Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: REDACTED on November 20, 2014, 08:32:51 AM
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It seems the time has come when Avast is no longer providing sufficient value for me to put up with the downsides, some of which I'll list here:
- Fails badly with the latest Windows Update Roll-up
- No word at all in more than a day from Avast engineering on the above issue
- Becoming less and less efficient, and slowing my work down a lot lately
- Too many false positives
- Lack of an option to override blocking even a [Susp] false positive when it is detected
- Features not working / obeying UI settings (e.g., scans popping UI open & loss of voice announcements)
- Heading in directions I don't want or can't use (e.g., NG)
- Disruption of work (e.g,. processes failing when Avast chooses to do a Deep Scan)
- Providing more and more unwanted programs (which of course can be deconfigured, but it's the principle)
- Packaging of unwanted software components in Avast executables/DLLs
- Predatory / misleading operation (e.g., opt outs, aggressive installer UI choices)
- Dropping rankings in tests of multiple AV packages
- Need to uninstall / reinstall the program to keep it working (even once was too many times)
Frankly that list got longer than I expected. It wasn't until I started writing it up that I realized how much I've been putting up with. Loyalty only goes so far before an obvious value imbalance can no longer be ignored. Uninstalling it has simply become necessary, because of the first item, and I'm not regretting it.
You folks please feel free debate the above all you like. Pick it apart, show that I'm being rash - or whatever you like. It's not going to change my perceptions or opinions, which are based on MY needs for an AV product. Perhaps they apply to others or perhaps they don't. I starting out writing this message thinking I could be tempted into trying the product again once the compatibility issue with the Windows Update is worked out. Now I'm not so sure about that, but I'll keep my options open.
It's been a long run for me - I've been using Avast continuously since 2005 and have never gotten a malware infection - but honestly the product just appears to be falling out of step with the cutting edge lately.
Thanks, folks, it's been fun.
-Noel
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Such a pity. I had a similar experience with AVG so moved to Avast. I hope I have not made a mistake but my recent bad experience with Avast Technical Support does suggest that Avast may also be changing.
I have seen problems reported with Grimefighter and many more with Avast Technical Support which is sold as though it is Avast but in fact it's an outside contractor.
This is just one thread of compalints about AVT Unable to connect to Avast Quick Connect technical support
The service I had from 'Avast' Technical Support was poor. Despite spending an hour inside my PC the problems were not fully cleared and now I'm in a battle to cancel the purchase and obtain a refund which these Avast-but-not-Avast characters immediately refused. Fortunately my credit card company is now on the case.
The other bad thing is that I've just paid for 2 years of Avast Internet Security and now I read resports like yours NoelC.
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Yes, i need to agree. First of all need to say that i have been using Avast for over ten years now. I think Avast has become more advanced user AV. I mean with all of it's problems lately, you really need to be a tech savy user to deal with them. I have patient and some skills to deal with them, but for people who just want a good AV running without any complications, it can be very problematic. Also think Avast is trying too hard with all those new features, which then failes to work correctly. Also all those version selections and bundled sofware options (when you update the program) are very annoying, and again confusing to some users. Things seems to be behind so many steps. Keep it simple and make free version more user friendly.
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It seems the time has come when Avast is no longer providing sufficient value for me to put up with the downsides, some of which I'll list here:
- Fails badly with the latest Windows Update Roll-up
- No word at all in more than a day from Avast engineering on the above issue
- Becoming less and less efficient, and slowing my work down a lot lately
- Too many false positives
- Lack of an option to override blocking even a [Susp] false positive when it is detected
- Features not working / obeying UI settings (e.g., scans popping UI open & loss of voice announcements)
- Heading in directions I don't want or can't use (e.g., NG)
- Disruption of work (e.g,. processes failing when Avast chooses to do a Deep Scan)
- Providing more and more unwanted programs (which of course can be deconfigured, but it's the principle)
- Packaging of unwanted software components in Avast executables/DLLs
- Predatory / misleading operation (e.g., opt outs, aggressive installer UI choices)
- Dropping rankings in tests of multiple AV packages
- Need to uninstall / reinstall the program to keep it working (even once was too many times)
- I've updated both updates that were supposedly problematic and my system works just the same. And it has been this way pretty much every single time users complained about things like this. The issue usually lies in something other than avast! (often wrecked system itself).
- Performance tests and my experience says otherwise. avast! has been the lightest compared to other products.
- Too many false positives only in AV-C on-demand test which was plain ridiculous. Where in reality, i've had like 5 false psoitives in 10 years.
