Author Topic: Dilemma - Free AVG8 - Buggy; Updates for Free AVG 7.5 ending May 08 (Read 34,606 times)

patteo · « **on:** May 16, 2008, 09:45 AM »

Support Alert Newsletter Issue 157, Free Edition
"On April 24 the free version of AVG V8 was released, and was promptly met with howls of derision. The free version excluded the rootkit scanner, active protection against hostile websites and a number of the other goodies added to the commercial V8 product. It also was proving to be very buggy.

Worse still, AVG announced that they would discontinue (at the end of May) the virus updates for the current V7.5 free version as well as their free anti-spyware and rootkit detection products.

I can fully understand user's disappointment with these announcements, but this is a perfectly normal commercial decision. AVG is, after all, a commercial organization, not a charity.

Their move does, however, present users of AVG's free software with a problem. Before the release of the V8, many AVG users employed an excellent security setup that combined the free version of AVG AV 7.5 with AVG's free anti-spyware scanner. With both these products being phased out, users are faced with a dilemma."
http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm#Section_3.3

I have used Freeware AVG 7.5 for sometime now. But looks like this happy relationship is gonna end soon !!

Any thoughts and ideas besides what Gizmo suggest.

app103 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 16, 2008, 02:23 PM »

There are other free antivirus products available. AVG isn't the only one that has a free version.

Personally I like the idea that they are not making the free version bloated with a bunch of stuff. I like single purpose products that don't try to be everything. It was what I liked best about AVG. Other antivirus products, especially ones you pay for, want to do everything short of checking the user for chicken pox. That makes them near impossible to run on an old slower PC. And because they are trying to be everything, they don't do it all, well. You can't be the best at everything.

I just hope they get the bugs worked out very soon, because I don't want to have to go on a mad hunt for a replacement that runs well on old 9x pc's.

As far as anti-spyware is concerned...

AVG isn't/wasn't the only free anti-spyware option in the world. Don't forget Spybot and Adaware. They are both still free options, too.

And don't forget that your firewall may also have stuff to prevent spyware.

I never used AVG's anti-spyware and anti-rootkit products, so I can live without them.

Another option which wasn't mentioned in Gizmo's newsletter is the offer from AOL. They are offering their members a free copy of McAfee VirusScan Plus. All you need is an AOL email address to get it, and you can now get one of those for free.

Looking over the feature list it includes antivirus, anti-spyware, email scanning, anti-rootkit, firewall, IM attachment scanning, etc.

So you are not left high & dry & defenseless.

It's not an option for 9x users, though. And personally, I don't particularly like McAfee, especially on an old slow PC. I was a long time Mcafee user (began with v4) until I switched from using a boxed version of McAfee VirusScan 7 to AVG Free about 4-5 years ago because of stability issues on a 233MHz, 64MB ram, Win9x machine. After less than a month, I got tired of weird things going wrong, like my taskbar getting stuck or PC freezing up if just the icon from a .rar file was visible on my screen. But those could be issues that only affect 11 year old low end machines. I never tried it on something modern, and the woman that I gave my disk to didn't seem to have any problems with it on her P2 with twice the RAM.

And then there is this obvious option:

How much is peace of mind worth to you? Consider paying for something.

If you can find something you like that has everything you want and need, consider buying it. The security of your PC is important and should be taken seriously. Until I switched to AVG Free, I always paid for my antivirus. Sure I like free, but I like good stuff and am willing to pay for it if I have to, even if it means making a sacrifice in another area to do it. (maybe my family will have to eat spaghetti an additional day each week

)

I also like tech support when I need it, which isn't something you get with AVG Free. Their only tech support option for users of their free products is a user to user help forum that they don't monitor. If another user of their product can't or won't help you, you won't get an answer or a solution.

Users of their free product can't report bugs, problems, false positives, and other issues. They don't want to hear from you unless you are a paying customer. I have been down that road with them and their automated email responses telling me that unless I provide a code within the body of my email, it won't go through their system...and only paying users get a code.

