is well.

The detection rate comparisons (comparable to Kaspersky) was enough to give Avira a try and surprisingly it was light - 11.5mb total of mem usage for 3 services.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539987 Mon, 26 May 2008 04:14:28 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539633 anon : I'm so glad to have found this thread. I thought I was the only one that had the same problems.

I got rid of AVG sadly. I'm not sure who I'm going to get now.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539633 Mon, 26 May 2008 00:35:09 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539230 Thug21 : As of today, I no longer have it on any of my 4 machines. They are gonna need the increased revenue from that yahoo toolbar. :D ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539230 Sun, 25 May 2008 22:32:31 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539088 HA Nut : Today, I dumped AVG 7.5 for Avast on my niece's PC. I was afraid that she would accidentally respond to the AVG 8.0 update nag. And I would be the one to cleanup after she noticed 8.0 would be killing her PC. It's sad that AVG has loyal customers running away in droves... :huh:]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20539088 Sun, 25 May 2008 21:53:41 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20536930 clocks11 : Avast is a great program, but it does use a lot of RAM compared to a lot of other AVs.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20536930 Sun, 25 May 2008 10:51:18 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20536875 anon : AVG8 free crashed my Windows by putting in quarantine and then deleting important operating system files.
Previous AVG versions i used were working great, not AVG8 free, and much less RAM demanding.
I then switched to PC Tools 4 and it stopped updating itself after 4 days.
I followed some friends advice and tried Avast and it doesn't use much RAM and it comes fully featured for free for home use.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20536875 Sun, 25 May 2008 10:28:55 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20535929 OverBurn : I've ditched AVG 8 Free also after years of using AVG. I thought I'd tweaked it so it performed like it should, I even started a thread in here about it, after further review I was dead wrong. The resident shield "avgrsx.exe" causes to many slow downs. It makes my Start>Programs Menu freeze up like the delay is turned on to the max and then some. To bad cause I liked AVG's new interface a lot.

In the last week I've tried Avast Free, Avri Free, PC Tools Free AV, Comodo Free AV. Each has there good and bad points. I have no idea how any of these do with actually finding virus, the last virus I had was the blaster virus years ago. The only reason I got it then was I turned my firewall off when testing something and got hit immediately. Since then all I've ever gotten is false positives, no matter what AV I was using at the time.

I didn't like Avasts interface at all, pretty good on resources though. I don't like registering, none of the other free ones have you to register. Silly maybe, but I have enough places I'm register to.

PC Tools Free AV has a nice interface, clean and simple. It worked great in a Virtual Machine, but made my main PC's boot process take forever. My printer's sys tray icon took over 10 minutes to show up and my network connections folder would be empty for that 10 minutes. To bad I wanted it to work.

Comodo Free AV is still in beta, but it has a nice interface and is very simple. It's a resource pig right now, it has two identical services running that take alot of resoures. They claim they are going to fix that. I'll keep my eye on it, it looks promising.

I decided I liked Avri the best, after disabling the splash screen and popup notifier. Clean, simple. "avguard.exe uses a lot of resources when it first starts 40K, but drops to 6K later. On startup it's using as many resources as AVG 8 was, but without any side effects. I can't tell of any slow down compared to no AV installed. (My PC is P4-3.4 with 4GB of RAM) ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20535929 Sun, 25 May 2008 00:14:18 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20535179 pepperxn : After reading these posts, I'm definitely not upgrading (downgrading) to AVG 8 (current build).

I'll stay with AVG 7.5 until it expires at the end of the year, or at least wait until a new build of AVG 8 releases that fixes most or all of these issues. AVG 8 was released too early. If not, I would switch to Avast, Avira, or CAVS3 (late June release). I wonder how many will switch to CAVS3.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20535179 Sat, 24 May 2008 20:44:28 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20534434 ironwalker : For the record, installing without link scanner and some other preferences off helped lighten the slowness of avg 8....but resident shield with heuristics of is still slow/cpu intensive.

I followed the faq to install avg 8 without linkscanner and noticed the toolbar option was gone as well. Here they are;

quote:
If you wish to install AVG 8.0 Free Edition without the LinkScanner component, or uninstall this component from your program, please proceed as follows:
* Download the AVG 8.0 Free Edition installation package from our website.
* Run the installation with the parameters /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch. One way to achieve this is to:
o save the AVG Free installation file directly to disk C:\
o open menu Start -> Run
o type
c:\avg_free_stf_*.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch
* The installation will be started, and AVG will be installed without the LinkScanner component.


