Avast WEBforum
Other => General Topics => Topic started by: REDACTED on January 06, 2017, 12:20:39 PM
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To whom it may concern:
I don't know if this is the right place to post this but it sems very difficult to contact your company and I would like to make the following points:
One of your products has apparently installed itself on my Windows 10 partition as some sort of trial.
How or why did was it able to do this?
I don't want it - I'm happy using SOPHOS and WIndows Defender
Will Windows' uninstall feature get rid of it completely?
How do I know if it has altered or disabled anything on my computer?
How can I stop this happeneing again?
Who can I report this to?
regards
Terence
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avast doesn't install itself out of the blue.
It is always a user that need to start the installation.
If you want to remove avast :
- Remove it through apps and features
- Run avastclear
- Remove leftover folders/files/registry entries manually
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avast doesn't install itself out of the blue.
It is always a user that need to start the installation.
Confirmed.
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Well it apparently DID install itself out of the blue because I didn't do it.
Unless it's piggy-backing on top of something else?
I've only just formatted the Windows partition and have only installed 3 apps on there, they are:
SOPHOS Home edition
Elite Dangerous
X-Plane 11 beta
Falcon BMS 4.33
Which is why I am very annoyed that unwanted garbage is finding it's way on there already.
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Unless it's piggy-backing on top of something else?
Dont know of any program that has avast bundled
Avast Uninstall Utility >> https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility
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Some brand system manufacturers do install avast by default.
Only ways avast gets installed are :
- if you used a recovery/install cd/dvd from such a manufacturer
- if you (or someone there) installs avast
- if the system is a client system and avast is deployed remotely by the admin of the network
In all 3 cases there is someone who installs avast as avast never has nor does installs itself out of the blue.
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The same thing has just happened to me. I posted on another thread. I used to have Avast but when I up graded to Windows 10 more than 12 months ago I had terrible trouble with Windows not loading and discovered that by removing Avast and just using Windows Defender the problem went away. Today i went to scan an individual file and realised tht at some point avast had randomly reinstalled :-( I have absolutely no recollection of reinstalling it.
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If you posted it in a other thread, you did not do it with the same name as you are using here.
And what part of "avast doesn't install itself out of the blue" is it that you don't understand ?
You upgrade to Windows 10 and you had avast installed.
That is what triggered it as has been explained in other threads.
That means you did not remove avast completely.
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I understand "Avast doesn't install itself" I am a native English speaker and have major in English in my first degree. The simple fact is that I did not to my recollection reinstall AVAST but it is there.
I have found the other thread I believed I had posted on and I apologise but I somehow stuffed up that post, but it was an old 2015 thread anyway so this one is more appropriate. (It was the first one which came up on a google search.) When I went to post on the 2015 thread I was warned that nothing had been posted in 120 days.
Given that there is more than one thread with this kind of topic, obviously other people have experienced a similar issue.
I further apologise if I have upset you in some way. When programs whatever they are seem to install themselves it is a little bit of a worry which is why I went searching in the first place.
I will uninstall it. It is my recollection that I did remove AVAST after installing Windows 10 because it was not until I removed AVAST that Windows 10 would function. For over 12 months the only anti virus software operating was Windows Defender with no sign of AVAST in context menus, notification trays or task manager. I believe you that it may not have uninstalled completely. That seems a reasonable explanation.
Thank you for your reply! :-)
I hope your day improves. You seem a little grumpy.
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I hope your day improves. You seem a little grumpy.
;D ;D ;D
Use avast uninstall tool >> https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility
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I only registered to make this post.
Some program that I downloaded installed Avast. I didn't ask for it. I'm perfectly happy with Avira. I uninstalled Avast thinking that was the end of it. I continued to get popups from Avast. I went to regedit but was unable to remove it. The other day I got a message from Avast saying it was in a passive mode. I checked my programs and say that it was back. Now, if it didn't reinstall itself who did? It sure in hell wasn't me. Avast is lying if they say they didn't do it.
I will say that using the unclear program has removed everything completely. I hope that I din't have to return here.
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I only registered to make this post.
Some program that I downloaded installed Avast. I didn't ask for it. I'm perfectly happy with Avira. I uninstalled Avast thinking that was the end of it. I continued to get popups from Avast. I went to regedit but was unable to remove it. The other day I got a message from Avast saying it was in a passive mode. I checked my programs and say that it was back. Now, if it didn't reinstall itself who did? It sure in hell wasn't me. Avast is lying if they say they didn't do it.
I will say that using the unclear program has removed everything completely. I hope that I din't have to return here.
You probably had Avast installed when you installed Ccleaner. It was a pre-checked item that you most likely missed.
To uninstall Avast is a two prong removal. First step is to uninstall it via Programs and Features.
Next, remove the remainder using their removal tool
http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avastclear.exe
Run avastclear and allow it to reboot into Safe Mode. Follow the instructions. Once you reboot, Avast should be gone.
This may help: https://youtu.be/KD8LO8OxmvM
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I just had this happen today, with a computer already running Bitdefender AV. I run Avast on another computer, but not this one.
I had only downloaded the update to CCleaner Free via the company website, which directed me to FileHippo for the installer. I submitted to VirusTotal to verify the file. Then I checked the advanced install option and everything looked good, so CCleaner updated to the latest version 5.40.
