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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: baumgrenze on August 30, 2012, 09:18:33 PM

Title: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: baumgrenze on August 30, 2012, 09:18:33 PM
I am confused. I want to know

1) If having the AVG Toolbar installed on my machine degrades its performance if I rely on Avast Free as my AV program?

2) If AVG Toolbar has any merits, especially with Avast Free already installed and running?

Today AVG Toolbar announced it had upgraded itself. I've never seen hide nor hair of the program on my screen until the upgrade. Apparently it was bundled with an Irfanview upgrade I downloaded on 7/5/12. When I search my history, I find that if may be a 'gift' from afreecodec.com where I apparently downloaded Irfanview.

My bad, I didn't watch carefully enough for the opt-out box(s) when I did the download/install.

I'm open to education and suggestions regarding uninstalling the AVG Toolbar.

Thanks,

baumgrenze
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: DBone on August 30, 2012, 09:47:57 PM
This just serves as a reminder to all of us to always select the custom option when installing any software, and read each window before clicking next. While the AVG toolbar will not hurt anything if you leave it installed, it is really of no benefit either. If it were me, I would uninstall it.
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: CharleyO on August 30, 2012, 11:03:07 PM
***

As DBone posted, it shouldn't hurt to have the AVG toolbar though it may slow your computer in a very minimum amount.
But, what I want to know is why is it there in the first place?

Since you are not using AVG anti-virus but instead Avast, did you have AVG prior to Avast, and if so, how was it uninstalled?

I ask this because if you had AVG anti-virus and it was not uninstalled properly, there will be remnants of AVG left behind that could very well cause problems in the future if not already. And this could be why the toolbar is there.


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Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: jadinolf on August 30, 2012, 11:08:01 PM
This just serves as a reminder to all of us to always select the custom option when installing any software, and read each window before clicking next. While the AVG toolbar will not hurt anything if you leave it installed, it is really of no benefit either. If it were me, I would uninstall it.

Last week I had it sneak onto my Firefox and upon further investigation I found that it came from a WinZip install.

AND I did not see it coming.
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: essexboy on August 30, 2012, 11:14:25 PM
AVG toolbar is a bitch to uninstall - I got caught as well

But AdwCleaner may help

Download AdwCleaner from here (http://general-changelog-team.fr/en/tools/15-adwcleaner) to your desktop
Run AdwCleaner and select Delete

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/73555776/AdwCleaner.GIF)

Once done it will ask to reboot, allow this
On reboot a log will be produced please attach that
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: baumgrenze on August 31, 2012, 12:03:09 AM
Just for the record, I am still running XP Pro/SP3

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'd post this on AVG's forum page, but I need to register and give them personal information to post. I am already provoked at wasting much of a day trying to uninstall their toolbar. I don't want to further encourage them or 'establish a prior relationship' with them by registering.

As I implied, I 'caught' the toolbar in an install, probably plugins for Irfanview (a wonderful program.) I have never installed AVG's AV program on my computer.

Using ZTreeWin (another indispensable program) I did a global display and scrolled down to the date/time when the install happened, so I can see the files it installed.

I followed this protocol I found via Goole to no apparent avail:

http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/questions/101-375407/how-do-i-get-rid-avg-secure-search-remove-on-all-new-tabs-in-my-ie

1 Go to the control panel and remove it, skip the page for feedback.
2 Go to browser, it will still be there, open tools and manager add-ons, then hit search providers, select another and set as default, you can then highlight avg and select remove at the bottom.
3 Last step you have to go to google or something, open tools, internet options and set that page as your default start page.
Should be good to go.

butters71
Updated - 20th Apr

1) I used Add/Remove Programs and it appears to have worked, sort-of, I will explain below. I just checked after a reboot and it is not in the list.
2) For SM there was on 'search providers' under add-ons but I removed the AVG Toolbar and I do not find it now in Tools/Add-ons Manager.
3) I never opened the toolbar. It never reset my preferences. There was nothing to do here.

However, after the reboot I again logged my C drive and the same AVG files are still there. Here is the path

C:.....LocalSettings\Temp

1) Is this MS protecting me from myself? Do I have to clear my Temp Files to get rid of it?

2) I am concerned that there may also be Registry entries that the uninstall failed to clear.

If there are no entries found in "about.config" when I search 'avg' save a browser history entry, is this a good sign?

Thanks,

baumgrenze



Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: CharleyO on August 31, 2012, 12:07:05 AM
***

Follow Essexboy's advice above. He's an expert.


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Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: DBone on August 31, 2012, 12:11:52 AM
You can also try GeekUninstaller. It is a portable app that works very well and is highly thought of on Wilders Forums.

http://majorgeeks.com/GeekUninstaller_d7761.html
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: Pondus on August 31, 2012, 12:21:54 AM
the tool suggested by Essexboy is a spesialiced tool for toolbar crap ....i will be surprised if it does not find anything

post the log here if you run it
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: baumgrenze on August 31, 2012, 06:28:26 AM
Forgive my reluctance to download yet another tool. It is getting harder and harder to trust even those who take time to try to help you.

I did a search in REGEDIT and found 4 folders, so it appears that Add/Remove did not do a very good job on this one. They are:

AVG Secure Search.BrowserWndAPI
AVG Secure Search.BrowserWndAPI1
AVG Secure Search.PugiObj
AVG Secure Search.PugiObj.1

I also ran HiJackThis and searched the log for AVG. I found 2 entries:

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = https://isearch.avg.com/?cid={2C4AF846-4658-417E-A1B6-638A077E1D80}&mid=6daa917cf90d47d0acf3d15821267ad3-a3a2fe69afdf37b1a1a96fca56f1618bbe8a5206&lang=en&ds=yu011&pr=sa&d=2012-07-05

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ROC_ROC_JULY_P1] "C:\Program Files\AVG Secure Search\ROC_ROC_JULY_P1.exe" / /PROMPT /CMPID=ROC_JULY_P1

Since I'm not using AVG, is there any merit in checking them and asking it to fix the problem, or is HiJackThis way too far over the hill into the commercial realm so that this will only compound my troubles?

Does anyone understand how the marketing team at a firm like AVG retains their jobs when they so clearly sabotage their own products with moves like this? When I finished Add/Remove I was redirected to AVG's webpage to a "Sorry you left us" page. I even filled in the first part of a 'here's why' query, but quit after I suggested they sack the Director of Marketing.

Thanks again.

baumgrenze
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: essexboy on August 31, 2012, 04:27:58 PM
AdwCleaner is a small programme developed by a malware expert... None of the tools I use come bundled with anything..  If they were it would defeat the purpose of using them ;D
Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: CharleyO on September 01, 2012, 12:33:33 AM
***

You can "Fix" both of the above HJT entries you posted.

Though, the tool Essexboy suggested you use should have done that for you.

Plus, you wouldn't have needed to go through REGEDIT which is something that one shouldn't do unless one completely understands what one is doing. Deleting, or just changing the wrong entry in some way, could make your computer into an expensive doorstop.

Add/Remove never completely removes everything; only enough to stop whatever it is from working as it should. There always be leftover debris.

Essexboy, please correct me if I am wrong on any of the above.


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Title: Re: AVG Toolbar 'Slipped in' Found Updated Today
Post by: essexboy on September 01, 2012, 12:59:06 PM
Yep 'tis true  ;D