»free.grisoft.com/ww.faq
--
Live Free or Die!
www.sidux.com
www.chronixradio.com

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20534434 Sat, 24 May 2008 17:17:19 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20533656 anon : Used to use AVG. Version 7.5 was good. Light. Fast. Supported Windows 9x. Gave the user a lot of control. When I heard about AVG 8, I just switched to Avira completely. (Used both up until now.). I just didn't want to deal with all the headaches.

Looks like AVG is pulling an Adaware with their new version. Dropping older system support. Requiring more hardware. Increased bloat. Tons of false positives. Longer scanning time. Way too many teething problems. I dropped Adaware after SE went away and the still defective 2007 came out. Now AVG joins that list.

Logically, you'd think each company would maintain both newer and older versions longer to have a smoother transition rather then lose longtime users to competing products.

The whole "Shove problematic newer version down your throat without older option still around" idea has proven to be a dismal failure with things like Windows Vista vs. XP. Looks like both AVG and Adaware are making the same mistake. And their older versions were immensely popular for years if not THE most popular security freeware. Instead of using the crappier new versions, users just switch to a whole new alternative.

Instead of Adaware, I now use varying combos of Spyware Blaster and Spybot. And sometimes Spyware Terminator.

For antivirus , it's generally Antivir on newer systems and Avast for anything older.

Bye bye AVG. 7.5 and earlier was great. 8 has too many issues and I need protection NOW. Just like Adaware SE and earlier, you will be missed.

To the companies that make this stuff: Newer HAS to be better or at least as good as the older version or IT WILL BE REPLACED with someone else's product that IS.

Long time nostalgia for older but better version not withstanding. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20533656 Sat, 24 May 2008 13:12:19 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20515507 The Penguin : Used AVG happily for several years but after updating to AVG8 due to pending cut off of detection files for v7.5 (which incidentally has now been extended 'til the end of this year)
I have switched to Avast and am impressed so far. Was also pleased to find that the Avast forum seems to respond with quick and helpful advice to any queries. :)
The reason I ditched AVG8, besides the fact that it was slowing my pc, was the various extras it now incorporates. Some of these can be deactivated but doing that puts an alert icon on the taskbar. There is also no simple menu selection for getting rid of some of these 'extras'.
I just want an AV program. I have other standalone programs that handle other aspects. It seems (IMO) that AVG has gone the route of trying to be everything, to the degradation of overall performance. A pity, but happily there are alternatives to choose from.
--
Dances With Marmots]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20515507 Wed, 21 May 2008 00:32:56 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20502848 anon : I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I like AVG 8 very much. It's doing well in independent tests, the interface is slick, and updating is much improved. To the features of 7.5, it adds effective real-time spyware protection and web scanning/blocking. The toolbar is optional; just de-select it during installation. Best of all, it's still free!

It does have a larger memory footprint than AVG 7.5, but still runs happily on my 1GHz Pentium III laptop. I can't find anything to dislike about it; I'm sorry you were disappointed.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20502848 Sun, 18 May 2008 18:05:43 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20463120 rugmankc : The only thing you need to uncheck during install (use custom install) is the toolbar. You can disable the linkscanner thru Firefox addons. No notifications anywhere that linkscanner is disabled doing it this way.

I have everything else at defaults, except no sceduled scans. You can disable those also in the programs option menus.

Mine runs just like 7.5 with faster updates and quicker scans.

I like it and it's free.

Ken]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20463120 Sat, 10 May 2008 21:12:33 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20462797 Tyreman : I have to eat crow.
Mine is running great now, especially since I configured it better AND downloaded the ms kb patch as suggested by the avg installer I had which detected that it was needed.
PC Tools av while it appears good at the start it certainly isn't in the latter.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20462797 Sat, 10 May 2008 19:39:24 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20462755 anon : Me too.

Grisoft has got it wrong this time, they've spoilt a good product.