Then shortly afterward I noticed an Avast icon in my system start menu, and an Avast notification icon in my system tray. I really don't recall seeing any pre-checked Avast offers on the screen. So I uninstalled Avast after verifying that Windows Programs and Features showed the Avast install date as today. I double checked and do not have any Avast installers in my downloads folder, or anywhere else. I reran the same CCleaner installer again to see if there were any Avast offers available, and there were none. Mystery???
Anyway, Avast appears to be gone now. Do I really need to run avastclear? What remains behind if I don't do this safe mode step?
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You would not have seen the Avast installation option the second time since there are still
Avast traces on your system. Till you run the removal tool, the remaining Avast files and reg. entries will remain.
Removing them is your decision to make.
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I just had this happen today, with a computer already running Bitdefender AV. I run Avast on another computer, but not this one.
I had only downloaded the update to CCleaner Free via the company website, which directed me to FileHippo for the installer. I submitted to VirusTotal to verify the file. Then I checked the advanced install option and everything looked good, so CCleaner updated to the latest version 5.40.
Then shortly afterward I noticed an Avast icon in my system start menu, and an Avast notification icon in my system tray. I really don't recall seeing any pre-checked Avast offers on the screen.
-> https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=208612.msg1446139#msg1446139
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You would not have seen the Avast installation option the second time since there are still
Avast traces on your system. Till you run the removal tool, the remaining Avast files and reg. entries will remain.
Removing them is your decision to make.
Thanks. Ran the avast removal tool, mainly so I could run the CCleaner installer again. No bundled offers with this new install attempt either, so I have added my two cents to the other thread with the CC rep looking for data on the issue. His post has cleared up my questions, and left me feeling better that my PC is not possessed, and that I am not getting old ... but that latter issue is entirely possible, ha!
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I have had the same problem. Avast free seems to have installed itself on my computer and that of my partner. I also noticed the rather arresting icon on the desktops (we use Bitdefender). The experts on here seem to be in denial (it can't happen; you must have installed it at some time in the past, etc). But Google even has a preformed search phrase for it. I think Avast should take it seriously because it is bizarre to say the least. When legitimate software becomes tainted as possible malware then it could do great damage to Avast's reputation, which I know has been good.
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I have had the same problem. Avast free seems to have installed itself on my computer and that of my partner. I also noticed the rather arresting icon on the desktops (we use Bitdefender). The experts on here seem to be in denial (it can't happen; you must have installed it at some time in the past, etc). But Google even has a preformed search phrase for it. I think Avast should take it seriously because it is bizarre to say the least. When legitimate software becomes tainted as possible malware then it could do great damage to Avast's reputation, which I know has been good.
Is avast actually active (resident) or is it running in compatibility mode. (Not resident.)
If you updated Ccleaner, it is possible that you didn't notice the pre-checked box to install Avast.
If it was installed even though you already run an AV, then it should have installed in compatibility mode.
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I have had the same problem. Avast free seems to have installed itself on my computer and that of my partner. I also noticed the rather arresting icon on the desktops (we use Bitdefender). The experts on here seem to be in denial (it can't happen; you must have installed it at some time in the past, etc). But Google even has a preformed search phrase for it. I think Avast should take it seriously because it is bizarre to say the least. When legitimate software becomes tainted as possible malware then it could do great damage to Avast's reputation, which I know has been good.
See this related topic: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=208612.msg1446139#msg1446139
Hey guys,
I'm the Product Manager of CCleaner. I'd like to make it clear that silent, drive-by installs of Avast are absolutely not the intended result here. You should always see the consent screen when installing CCleaner Free edition or Pro Trial (see attached image). The paid 'Pro', 'Business' and 'Technician' editions do not contain this promotion.
We are monitoring a small number of edge cases where it seems the consent checkbox is not displaying correctly. After gathering what information we could from our users on the CCleaner forums, we were able to identify a case where high system load could delay the offer from displaying immediately. This allowed us to reproduce the issue internally and resolve it. We made change to guard against this root cause and released it in v5.39 (January 16th). There is potential for another bug/edge case to be causing the consent checkbox to not be visible, and this is what I would like to continue to investigate with your assistance.
If you have encountered this issue in the installer of CCleaner v5.39 or later, it would be of huge help if you could respond to the following questions so we can identify some reproducible conditions and gather clues to the root cause. We want this fixed just as much as you do. Together, I'm confident we can get to the bottom of this.
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I have just gotten here and registered to inform you, that the same thing has just happened to me:
Avast was installed on my win10 today without asking me and without installing any other program that I'm aware of or has requested.
I found it out by Chrome popping up a message alerting me that Avast extension has been added - I selected to remove it, and then noticed that it has been also added to my taskbar.
I definitely did not install it myself, and no one else has access to my computer.
I will remove it, but I think you should find out how this happens.
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I have just gotten here and registered to inform you, that the same thing has just happened to me:
Avast was installed on my win10 today without asking me and without installing any other program that I'm aware of or has requested.
I found it out by Chrome popping up a message alerting me that Avast extension has been added - I selected to remove it, and then noticed that it has been also added to my taskbar.
I definitely did not install it myself, and no one else has access to my computer.
I will remove it, but I think you should find out how this happens.
Did you install or update CCleaner?
https://support.piriform.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001205071-Why-has-Avast-been-installed-to-my-machine-
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I have just gotten here and registered to inform you, that the same thing has just happened to me:
Avast was installed on my win10 today without asking me and without installing any other program that I'm aware of or has requested.