Meanwhile I am being nagged to death by some false positive wanting to delete an old project of mine, or calling some Paintshop Pro plugin I have had for over 6 years a trojan, or calling FontExpert 2006 a virus. It's things like that, that cause users to deactivate their security products and put themselves at risk. But unless you pay, they don't want to hear about the issues. You have to pay for the right to tell them there is a problem with their product that they need to fix. It's ridiculous.

And here is a bonus that some people that pay for their antivirus get, that the rest of us don't: There is something that comes along with the boxed version of many antivirus products that doesn't come with the download versions or any free version: The install disk is also a bootable rescue CD that is capable of scanning and cleaning your machine without booting into windows to do it. That was one of the main reasons why I always bought the disk version over the downloadable version of McAfee. I never needed that option, but it was nice to know I had it, just in case I did. And if you can get it on a really good sale, and use a rebate too, the final cost could be dirt cheap. Last time my final cost was $1, which is only slightly more than free. We didn't even have to eat spaghetti to pay for it.

cmpm · « **Reply #2 on:** May 16, 2008, 02:49 PM »

I like Avast.
It's better then AVG imo.

It doesn't do a full scan every day or on any schedule.
But when you first install it, it performs a boot scan.
Scanning every file on your pc.
Then it follows everything you do.
So no need for scheduled scanning.
Although you can do it manually if you want to.

yotta · « **Reply #3 on:** May 16, 2008, 03:34 PM »

well this is obvious, but buy the full version of avg

tomos · « **Reply #4 on:** May 16, 2008, 03:57 PM »

If I was to buy one (AV) I'd go for AntiVir

4wd · « **Reply #5 on:** May 17, 2008, 01:37 PM »

Quote from: cmpm on May 16, 2008, 02:49 PM

I like Avast.
It's better then AVG imo.

I'm with you, I went to Avast from AVG. AVG started giving too many false positives for my liking.

I tried the free AntiVir - should be classified as NagWare. Opens an advert every time it does an update.

Tried the free Comodo AntiVirus also, not very up-to-date with definitions. Same with ClamAV - good for my BartPE though.

No longer use Anti-Spyware, anti-rootkit, HIPS or anything similar - just ended up bogging the system down with a lot of programs that did nothing 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%, (round it up if that number's too long

) of the time.

A simple firewall tells me if something's trying to send when it shouldn't and I keep a fairly good track of what's running on the system.

Plus, using an nlite'ned XP install leaves a lot less things for virii/spyware to target, (eg. no IE/OE installed on my system and Firefox/Thunderbird are both portable versions).

patteo · « **Reply #6 on:** May 17, 2008, 04:38 PM »

Just a possible "solution"

Use Antivir mentioned below and combine this with the use of Gmail which has built in antivirus - that should take care of the lack of limited active email protection.

Support Alert Newsletter Issue 157, Free Edition
"Based on the evidence available as of today, I think the best route for free software users who want maximum protection is to switch to the free Avira AV [3] scanner and optionally, bolster this with the free Spyware Terminator program [4] or, less desirably, Windows Defender [5].

I say this because the free Avira product includes rootkit protection, while the free AVG does not. It is also more stable. Furthermore, Avira has better overall protection than AVG. Check out the AV Comparatives results [6] and you will see what I mean.

On the downside, Avira has limited active email protection, will nag you more than AVG free and the interface is somewhat more crude. But the overall level of protection is excellent."
http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm#Section_3.3

allen · « **Reply #7 on:** May 17, 2008, 04:59 PM »

I've been using Avira for several years now . . . my only complaint is the nag screen that popus up with each update (Always, and I'm almost positive this isn't coincidental) while I'm doing something on my computer -- never when I'm afk. I can't really fault them for it, after all it is a *free* product -- and it's effective, it's so annoying I have many times considered paying for it just to turn it off (and give myself the ability to change the schedule of updates) -- but usually at those times, I'm so annoyed by the popup that I refuse to reward them for it. Stuck in an infinite loop, here.

In the past I had a lot of problems connecting to their update server . . . it doesn't seem to be a problem with the virus updates, anymore, though I seem to be having difficulty getting the product update to work (updating the client software itself). Paying users connect (as they should) to a premium server.

