Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: exitexit on October 14, 2013, 12:34:33 PM
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I do NOT appreciate the avast nag about "upgrading" to payed services. I've been loyal to avast for years, but since Windows 8 (and 7) has the same protection as (the also free) Windows Security Essentials built in the system I'm considering to simply uninstall avast to get rid of the spam.
Why would I want spamware telling me to "upgrade" every day, when I can get a Windows 8-compatible (avast isn't yet), non-nagging, software that doesn't even require me to give my e-mail address? The question is not rhetorical, I honestly want one good reason. I'm not using any services other then file system and behavior shield, might I not aswell chose Windows Defender?
Has avast! antivirus finally taken the step from being the best security software out there to being simple, unnecessary, spamware?
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but since Windows 8 (and 7) has the same protection as (the also free) Windows Security Essentials built in the system I'm considering to
before you do that
Microsoft: Security Essentials is designed to be bottom of the antivirus rankings
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/384394/microsoft-security-essentials-is-designed-to-be-bottom-of-the-antivirus-rankings
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avast is windows 8(.1) compatible, unless you are using a (real) old version that was released before Windows 8 excisted.
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exitexit didn't we have this same rant over a year ago ::) Ad's in the free version are to be expected as it's the only way avast can advertise there paid solutions so if you don't want any ad's whatsoever then the paid version is your best bet.
As the link Pondus has supplied you explains Defender is way behind on protection levels, your choice what you want to use but I cant see avast doing away with the odd advertisement popup for their paid versions, they have to make money you know otherwise there wont even be an option to use a free version.
And avast works perfectly fine here on Win8 by the way :)
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exitexit didn't we have this same rant over a year ago ::)
Justified critique isn't ranting. But yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Maybe the popups stopped or I uninstalled it, cant remember now. I had a good point though.
Ad's in the free version are to be expected as it's the only way avast can advertise there paid solutions so if you don't want any ad's whatsoever then the paid version is your best bet.
your choice what you want to use but I cant see avast doing away with the odd advertisement popup for their paid versions, they have to make money you know otherwise there wont even be an option to use a free version.
There is a fine line between having lots of upsell ads in the software UI, and taking the right to act like an intrusive adware with popups. I have no problem with ads in general, in fact marketing is a part of my education (5 yr business at uni), but where do you draw the line between being okay and being too intrusive? Marketers would project ads on the moons surface if they were allowed (Coke) and in your dreams if they could, so apparently they cannot draw the line themselves. I have trouble accepting (non-webpage) popups in my computer environment, they catch the eye - especially considering the only popups in that corner is either virus warnings or IM-messages - and they are repetative. I have already taken the decision not to upgrade. Several times. Nagging is a dealbreaker. If not enough people buy their softwares/services to support the free software, maybe they need to change their product model. But it's unlikely that the spam is motivated by that, rather then an unmitigated hunger for more profit on our expense. That is their right, and it's our right to chose another competitor if they do. And that is what I'm suggesting, even taking the time (due to many years of loyalty) to tell them why I'm about to chose another software.
As the link Pondus has supplied you explains Defender is way behind on protection levels,
I read it, even if it doesn't say WD is "way" behind other anti virus softwares it does say protection might be better on a 3:rd party software. I interpret it as WD to be a good, sufficient, defense but without the edge. So maybe AVG or some other 3:rd party AV-software is a better substitute for avast AV then WD if you want that edge, since avast apparently intends to keep the popups.
And avast works perfectly fine here on Win8 by the way :)
Yeah, I saw a post about that after I'd posted my post. Win 8.1 warned me that avast wasn't compatible when I installed it though (maybe a week ago, latest version) but it, and therefore I, might be wrong.
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Pop-up ads bothering you? I would think an infection would bother you more!
You get great protection for free...and ads are the issue?
If you decide on AVG, guess what? They have ads too. Not to mention inferior protection.
See this (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=136087.msg995751#msg995751) and read what Microsoft has to say.
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You can disable the popups under settings>Popups set the time to show the popup which is blue to 0.
To disable the update notifications go to Updates and under the settings is an option "Show update Notifications"
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Win XP Pro SP3 here, Avast 8.0.1497, and I have pretty much no nags or popups bothering me daily--Just every now and then, particularily during updates..