I found it out by Chrome popping up a message alerting me that Avast extension has been added - I selected to remove it, and then noticed that it has been also added to my taskbar.
I definitely did not install it myself, and no one else has access to my computer.
I will remove it, but I think you should find out how this happens.
Did you install or update CCleaner?
https://support.piriform.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001205071-Why-has-Avast-been-installed-to-my-machine-
Thanks for the reply, Pondus.
No, and I have just ran a search to verify - no CCleaner is found on my computer.
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I have just gotten here and registered to inform you, that the same thing has just happened to me:
Avast was installed on my win10 today without asking me and without installing any other program that I'm aware of or has requested.
I found it out by Chrome popping up a message alerting me that Avast extension has been added - I selected to remove it, and then noticed that it has been also added to my taskbar.
I definitely did not install it myself, and no one else has access to my computer.
I will remove it, but I think you should find out how this happens.
Did you also find the Avast antivirus program installed, or was it just the browser extension? And did you already have some active antivirus on your system, with real-time protection enabled?
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I have just gotten here and registered to inform you, that the same thing has just happened to me:
Avast was installed on my win10 today without asking me and without installing any other program that I'm aware of or has requested.
I found it out by Chrome popping up a message alerting me that Avast extension has been added - I selected to remove it, and then noticed that it has been also added to my taskbar.
I definitely did not install it myself, and no one else has access to my computer.
I will remove it, but I think you should find out how this happens.
Did you also find the Avast antivirus program installed, or was it just the browser extension? And did you already have some active antivirus on your system, with real-time protection enabled?
Avast antivirus was installed as well. I had to remove it from "Add and Remove Programs" and restart.
I don't have another antivirus other than the default Windows Defender that is a part of Windows 10. I'm not sure it was enabled though.
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We can be able to help you identify the cause of Avast (re)installation if you supply setup logs (C:\ProgramData\Avast Software\Persistent Data\Avast\Logs) and approximate date/time when the Avast was installed.
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Did you also find the Avast antivirus program installed, or was it just the browser extension? And did you already have some active antivirus on your system, with real-time protection enabled?
Avast antivirus was installed as well. I had to remove it from "Add and Remove Programs" and restart.
I don't have another antivirus other than the default Windows Defender that is a part of Windows 10. I'm not sure it was enabled though.
Well with Windows 10, Defender will fully activate itself unless you disable it, or if it automatically detects a 3rd party antivirus solution installed. If it detects another AV, it will go into passive mode. If you uninstall your current AV, Defender will pick up the slack. That's actually a good call on Microsoft's part!
But the installer for Avast had to arrive on your machine bundled with something else. I can't imagine it just appearing out of the ether. In my case earlier, I had Bitdefender running on a Windows 7 machine, and when I updated CCleaner, it installed Avast! There was a known issue where that install was supposed to be optional, but apparently CCleaner missed something in the GUI that did not show ME the opt out. It was probably a rare corner case, but it did happen!
That was long winded, but I must assume something else was updated on your computer that invited Avast aboard. ;)
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Created an account just to let you know:
- Did not install or updated CCleaner (don't use it and never had);
- Never had Avast installed on my computer;
- I installed ImgBurn yesterday and refused all the bundles;
- Today i found Avast installed on my computer with a 20 hour time difference between last usage;
- Avast Installer was still running and i had to kill the process to uninstall it (found this when trying to uninstall got the message: "Setup is still running") even though Avast was already running on my taskbar;
- After uninstalling Avast I restarted my computer and I got a message asking me to wait while Windows was updating.
Unless It's from Windows Update (doubt it) what kind of an AV does this?
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It should be enough to look into setup logs and look for "/cookie:" parameters. If Avast comes with a bundle, there should be identifier of such bundle and we can investigate more.
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- I installed ImgBurn yesterday and refused all the bundles;
Interesting ... according to the ImgBurn change log: "OpenCandy now handles product offerings during installation." http://imgburn.com/index.php?act=changelog
According to Wikipedia "The OpenCandy adware version of the ImgBurn installer (v2.5.8.0) distributed directly from imgburn.com (not the adware-free version available from the official mirror sites) has been characterised as a virus by Avira and ESET Endpoint Antivirus" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImgBurn
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- I installed ImgBurn yesterday and refused all the bundles;
Interesting ... according to the ImgBurn change log: "OpenCandy now handles product offerings during installation." http://imgburn.com/index.php?act=changelog
According to Wikipedia "The OpenCandy adware version of the ImgBurn installer (v2.5.8.0) distributed directly from imgburn.com (not the adware-free version available from the official mirror sites) has been characterised as a virus by Avira and ESET Endpoint Antivirus" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImgBurn
Downloaded ImgBurn from a site called SuperDownloads. Only the installer without bundles. Even if it was coming from this, why the 20 hour time difference?
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20h is definitely weird.
can you please look into C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast\setup\setup.ini
what Cookie= value you have inside?
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20h is definitely weird.
can you please look into C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast\setup\setup.ini
what Cookie= value you have inside?
I believe that I have deleted everything with the name "Avast" in it. I'm not at home now, I'll look for it and let you know later.
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It should be enough to look into setup logs and look for "/cookie:" parameters. If Avast comes with a bundle, there should be identifier of such bundle and we can investigate more.