I've invested in a Yoggie, so far its looking good!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20462755 Sat, 10 May 2008 19:26:57 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20443892 anon : Link Scanner is the culprit in system slowdown with AVG 8. It can be disabled in the program, but then you have an icon with a big exclamation point in the system tray reminding you that you have done a "bad thing."

It took me five tries and seven hours to get AVG 8 Free to install properly. I repeatedly was denied access to the virus definition update server. Very frustrating after installing previous versions on six computers running three different operating systems (Windows 98, XP and Vista) over a five-year period with no problems. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20443892 Wed, 07 May 2008 03:31:54 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20439905 traveler55 : I run version 8 on an 8 year old computer (900TB,512 ram, xp pro) and just removing the linkscanner I see no drop in performance even with half dozen windows open including wmp. I don't see scan times taking very much longer than v7.5 given it is doing a lot more. I like v8!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20439905 Tue, 06 May 2008 13:17:30 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20437928 PentiumIII : There seems to be a few major concerns about AVG 8 which can be taken care of if one were to take a bit of time to configure it. I'm not saying one should need to tinker with the system from the beginning but after doing the following I'm happy to report that my AVG 8 is solid and performing better than AVG 7.5.

1. LinkScanner - You can install without it with the following command to install
save the AVG Free installation file directly to disk C:\

a) open menu Start -> Run
b) copy and paste
c:\avg_free_stf_en_8_100a1295.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch
then press enter to begin installation
2. Yahoo Toolbar - You can install without it on the UI during the initial installation with or without step 1 above
3. Dropdown Notification on main window - You can simply rename/move these two files in your AVG8 directory (found on the AVG Free Forum)
a) avgresf.dll
b) avgmwdef_us.mht ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20437928 Tue, 06 May 2008 01:04:19 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20437412 FiOS Dan :
said by Pole883 See Profile :

OMG!!

AVG 8 sucks!!

Pardon my French.........
Very helpful. :huh:
--
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20437412 Mon, 05 May 2008 22:52:25 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20436404 jmorlan : I still like the program. When tamed and properly installed it seems to do a good job. One of the major advantages of AVG has been its low footprint, stability and minimal performance hit on older hardware. I think version 8, even when tamed does impact older hardware more than earlier versions. I just removed it from an old Celeron with 256k of RAM running WinXP. That's a very marginal system to begin with, but AVG turns it into molasses.

Given the vanilla surfing habits of the user, testified by the fact that AVG has never popped up so much as a warning in the four years its been installed, I've decided to let that system go without a real time AV at all. It runs way better now without it.

I'll probably immunize the registry with SpywareBlaster and maybe do an occasional virus scan with a stand-alone AV or a web-based AV scanner.
--
If America has an official philosophy, it surely includes the belief in individualism, competition, private property, democracy, freedom, and a deep faith in education. This social philosophy is called "liberalism." GKM (1936)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20436404 Mon, 05 May 2008 19:23:43 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20436246 KeiferW : There I sat all broken-hearted,
Used AVG, but then we parted.

I was upset, I was aghast,
But now it's great, I use Avast!

:D :D :D]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20436246 Mon, 05 May 2008 18:50:12 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20435877 Pole883 : OMG!!

AVG 8 sucks!!

Pardon my French.........]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20435877 Mon, 05 May 2008 17:44:49 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429875 danny9 : Earlier I expressed my feelings pertaining to AVG and said I switched to Avira free.
Well after reading these posts with others going to Avast, I decided to give the new version a try.
Must say I'm impressed so far.
Because Online Armor already covers most of the shields, I just have the standard running.
A tad more memory but not noticeable but the funny thing is that the paged memory and the commit charge are both lower running Avast.
Thanks for the silent suggestion. :)
--
VoicePulse 07/29/04]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429875 Sun, 04 May 2008 12:16:10 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429833 jerry666 : the on demand scanning with avast is slooow , or something wrong with my setup ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429833 Sun, 04 May 2008 12:04:13 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429745 wapu : I just switched from AVG to Avast last night. I had been using and recommending AVG for 7 or 8 years. Honestly, I cannot remember using anything else for home. However, 8 and the yahoo toolbar and the slow surfing is just too much.

