Re: AVG 8????? in Security

said by jmorlan

:

Was this a wireless connection? Did you see an intermittent wireless connection that disconnected every few seconds and could not be made stable?

These are symptoms that I originally attributed to XP SP3, but which I now think may have been caused by AVG8 or possibly by a combination of AVG8 and an installation of SP3.

Actually, it was ALL of my connections. (I do have a wireless Router for my Laptop, but hadn't used the Laptop since I installed AVG 8 on this particular CAT5 wired Desktop machine, so I'm not sure if I had that same wireless problem or not).

However, when I first booted up the machine with AVG 8, it froze the machine half way through the AVG update, and I lost my connections on all my machines. (Even though all lights were synced on both the Modem and the Router).

Even rebooting the Modem and resetting the Router had no effect.
It wasn't until I completely unplugged the AVG 8 computer from the network, and reset everything again, that I got it back up and running....nothing else worked. (And you can believe me when I say I tried everything).

By the way, I've had SP3 on all my machines for quite a while now and never had any problems, not even with the wireless Laptop.

It may have been a strange coincidence, but I really don't think so.
I've never had a problem where a reset of the entire Network didn't fix it before, and I haven't had any problems at all since I removed AVG 8 from that computer.

And I'm also positive that it wasn't an outage with my ISP (Just so happens I know some people in the Headend at my ISP). ;)

I've had a lot of other problems with the AVG 8 computer as well...(Start menu freezing, programs not loading, etc).

Now that I've removed AVG 8, everything is running fine again, like it always has.

Beats me, but I won't be trying AVG 8 again for a while...I do know that much.

Anyway, headed out for the weekend.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend folks. :)
--
I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20532707 Sat, 24 May 2008 06:04:59 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20532645 jmorlan :

said by jabarnut

:

I can't really be absolutely sure, but I also think it messed up my internet connection in the process of doing an automatic update during first boot in the morning.
I had to reset my Router (among several other things), to get everything back up and running again on my home network).

Was this a wireless connection? Did you see an intermittent wireless connection that disconnected every few seconds and could not be made stable?

These are symptoms that I originally attributed to XP SP3, but which I now think may have been caused by AVG8 or possibly by a combination of AVG8 and an installation of SP3.
--
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,20532645 Sat, 24 May 2008 04:32:14 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20532483 Smith6612 : I agree with the posts here stating on how AVG is messing up a good program. I run AVG 75 Free on 3 computers as well, including my gaming system and it works a heck of a lot better than Norton and McAfee will ever run. Now because of this, I guess I'm going to have to switch these computers over to Avast and then send out several e-mails to some people I know about this.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20532483 Sat, 24 May 2008 02:15:19 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20528911 jabarnut : Sorry to bring back a 4+ day old thread, but since my last report above (concerning the "extensive experimenting" I did), things have changed a bit, and I felt that this was the most relevant thread to post an update.

Bottom line (after removing my foot from my mouth), it that AVG 8 still needs some work for sure. :(

There have since been comments in other threads as well, where people who initially had it working ok (with the "tweaks"), are now finding that it's just not cutting it.

It's still not ready for prime time in my opinion.
Since my last post, I've had my start menu freeze, and some other annoying problems that I won't bore you with right now. (FWIW, removing AVG 8 solved ALL of the problems).

I can't really be absolutely sure, but I also think it messed up my internet connection in the process of doing an automatic update during first boot in the morning.
I had to reset my Router (among several other things), to get everything back up and running again on my home network).

I've since gone to Avira on my older machine, and I'm pretty happy with it. (As mentioned in my earlier post, Avast is just too hard on my older Hardware, although I like it in other respects).

Avira is running pretty well, and while there are still a few things I'm not crazy about, it's working a heck of a lot better than AVG 8 did.

I think AVG 8 has some potential, but definitely still needs some work.

So, that's that.
Regardless of what my observations were in my last post (as of right now at least), I'm thinking that AVG 7.5 was a heck of a lot better than AVG 8.

Therefore, Avira AntiVar has now become my AV of choice...(for now, anyway.)

The other thing about AntiVar, is that it doesn't try to be something more than it sould be. (A mistake I think Grisoft made with AVG 8, the more I played around with it).

Sure hope Avira doesn't make the same mistake.