Hi drake,
In my Setup.log I searched for /cookie: and found the following lines (in different places in the file)
[2018-05-26 12:10:02.412] [info ] [instup ] [ 3256:11028] Command: '"C:\Users\someone\AppData\Local\Temp\_av_iup.tm~a06084\instup.exe" /edition:1 /ga_clientid:abc20872-bc9c-4cc8-9262-8326c66f1407 /guid:eb3c70da-372d-422a-88a3-c1bc3d0fb30d /prod:ais /sfx:lite /sfxstorage:C:\Users\someone\AppData\Local\Temp\_av_iup.tm~a06084 /cookie:mmm_lvs_ppi_002_967_n /ga_clientid:abc20872-bc9c-4cc8-9262-8326c66f1407 /silent'
[2018-05-26 12:10:11.892] [info ] [system ] [ 3256:11028] Executing '"C:\Users\someone\AppData\Local\Temp\_av_iup.tm~a06084\New_12040922\instup.exe" /cookie:mmm_lvs_ppi_002_967_n /edition:1 /ga_clientid:abc20872-bc9c-4cc8-9262-8326c66f1407 /guid:eb3c70da-372d-422a-88a3-c1bc3d0fb30d /online_installer /prod:ais /sfx /sfxstorage:C:\Users\someone\AppData\Local\Temp\_av_iup.tm~a06084 /silent'.
[2018-05-26 12:10:12.341] [info ] [instup ] [12452: 7344] Command: '"C:\Users\someone\AppData\Local\Temp\_av_iup.tm~a06084\New_12040922\instup.exe" /cookie:mmm_lvs_ppi_002_967_n /edition:1 /ga_clientid:abc20872-bc9c-4cc8-9262-8326c66f1407 /guid:eb3c70da-372d-422a-88a3-c1bc3d0fb30d /online_installer /prod:ais /sfx /sfxstorage:C:\Users\someone\AppData\Local\Temp\_av_iup.tm~a06084 /silent'
Can we learn anything from this?
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Did you also find the Avast antivirus program installed, or was it just the browser extension? And did you already have some active antivirus on your system, with real-time protection enabled?
Avast antivirus was installed as well. I had to remove it from "Add and Remove Programs" and restart.
I don't have another antivirus other than the default Windows Defender that is a part of Windows 10. I'm not sure it was enabled though.
Well with Windows 10, Defender will fully activate itself unless you disable it, or if it automatically detects a 3rd party antivirus solution installed. If it detects another AV, it will go into passive mode. If you uninstall your current AV, Defender will pick up the slack. That's actually a good call on Microsoft's part!
But the installer for Avast had to arrive on your machine bundled with something else. I can't imagine it just appearing out of the ether. In my case earlier, I had Bitdefender running on a Windows 7 machine, and when I updated CCleaner, it installed Avast! There was a known issue where that install was supposed to be optional, but apparently CCleaner missed something in the GUI that did not show ME the opt out. It was probably a rare corner case, but it did happen!
That was long winded, but I must assume something else was updated on your computer that invited Avast aboard. ;)
I assume so too, I know programs don't get installed from the air :) but I would like to know what it was, and more then that I think the Avast team should find what it was, since things like that will give them a bad rep.
No program, however legitimately installed or updated, should install a different program without asking the user and letting us opt-out.
This is malware-like behavior.
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Did you also find the Avast antivirus program installed, or was it just the browser extension? And did you already have some active antivirus on your system, with real-time protection enabled?
Avast antivirus was installed as well. I had to remove it from "Add and Remove Programs" and restart.
I don't have another antivirus other than the default Windows Defender that is a part of Windows 10. I'm not sure it was enabled though.
Well with Windows 10, Defender will fully activate itself unless you disable it, or if it automatically detects a 3rd party antivirus solution installed. If it detects another AV, it will go into passive mode. If you uninstall your current AV, Defender will pick up the slack. That's actually a good call on Microsoft's part!
But the installer for Avast had to arrive on your machine bundled with something else. I can't imagine it just appearing out of the ether. In my case earlier, I had Bitdefender running on a Windows 7 machine, and when I updated CCleaner, it installed Avast! There was a known issue where that install was supposed to be optional, but apparently CCleaner missed something in the GUI that did not show ME the opt out. It was probably a rare corner case, but it did happen!
That was long winded, but I must assume something else was updated on your computer that invited Avast aboard. ;)
I assume so too, I know programs don't get installed from the air :) but I would like to know what it was, and more then that I think the Avast team should find what it was, since things like that will give them a bad rep.
No program, however legitimately installed or updated, should install a different program without asking the user and letting us opt-out.
This is malware-like behavior.
It is malware like behavior on the part of the program that installed Avast. In this case, it isn't Avast doing the installation but,
Avast is being installed via that other program.
One of the reasons to always do custom installs regardless of what you install.
It's also a good Idea to have Unchecky ( https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/) ) running in the background in case you miss something.
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Did you also find the Avast antivirus program installed, or was it just the browser extension? And did you already have some active antivirus on your system, with real-time protection enabled?
Avast antivirus was installed as well. I had to remove it from "Add and Remove Programs" and restart.
I don't have another antivirus other than the default Windows Defender that is a part of Windows 10. I'm not sure it was enabled though.
Well with Windows 10, Defender will fully activate itself unless you disable it, or if it automatically detects a 3rd party antivirus solution installed. If it detects another AV, it will go into passive mode. If you uninstall your current AV, Defender will pick up the slack. That's actually a good call on Microsoft's part!