OTOH.. Keeping up to date with the sheer number of viruses and other malware out there, among all the unsavory people who want nothing more than to access my files, data, et cetera, and/or use my computer as a drone to spam the hell out of the rest of the people on the internet or other nefarious activities.. Isn't exactly cheap and easy. It's time consuming and costs a lot of money and other resources. Yet the people at Avast release their hard work with the option to obtain it all for free, except maybe some annoying popup ads..
I'd pay for Avast if I could afford it (unemployed right now :-(), but since I cannot, I'll accept and deal with a few minor annoying popup ads. Seems to me that complaining about the ads is much like a starving and thirsty man in a desert complaining because the first oasis he finds doesn't offer fine wine and caviar..
(OTOH, I would agree that popups every two minutes is too much, too.. But I've never seen it get to that point..)
Cheers,
C.
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You can disable the popups under settings>Popups set the time to show the popup which is blue to 0.
They can not be disabled, setting to 0 means indefinite so the minimal setting time is 1.
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And whats with this?
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I'd pay for Avast if I could afford it (unemployed right now :-(), but since I cannot, I'll accept and deal with a few minor annoying popup ads. Seems to me that complaining about the ads is much like a starving and thirsty man in a desert complaining because the first oasis he finds doesn't offer fine wine and caviar..
Cheers,
C.
Nice analogy. One gets what they need for free. That ads come with it is a part of the package.
1 second is the lowest working default.
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As I mentioned setting to 0 means indefinite and when you receive that popup it will be shown for the maximum amount of time.
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And whats with this?
There is nothing to stop you from setting the value to 0, but as has been mentioned this isn't zero seconds display, but indefinite display until closed by the user.
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Pop-up ads bothering you? I would think an infection would bother you more!
You get great protection for free...and ads are the issue?
If you decide on AVG, guess what? They have ads too. Not to mention inferior protection.
See this (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=136087.msg995751#msg995751) and read what Microsoft has to say.
But the option is not between getting an infection and putting up with spamware. If nothing else, I went for years (not overexaggerating) without any anti virus program at all (not even windows defender) and never got any viruses. And I'm a heavy downloader of software and media. How do I know I didn't have viruses unnoticed? Well, obviously there is no way to be absolutely sure but I installed avast and scan came up with no threats, and I never had any problems. I take precautions like actually reading the comments of things I download, and not downloading anything from sites I don't trust. It goes a long way. If you also have a secure browser with little userbase (like opera), that helps too. Obviously I have firewalls, both hard- and software.
Does AVG have popup ads? Somewhat inferior protection doesn't bother me. The risk of an infection is so low if you know what you are doing, the difference must be microscopic. It is well worth taking imo.
Many infections spam you with popup windows, so in some sense, avast IS an infection even though a very small one. Atleast, it displays the behavior of adware. Having a slightly less good defence and a lot less spammy behavior is black numbers in my books.
Nice analogy. One gets what they need for free. That ads come with it is a part of the package.
I have no problems with the ads. The spammy popup ads, however.
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In july 2012 you complained about the same. Why still using avast if you don't like it? Learn to live with it or change to something else but stop complaining. Noone has forced you to install avast. You did it yourself. And as they say "You get what you pay for"
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Let me put it this way...do you drive a car?
If you do, have you noticed all of the advertising? ???
Each time I drive my car I'm bombarded with advertising. Including convenience stores, store signs not to mention billboards.
I could also include cinema signs, electronic stores, restaurants I could go on and on but you get the picture. :)
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In july 2012 you complained about the same. Why still using avast if you don't like it? Learn to live with it or change to something else but stop complaining. Noone has forced you to install avast. You did it yourself. And as they say "You get what you pay for"
There is always a "stop whining"-guy on every forum. Why don't you stop whining and move on to another thread? None is forcing you to read, and certainly not reply, to this one. Thank you.
Let me put it this way...do you drive a car?
If you do, have you noticed all of the advertising? ???
Each time I drive my car I'm bombarded with advertising. Including convenience stores, store signs not to mention billboards.
