68 replies to this topic

[wgan]

http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download-avg-an...us-free-edition
i read some negative reviews from betanews, im currently using avast 4.8, before that i was a long time avg user, if it's good and i might consider switching back

[davey]

wgan, on Apr 25 2008, 12:50 AM, said:

http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download-avg-an...us-free-edition
i read some negative reviews from betanews, im currently using avast 4.8, before that i was a long time avg user, if it's good and i might consider switching back

Hello wgan,
Have not tried it yet but AVG Free 7.5 has always been good.
There was a large update a few days ago,almost like a re-install.Maybe I'm now using the equivalent of 8.0 but with 7.5 dressings.
Thanks for the news.
davey

[Andavari]

I'm going to try it out in less then an hours time however I'll have to uninstall Avast first. I'm only going to try it out of pure curiousity since I've used AVG Free for years.

It does however matter how that popup ad window to buy the commercial/pro version goes, because if I think it's intrusive it will be gone in a flash and I'll go right back to Avast.

[Anthony A]

wgan, on Apr 25 2008, 12:50 AM, said:

http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download-avg-an...us-free-edition
i read some negative reviews from betanews, im currently using avast 4.8, before that i was a long time avg user, if it's good and i might consider switching back

I am interested in hearing some reviews. The download is 46 MB I was reading over the documentation and the free version is really stripped down compared to the paid version. In 7.5 there isn't that much difference between the paid and the free version.

[hotdoge3]

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/...;4194304;fpid;1

AVG Free Edition 8.0 merges anti-virus with anti-spyware, adds safe-search
LinkScanner technology incorporated into AVG’s latest free offering.
Andrew Hendry 24/04/2008 12:37:55
*
AVG's Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0 will be available for download from Friday 25 April, providing basic protection against

viruses and spyware to consumers.

The key difference AVG Free 8.0 boasts over the previous edition is the merging of AVG's anti-virus and spyware engine into

the one product.

"So now it only requires one pass to do both jobs," said AVG's Australia New Zealand marketing manager Lloyd Borrett.

"That would be a primary reason (for upgrading) but I really think one of the key reasons is that we've also put the

LinkScanner real time safe-searching technology into the product as well," he said. Link Scanner is very good it check the link to see if it safe http://www.explabs.com/ you can scan to check go have a look URL to scan:

[Andavari]

Off the start I was leary because of this excerpt from the license agreement:

Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition v8.0 License Agreement Excerpt said:

b. Privacy.

ii. BY PROCEEDING TO INSTALL THE TOOLBAR, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT THAT, UPON ITS INSTALLATION, THE TOOLBAR WILL MODIFY VIA THE SETTINGS OF YOUR BROWSER THE "DNS ERROR PAGE" AND "ERROR 404 PAGE". FURTHERMORE, ONCE INSTALLED, THE TOOLBAR MAY

COMMUNICATE CERTAIN BASIC USAGE INFORMATION TO VISICOM MEDIA INC. VIA ("APPLICATIONSTAT.COM") TO HELP VISICOM COMPILE GLOBAL STATISTICS CONCERNING USAGE OF THE TOOLBAR BY USERS (for example concerning the number of installations and unique users, the number of clicks which the Toolbar receives, the number of searches performed by users, etc.). Such statistical information will not include any personally identifiable information regarding users.

NOTES:

• In order to NOT install the toolbar you must use the Customized Installation, where you can untick it.
  
• It installs a Mozilla Firefox add-on called: AVG Safe Search 8.0 ("Guard against clicking malicious links").

I've tried it and did a full system scan which took 55 minutes to complete, whereas the previous version would always take about 35 minutes. Of course that's because it's now also scanning for spyware. The thing about the spyware scan though is it's flagging what's either Spybot-S&D's Active X killbits and/or SpywareBlaster's Active X killbits, and deems those registry keys as malware, etc., but doesn't automatically remove them, however they can be removed via a few mouse clicks after the scan has completed.

The GUI isn't all that bad and ironically similarly matched the wallpaper I'm currently using. The annoying thing about the GUI is there's a hide notifications item to enable, however it doesn't remember that setting and will display the notifications each time the AVG GUI is launched.

I'll keep it installed for a couple days to see how I can live with it. All in all my current impressions are that it's alright for a full featured free anti-virus/anti-spyware, although it does install allot and is now officially bloated. I change my mind, I've uninstalled it!

______________________________


This is what the GUI looks like (click the black bar at the top of the images to enlarge them):

Overview:


Scan:


Scanning:


Advanced Settings:


Slide Open Notifications:


The Firefox Add-on At Work, including an f'n advert in it:


Edit:

• Here's info about the Visicom Toolbar straight from their website.
  
• The Firefox add-on can be used instead of McAfee SiteAdvisor. Both of which can be disabled in the Firefox add-ons dialog. Note that the Firefox add-on is ages slower than McAfee SiteAdvisor!!!
  