Also: The pay version will allow you to create a bootable rescue CD.

tomos · « **Reply #8 on:** May 17, 2008, 06:57 PM »

or there's PC Tools AV - [an opinion please!]
not much info in that thread there but it sounds like an option - I installed it lately on someones laptop (after having to use their restore CD because of a virus) & havent heard any complaints since which isnt exactly a recommendation - but definitely no complaint

I thought someone else recommended it in another thread but couldnt find...

Deozaan · « **Reply #9 on:** May 17, 2008, 07:03 PM »

Quote from: app103 on May 16, 2008, 02:23 PM

Another option which wasn't mentioned in Gizmo's newsletter is the offer from AOL. They are offering their members a free copy of McAfee VirusScan Plus. All you need is an AOL email address to get it, and you can now get one of those for free.

I thought we were trying to boycott McAfee for their terrible habit of too many false positives, especially with DC software.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #10 on:** May 17, 2008, 09:10 PM »

Quite a few ISPs offer free AV packages for their customers (probably mostly Symantec, McAfee or AVG). My ISP offers a free subscription to Symantec's products but I gave up on those long ago (use NOD32 now).

If you want to free AV product though it may be worth checking your ISP benefits package.

mnemonic · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2008, 09:31 PM »

Quote from: allen on May 17, 2008, 04:59 PM

I've been using Avira for several years now . . . my only complaint is the nag screen that popus up with each update

The AntiVir update nagscreen can be deactivated:

http://www.elitekiller.com/files/disable_antivir_nag.htm

A little naughty, but you're still limited to the once-a-day automatic update.

dantheman · « **Reply #12 on:** May 17, 2008, 10:27 PM »

As some know from a previous post, i regret AVG8 for becoming bloatware or mem hog.

Was on AVG8 Network Ed., went to free version still unhappy.

Tried AVAST and was content.

But... being more incline on not opening attachments anymore i uninstalled it and now run without any AV. Not wise? Wonder how many users here do the same nowadays?

cmpm · « **Reply #13 on:** May 18, 2008, 01:45 AM »

Avast scans email and attachments i believe....
And downloads as well.

app103 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2008, 05:22 AM »

Quote from: Deozaan on May 17, 2008, 07:03 PM

I thought we were trying to boycott McAfee for their terrible habit of too many false positives, especially with DC software.

If given a choice, I would rather people run McAfee, false positives & all, than go without.

patthecat · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2008, 01:46 PM »

Despite what we see on the AVG 7.5 Free pop-up ending support as of end of May, it seems like AVG has extended support until the end of the year (12/31/2008). See relevant sticky thread post on their forum:

http://freeforum.avg.com/list.php?1

So at least it gives us more time to explore alternatives. Currently I'm trying Avast Home on one of my laptops. Will keep AVG 7.5 Free on the other machines to see if the updates really happen after the end of May.

Lashiec · « **Reply #16 on:** May 18, 2008, 06:50 PM »

Hmmm, I wonder how good are the spyware detection capabilities in AVG 8 compared to AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5. *sigh*, to download a entire suite to replace a single app...

Lashiec · « **Reply #17 on:** September 24, 2008, 08:29 PM »

[Edit: Removed two previous posts requesting illegal registration keys for Avira - but left extremely polite response. Carol ]

Hey, that one is easy. Or if you prefer, the free way

BTW, the message is not meant to be sarcastic, but DonationCoder does not handle free license keys for shareware software unless there is some kind of giveaway. The site also offer discounts for certain software, which you can take advantage of if you're a member. And the Avira suite you mention is not included in any of the options. So, either you pay up for a license at the Avira shop, or you get the free version, which is quite nice by itself.

40hz · « **Reply #18 on:** September 24, 2008, 11:13 PM »

Quote from: Carol Haynes on May 17, 2008, 09:10 PM

I gave up on those long ago (use NOD32 now).

I ran into some problems with NOD32 when I bought a copy a few years ago after it was recommended by Gizmo Richards up on TSA.

I'm tempted to give it another try. Have you been happy with NOD on your machine?

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #19 on:** September 24, 2008, 11:27 PM »

Very - it is very light on resources and seems to do the job well enough. Occasionally it takes a while to check a ZIP file when you download one from the internet but it isn't really a problem.