- The lack of adding stuff to exclusions in detection popups is by design, because people tend to exclude anything and everything when they desperately want to run something. When they have to dig up settings through menus, they kinda sober up and give up. Which is good. Those who really know what they are dpoing will still do it. It's really by design and i understand why it is done so. I've seen way too many people just excluding stuff because they wanted it to run regardless of anything. Which is not smart and defeats the purpose of using antivirus in the first place.
- I've never ever had GUI to popup by itself. Voice announcements for virus updates were removed because the popup has also been removed (because it has become obsolete with streaming updates). The rest should still be functional the way it was all the years before...
- Don't have any problems with DeepScreen, in fact they managed to improve it the way that LockNote now functions with it properly which used t be problematic since it always generates a new container which confused the old Auto Sandbox and DeepScreen...
However i do agree with you last points of too much "crap" being intorduced into the installer, too many things getting re-checked when program update is done, i've seen too many systems get Chrome and Dropbox installed on systems where users were using other browsers and had no intention to ever use Dropbox or similar stuff. Just because it was pre-checked in update popup. I understand that they need to make profit from free somehow as well but you really have to draw a line somehwere and they are standing on it...
The dropped rankings in tests are also annoying, yes. Despite countless promisses that this and that will dramatically improve things, i always get disappointed. I know tests aren't the exact indicator, but how can you spread the word if the product you're recommending always ends up at bottom half of pretty much every single test? And considering how avast! used to be right below top payable players, i find that troublesome as well.
The need to re-install product to fix it is also annoying. I didn't had to do it myself more than once but i've seen users do that to fix things. I've proposed a self-diagnostic system which would check up avast! operation on daily basis and if something was indicated as broken and non functional, it should performa a sort of self repair/re-install of avast!. But that never really happened.
I kinda just have a feeling sometimes that the days of users having some word at development are now long gone and avast! is way too focused on satisfying their shareholders and nothing else. And shareholders always just want profit, profit and profit and making things bigger and bigger. Which is not necessarely always a good thing.
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What I dont like about Avast nowadays.
- Avast is like an engine in my car. Keep it hidden inside. I will open up the hood to show-off o people who can appreciate (friends and pros). That engine don't have to be outside my car - its going to be ugly.
- Avast got fat.
- An engine should be functional, high performance, compact, minimal consumption, enclosed/hidden.
- Having cartoonish dolls inside the hood is a waste of space and weird and not pros.
- Fixed width window is beautiful at first - vs functionality, accessibility in a long run.
- Get online only when I said so. Show me ads when I want to see ads. Avast is not malware right?
- Don't have to spend much on advertising. If the engine is good, satisfied user will advertise / recommend / propose it for free.
I was an Avast user at home (free version). I supported Avast by doing translation (for free). I advertised Avast and educate what Avast can do in my blog (for free) (http://digitalspine.blogspot.com). I recommended Avast to corporations and my clients (for free) (nearly 200 licenses bought last year).
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These points are valid - I just put up with Avast because I've found that Avira, Comodo and AVG are worse in other ways and are less acceptable.
What might force me to change, eventually, is that I'm stuck on 2014. 2015 causes AvastSvc.exe to use about 50% CPU, without NG or anything but 3 shields and Rescue Disk installed.
There's also the long-standing problem of Reputation Services adding 2 - 10 seconds to every action, so that's off.
Avast for now, mainly due to lack of a reasonable alternative.
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Same here' NO MORE AVAST !!!. Now have to go and uninstall Avast from many computers, Many are calling and demanding something else to be installed since I personally vouched for it and installed it there.
P.S
That verification for posting here is Sooo annoying !!!
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The issue usually lies in something other than avast! (often wrecked system itself).
It might just boil down to what OS you are running, Rejzor. I'm on Win 8.1 x64. You?
If on 8.1 you say things aren't a problem, I ask: Have you rebooted after the Avast install?
I tested in a clean, perfectly functioning virtual machine configured similarly to my host system. It was borked badly right after a successful install of OPTIONAL update KB3000850. Uninstalling Avast cleared it up, leaving no more problems. I executed a suite of tests to be sure. Then, because don't like to leave stones unturned, I installed 10.0.2208.712 via the offline installer and it seemed to work, and even did a successful scan. But all the symptoms returned after a reboot. Removal again left the system working, and rebootable.
Removal of Avast from my host workstation prior to installation of KB3000850 has left me with a perfectly functioning system. I am not willing to gamble the health of the workstation on an attempt to reinstall after the VM testing went so badly.
By the way, though Avast may have improved it, AvastClear still does not get everything. In my case I had to remove the Outlook 365 add-on via regedit.
Edit: Oh, and by the way, using real work (Visual Studio system build time of a medium sized project) as a benchmark, I was seeing build times of 51 to 54 seconds EVEN AFTER excluding some Avast File Shield checks in my development area. Same activity after removing Avast and just using Windows Defender: 30 to 33 seconds. With Avast (months ago) I once saw times in the 28 to 30 second range, and that was without having excluded anything yet. Something's definitely going wrong at Avast.