Thanks for suffering through yet another long and boring post.
Take from it what you will, and toss the rest. :hmm:
--
I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20528911 Fri, 23 May 2008 12:14:32 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20509480 isobuster : what about clamwin? »www.clamwin.com

it's a free open source antivirus, but the only problem is that it doesn't have real-time resident scanning, so you'll have to manually do scan (right click and scan, or select folders, etc.). So how important is a real time scanner?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20509480 Mon, 19 May 2008 23:05:18 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20506548 captokita : Well, when you think about it, when AVG was version 6 and moved to 7, there were many issues/bugs that surrounded that launch as well. So it's natural for a program to go through a "buggy" adjustment period.

So far, 8 has been great for me in my personal use, all my scans are set for when I'm not using the machine, so I honestly don't care how long it takes to do it. As long as it's catching things and working, I'll be happy with it. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20506548 Mon, 19 May 2008 14:02:41 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20502957 traveler55 : Yes, I did the same here (900 Thunderbird 512 of pc133). I tried both Avast and Avira, for some reason AVG 8 just ran smoother. Maybe it is because I have used AVG since 1998 and it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but I like this one. :) ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20502957 Sun, 18 May 2008 18:31:12 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20502365 FiOS Dan : Not long-winded at all jabarnut. I read it with great interest and I must say it is most encouraging. For several days now I have been considering doing exactly what you have done, namely running AVG 8.0 on one of my PCs that I affectionately refer to as my "test rig". Now I will do so for sure. Many thanks.
--
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20502365 Sun, 18 May 2008 16:01:38 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20500805 jabarnut : Well, I've got to tell you folks.
Armed with a fresh Acronis Image, I decided to do some extensive experimenting this weekend on the oldest of the 4 machines I own (A 900mhz Duron, with 1 Gig of PC133 SDRAM...yes, you read it right).

I had used Avast and Avira AntiVar in the past, but decided to try them again (Along with AVG 8), and compare them on an old machine.

Guess which program I liked the best? (At least as far as the Program that ran the smoothest, updated the fastest, and showed the smallest footprint).
That's right...AVG 8.

Avast showed a very noticeable performance hit (much more so than the other two), even with everything turned off but the standard shield.
I realize many say there is no performance hit at all when they use Avast, but try it with a 900mhz Duron. (Especially compared with the other two AV's).

Avira was ok, but just the way I remembered it. A little buggy, and the update servers were horrible at certain times. Also showed a *slight* performance hit, and some other minor annoyances that I just don't like, and never did.

After installing AVG 8 (with the proper tweaking), I definitely liked it the best.
Of course, the important thing here was doing a custom install as shown in this thread:
»AVG 8 Free Better Than 7.5 After Tweaking.

Installed without the "Link Scanner", email scanner, or Office Plugins, AVG 8 runs great...almost as good as AVG 7.5, but with a nicer interface.

And yes, I realize it's not all about performance (or lack of it), but the detection rates are all in the ballpark as far as the freebies. (I know you Avira fans, Avira is usually a little better, but they're all close enough as far as I'm concerned).

So, there you go.
After all my complaining in this and other threads about the major changes with AVG 8, turns out it runs great on that machine, and I'll probably end up staying with it.

I also realize it should work fine "right out of the box" like AVG 7.5 did (and as mentioned in the other thread), but the tweaks are easy, and well worth it.

So forgive me Grisoft for all my complaining.
It's not bad...not bad at all. ;)

(Oh, and while I'm at it, please forgive me for my usual long winded post too). :hmm:
--
I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20500805 Sun, 18 May 2008 07:47:40 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499841 Grail Knight :

quote:
They just had to ruin a good program didn't they?

One step back does not ruin a program IMO.

