Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: ard mhacha
Date: 27 May 08 - 04:42 AM

Bonnie I installed the AVG V8 and the brakes went on good and hard, my Athlon 64 PC was running smoothly until a friend told me to install the V8, and now it has slowed down to such an extent that I will dump AVG V8
and try another system.
I asked the friend a few days after I installed V8,had his PC slowed down, he told me it had, that`s friends for you.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 27 May 08 - 04:48 AM

Hi Ard - I wonder if it might be an operating-system related thing? I don't know anything about Vista, Luddite that I am -

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 May 08 - 05:40 AM

I have the full-blown AVG v8.0.93 (that I pay for, not a freebie) and it's slower than the full-blown v7.5 that I upgraded from (also a pay-for-it version, not the freebie), but MUCH faster than NIS, (which used to cause my PC to take 20 MINUTES to boot up - apparently it fought with Norton Ghost 10.0, how can you have confidence in a software company whose product even fight with one another??).

However, v8 is much more of a product than v7.5, looks better and is far easier to use and understand. There's a certain amount of 'fine-tuning' and 'tweaking' of things like scan frequency scheduling, update scheduling etc., but I have far more confidence in it than I ever had in NIS - as I said earlier, AVG found threats that NIS had missed when I first installed v7.5

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 May 08 - 05:54 AM

Antivirus programs have always been my main cause of sluggish computer performance. In the last year, I've souped-up four computers by adding a gigabyte of RAM. That took care of the sluggishness quite well, and made me feel like I had a new computer for fifty bucks or less.
I added RAM to a couple computers a few years back, and didn't really notice any change in performance. Sure did the trick this time, though.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 27 May 08 - 06:01 AM

The fastest I have used was Avast - but it let me get infected once and I think the new versions have more bloatware in. Fastest firewall was Tiny Personal Firewall, but way out of date now.

Adding RAM is not so useful for 98SE machines as 98SE cannot address larege RAM efficiently.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:32 AM

Richard -

When Win98 first came out, the recommendation was that you not exceed 2GB RAM, (recommended max was 1 GB) although lots of machines that were running it could take more than that. The problem is that Win98 (and most other systems) read until the RAM is full, but after that stuff has to be "paged" in and out of RAM to keep the current stuff handy. Of course part of the RAM has to be used to keep track of where the pages were and what was in them. Win98 memory paging was inefficient, so that pretty soon - with large amounts of RAM - the pagefile bookkeeping took up more of the RAM than the programs did, and the machine slowed down - sometimes drastically.

There was talk about some "improvement" later in the Win98 life cycle, but I never saw much real confirmation that it got better. (With Win98, there wouldn't be much reason for most people to need more than 1GB of RAM, and it was confirmed that "more than enough" could slow things down.)

Nearly all of the AV program builders have had some problems with Vista, and there have been some reports of very significant difficulties in isolated cases with WinXP SP3. Charges have been traded - diplomatically of course - between Microsoft and the AV people about who's responsible.

It's hard to get a real line on truth and beauty in this contest; but it's quite clear that Microsoft has far more (or more experienced) "diplomats" to defend them than some of the AV people have been able to match up to. Thus far, all that I've seen leaves it unclear what - if anything - can really be expected to work "as we should expect" with Vista or with XP SP3, although most people don't seem to have much problem with either of them, using any of the well-known AV programs or suites.

My only problem with AV is that I've got too many files to be scanned, so the weekly scheduled full scan (on the two hard drives normally connected) runs for about 7+ hours. I'm almost never off the machine for that long, so it does "inhibit my time wasting," although Norton runs quite satisfactorily in background and doesn't really slow things down too noticably while a scan is running.

Office 2007, on the other hand, automatically takes 4 to 12 times as long to do almost any operation, compared to what I've been used to in earlier Office versions - not counting the fight with the totally f***d up menu/toolbar system. (Probably just due to program bloat.) Just bringing an empty minimized Word window up to view takes 14 to 26 seconds, as a trivial example, on my WinXP machine. Four to 7 seconds was typical on the same machine for Word XP, for a Window with an 80 MB document in it - including the Norton scan of the document.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:33 AM

I've already got 2Gb of Ram, and I was gobsmacked at how badly NIS 2007 affected it. AVG is much, much better in the boot-up, although the scan is quite slow - about 1hr 40m currently (but that's scanning 2 x 250Gb HDDs, one internal and one external, about 350Gb of Progs and data total).

Is that good or bad? I have no way of knowing.