But the installer for Avast had to arrive on your machine bundled with something else. I can't imagine it just appearing out of the ether. In my case earlier, I had Bitdefender running on a Windows 7 machine, and when I updated CCleaner, it installed Avast! There was a known issue where that install was supposed to be optional, but apparently CCleaner missed something in the GUI that did not show ME the opt out. It was probably a rare corner case, but it did happen!
That was long winded, but I must assume something else was updated on your computer that invited Avast aboard. ;)
I assume so too, I know programs don't get installed from the air :) but I would like to know what it was, and more then that I think the Avast team should find what it was, since things like that will give them a bad rep.
No program, however legitimately installed or updated, should install a different program without asking the user and letting us opt-out.
This is malware-like behavior.
It is malware like behavior on the part of the program that installed Avast. In this case, it isn't Avast doing the installation but,
Avast is being installed via that other program.
One of the reasons to always do custom installs regardless of what you install.
It's also a good Idea to have Unchecky ( https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/) ) running in the background in case you miss something.
I agree, and I always do customs installs.
In this case I'm not aware that I have installed anything, so whatever it was - I believe it was a silent process.
On the face of it, it may be claimed that Avast is "not at fault" if it was silently installed by something else, but when a program is bundled with another it's usually a case of co-operation between the companies, and not out of the "good will" of the installing program.
In any case, until the other program is found and declared, Avast remains the only address to complain to, and the one that suffers from the bad rep.
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@ Idit,
Appears installation was indeed silent per your cookie data.
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@ Idit,
Appears installation was indeed silent per your cookie data.
Thanks, mchain. Any idea by what/how?
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I have had the same problem. Avast has installed itself on my computer. It seems that it was installed with Easeus Partition Master Free (downloaded from its official website).
The most curious thing is that it is not installed at the moment, but after a while, it is a silent and delayed installation.
Now it is already uninstalled, and I also passed avastclear.exe. But I still do not understand how it could be installed, I rejected all the promotional software during the installation of Easeus Partition Master.
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@ Idit,
Appears installation was indeed silent per your cookie data.
Thanks, mchain. Any idea by what/how?
Not a clue as I'm not with the Avast Team. But a silent install would go a ways to explaining things.
Drake is an Avast Team Member. Best to wait for his answer.
I have had the same problem. Avast has installed itself on my computer. It seems that it was installed with Easeus Partition Master Free (downloaded from its official website).
The most curious thing is that it is not installed at the moment, but after a while, it is a silent and delayed installation.
Now it is already uninstalled, and I also passed avastclear.exe. But I still do not understand how it could be installed, I rejected all the promotional software during the installation of Easeus Partition Master.
Get Unchecky here: https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/)
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Get Unchecky here: https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/)
Out of curiosity I've tested Unchecky on a virtual machine and does absolutely nothing to avoid installing unwanted software during the installation of Easeus Partition Master free. I have even accepted the installation of that software and it has not done anything.
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Get Unchecky here: https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/)
Out of curiosity I've tested Unchecky on a virtual machine and does absolutely nothing to avoid installing unwanted software during the installation of Easeus Partition Master free. I have even accepted the installation of that software and it has not done anything.
Maybe the author of the program needs to update his program? Possible to help by letting him know.
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Here is the answer to why Avast Installed itself...at least for my customers...
See this article...
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/19/avast-bundles-ccleaner-with-avast-free-antivirus/
Avast bought Piriform - the maker of CCleaner and started bundling it with it's free CCLeaner download.
Check it out...do custom installs of CCleaner form now on and UN Select AVAST.
Cheers!
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Here is the answer to why Avast Installed itself...at least for my customers...
See this article...
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/19/avast-bundles-ccleaner-with-avast-free-antivirus/
Avast bought Piriform - the maker of CCleaner and started bundling it with it's free CCLeaner download.
Check it out...do custom installs of CCleaner form now on and UN Select AVAST.
Cheers!
Thanks, johnr4 :) but I didn't install CCleaner at all, and don't have it on my computer, so it must be something else in my case.
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Here is the answer to why Avast Installed itself...at least for my customers...
See this article...
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/19/avast-bundles-ccleaner-with-avast-free-antivirus/ (https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/19/avast-bundles-ccleaner-with-avast-free-antivirus/)
Avast bought Piriform - the maker of CCleaner and started bundling it with it's free CCLeaner download.
Check it out...do custom installs of CCleaner form now on and UN Select AVAST.
Cheers!
Thanks, johnr4 :) but I didn't install CCleaner at all, and don't have it on my computer, so it must be something else in my case.
That article also referrers to the installation of Ccleaner if you already have Avast Free.
It doesn't mention anything about installing Avast.
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I installed FileZilla yesterday and randomly see avast on my machine this morning. Never saw a single option to Not install avast. Now I have to waste hours researching this crap, uninstalling this 2GB program and installing avastclear.exe to run in windows safe mode. Fkn ridiculous. You guys are garbage malware, cooperating with other software to bundle silent installs. Who the hell would ever willingly opt to spend 2GB memory installing random software they didnt ask for in the first place?
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@ 1277sramirez
This topic relates to a version of CCleaner (from Piriform, purchased by avast software) installing avast.
As far as I'm aware FileZilla has nothing to do with Piriform or Avast, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla), so what is going on with your system doesn't appear to be the same as this topic.