-Noel
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The complaints here are mostly user generated problems. If you install Avast properly (without the added junk) it is very light on your system with excellent detection rates and no issues. When I read these posts here and other places I wonder how you set things up, I have installed Avast on countless computers and have never seen any of the issues that are being described. I think people need to start posting like the old HijackThis logs so it can be seen what is running on the computers in question, I would bet the vast majority of time it's not Avast causing the problems.
;)
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I think people need to start posting like the old HijackThis logs
HijackThis is obsolete ..... now it is Farbar recovery scan tool or OTL
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I think people need to start posting like the old HijackThis logs
HijackThis is obsolete ..... now it is Farbar recovery scan tool or OTL
I know it is, that why I said "like" the old HijackThis logs. I haven't used Farbar, looking at it now, thanks.
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Like to say this again and again. Tweak avast as it may suit you fine, so evryone should do a custom install.
I would not like to install Grimefighter, considered as "marketing nagware" to lure users to switch to the paid version.
I would like to use the Software Updater, it is much better as what competitors have put in the market.
Shields OK, NG closed down my Wifi router as being on a plane working a smartphone. No not yet.
Avast browser plug-in works fine after it had CPU problems.
polonus
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I am also skipping Avast after many years. I use an old version on my pc's except 1. On this pc I try the new versions, and all of them have been deleted after testing,
I don't believe in Avast anymore after all the mess they make on their users pc's. Avast just gets worse and worse, and v2015 is top of the cream with direct virus behaviour.
I perfectly agree with NoelC but have some additional comments.
1) Stop bundling all the crab with Avast. An AV should help keeping the users pc's clean, not sneak crabware into them.
2) Stop adding new fancy "features" like the HTTPS scanner, and concentrate on getting the core AV part to work.
3) Stop making anything "option out" during installation. This goes for all the "goodies" as well for the options.
4) Do not take ownership of my pc, by not giving me a real "ask" and "ignore" option. I will decide what to do with an eventually detection, and my AV must fully respect this.
I know that all the fanboys here will shout "unsafe" and all that stuff, so don't bother writing it. I don't want a babysitter, I want an AV that works, and don't screw up my pc.
If Avast feel that it is necessary to treat all the clients as baby's because of the AV detection tests, they must make 2 versions. One version for the "facebook level"
user and one for the professional users.
5) Do not release buggy beta versions anymore. Do heavy testing before releasing a new version. An AV program gets system rights on the users pc's, that no other program gets.
It is therefore totally unacceptable to release versions; with kernel driver memory leaks, that puts Windows core files in the chest, that deletes the users browser add-ons, that
cribbles the users word documents, that renders the users pc's unbootable, ect. ect.
6) If the Avast team is unable to make an updater that works 100%, this feature should be removed, and replaced by a total installation/uninstallation tool.
7) Make a thorough search for incompatible software before installation, and skip if anything is found.
Well, bye-bye Avast and thanks for the old versions. I will of course check back next autumn to see if Avast by some miracle have come back on the track.
But this very rarely happens, when a company have been derailed for some time.
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1) Use the "custom install to ensure you get what you want. More and more you will see bundling on almost all software.
2) HTTPS scanning is something many of us have been asking for. Most a/v's don't do this.
3) Get use to "opt outs" that's the way things are now. Use Unchecky (http://unchecky.com/).
4) There are some people who would have problems with making such decisions. It's better to err on the side of safety.
5) Beta testing does come with risks. If you do not want to beta test, then don't.
6) The "updater" works fine for the huge majority of users. Very few users have had issues.
7) So you want the install file to be extremely huge. If there is a conflict in most cases it's easily resolved.
It is impossible to have everything work perfectly for everyone. Avast is used by more than 220,000,000 people.
It is beyond logical thought to believe that any software vendor can replicate each and every set-up.
If you are going to complain...make it rational...please!
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3) Get use to "opt outs" that's the way things are now. Use Unchecky (http://unchecky.com/).
Does Unchecky work with bundled software, after using the program updater to update Avast?
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3) Get use to "opt outs" that's the way things are now. Use Unchecky (http://unchecky.com/).
Does Unchecky work with bundled software, after using the program updater to update Avast?
I'm not sure about the in-program updater. I do clean installs that way I can take my
time with each screen and be sure of what I allow to be put on my machine. Try it for
yourself and find out. Unchecky is a very tiny program that is highly effective.
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3) Get use to "opt outs" that's the way things are now. Use Unchecky (http://unchecky.com/).