They can turn it around with the next version although there are some that like this version. The ones that pay for it.
--
"When the questions get tough the tough pull a MuMu". - unknown]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499841 Sat, 17 May 2008 22:29:23 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499651 Gemstone : I've got Avast on one computer here and am keeping AVG 7.5 on this one for as long as possible... I still like AVG Free 7.5 better than Avast Free... But that's just my opinion...
--
Go Mark Martin!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499651 Sat, 17 May 2008 21:34:30 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499563 SqueeksDad : Used AVG for years, uninstalled it and now use Avast. They just had to ruin a good program didn't they? Wonder how they will keep users when this "new, improved" version is CRAP??
--
Ways to Relieve Stress #10. Make up a language and ask people for directions. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499563 Sat, 17 May 2008 21:10:08 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499412 FiOS Dan : I just get the feeling that AVG 8.0 is nothing more than a beta version that should not have been introduced at all. The poor folks that upgraded right away have been used as guinea pigs and that's a shame. I have been running AVG on my three rigs for 5+ years now and I hate to switch. :(
--
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20499412 Sat, 17 May 2008 20:29:05 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20492389 anon : It seems like every time a good program like AVG teems up with Yahoo or AOL that is when the program goes to pot.After a while there is no room for your browser the space fills with tool bars. If you do not want the tool bar it loads anyway even if its not active.With all this extra luggage is it any wonder the programs become resource hogs.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20492389 Fri, 16 May 2008 10:55:53 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456693 Gemstone :

said by DougCuk :

I posted a query about this 31st May Popup on the AVG Free Forum and got the following response from one of the Forum Moderators:

This could well be a marketing ploy to quickly encourage users onto either the paid for or free version of AVG 8.0 but rest assured at this moment in time the deadline for 7.5 support, as stated by the AVG Team on the Free Forum, is quite definitely the 31st December 2008.

This is good information and I hope it is correct... I would like to stay with AVG if possible... But I'm not going to "upgrade" to an anti-virus product that has turned into a resource hog... I've done my time in the past with Symantec products that slow your PC down to a crawl... I'm not going there again...
--
Go Mark Martin!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456693 Fri, 09 May 2008 11:56:37 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456684 jabarnut : Thanks for that, Doug.

I hope he's right about support ending December 31, 2008, instead of May 31st.
That will certainly give me more time before I either have to change programs, or, as you said, hope that they'll get their act together before then.

I like AVG and hate to switch....I'll be watching your thread in the AVG Forums with interest. (Providing of course, that there are any more replies). :)
--
I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456684 Fri, 09 May 2008 11:54:11 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456645 anon : I posted a query about this 31st May Popup on the AVG Free Forum and got the following response from one of the Forum Moderators:

This could well be a marketing ploy to quickly encourage users onto either the paid for or free version of AVG 8.0 but rest assured at this moment in time the deadline for 7.5 support, as stated by the AVG Team on the Free Forum, is quite definitely the 31st December 2008.

See the post here »freeforum.avg.com/read.php?1,124782

So I am praying that AVG get their act together and sort all the problems with AVG 8 before I am forced to go elsewhere. AVG 8 at present is too resource hungry and a lot slower in scanning than v7.5 - and triggers too many false alarms if you run other Spyware protection software. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20456645 Fri, 09 May 2008 11:46:42 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455660 anon : i have used AVG free and pro on my machines since 2002.

i tried the new version and it would not work properly on 2 machines. it's a shame to see a good product do wrong.

now i to have to use another virus solution.
good by forever Avg!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455660 Fri, 09 May 2008 09:09:41 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455241 anon : This is a giant shock if true as currently AVG Free Forum has the following info posted by AVG Support:

DEADLINE FOR AVG 7.5 FREE UPDATES 31/12/2008
Posted by: michaelhd - AVG Team (IP Logged)
Date: May 5, 2008 10:00AM

This is the official date that support and updates for AVg 7.5 Free will end. If the date changes we will give you good forward notice.

Posted here: »freeforum.avg.com/read.php?1,123812

I really hope this popup is a mistake by AVG.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20455241 Fri, 09 May 2008 05:09:48 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20449016 Vista RTM : »www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/

Gonna see if this is ok]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20449016 Wed, 07 May 2008 22:57:33 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20448959 Vista RTM :

said by Gemstone

:

I got this notice after my daily update of AVG Free 7.5... Does this mean that the virus definition updates for
AVG 7.5 will no longer be available??... Does this force all AVG Free 7.5 users to upgrade to AVG 8??...

