Use AVG with Vista?

[Robert Hankins]

I am considering dropping Norton AV and begin using the free AVG 8.5 AV software. Can I get some user comments/ recommendations on AVG? All replies are appreciated.

 

[Malke]

I am considering dropping Norton AV and begin using the free AVG 8.5 AV
software. Can I get some user comments/ recommendations on AVG? All
replies are appreciated.

My experience with AVG on clients' machines and from reading about it is
that it tends to be problematic and I don't install it. I recommend NOD32
(commercial) or Avast (free). Another good free antivirus is Avira Anti-Vir
but it has a nag screen. You can Google for how to disable it if you want
to use Avira instead of Avast.

Malke

 

[JamesJ]

I'm using AVG Free edition and I'm happy with it.

James
I am considering dropping Norton AV and begin using the free AVG 8.5 AV software. Can I get some user comments/ recommendations on AVG? All replies are appreciated.

 

[mikeyhsd]

been using AVG FREE for years on XP, Vista and now W7 with NO problems.

have had nothing but problems with the other FREE virus programs.

(e-mail address removed)



I am considering dropping Norton AV and begin using the free AVG 8.5 AV software. Can I get some user comments/ recommendations on AVG? All replies are appreciated.

 

[Richard G. Harper]

Works fine for me here. Been using it for years on XP, Vista and now
Windows 7. Highly recommended.

I am considering dropping Norton AV and begin using the free AVG 8.5 AV
software. Can I get some user comments/ recommendations on AVG? All replies
are appreciated.

 

[Noel Paton]

My experience with AVG on clients' machines and from reading about it is
that it tends to be problematic and I don't install it. I recommend NOD32
(commercial) or Avast (free). Another good free antivirus is Avira Anti-Vir
but it has a nag screen. You can Google for how to disable it if you want
to use Avira instead of Avast.

Malke

I don't often disagree with you Malke, but on this occasion.....
I have used AVG free (and the occasional paid-for) on Win 98,ME,XP,and
Vista - and even for a short time on Win 7- and have until lately
recommend it without reservation to my clients - NEVER have I had a
problem that could be traced back to AVG (although there was the
occasional time when it would not work, a simple uninstall/reinstall
fixed it).
Since V8.5 came out, I've noticed that there is a significant slowdown
on older PC's - usually with limited RAM (<512MB), running XP - this
has led to me evaluating Avast on Vista, which seems slightly better
than AVG, and has not given me problems so far.

I would agree/admit that AVG is not the 'best' AV in the world, but
for most of my (mostly clueless) clients, it's ideal, because of the
simplicity of the interface.

The only proviso is that you should NEVER install the email checker -
which is the part that does cause problems ( as it does in many other
AVs). At least this is simple to do, in the AVG install - unlike
certain other well-known AV's!

Avast, while it seems to be efficient, does tend to have a rather
complex interface (which I personally despise) - seeming to try to be
at the same time twee, and techie. It fails in both, but does actually
give a lot of options. If only its interface was as simple as AVG's, I
would wholeheartedly recommend its use to all my clients.

 

[Dave T.]

My experience with AVG on clients' machines and from reading about it is
that it tends to be problematic and I don't install it. I recommend NOD32
(commercial) or Avast (free). Another good free antivirus is Avira Anti-Vir
but it has a nag screen. You can Google for how to disable it if you want
to use Avira instead of Avast.

Malke

One more knock on Avira . . . It requires a reboot upon completing an
update. I hate having to boot twice each morning, so I'm going back to
Avast.

Dave T.

 

[Steve McGarrett]

One more knock on Avira . . . It requires a reboot upon completing an
update. I hate having to boot twice each morning, so I'm going back to
Avast.

HUH? That doesn't happen on MY machine. I ran the free version for
six months, and am now running the Premium version... never has
happened in either case.

 

[Dave T.]

HUH? That doesn't happen on MY machine. I ran the free version for
six months, and am now running the Premium version... never has
happened in either case.

Very odd...I've already uninstalled so I don't know the exact version
number, but it was the latest one. Yeah, when I boot up in the morning
it would do the update right away, and then notify me that a reboot is
required to load the update. Yours doesn't do that?
Dave T.

 

[Steve McGarrett]

Very odd...I've already uninstalled so I don't know the exact version
number, but it was the latest one. Yeah, when I boot up in the morning
it would do the update right away, and then notify me that a reboot is
required to load the update. Yours doesn't do that?
Dave T.

Doesn't do that with ver. 9 and didn't do it with ver. 8. I had 8
both free and Premium. 9 is only Premium.

 

[Steve McGarrett]

Doesn't do that with ver. 9 and didn't do it with ver. 8. I had 8
both free and Premium. 9 is only Premium.

BTW... my XP notebook has the free version of 9.0 - it always updates
when I use it (which is infrequently). Guess what? No restart there
either, just the notification that updates were installed.

 

[Gordon]

One more knock on Avira . . . It requires a reboot upon completing an
update. I hate having to boot twice each morning, so I'm going back to
Avast.

Dave T.

Doesn't here....but then I'm using the paid-for Avira Premium....

 

[Jane C]

Doesn't here....but then I'm using the paid-for Avira Premium....

I've been using AntiVir on Vista and now on Windows 7, and I have never
had to reboot after a definition update either. I never had to reboot
after the initial install either. Using the free one

 

[Gordon]

I've been using AntiVir on Vista and now on Windows 7, and I have never
had to reboot after a definition update either. I never had to reboot
after the initial install either. Using the free one

Did you manage to get rid of the nag screen on Vista? I could never get the
setting to stick, which is why I went for Premium. (All of £12!!!!)

 

[Steve McGarrett]

Did you manage to get rid of the nag screen on Vista? I could never get the
setting to stick, which is why I went for Premium. (All of £12!!!!)

The instructions at this site have always worked for me:

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

 

[Gordon]

The instructions at this site have always worked for me:

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

Yes I knew about that - couldn't get the setting to stick in Vista at all.

 

[Jane C]

Did you manage to get rid of the nag screen on Vista? I could never get
the setting to stick, which is why I went for Premium. (All of £12!!!!)

Hi Gordon,

I haven't tried applying the hack yet. I'll put it on my to-do list and
see if it works

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

Hi Gordon,

I haven't tried applying the hack yet. I'll put it on my to-do list and
see if it works

It works..

 

[Gordon]

It works..

Not here it didn't... :-(

 

[Woody]

Used AVG for 15 years with very little problem. I am running 8.5 on Vista home premium. It will slow down less powerful machines with the link scanner and residential shield running but these can be disabled. I do run the e-mail scanner with no problem but have not seen an e-mail virus in a long time thanks to my ISP's filtering. While I see complaints here about how long it takes to scan that is more an indication of how thorough it is being and somewhat how your system is set up. The e-mail scanner can be turned off also without reinstalling. Just a matter of deleting a check mark on the scanner.
I am considering dropping Norton AV and begin using the free AVG 8.5 AV software. Can I get some user comments/ recommendations on AVG? All replies are appreciated.