Does Unchecky work with bundled software, after using the program updater to update Avast?
I'm not sure about the in-program updater. I do clean installs that way I can take my
time with each screen and be sure of what I allow to be put on my machine. Try it for
yourself and find out. Unchecky is a very tiny program that is highly effective.
Yes, it's already running. Let's see how it works with the Avast in-program updater, when i use it next time. If it works, it's mostly usefull to my "clients" , who usually won't pay attention to op-outs.
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- Fails badly with the latest Windows Update Roll-up
- No word at all in more than a day from Avast engineering on the above issue
Has been addressed by Avast team in the thread about the update issues.
We have been able to simulate the problem in our lab and I think we fixed this issue. This Windows updates calls new memory related functions which are not fully compatible with avast. We'll prepare EmUpdate with the patched driver tomorrow morning (it means, all & new avast installations should be patched immediately, that's how it works).
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Yes, unless you had some RipvanWinkle moments, you should have noticed that downloading and installing software on the Interwebs has become completely different now. Marketing forces rule and shareholders and investors demand growth, consumers only play a role where they generate income. A situation change that materialized and took shape very gradually and slowly. We cannot unthink this now, it is a reality we have come to live with.
Custom install is a must nowadays. Know exactly what you want and even more so what you do not want to include, when downloading and installing!
Marketing forces rule the online show and the role of the user has been limited to being a part of the product. This is what generally has been going on lately, "easy money" made through bundling and additions, sponsored hoots and bells, blurring the core product. Alas in a sense this is overall practice online and this general model has not left our dear avast av product untouched either as we experience from so many a posting here on the support forums.
Therefore the role of the end-user has changed considerably.One cannot lean back and run the install and start to complain later that this is not what you wanted. The end-user role has changed completely and a lot of folks haven't yet grown into that role of being pro-active and reject that what they aren't after (nagware, bloatware, crap and tools too heavy a strain on the old computer cycles).
On the Internet you never had a situation where you could lean back and let things proceed, but now these are other times.
We all have to adjust to this new situation and act accordingly.
polonus
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Although I've not been bitten by the bug you can add those who have gone down the 3rd party support SCAM Avast endorses to the list.
My biggest gripe I find Avast releases new version in Fall of each year which frankly I'd define as BETA software....which I frankly define is that the bugs in these releases are more risk to my PC than not having Avast's latest Virus protection efforts. Others have beaten me up for on the Forum for this but I stay on most of my PCs on LAST Avast version until latest is stable. I've gone thru this several turns of crank and about the time they release new version I upgrade my PCs to the one they are moving from.....why ?......finally IMHO the previous version is stable. If you don't believe me.....just search on Avast 7 to 8 to 9 to 10 history of Forum posts.
So, I agree on a lot of the items posted and some not.....but I can say I spend more time worrying (and researching) about the affect of Avast's next "tweaks" on my PCs than all other software packages combined.....it is tiresome process. Although I say this tongue and cheek.....the issues almost rival the problems of not having any A/V. ::)
So, my question to OP is what is better alternative ?....BitDefender ? Comdo Free A/V ? ....I used AVG years ago and they are even worse, MS's stuff is useless, Norton ages and ages ago......bloatware beyond belief. I'd love to hear thoughts.
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For me, dropping back to Microsoft's solution built into Win 8.1 may be sufficient. Owing to the other things I do I just don't exercise the antivirus software safety net. The only things Avast has ever blocked for me since probably 2008 have all been false positives.
I've worked all day now with Windows Defender on task and I have to say even though I was using just the Avast shields AND had excluded part of my development area from Avast's file system shield, my system has actually been noticeably snappier with Microsoft's solution. I have seen consistent 30 second build times again on my Visual Studio solution for the first time since many months ago. And I KNOW Windows Defender was not more efficient than Avast in the past because I did controlled testing. I have a powerful system, and I bought it to facilitate my work - not to have antivirus software I don't really even need chew up all the cycles and make it act like a run of the mill PC.
I did Google searches, and places like PCMagazine list their picks, but I doubt Avast 2015 is in many of the lists yet.
Example: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.asp
What's the best comparison test you know of for rating efficacy and efficiency of the various antivirus packages?
-Noel
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The one that keeps popping up from credible people I know, and also read online, is BITDefender FREE.
I can't say much about it.....or against the others (except AVG which I detest)......because my strategy in any given year is to use Avast's previous version (in this case V9/2014) as my A/V except for one test PC which I try the latest. Thus, I personally have not taken the time to "try" it on a PC.