I could also include cinema signs, electronic stores, restaurants I could go on and on but you get the picture. :)
And sitting by my computer surfing the internet I am also bombarded with commercial messages. None of them pops up in the corner of my screen, acting like it is something of importance or interest, and therefore catching my eye. You cannot deny that a pop-up is more intrusive then a play sign on the wall or a banner.
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You are the only one whining here. I certainly am not. I'm very satisfied with how avast is working. I'm not getting any popup that I don't want.
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You are the only one whining here. I certainly am not. I'm very satisfied with how avast is working. I'm not getting any popup that I don't want.
You are whining about this thread. Nobody forces you to read it, etc etc, you know how it goes. Maybe you should review your bad attitude? I think it would help you create more constructive and relevant posts. Think of it.
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Well, there are free alternatives to avast!: AVG, Avira, BitDefender, etc., and it has no pop-ups of any sort: It is MSE.
Having said that, you might want to have a look at the diminishing support it is now getting from sites that once recommended it, including Microsoft: http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/ (http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/) One of the reasons for support over the years was because of no nag pop-ups, and also the least impact on system performance and resources of all a/v's tested.
For your specific needs, MSE may be exactly what you need. Just be aware, unlike avast!, its' antivirus engine can be disabled/corrupted when malware enters and attacks your system, and then, when that happens, one has no real-time protection whatsoever following this sort of incident.
It now is a risk one has to take when one runs MSE as their a/v of choice.
Actually, we're all in the same boat here: All free versions of antivirus programs except MSE have adverts and pop-up windows of one sort or another; some are more intrusive than others, so it is then a case of pick your lesser evil here.
None of us as users create or maintain these a/v softwares, so essentially, what you desire, is in a category of a wish list, as one really cannot change any settings to what they want if that setting is not there. If we had control of design and implementation, that would be another story....
WYSIWYG.
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Well, there are free alternatives to avast!: AVG, Avira, BitDefender, etc., and it has no pop-ups of any sort: It is MSE.
Having said that, you might want to have a look at the diminishing support it is now getting from sites that once recommended it, including Microsoft: http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/ (http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/) One of the reasons for support over the years was because of no nag pop-ups, and also the least impact on system performance and resources of all a/v's tested.
For your specific needs, MSE may be exactly what you need. Just be aware, unlike avast!, its' antivirus engine can be disabled/corrupted when malware enters and attacks your system, and then, when that happens, one has no real-time protection whatsoever following this sort of incident.
It now is a risk one has to take when one runs MSE as their a/v of choice.
Actually, we're all in the same boat here: All free versions of antivirus programs except MSE have adverts and pop-up windows of one sort or another; some are more intrusive than others, so it is then a case of pick your lesser evil here.
None of us as users create or maintain these a/v softwares, so essentially, what you desire, is in a category of a wish list, as one really cannot change any settings to what they want if that setting is not there. If we had control of design and implementation, that would be another story....
WYSIWYG.
So what you are saying is that all 3:rd party a/v:s have ad-popups (not just warning/update/usefull ones)? In that case, I am more assured that my decision (taken yesterday, I was still thinking of it when I posted this thread) to uninstall avast and go for windows defender was the right one. I simply cannot accept popup advertisement pollute my computer environment.
Imagine all you installed apps/programs taking the same right. Your media player pop-up-offers you music or movies perhaps based on your media habits, your browser advertises pages you might want to visit based on traffic, Acrobat Reader sees that you are often working with economy/business and thinks you might be interested in books about that, your cloud app pop-ups offers about a larger subscription, Windows/Ios itself takes the right to offer you Microsoft or Apple applications you might be interested in, your Nvidia/ATI app asks you every day if you are REALLY sure you don't want to upgrade to a faster video card, your webcam is surely not the most recent product and maybe you want to "upgrade" it, your sound card, your hard drives, your bloody USB-memory...
You see where I'm going, it would be a lot of pop-ups trying to get your attention. Then the competition forces them to take the next step in order to be seen. And what is this next? Changing the background to "Offer of the day"? Playing sound-ads through the speakers? Mailing my e-mail contacts? Uploading my backup-contacts and text them? Pausing your on-going media to play/display offers? Changing your boot-screen? Installing "free trial"-apps on your computer?