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@ Davidr
The topic literally is called "Avast Installed itself". I turn on my computer today, lo and behold Avast Installed itself. You want to argue over semantics? Just one google search shows that this problem is rampant, people are reporting similar occurrences across hundreds of forums...Many of which unrelated to CCleaner. Instead of doing something useful with the information I provide, you want to play forum police.
Figures I would get that reaction from a company distributing malware.
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@ Davidr
The topic literally is called "Avast Installed itself". I turn on my computer today, lo and behold Avast Installed itself. You want to argue over semantics? Just one google search shows that this problem is rampant, people are reporting similar occurrences across hundreds of forums...Many of which unrelated to CCleaner. Instead of doing something useful with the information I provide, you want to play forum police.
Figures I would get that reaction from a company distributing malware.
Please don't snap at an Avast user who is trying to help you. That accomplishes nothing.
This is what I found doing a simple search: https://unchecky.userecho.com/communities/1/topics/866-filezilla-3290-installs-avast
Sounds like you're not using Unchecky and, you didn't use a custom install when you added FileZilla.
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I’m here on this forum because Avast just DID install itself on my computer as well. How? Why? Before anyone tries to tell me I did it myself: I have had this laptop since 2010 and at that time installed my usual Norton anti-virus. Last September 2017 I bought another laptop and stopped using this one. I put this one in the bottom drawer of my dresser. My newer laptop is having issues which I don’t want made worse before I can send to warranty company, so a couple of days ago I took this one from the drawer (and no, no one else can use it). As soon as I started it there was a pop-up from Avast stating it wanted to update or something. I thought it was a weird fluke because I have never, EVER, had Avast and the computer had been in the drawer forever. I clicked out of it and checked on my Norton, yep Norton still there, I ran updates etc just in case.
Today I got another pop-up from Avast wanting to update. I looked under Uninstall or change a program and to my extreme surprise it was installed on 10/14/2018. The very day I began to use this laptop again and got the pop up to “update.”
Also, not only did it install itself apparently as soon as I started the computer for the first time in over a year, I have never installed nor have I heard of either CCleaner or Piriform.
Ummm…??????????
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Piriform (now avast owned ) make these:
CCleaner https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner
Defraggler https://www.ccleaner.com/defraggler
Recuva https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva
Speccy https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy
Why has Avast been installed to my machine?
https://support.piriform.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001205071-Why-has-Avast-been-installed-to-my-machine-
avast removal tool https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility
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Same thing with me. I have not installed CC Cleaner or any other software in months. I've never heard of Avast until it popped up on my machine. I was using AVG cloud care. But as I am typing this and trying to find AVG on my machine, it no longer exists. Was AVG un-installed when Avast installed itself?
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Same thing with me. I have not installed CC Cleaner or any other software in months. I've never heard of Avast until it popped up on my machine. I was using AVG cloud care. But as I am typing this and trying to find AVG on my machine, it no longer exists. Was AVG un-installed when Avast installed itself?
Reported to Avast.
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Same thing with me. I have not installed CC Cleaner or any other software in months. I've never heard of Avast until it popped up on my machine. I was using AVG cloud care. But as I am typing this and trying to find AVG on my machine, it no longer exists. Was AVG un-installed when Avast installed itself?
AVG CloudCare was rebranded to Avast CloudCare ( https://www.avast.com/cloudcare ). This change was communicated with existing customers via email and via our partners.
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YES, Avast does install itself!!! Avast says it does not install itself BUT it does. You do not have to ask for it or want... they install it on your computer via a backdoor - they attach it to another program when you are NOT aware of it. They are not an honest company... they get a kickback from programs like CCleaner free etc. That is why CCleaner will let you download their program for FREE because - I know you have heard this a million times - there is nothing for FREE! BUT, the way AVAST does this is Crooked.. The AVAST program is like a weed in your yard, you didn;t ask for it but it got there anyway because you were watering and taking care of your yard because you wanted something else but the WEED grew in place of your flower. AVAST is MALWARE. they are a crooked company, they are similar to your best friend scewing your girlfriend. You trusted your friend (CCleaner in this case) but in the end he scrfewed your girlfriend or in this case you caught a disease.... AVAST the virus protection you did NOT ask for or did NOT need. We use Paid powerful programs on our computers WHY would we want an inferior virus protection on our computer when all it will do is cause issues with your Paid virus protection. You cannot or should not ever run TWO virus programs on your computer. AVAST knows this BUT does NOT CARE... neither does CCLeaner. It's time to get rid of BOTH!!! Spread the word folks, uninstall this WEED now! Go get a real job crooks, all your doing is making life hard for other folks. POS
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https://www.howtogeek.com/218675/beware-free-antivirus-isnt-really-free-anymore/ (https://www.howtogeek.com/218675/beware-free-antivirus-isnt-really-free-anymore/)
Publish date: June 6, 2015
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https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=204972.msg1405903#msg1405903 (https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=204972.msg1405903#msg1405903)
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I am a computer engineer. I am here to confirm without a doubt that Avast, or malware masquerading as Avast has in fact self-installed.
It is likely the real deal Avast as it installed right after I updated and ran CCleaner. I ALWAYS do advanced installs because you're stupid if you don't. There was nothing in the details or fine print about Avast infecting my computer.
I say "infecting" because that is exactly what it is. Like most people in my field, I disable all forms of anti-virus and Firewalls as soon as I buy a PC with Windows pre-installed.
Of all the garbagey, useless f*cking sorry gimmicky so-called anti-virus programs out there conning average users into using their sh*tty services, Avast stands alone as the absolute worst, and you are a f*cking tool if you use it.