To your point on this thread, the problem I see each year is Avast takes longer for their "NEW" Fall release to become stable, and I see an alarming trend that when things do go wrong with an Avast release the potential consequences have become more severe.....not to mention more bloatware in each new Fall package. The combo of the bugs being ironed out, and me having to read these Forum threads, means 6+ months before I even consider migrating. Going from Avast 6 to 7 to 8 to 9 to 10 things have only gotten worse. Some of the posts above say this is the new way of things......perhaps so......but IMHO opinion when Avast hired the Symantec CEO it went from a technology company to a marketing one. http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/former-symantec-executive-named-ceo-of-the-makers-of-avast-1217471.htm I wish Avast would just stick with what they are good at in past and not be diluted by all these other efforts. Clearly they are traveling the path of trying to tap other market needs ($) but IHMO it has diluted them and the quality of their A/V solutions & Avast's brand name has suffered. Others will post on this Forum (of course they are subsidized by Avast thru free licenses and other items) to say there is no issues and 200 million people can't be wrong....it is just you single user that is the problem.....clearly not true in many cases but the instant defensiveness speaks volumes. On the positive side I do think the Avast developers are very smart people and I truly want them to build on success and not slip the other way.......as a long time user it sometime gets tough to keep the faith so I "get" where you are on this.
So, in summary I view Avast's previous version as better than the learning curve of the solutions from the other guys. It's the devil I know but got to admit that Avast's 2015 really has me wondering...again.....but as usual I'll cross that bridge on Avast 2015 next ~Summer when the stability/maturity improves to a level I'm comfortable with. My take on all this is that you cannot be on the bleeding edge of A/V adoption but also cannot drag your feet too long in order to be properly protected.....moving target and takes research & judgment. For me I supplement Avast with MBAM Pro & CryptoPrevent and over the years and across my family PCs I've been virtually virus & malware free....so at end of all the "effort" and combo of this protection with the "way" me/family use PCs is solid.....which to Avast's credit they have been a big part of.
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Bitdefender free has no configuration options.
Here are a few free AV but I am not sure I agree with the top pick.
Have tried all on the list.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anti-virus-software.htm
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Bitdefender free has no configuration options.
Question.........since I've note tried it.......do you need config options ?
From what I've read and people have told me it is a fast (light) A/V that does good protection job....the knock on it is a lot of false positives.
Sounds like you have tried......what was your Pro & Cons ?
If not BD, besides Avast....what is your choice ?
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Bitdefender free has no configuration options.
Question.........since I've note tried it.......do you need config options ?
From what I've read and people have told me it is a fast (light) A/V that does good protection job....the knock on it is a lot of false positives.
Sounds like you have tried......what was your Pro & Cons ?
If not BD, besides Avast....what is your choice ?
By no config options seriously it's not an exaggeration... there are zero. You cannot configure anything. Once you install it the idea is to never look at it again. It's a better scanner but if you want to schedule scans, make custom scans, set exclusions etc... you get nada
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You're perceptive to notice the changing nature of Avast's technical prowess, thekochs.
Kaspersky seems to get high marks in various comparatives.
For me a replacement would not have to be free as much as it would have to be good. I used to pay for Avast, and I had no problem doing so until I sensed the decline in their quality. Then the value proposition for the free version was still positive - until yesterday.
Thing is, it actually has to both work and it has to be unobtrusive. But it became something that drew attention to itself and required more and more expertise to use, and took more and more computer resources. I found myself altogether too aware too often that it was on task. Even though I'm technical and have no problem dealing with configuring and maintaining it, the (admittedly small) distraction takes my mind away from my work.
An antivirus package is NOT the center of attention, it's a necessary evil that must be minimized. Philosophically that is not a good match to Avast.
-Noel
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Philosophically that is not a good match to Avast.
Strictly a personal opinion. There are many here who would differ with you on your opinion.
I also use Windows 8.1 and Avast 2015 and have no problems with the protection offered by Avast.
There are some addons that I don't use but, that's called personal preference.
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Question.........since I've note tried it.......do you need config options ?
From what I've read and people have told me it is a fast (light) A/V that does good protection job....the knock on it is a lot of false positives.
Sounds like you have tried......what was your Pro & Cons ?
If not BD, besides Avast....what is your choice ?
I used to use Kaspersky (paid user since around 2000) but the latest version is so buggy I gave up on it. Every year you are a unknowing beta tester for Kaspersky but they call it a final release then start releasing patch after patch trying to fix bugs which to me should have been fixed during beta testing. 2015 version just came out and already there is patch B, MR1 and now MR2 (MR=maintenance release).
I like Panda as it has really good detection and good resource usage. I may go back to Panda after I finish testing Avast.
Comodo antivirus runs lighter then even Avast but does not have any web shield. I like the Comodo sandbox plus it has HIPS which most suites would make you pay for. Web shield may not be an issue as any unknown file will be blocked by Comodo.