The updates are far better IMO, much more frequent than NIS, much faster running in background, and don't seem to degrade the performance of whatever foreground job I'm doing quite so much.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:33 AM

That's using XP Media Edition BTW.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Victor in Mapperton
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:34 AM

I put the Norton 360 on my computer and I can thoroughly recommend it. I never have a problem.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:39 AM

My 'Onspeed' data compressor seems to be working against my AVG 7.5 (or vice-versa) when the whole idea of it is to speed things up! I'm also finding that the phishing filter & 'Spybot' seem to be an additional brake on processing.

And yet we are constantly being advised that these things are essential!

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 27 May 08 - 08:44 AM

Re JiKs comments on WIn98 - the version of 98SE I have allows one to set things so that it doesn't hog the RAM - I'm not on my machine now, but I also have an addon that untangles RAM and that means with my 512Mb that I never run out of RAM. Now 'Resources' - GDI etc, that's still a chronic problem with Win9x.... :-P

"'Onspeed' data compressor" - any prog that compreses and uncompresses data is going to slow the processor down if the CPU needsto look at it...

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: ard mhacha
Date: 27 May 08 - 08:59 AM

.Bonnie I am using Windows XP

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Bill D
Date: 27 May 08 - 11:12 AM

"...now it has slowed down to such an extent that I will dump AVG V8..."

There are several reasons why slowdowns occur....often it is just settings - that is, what you ask it to do.
It is a good idea to look carefully at ALL the default settings and see if any are not what you need.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 08 - 11:50 AM

I've been using the AVG free version 8.0 (read the directions--you don't have to buy it). As with all of these programs that worked perfectly in their previous form but they wanted to make it new and improved, I don't like it as well. It slowed down my relatively recent HP computer with XP Pro, and I went poking around to find out why. It has a feature called Link Scanner that slowed my Internet browsing down to a crawl. It has never been fast, so this change was noticeable. I have wondered if it upgraded itself to a free trial of the fee version, but so far I haven't received a bill. I prefer the simple free one.

I disabled the link scanner and I set the scan parameters so it doesn't spend hours search the entire computer. Today I went in and took out the Resident Shield to see if that makes a speed difference. I don't like the redundancy with the spyware scan, Spybot Search&Destroy already does that, but there isn't a way to turn off that feature. You do have to look at a red arrow in the system tray, it doesn't like having parts turned off and doesn't give you the option to do so without raising an alarm.

I could use a free AV software provided through the university, it was Norton AV for a long time, though I think they've changed to a different Norton product. It didn't play nicely with some software but I suppose I should check it out again now.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Slag
Date: 27 May 08 - 10:32 PM

Note: Norton IS a virus! It takes over and dominates your machine and you can never get it totally uninstalled. AVG works for me!

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 May 08 - 11:30 PM

I believe this link will take you directly to the page where you can start the download of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0.1 at
CNET Download.com. (Watch out, though: there are multiple buttons on that page to download different stuff.)

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,caitlín
Date: 28 May 08 - 12:00 AM

People, read the thread. Villan provided AVG's own free link two weeks ago. There's also a description above of how to get to this page.

Subject: RE: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: The Villan
Date: 13 May 08 - 12:03 PM

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,caitlín
Date: 28 May 08 - 12:02 AM

Dunno what happened to the fada in my name - that's supposed to read caitlín

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 28 May 08 - 09:16 AM

Maybe you are tired and beginning to fada way...

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 May 08 - 12:38 PM

My link gets you to exactly the same place in one less step.
Not that it matters much, but I assume "people" was addressed to me.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,belt 'n' braces
Date: 28 May 08 - 12:47 PM

"People, read the thread. "



..yeah.. and i told y'all on 15 May that;


AVG 7.5 FREE UPDATES


have now been extended until later deadline

31/12/2008..

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,Sue Allan
Date: 28 May 08 - 03:57 PM

Stilly River Sage I had the same problems as you with AVG 8 b(free): the Link Scanner was really slowing things with Internet Explorer, so I disabled it. Accordingly it now shows as an error in the system tray, so I tend to check that each day just to be sure everything else is OK.

I also opted NOT to have it do a full system scan on a daily basis, which it wanted to do. That also slows things. I'll schedule it in once a week, at my convenience (if you get a free antivirus programme you expect to do a little work and not have everything automatic)

My only remaining problem is that the scheduled automatic updating doesn't seem to kick in as it should ...

I have to say I much prefer the previous version, even if it didn't have spyware detection (I have Spybot in any case). How have they got things so wrong at AVG? Or is it just the case that in attempting to be more and more security conscious we end up with programmes being OVER-cautious?