WTF??
--
ASUS A8V 2.0-Deluxe 1018beta 2 AMD FX-60 OCZ PC3200 EL Platinum Edition 2GB 2-3-2-9-1T@400DDR Bank Interleaving Enabled Sapphire ATI HD3850 512GDDR3 AGP HT Omeaga Claro Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 ADSL 6Mbps APC Back UPS 900VA

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20448959 Wed, 07 May 2008 22:49:52 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20447911 Tyreman : PC Tools Anti Virus runs pretty good to.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20447911 Wed, 07 May 2008 19:34:17 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20447298 Gemstone : Yeah... I've used AVG free for over 5 years now with no problems... I've recommended it to many people, many of them going for the paid version... Including the company I work for!!... So I'm not a happy camper about this, especially hearing and reading about the buggy and bloated version 8... The best thing about AVG was that is was bug free and did not hog computer resources... Most normal users don't have the latest and greatest hardware, so AVG was a great fit for most people... Too bad...
--
Go Mark Martin!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20447298 Wed, 07 May 2008 17:33:32 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20445863 jabarnut :

said by Gemstone

:

Sorry!!!...I should have done a search on this topic before posting another thread on this...

My immediate concern is whether AVG will provide virus definition updates after May 31st for version 7.5 or not... To state the obvious, without up to date virus definitions, any anti-virus program is useless...

No problem.
And to state the obvious once again, not only is an AV program basically useless without updates to Virus definitions, but it's also pretty obvious that definitions for v7.5 (or any support for that matter), will end May 31st.

Personally (as stated in this and other threads), I'll wait until then, at which time I'll be switching to another program.

Damn shame, in my opinion. :(

I've used and recommended AVG for many years.
I especially liked it for the very small footprint, particularly on my older machines.
It was a simple and pretty effective Anti-virus program.

Had I wanted some sort of a "Suite", I would have already had one.

I'll probably switch to Avast.
I feel the best two choices as far as free AV programs are either Avast or Avira.

Avast is a little tougher on my older hardware, and Avira (when I last tried it), was not only noticeably "buggy" at the time, but also had more false positives than any other programs I've tried.
(Not to mention the Fisher Price interface, and advertisements to upgrade that drove me nuts).

Looks like Avast is most likely where I'll be headed once again. :hmm:

Are you listening Grisoft? Looking around the Net for comments and opinions by any chance?
Well, I didn't think so, but thought I'd mention it just the same.
--
I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20445863 Wed, 07 May 2008 13:28:21 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20445679 Gemstone : Sorry!!!...I should have done a search on this topic before posting another thread on this...

My immediate concern is whether AVG will provide virus definition updates after May 31st for version 7.5 or not... To state the obvious, without up to date virus definitions, any anti-virus program is useless...
--
Go Mark Martin!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20445679 Wed, 07 May 2008 13:02:13 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444590 jerry666 : could not agree more ! i had paid AVG pro until dec 2008 and dumped it for avast after upgrading to AVG 8 . did not like having the icon teling me it was not working properly because i turned off a few "features" !
Avast lets you turn off features wityh no nagging . it's sad as i've been using and recommending AVG for almost 10 years ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444590 Wed, 07 May 2008 09:44:31 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444190 anon :

said by Gemstone

Paid AVG8 is CRAP!

Free AVG8 is CRAPPIER!

Look for something else!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444190 Wed, 07 May 2008 07:33:18 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444165 jabarnut :

said by Gemstone

:

... Does this mean that the virus definition updates for AVG 7.5 will no longer be available??... Does this force all AVG Free 7.5 users to upgrade to AVG 8??...

As shown in bold at the top of the nag screen, it most likely means that updates for 7.5 won't be available after May 31st.

So yes, at some point you'll have no choice but to "upgrade" to AVG 8.

But they're not really "forcing" you to do anything...until May 31st, that is. (In the mean time, hit "Upgrade later", and it will go away for a while).

On the other hand, I suppose they'll be "forcing" me to use a different AV program at that time. :hmm:

I'm really not too happy about this change. (For further details, see some of the links lilhurricane

provided). ;)
--
I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444165 Wed, 07 May 2008 07:22:39 EDT Re: AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444154 lilhurricane : Few ongoing threads:

»AVG 8 EXTREMELY slow?
»AVG 8.0 anti virus Free
»AVG pro 7.5 annoying pop-up till Decenber?
»avg 8 free edition
--
~Safe Hex~ Team Discovery ~ Project Hope ~ Like A Hurricane~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444154 Wed, 07 May 2008 07:12:31 EDT AVG 8????? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444126 Gemstone : I got this notice after my daily update of AVG Free 7.5... Does this mean that the virus definition updates for
AVG 7.5 will no longer be available??... Does this force all AVG Free 7.5 users to upgrade to AVG 8??...
--
Go Mark Martin!

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20444126 Wed, 07 May 2008 06:56:48 EDT