Qihoo Internet Security I like as it has three AV engines (one is Bitdefender), behavior blocker and web shield. High detection in testing but there have been some privacy concerns with Qihoo.
I could get Norton 360 for free through my ISP but I do not like AV that automatically take action and delete a file then you sometimes have to fight to get the file back if it was a FP.
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I think Avast is quite good for me, but I seem to have an issue getting my issues addressed by the Avast team.
Now don't get me wrong, I recommend Avast to many people, but I've had multiple friends have the same issue. That issue being that Webshield is blocking chatango. For the past 2 weeks it has been on the forums but no response. This has been an ongoing issue for the past month now, and i was hoping to at least hear that a fix is being made, or a reason as to why it is being blocked.
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I could get Norton 360 for free through my ISP but I do not like AV that automatically take action and delete a file then you sometimes have to fight to get the file back if it was a FP.
Norton is moving to a new program Norton security .... one program fits all / for PC, Mac, Android.....
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Imho, for a windows 8.1 user, windows defender plus system wide smart screen and a browser with integrated anti-malware capabilities like ie 11 or chrome is more than enough. I use chrome and it stops almost every malware I try to download.
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Everyone should be on a layered defense solution. With avast I certainly made my choice via a custom install.
Keep your OS and Third Party Software installed up to date and fully patched and use a normal user account.
Know that a sandbox will not protect you against all that comes in via the Network.
Use a decent in-browser protection that allows you to block (mal)-ads, unwanted scripts and third party requests.
(ABP, ScriptSafe, Ghostery for Chrome, ABP, NoScript & RequestPolicy in firefox).
Use the avast shields in combination with decent pre-scanning.
Additionally I use SAS and occasionally latest versions of AdwareCleaner and junkware remover and CCleaner to cleanse the temp files.
Furthermore some experience and common sense about threats to avoid and what one may encounter online.
This combined with what I learned online here in these forums to keepsme and my computers and peripherals secure.
So mix your own security cocktail and defend with your own brew.
Never combine two residential anti-malware programs that start to bite each other (two resident av's is a complete no-no).
Know that avast! still is a helluva av solution, unless tweaked properly and running on a non-compromised OS.
Just recently we had a victim that even had the OS downloaded and installed via torrent piracy. There we cannot give
any guarantees of course and we cannot help such clowns, that put themselves and others at risk.
But I agree with those that are fed up with bundled "60 seconds av-scanners like Bitdefender's and McAfee's,
run into the ground web rep like McAfee SiteAdvisor, nagware like Grimefighter in avast! free.
Tracking blockers that forget to block Google tracking and the so-called non-unobtrusive ads.
DrWeb's has a very good record for not bundling nagware and crap,
only minus for their extension is the pre-scanner does not scan deep enough :( to not miss a lot.
polonus
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I have just jumped ship with Avast. I've used Avast exclusively since the early days, had my issues along the way, pitched a bitch on more than one occasion, but ultimetely stuck with it, until now. Avast automatically updated on my wife's computer this morning, screwed everything up: Incredimail wouldn't check for new mail unless prompted, then took forever to check, never completed. Firefox took over 2 minutes to come up, another minute to load the page. My wife was about ready to scream. Started researching, found other people were having issues, read all of the insulting replies by the so-called Avast Evangelists, found this thread, finally decided I'd had enough of this bloatware. You've turned what used to be my favorite AV into a freakin' mess! You can't even auto update the software without screwing up a person's computer. Tried to uninstall with aswClear, that wouldn't even work. I've had enough. We've had enough. I've switched to Bit Defender Free AV, it's MUCH lighter on resources and gets better ratings at most AV comparative websites. From this point forward, as my customers call me with problems in regards to this lastest upgrade, I'll switch them to Bit Defender. Granted, there are no configuration options with Bit Defender, but with most of my customers, that will be a good thing. So long, and thanks for all the fish...
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Imho, for a windows 8.1 user, windows defender plus system wide smart screen and a browser with integrated anti-malware capabilities like ie 11 or chrome is more than enough. I use chrome and it stops almost every malware I try to download.
Microsoft themselves recommend you use a third party antivirus software.
Don't believe it? Read this (http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus).
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I too am close to this sad day.
I would go with BD Free for my customers if they fixed the basic bugs in it (namely it does not work when you try to recover and exclude detection for a file from its quarantine.
The Avast program is just teetering on being more trouble than its worth as an IT provider. The 3rd line support is just a sales shop (and a devious and bad one at that) and to top it all its falling down the rankings. I am convinced that Avast has destroyed at least one of not more of my customers machines in the last few months.
imho its just about better than Avira and BD and still ahead of AVG. I used to make a joke about AVG as being the destroyer of computers but Avast is quickly catching up in that regards.