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,caitlín
Date: 29 May 08 - 02:23 AM

No Jim my comment was not aimed specifically at you. It was just a build-up of deja-vu that was setting in from questions being asked & answered in the later part of the thread that had already been covered earlier, not only your post. Yours just happened to be the last message. And mine comes across harsher than I meant it to, sorry.

> My only remaining problem is that the scheduled automatic updating doesn't seem to kick in as it should

That happens (or rather doesn't happen) to me too. But I actually prefer it this way because the old updates used to butt in the minute the computer had finished booting. They slowed everything down and I never like to do too much when anything important is downloading because sometimes I screw things up. So it always meant sitting there and waiting, something I am pretty bad at. Now I just click on the icon in the tray (which grows a red exclamation mark as a memory-prod) and do it at a convenient point in my session, like when I have to get up to go make tea, or deal with the logical consequences of that tea, or something. So choosing when I get the updates works better for me.

AVG updates are also way WAY quicker than the old Norton ones used to be, which didn't come nearly so often and took a thousand years. How can there be such a difference? It is little-&-often vs. fewer-&-bigger? No contest there.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 May 08 - 11:17 AM

If the 7.5 updates have been extended then I may go back to that for a while. I think they'll see that as the vote that it is at Grisoft. 7.5 played nice with the other programs and didn't slow operations.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: open mike
Date: 29 May 08 - 01:22 PM

i did download version 8 free..and now there are scanning features that check web sites and e-mail....slow, but when i compare to the detours caused by getting virus, and other infections, i'll be patient with it.
thanks to the clones who inserted my post in this refreshed thread.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 May 08 - 03:30 PM

A news note of general interest to AV program users.

Microsoft is in the process of downloading WinXP SP3 to all users who accept automatic updates.

A "minor bug" has been discovered that thus far has been reported primarily by Norton AV users.

In classic manner, reminiscent of multiple Windows versions in which Microsoft released backup utilities that make perfect WOM backups (WOM = Write ONLY Memory = you can write it but you can't restore anything from it) beginning at least with Win95 and variably present in other versions including early WinXP, the WinXP SP3 installation creates "temporary registry entries" used during installation which are then intended to be deleted when the installation is completed.

While they apparently present the proper "certifications" to permit the creation of the new registry entries, they neglected to "cert" the subsequent deletion of the same registry keys, resulting in several thousand excess "garbage entries" in the registry - for some users. This essentially "trashes the registry" and causes a number of "performance decrements."

Symantec has identified the specific bit of code in the WinXP SP3 installation (fixccs.exe) that creates the registry entries and is intended to delete them but doesn't. The failure of the deletion can be avoided by turning off AV/Firewall protection against external unauthenticated registry changes prior to installation of SP3.

Symantec is also preparing a self-standing repair utility to delete the garbage from the registry for those who have been afflicted, but no date for release has been published.

News media are reporting this as a "Norton problem" but it would appear to be a likely effect for any AV/Firewall product that requires authentication for registry changes. Any AV/Firewall product that doesn't protect against unauthorized reg changes is a bit too wimpy (IMO) to be considered as providing full protection, so similar problems with other systems should be expected.

Microsoft, characteristically, has no comment.

To date, downloads of WinXP SP3 have added pre-load checks to block installation for users of a variety of CPUs, OS OEM versions, and a few individual programs with which it has been found (by users) to be incompatible. No word from Microsoft as yet whether Norton users will be excluded or even checked, or whether they'll find a competent programmer or two (if they still have any) to take a look at SP3 before continuing distribution.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: ard mhacha
Date: 30 May 08 - 04:14 PM

Proof that AVG 8 was slowing my PC down by removing it and downloading Avira, my PC is back to normal and I will take my chances with Avira.

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 30 May 08 - 08:38 PM

Re the "Norton problem with XP SP3" (a couple of posts up) - we received "special" updates from Norton today on four computers. Updates are automatic (daily) if they don't require you to reboot, but usually Norton asks if you want to download anything that will require a reboot. This update did require reboot to complete the installation.

While the update didn't indicate why it was coming I did note the presence of an "update to foreign security certificates" that could mean that they convinced Microsoft to "certificate" SP3 registry deletions and part of the update was to allow recognition of Microsoft as having "authority" to f**k with modify the registry entries.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free
From: GUEST,old dave
Date: 10 Jun 08 - 10:35 PM

avg free 7.5 worked great. i went to 8.0 but the automatic updates dont work, i cant turn them on and i cant do a manual scan or chage any options. What the heck is wrong????