So far Avast seems good. I'll have to evaluate it until the end of June, but I think I will be switching my 400 PCs at work when my AVG is up July 1st.
--
We are all athiests about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.
~Richard Dawkins]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429745 Sun, 04 May 2008 11:36:00 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429286 shadowrose64 : It didn't take long for me to change from AVG 8. The Yahoo Toolbar issue had me shaking my head, but I installed AVG 8 (sans the toolbar, of course)and gave it a decent try. I was unimpressed, and very disappointed. I'd purchased a two-year license, which was set to expire in July of this year. I won't be renewing. Very sad, as I really liked the professional version before 8 hit. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20429286 Sun, 04 May 2008 09:05:12 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20428176 jmorlan : There's no longer a need for AVG Anti-Spyware since it is now included with AVG AntiVirus. This move should put AVG-AV detection rates near the top of the charts.

Detection rates were always AVG's weak suit. I believe that will no longer be the case when the next comparative benchmarks come out.
--
If America has an official philosophy, it surely includes the belief in individualism, competition, private property, democracy, freedom, and a deep faith in education. This social philosophy is called "liberalism." GKM (1936)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20428176 Sat, 03 May 2008 22:22:32 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20428162 Tyreman : Yes runnning it here now to.
Will see how it goes
pretty light on resources.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20428162 Sat, 03 May 2008 22:20:33 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427740 Grail Knight : Makes sense from a business standpoint.

Why pay for extra staff to support other variations when they can build a suite and concentrate on supporting it. :)
--
"Why answer any questions when you can pull a MuMu"? - unknown]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427740 Sat, 03 May 2008 20:43:34 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427680 Pentangle : And AVG is apparently about to drop support for AVG Anti-Spyware! What's with these guys? :(

»www2.dslreports.com/forum/r20395···iSpyware]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427680 Sat, 03 May 2008 20:29:27 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427559 jerry666 : i've run avg for at least 8 years , no more . just bought 4 license for avast for $79.00 . been great AVG , but you turned into norton . no thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427559 Sat, 03 May 2008 19:59:06 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427527 Tyreman : I had mentioned this a month or two
ago about them putting you on 8 whatever soon.
Today I had a notice you had to move to it by late/end of may.
No more free 7.5 after that time.
using it now but you can't seem to turn off the link scanner without having the tray thinghy alert.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427527 Sat, 03 May 2008 19:49:42 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426699 Pentangle : Also a long-term user of AVG, switched to Avast when V8 came out and have been delighted with Avast ever since (although the GUI could use a Hollywood makeover). ;)
--
Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink. - Shunryu Suzuki-roshi
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426699 Sat, 03 May 2008 16:20:39 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426336 falcon04 : I agree that the installation method is muffed, but if you do it this way, it will istall properly - no toolbar, omit E-mail scan, and omit MS Word plug-ins and you are good to go. Also having to clean the registry of Ewido keys is BS, but you can get a clean install this way.

»Re: AVG 8 EXTREMELY slow?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426336 Sat, 03 May 2008 14:51:49 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426227 Maxxxt : Im sad, I came here to complain about AVG Ver 8 and lots of people beat me to it. I un-installed it this morning after fighting with getting rid of the link scanner, YAHOO toolbar (omg..how I loathe that thing). Making it difficult to disable "Features" is not my idea of user friendly. Pop-Under nag windows, ALERT scare notices, the whole "this is free your gonna be at risk" crap. I guess when you see 70 million people using an application for free it finally makes you want to make more money and nag the freeloaders. Its done for me, removed it from my computer and will stop recommending it people. Next AV application please.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426227 Sat, 03 May 2008 14:27:48 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425912 cuda7071 : I also was a long time user of AVG until ver 8, after installing the computer would reboot over and over, finally dumped AVG and went with Avast. I am very pleased with it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425912 Sat, 03 May 2008 13:15:38 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425733 Candle : Try PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition.
I use it and like it.
--
»tinyurl.com/yo49js (Why)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425733 Sat, 03 May 2008 12:29:44 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425731 falcon04 : As I mentioned in the "SLOW" thread, installing without the Linkscanner, Mailscanner, and "Word" plug-ins ( all which I find not nesessary ) makes it almost as fast as 7.5. It does use more memory than 7.5, but scans almost as fast and does not slow my system appreciably.