Not only am I unable to uninstall or force it closed, as my Admin privileges have been revoked courtesy of Avast. I cannot even access my own programs menu.
Now I have 2 choices, I can waste part of my day eradicating this virus from my machine or I can install the only good malware software on the market (Malwarebytes) and let them take care of it for me. I am choosing the latter.
I will tell you what I'm not gonna do though, I am not installing more Avast software to get rid of the Avast software already infecting me. So you can suck mine and everyone else's c*cks who were lured here by Avast's malicious practices.
I would not wipe my sh*tty ass with anything produced or owned by Avast, and am sorry to hear about Piriform whose products used to be good until the day Avast bought them apparently. I am ceasing the use of CCleaner, Speccy, Recuva, all of it immediately and suggest anyone else finding themselves on this forum do exactly the same. There are better programs out there anyway in 2018, CCleaner is not the only option like it once was.
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Ccleaner is still one of the bests. It's your computer and your choice.
The language used in your reply is also your choice. :(
The installation of Avast occured because during your custom install of Ccleaner you didn't block it's installation.
I hate that trickery as much as you do but don't intend to stop using a product because I made a mistake.
I generally learn from my mistakes.
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I've just logged in to my mom's computer, because she complained about it not responding too well and there it is: Avast AV on top of my chosen AV Sophos. I suggest you stop BSing people about their consent to install your product. Guess what? My mom is not an admin on her computer. I am and she doesn't know my password. That leads only to one thing. You are using OS's exploits to install this crap on non-admin user profiles. This is trespassing and you will hear from lawyers soon.
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I have NOT heard about this product at all. The only recent install in 6 months is CCleaner because my computer is slowing down quite a bit after 3 years of use. Installed CCleaner on 3/4/19.
I ALWAYS choose to customize my install because I like to install infrequently used programs to my I: drive, so that I can keep my C: drive 'light'. CCleaner will be one of these infrequently used program. Point is, I will ALWAYS route programs AWAY from my C: drive. And I did just that but there was NEVER any mentioning/option of installing Avast.
I have no problem with bundled install, but please allow user to select what they want to install! I'm not sure if this is even legal. Waiting for someone to file a class action against Avast on this issue.
I'm worried as I was reading this thread as CCleaner people didn't know about this until numerous people reported it. I don't know what other programs got installed on my computer without me knowing.
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I have NOT heard about this product at all. The only recent install in 6 months is CCleaner because my computer is slowing down quite a bit after 3 years of use. Installed CCleaner on 3/4/19.
I ALWAYS choose to customize my install because I like to install infrequently used programs to my I: drive, so that I can keep my C: drive 'light'. CCleaner will be one of these infrequently used program. Point is, I will ALWAYS route programs AWAY from my C: drive. And I did just that but there was NEVER any mentioning/option of installing Avast.
I have no problem with bundled install, but please allow user to select what they want to install! I'm not sure if this is even legal. Waiting for someone to file a class action against Avast on this issue.
I'm worried as I was reading this thread as CCleaner people didn't know about this until numerous people reported it. I don't know what other programs got installed on my computer without me knowing.
Avast was a pre-checked item when you installed Ccleaner. If you used the default install of Ccleaner it's quite possible that you didn't see selection. To avoid this from happening in the future when you install a program, use the custom install not the default.
You might also want to check out this program that helps you avoid this from happening, https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/)
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I find it very frustrating that Avast has to "trick" you into installing itself. I updated CCleaner which I have been using for 10-15 years without any problems.
This morning I find there is an update. I click on the update which gives me a button to download.
There was no mention of Avast and no box to uncheck.
This computer run minimal programs for speed it has our accounting system, Ccleaner and some office components.
I now have to spend time uninstalling this crap.
How do I know that you havent put spyware on my computer if you resort to trickery to make us install your product.
I am very pissed off that I have to waste my time removing a product I never wanted.
I will also probably not trust Ccleaner again after so long using it.
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I used Avast for about 5 years but haven't used for about 4 years. It used to be a great anti-virus, now its all about data collection, trying to up sell you there bloatware and trying to sneakily install products such as Ccleaner. Its not an anti-virus program anymore, its all about monetizing their users anyway they can.
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I just had Avast install itself on my Win 10 PC. I did not do it. I was not installing anything else at the time. It just started downloading and installing when I booted up my PC this morning. Is Avast now a virus itself? How can this happen?
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I just had Avast install itself on my Win 10 PC. I did not do it. I was not installing anything else at the time. It just started downloading and installing when I booted up my PC this morning. Is Avast now a virus itself? How can this happen?
Do you have CCleaner installed?
If so have you updated it?
https://support.piriform.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001205071-Why-has-Avast-been-installed-to-my-machine-
Recomended program: Unchecky >> https://unchecky.com/
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I had a family friend bring me her laptop over the Easter weekend complaining of sluggishness and weird behaviour ( CCleaner popup ads ), unfortunately she had updated CCleaner and like many non techie people she failed to notice Avast was pre-ticked for install via CCleaner :(
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I had a family friend bring me her laptop over the Easter weekend complaining of sluggishness and weird behaviour ( CCleaner popup ads ), unfortunately she had updated CCleaner and like many non techie people she failed to notice Avast was pre-ticked for install via CCleaner :(
This really is lunacy (if it was via CCleaner) a force install of a program taking up in excess of 1GB overall by a program of a few MBs. What nutter ever thought people would put up with this cr4p (excuse the poor pun), someone needs to exercise some serious control over marketing.