I think Avast is on a downwards curve but sadly I don't see any of the other free players on an upward curve.
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Expansion on one of my points...
After sensing overly long build times and configuring Avast to avoid read-time checks by the Filesystem Shield, and before removing Avast entirely. Testing building a solution in Visual Studio 2013 update 4:
Full build times (in seconds) with VS 2013 update 4, Avast 2015 shields on, no other Avast features enabled except the Software Updater.
51.07
54.05
54.39
53.72
With Avast shields disabled...
48.89
46.72
45.51
45.84
42.62
With Avast removed and Windows Defender on...
30.99
30.73
30.43
30.65
The difference in cost between a workstation that (without Avast) will build this solution in 30 seconds and one that will build it in 45 seconds is probably $3,000.
And yes, after Avast made their latest changes for KB3000850 compatibility I tried it all again. The system worked, but performance was similarly dismal. There is no conclusion to be reached but that the ball has been dropped.
By the way, build times without any AV on at all are around 27 seconds. 10% overhead I can live with. Avast once provided that kind of performance.
Who'd be happy with a more than a 50% slowdown in the things they need to do?
Unrelated to performance, I thought of another bullet item I forgot to add to my original list. It's not in itself reason enough to move on, but just one more straw on the back.
- Just which exclusion list(s) does that false positive module have to go in? Shouldn't there be just one list?
-Noel
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Another performance benchmark - one you can try...
- Start Windows 8.1 File Explorer.
- Navigate to C:\
- Select all files and folders, right-click, and choose Properties.
- Time how long it takes to enumerate them all.
- Divide the number of files by the number of seconds.
With Avast I found the number to be about 5,500 files per second the first time, and 7,500 files per second the second time (when the file system has the directory structure cached in RAM).
With Avast uninstalled and Windows Defender on I found the numbers between double and triple that. 11,000 files per second the first time, 20,000 the second time. The difference with Defender off vs. on is negligible.
-Noel
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@ NoelC
It seems as if you are going out of your way just to nit-pick your way to find something
to degrade avast.
My challenge for you is to, "try to find everything you can that is good about avast".
Somehow I doubt you will accept my challenge.
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What is it with this Bloo*y forum software. 5 times today I have made a reply and 5 times it has failed to post my reply. I end up losing all my text. Soooooo frustrating.
Anyway - for the second time of typing (with a ctrl+c first for when it bombs out)......
I can accept a slowdown of maybe 10-15% for file operations - that I would suggest is par for the course with any software that uses a filter driver to interrogate file system reads and writes. I expect no other AV or "constant backup" program etc. would be any different (but I expect I will be shown to be wrong :-)
For me its the seeming frequency of major issues with the operating systems it is installed on after installs and upgrades. I have been around software for a long time (like many of you) and it seems to be a bit too frequent for comfort with Avast recently. I suspect that it is a rush to market combined with a lack of proper unit and QA testing. I don't want to be a beta tester on a RTM product when it has the unfortunate ability to seemingly frequently destroy my customers machines. It is embarrassing to recommend a product only to have the machine back some weeks later with the product you have recommended (and taken no commission for ) come back and bite you. It means costly rework for me and lost profits.
As for the 3rd party telephone support - don't even go there. The number for people I have had calling me (non-existing customers) saying they were worries and confused by the hard sell is a real concern. I have raised this with Avast too. When they call me I talk to them and they become a customer of mine and I make money from them - good for me I guess.
But... for every one that calls me there are probably 100's being duped, lied to and generally treated poorly.
Now then ctrl+c
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The forums have been acting up. Avast is working on it. I've learned to "copy" click "preview" then click "post".
"Rush to release"? I don't think so. There is a huge majority of users without issues than there are with issues. Most issues
involve the user "not" doing a custom install. BTW, very rarely, if at all, does anyone ever join to praise a product. Most people post because they have an issue.
Third party support "sucks". The best help is right here on the forums and it's free.
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My challenge for you is to, "try to find everything you can that is good about avast".
I did, already - that's the point. I have used Avast exclusively since the mid 2000s. They were the first to embrace 64 bit computing. Back then they knew what they were doing.
I have two books out on configuring Windows. In both of them I devoted a whole page to promoting Avast.
And you know I've spent time here helping others with the product. EVEN THOUGH their forum is often frustrating to use (another minor bullet point).
I didn't want to have to make this decision.
No, my friend, I'm not nit-picking at all. I am being real. My threshold has been crossed.
-Noel
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Bye bye!
