Avast WEBforum

Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: PamJ on November 17, 2013, 08:06:22 AM

Title: Keep old AV on computer (disabled) while trying avast! Free?
Post by: PamJ on November 17, 2013, 08:06:22 AM

A friend is using another AV resident program and wants to try avast! Free due to my urging. But she doesn't want to delete the other one in case she decides to go back to it. (Can't imagine she would, but you never know!)  Is there a problem with leaving the old one on but "turning it off" while trying avast! Free? Do all AV resident programs allow you to disable them?

Thanks!!

Pam

Title: Re: Keep old AV on computer (disabled) while trying avast! Free?
Post by: Diddy on November 17, 2013, 08:21:39 AM

HI my question is what is the name of the  av that she has on her computer right now that she wants to disable before she tries avast free? 

thanks

Title: Re: Keep old AV on computer (disabled) while trying avast! Free?
Post by: Diddy on November 17, 2013, 08:44:11 AM

HI depending on what av product your friend has on her computer it is always a good Idea to be on the safe side to uninstall the first  av product and then install the second av the reason being is that when you disable some av's they still run in the background on your computer to stop viruses and malware  from disabling your av so that it can function to remove the malware from your system.  If you install a   2 av on your  computer the second av that has resident protection could cause your computer to crash and make it very unstable.  In short uninstall the first antivirus completely then do a clean install of the second antivirus witch is avast free.   Then if your friend does not like  avast for some reason. Then uninstall avast free from the  computer and install your previous antivirus product back on the computer.

This may seem like a lot of work and bother but it is better to do the above then have the computer become unstable and then you will have to take it to a repair shop to get it fixed right.

have a good weekend

Title: Re: Keep old AV on computer (disabled) while trying avast! Free?
Post by: PamJ on November 17, 2013, 09:01:58 AM

Thanks, Diddy. I was thinking that would probably be the best, but it can be a bear to uninstall some AV programs so I was just checking to see if that could be avoided. But best to be on the safe side. (She told me the name of it, but I forgot!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Title: Re: Keep old AV on computer (disabled) while trying avast! Free?
Post by: Asyn on November 17, 2013, 09:09:57 AM

Quote from: PamJ on November 17, 2013, 09:01:58 AM

I was thinking that would probably be the best, but it can be a bear to uninstall some AV programs so I was just checking to see if that could be avoided. But best to be on the safe side. (She told me the name of it, but I forgot!)

See: http://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB11

Title: Re: Keep old AV on computer (disabled) while trying avast! Free?
Post by: CraigB on November 17, 2013, 09:29:20 AM

As mentioned no other AV should be on the system with avast, uninstalling the current AV then follow with running the vendors removal tool to eliminate remnants before installing avast.

Something that will make the whole process a lot easier would be to make a system image prior to removing the currently installed AV that way you can simply re-install the image if in the unlikely event your friend is unhappy with avast.