• If you're going to install AVG 8.0 Free do yourself a huge favour and download then install one of the following installation watching programs to better remove it should you decide to uninstall AVG 8.0 Free. Do note that the installation watching program should not be used to uninstall AVG, only use it after using the official uninstaller included with AVG:
  Total Uninstall (Last Freeware Version), and ZSoft Uninstaller (Freeware).

[mr.brownstone]

oh lordy...i think i'll stick with nod32. thanx for the "review" and pics though Andavari.

[Coronagold]

So Disney bought AVG. Tell me something new.

[Augeas]

46 mb? Well, that's goodbye for dial-uppers (and there are quite a few about). Poor old AVG, from a mere 4 mb in V6 to this bloated lot, full of stuff you don't want. I shall carry on with V7 until it expires, I think.

Piriform, please don't get fat.

[Anthony A]

I don't like what I'm seeing and reading. RIP AVG AV you were very good at one time.

[Icedrake]

This version looks totally full of crap. 46 MB setup? Thats wayyy too bloated.

[davey]

mr.brownstone, on Apr 25 2008, 04:31 AM, said:

oh lordy...i think i'll stick with nod32. thanx for the "review" and pics though Andavari.

Well it looks like I'll be updating AVG 7.5 manually.I think it is a good product.

I have seen users and hopeful developers come to this forum and suggest that all these fine products should be merged and have automatic this and automatic that and unbelievable amounts of bells and whistles and thing's that go bump in the night.

What you end up with is a product nobody wants because it's too big,too slow and too complicated.
That is what the new owners of AVG 8.0 Free have done.They have successfully created a useless product,for me at any rate.You can't even give-a-way the product to many users because of this.

When I want to scan for viruses,that's what I want to do.Quick,easy and simple.No load on my system or schedule.

When I want to Clean my PC,that's what I want to do.Quick,easy and simple.No load on my system or schedule.

When I want to scan for spyware,that's what I want to do.Quick,easy and simple.No load on my system or schedule.

When I want to Defragment/Optimize,that's what I want to do.Quick,easy and simple.No load on my system or schedule.

The greatest number of PC users are the ones that want just that.Quick,easy and simple.No load on them, their system or schedule

How many "tool bars" are on the market now.That game is over as far as most users are concerned.
You forgot to include the "dancing pigs","cute kitties" ,and 3-D "fishies" !!!

davey

THANK YOU, ANDAVARI for giving us such a thorough and thought provoking report.You took of your precious sleep time to do it as soon as possible so we would benefit.
THANK YOU ANDAVARI

[Andavari]

davey, on Apr 26 2008, 12:41 AM, said:

How many "tool bars" are on the market now.That game is over as far as most users are concerned.

Too many that's for sure! A ton of freeware has it, but at least with the software I've encountered it isn't automatically installed and can be opted out of during the software installation, however I seriously try to avoid software with toolbars and consider any that have it included as adware and will scan the bejesus out of it with multiple anti-malware scanners.

Toolbars are even entering commercial software that people buy, and rightfully so people are sick of all the toolbars and do have to cautiously read license agreements ("EULA") during installation however that's not always a guaranteed way of escaping toolbar installations especially if they aren't written in the EULA or have an opt out option. There's a freeware program by the makers of SpywareBlaster called EULAlyzer Personal which can analyze such interesting tidbits in EULA's.

[DennisD]

There was a chap on here, eagle00789, who developed a dedicated "Toolbar Remover".

The relevant thread is HERE:

The Toolbar Uninstaller home page is HERE: (Still current and updated)

You never know when it may come in handy.

[Coronagold]

I just may chuck AVG and try AntiVir, see if it's any less grabby.

[Anthony A]

I agree with the tool bar feedback but having said that I use the Google Tool Bar on both FireFox and IE7 and I like it. Has many nice features. It's the only tool bar I have ever installed because as mentioned most are just junk.

[Anthony A]

Coronagold, on Apr 26 2008, 12:25 PM, said:

I just may chuck AVG and try AntiVir, see if it's any less grabby.

AntiVir rates higher than AVG and Avast for detection rates from what I have been reading but it's updates are a PITA and there is a nag screen. If AVG is that bad I will have to try AntiVir any ways.

[Andavari]

Anthony A, on Apr 26 2008, 10:33 AM, said:

If AVG is that bad I will have to try AntiVir any ways.

I don't necessarily think the new AVG 8.0 is "bad," as my time with it was short lived. It's more of a total shock, actually it was shocking to me. That promising user friendly little antivirus scanner that millions loved has grown up and is one obese application. How something could go from pure simplicity that a chimpanzee could use (no offense to any chimps reading this), and then morph into the domain of too much like that of McAfee and Norton and other bloated counterparts is beyond me.

[Coronagold]

Yeah. AVG was like a neat friend. Then yesterday I open the front door and it's like, "OMG what happened to you?!" AVG has left the building.

[boogeyman]

hi, been following this thread and thought i'd share a way to disable antivir nag screen. what a difference it makes. i love the program, small footprint, auto update, and very reliable with the best detection rate...but that NAG screen was terrible.
bob
http://www.elitekill...antivir_nag.htm