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Bye, Bob, thanks for taking the time to write. But you know, I have a hankering to stop back by here from time to time just to say hello to you, specifically, to keep the memory of all the good times we've had together here communicating on the forum alive. ;D
Gee, my mood has SO improved today, given that my system is snappy again.
-Noel
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Hi NoelC,
When I go over what is in this thread and read it well it seems that your main line of criticism is avast's heavily weighing on system resources.
Were there ever comparisons made to compare the weight of av solutions on the general performance of the OS and what is avast's position there seen to other av solutions/competitors? Were these differences properly measured and what is the biggest memory hog?
Can you pinpoint out where the avast solution you liked so much in the past came to diverge from the one you dislike so much now? What was that turning point? I cannot react to just stories without facts, I want hard facts that cannot be denied.
You say avast breaks operational systems. I wanna see proof of that. Was this a true fact, who would use such an av solution any longer?
polonus
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I kinda just have a feeling sometimes that the days of users having some word at development are now long gone and avast! is way too focused on satisfying their shareholders and nothing else. And shareholders always just want profit, profit and profit and making things bigger and bigger. Which is not necessarely always a good thing.
Welcome to the world of private equity. Seems all this extra garbage (i.e Grimefighter, Safepay, Browser Cleanup - Yahoo home page and Bing search :-p) avast is putting into the AV happened after CVC and Summit Partners became major shareholders. At least these extras can be removed via custom install but how many avast noobs do that? I foresee the day when you will not be able to do a custom install on the free version. It used to be you could opt out of Community ads in the free version but no more. I am looking forward to the AV-Comparatives tests to see how NG does.
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Hi zorgon,
Just fact-less assumptions and speculation on your part. I think it would be a very unwise step to disable any custom install. Also they haven't got that much of a monopoly position to try and do that either. Google already has lost default position inside firefox as a result of such policy.
Who needs Grimefighter when you need the paid version to have any full functionality? There are certain circumstances that parts of the av solution should be disabled (false detection of vital OS files, a wrong critical update etc.). It would be a sad day when marketing demands would dictate where development is to go and making "cheap money" on sponsored tool bundling a higher priority as a dwindling user base. I cannot imagine that avast decision makers are/were about to shoot themselves in the foot big time. I think recent developments have to be "eased out and tested" to create another swing upwards of the program. Avast is just suffering from some growing pain and some bit of bare leg is showing. Everything will be OK. ;D
polonus
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Polonus, as recently as early this year I was not seeing much burden from Avast.
Every Windows Update cycle I do benchmarking. This past spring my software build times were around 30 seconds (yes, I actually do have careful notes).
Based on the ongoing measurements specifically showing a build time of 31.37 seconds (with Avast on) as recently as May, 2014, and based on subsequent times getting longer it looks as though the slowing down began after that time and may have been gradual. I show a time of 36 seconds in July, and one of 52 seconds in September 2014. I measured other slowdowns as well, as I do a whole suite of tests - for example loading and saving of large Photoshop files. For example, times for saving a large test file more or less steadily has increased from 19.8 seconds to a high of 27.6 seconds. Gladly, that time is now back to the best I've seen all year (just now measured at 19.0 seconds).
You might be tempted to blame my computer system, but I assure you it's not slowing down (hint: I'm not exactly new at Windows system management). The proof ultimately comes from the fact that all the operations I've found to be slowing down badly have returned to nominal levels (or better) after the removal of Avast.
Because I'm not quick to jump to conclusions, earlier today I reinstalled Avast and verified the updated driver, and wouldn't you know it - all the times got worse again. Upon re-removing Avast all times are nominal again.
And I'll reiterate - Avast beat the performance of Windows Defender as of about 12 months ago, when I first set up Windows 8.1. Now it's not even coming close.
As far as the rest of the things I listed go... If you're trying to say that Avast didn't have a problem with KB3000850 over the past few days then you're losing all credibility. Hint: Avast themselves released a patch that makes it work again!
Beyond that, I've been doing software engineering for 38 years. What I've written in this thread is not said lightly and I actually DO have the data to back it up.
Hey, don't even consider believing me - get out your stopwatch and do your own comparative tests.
-Noel
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How many users actually perform compiling operations with avast! ? A very small percentage. And for MSE being better, maybe in this particular exact case, but seeing how MSE slowed down my 4GHz quad core with 18GB of RAM and HDD+SSD hybrid system was just ridiculous. As soon as i've disabled and installed avast!, it was smooth as molten butter.
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It would be a sad day when marketing demands would dictate where development is to go and making "cheap money" on sponsored tool bundling a higher priority as a dwindling user base.
Are you sure about this? It seems like this is exactly where Avast is heading, not just Avast but most corporations. The almighty dollar is all the bigwigs care about, users/consumers/customers be dammed. See it everyday.