I also think that there is a bit of word-parsing when it comes to what is "anti-virus" and what is "anti-spyware" insofar as definitions are concerned.

GUI is better than 7.5 - I can live with it for now.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425731 Sat, 03 May 2008 12:29:30 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425579 danny9 : Same problems here.
ver. 8 had to be the worst suite I ever tried.
Had a license thru Sept. for 7.5 but took it off 2 of my computers since it will stop being supported by the end of the year.
Now using Avira free and OA paid along with SuperAntiSpyware.
It's a shame what happened to AVG.
I think they just tried to add to much to what they had.
Maybe, with time, they'll get it worked out.
--
VoicePulse 07/29/04]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425579 Sat, 03 May 2008 11:37:08 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425422 anon : I wish I'd dropped AVG and bought Eset years ago. :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20425422 Sat, 03 May 2008 10:51:11 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20414777 anon :
said by Brano See Profile :

Wow, after running AVG for maybe 5 years to my full satisfaction I've got rid of it couple days after upgrade to ver. 8.
The fact that it does not allow me to turn certain components off and be nice about it made me decide.
I don't want link scanner! I don't want something to download and scan every link google spits out!
And when I try to disable it the taskbar icon becomes a nasty bitch reminding me something is wrong?!
Needless to say the system was slower than with 7.5 version.

...I was real advocate of AVG, :sigh:, time changes

Now I'm running AVAST which allows me to turn off components I don't need and it's still playing nicely.

... no replies needed, just venting ;)
4 years AVG for me. Licence expires in May and I will not be renewing.

My opinion - AVG has not been too bad up to now but AVG 8 is a TOTAL SUCK!!!!

100% CPU used on first scan. Impossible to get any work done. To hell and back getting rid of it (un-installer would not work properly) then my old AVG 7.5 would not re-install. Neither would KAV free trial.

First scan with NOD32 free trial found 2 Zlob trojan varieties AVG 8 scan missed!

GoodBye AVG!!!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20414777 Thu, 01 May 2008 04:08:03 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20409558 anon : AVG has lost the plot.

After 3 years with AVG I traded in my paid AVG8 for 30% discount on Eset Antivirus.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20409558 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:01:29 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20408609 PentiumIII : My initial reaction was the same about the time it adds when I'm doing Google search. However, I've found this information on the AVG Free Forum that you can install AVG8 without the LinkScanner option. AVG8 now performs much much better and uses similar resources on my pc as AVG7.5

»free.grisoft.com/ww.faq.num-1238#faq_1238]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20408609 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:22:09 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20404641 Brano : Sooner or later AVG will discontinue 7.5 and force migration to 8. I personally don't have the time to be playing with basic tools, I expect them to work. As such, AVAST seems to be meeting my requirements so I'll stay with it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20404641 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:51:26 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20404584 anon : Welp, first computer I fresh installed XP (dead hard drive) I put AVG 8 on it.. the next reboot, one of the AVG process (with TDI in it) was using 100% CPU - slowing the whole thing down... Not sure why but I put AVG7.5 back on and it's fine now.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20404584 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:42:40 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20404395 jwillisbarri : I was given the option to keep 7.5 or upgrade to 8. I kept 7.5

If 7.5 is not available for download, get the free version that is still 7.5 and then if you want to buy a license you can upgrde the free 7.5 to a paid 7.5 version.

Jim]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20404395 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:03:51 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20403075 Duchess44 : Is 7.5 still available for download? I am having similar issues. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20403075 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:27:44 EDT Re: I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20402807 La Luna : Seems others are having some issues also:

»AVG 8 EXTREMELY slow?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20402807 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:35:11 EDT I've ditched AVG 8 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20402773 Brano : Wow, after running AVG for maybe 5 years to my full satisfaction I've got rid of it couple days after upgrade to ver. 8.
The fact that it does not allow me to turn certain components off and be nice about it made me decide.
I don't want link scanner! I don't want something to download and scan every link google spits out!
And when I try to disable it the taskbar icon becomes a nasty bitch reminding me something is wrong?!
Needless to say the system was slower than with 7.5 version.

...I was real advocate of AVG, :sigh:, time changes

Now I'm running AVAST which allows me to turn off components I don't need and it's still playing nicely.

... no replies needed, just venting ;)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20402773 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:29:24 EDT