No, a line has to be drawn and everyday pop-ups are way crossed that line. Android users drew the line when fully "legit" apps were bundled with advertisement apps that once in a while activated you a notification event about a generous offer (sounding like you got a text/e-mail/tweet/etc and displaying a message in the notification bar on top). No matter how far advertisers pushes the line (as in increasing user tolerance), it is always motivated by "it's free, we need ads to keep it free, you haven't payed so don't complain, no one forces you to use the product, etc, etc". The fact is that often none of that is true, the free user base is just another product model. Browsers, as an example, makes money from in-browser searches and sometimes licensing.
Sum summarum: Even though am primarily motivated by the fact that pop-ups are plainly annoying, I also have a wider perhaps more rational reason. I get that everyone isn't there yet, as in not enough annoyed by the pop-ups, but I personally am and that is why I have chosen to uninstall avast and post this thread.
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I have a very good advise for you.
Go use DOS 1.0 and don't connect to the internet
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You could also try the following:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=93544.msg796558#msg796558 (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=93544.msg796558#msg796558)
It will certainly tame the pop ups. No pop ups might need a drastic measure
as suggested by Eddy. :)
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@ exitexit It appears that the only one in this thread complaining about pop-ups is you.
It also appears that you have adopted your position for the sole purpose to complain.
Congratulations! Your diatribe has accomplished absolutely nothing. As for me and everyone
else in this thread we have accepted the pop-ups as business as usual. I also find it very difficult
to believe you "never" got an infection while surfing with "no" anti-virus not even Windows Defender.
To completely get rid of "all" pop-ups use the "silent/gaming mode".
Sorry, your argument and position hold no water. :)
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I have a very good advise for you.
Go use DOS 1.0 and don't connect to the internet
Again, you are in my thread whining?
You could also try the following:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=93544.msg796558#msg796558 (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=93544.msg796558#msg796558)
It will certainly tame the pop ups. No pop ups might need a drastic measure
as suggested by Eddy. :)
Thanks, if I would have had avast still on my computer I would've tried that.
@ exitexit It appears that the only one in this thread complaining about pop-ups is you.
I created the thread in avast forum, frequented by avast-fanboys, I didn't expect an uprising.
It also appears that you have adopted your position for the sole purpose to complain.
If it appears so to you, then maybe you should revaluate that assessment.
Congratulations! Your diatribe has accomplished absolutely nothing.
Providing feedback isn't an effort to accomplish anything. At least not other then mediate information (in this case, my point of view), and looking at the number of reads this thread has gotten, I'd say it is accomplished. I also asked for good reasons to keep avast, and I got those reasons. Even though these reasons were ultimatly outwighted for me personally, I'd say that was another accomplishment.
As for me and everyone else in this thread we have accepted the pop-ups as business as usual.
Good for you. It is off topic though, since it does not have anything to do with my reasons to keep or uninstall avast, and it is not an answer to the request for good reasons to keep it.
I also find it very difficult to believe you "never" got an infection while surfing with "no" anti-virus not even Windows Defender.
Well, you believe what you want. But maybe you have listened a little too much to the ones who have an interest in saying the internet is a super dangerous place and that you absolutely MUST have their software to protect yourself? Preferably pay for it. Which they remind you of. A few times every day. In a pop-up.
To completely get rid of "all" pop-ups use the "silent/gaming mode".
Sorry, your argument and position hold no water. :)
Au contrair, my arguments and position does hold water as you can clearly see. There hasn't been anything said (argumentatively) in this thread that I haven't answered.
I would have tried the silent/gaming mode if I still had the software on my computer, perhaps if I try it again in the future. Thank you for your suggestion.
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Thanks, if I would have had avast still on my computer I would've tried that.
If it's no longer on your computer, why are you still complaining and writing essays ???
If you're using Defender, it's time to move on to their Forum and start complaining over there. ;D
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Thanks, if I would have had avast still on my computer I would've tried that.
If it's no longer on your computer, why are you still complaining and writing essays ???
If you're using Defender, it's time to move on to their Forum and start complaining over there. ;D
I'm happy to let the thread die out.
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Well, this was almost scary to read. So much passion and hatred. Not for me.
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Well, this was almost scary to read. So much passion and hatred. Not for me.
Lot's of passion Yes. Hatred, never. Probably some misunderstanding and lack of knowledge.