Someone needs to exercise some serious control, when you crab someone by their balls their hearts and minds will follow.
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I had a family friend bring me her laptop over the Easter weekend complaining of sluggishness and weird behaviour ( CCleaner popup ads ), unfortunately she had updated CCleaner and like many non techie people she failed to notice Avast was pre-ticked for install via CCleaner :(
This really is lunacy (if it was via CCleaner) a force install of a program taking up in excess of 1GB overall by a program of a few MBs. What nutter ever thought people would put up with this cr4p (excuse the poor pun), someone needs to exercise some serious control over marketing.
Someone needs to exercise some serious control, when you crab someone by their balls their hearts and minds will follow.
Agreed,
The marketing strategy is without a doubt.....invasive to say the least.
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I had a family friend bring me her laptop over the Easter weekend complaining of sluggishness and weird behaviour ( CCleaner popup ads ), unfortunately she had updated CCleaner and like many non techie people she failed to notice Avast was pre-ticked for install via CCleaner :(
This really is lunacy (if it was via CCleaner) a force install of a program taking up in excess of 1GB overall by a program of a few MBs. What nutter ever thought people would put up with this cr4p (excuse the poor pun), someone needs to exercise some serious control over marketing.
Someone needs to exercise some serious control, when you crab someone by their balls their hearts and minds will follow.
Agreed,
The marketing strategy is without a doubt.....invasive to say the least.
+1
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I have never downloaded Avast
I have never heard of and never downloaded CCleaner or Piriform or any of the other supposed ways Avast 'piggybacks' onto peoples devices.
I have not downloaded any new software onto my laptop for months and I have very limited software programs on my laptop. Microsoft Office, Intel, Adobe PDF reader, Google Chrome and the standard Windows 10 suite.
And yet, today I get a 'Pop up' telling me I need to open my Avast Secureline VPN App and click to stop my IP address being publicly available. I then see that apparently I have recently added this App and I have just tried to uninstall only to be told I cannot remove all parts of it and it is still listed in the programs that run on start up.
Does anyone have any suggestions how I can protect myself from Avast and their illegally invasive software?
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Thanks for reporting this.
Does anyone else have use or access to your system?
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Only my partner, who also has not downloaded anything or added any new software.
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Reported to Avast let's see if that gets a response.
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Just for the record - no reply to my concern raised. I've made contact on Twitter and Facebook too,no reply whatsoever.
As far as I am concerned Avast appear to be crooks who are probably harvesting my data as I type.
What genuine company would behave like this?
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Just for the record - no reply to my concern raised. I've made contact on Twitter and Facebook too,no reply whatsoever.
As far as I am concerned Avast appear to be crooks who are probably harvesting my data as I type.
What genuine company would behave like this?
You are posting some totally unfounded accusations. I know you're not a happy camper but,
posting accusations that are totally untrue isn't any way to resolve a problem.
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So why don't they answer my questions?
Show me where it is legal for someone to install software on your device without permission.
The only way I could uninstall the software was to actually install some more software from the same people who forced their software on me in the first place.
How is that right?
I repeat as far as I am concerned my rights have been violated. In my mind that makes Avast crooks.
There is no explanation and worst of all there is no attempt by the company to engage in conversation with me. I think I have a right to speak my mind and to try and make people aware.
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I've made them aware of this post but, I can't answer for them.
I'm a product user not part of the company.
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I didn't think you were employed by them, and I'm not asking you to answer for them.
What I'd really like is for them to answer for themselves. So far they are employing an ignore him approach. I guess they think one guy shouting in the wind, so what.
Frankly they are probably right because whilst people defend them when there are repeated incidents of this kind and they avoid contacting anyone that complains then I guess eventually they expect that those that complain will go away.
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Avast installed itself on my PC.
I checked Event Viewer and it was installed at 13:04 (BST), 19/07/19.
I was at work and didn't install any other software. I certainly did not install ccleaner or any other programs that come bundled with Avast.
WTF is going on with Avast installing itself on my machine?
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Avast installed itself on my PC.
I checked Event Viewer and it was installed at 13:04 (BST), 19/07/19.
I was at work and didn't install any other software. I certainly did not install ccleaner or any other programs that come bundled with Avast.
WTF is going on with Avast installing itself on my machine?
Sorry but what you describe is impossible.
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So that's grimer and me with the same symptoms?
Everyone keeps saying it is impossible grimer... I've tried to engage conversation with someone at Avast through this forum, Twtter and Facebook and not even a courtesy reply let alone any explanation.
If you do manage to get an answer please post something in here.
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You have already been given an explanation. You simply aren't accepting the answer.
I'm also hoping that Avast will ask you to send them logs to determine exactly how Avast ended up on your system.
If Avast is still on your system, this may shed some light on the topic,
https://support.avast.com/en-us/article/33/ (https://support.avast.com/en-us/article/33/)
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What explanation have I been given?
I downloaded it - no I didn't
I didn't do an advanced install option and uncheck a pre-checked box - Not true I haven't downloaded any software
I installed it as part of of installing something else without realising - no I didn't, no downloads and installations have been done
Avast have made no attempt to contact me?
I have removed Avast from my system, but to do so I had to follow a process of downloading something from Avast in order to do that.
This forum and others are littered with people complaining about Avast installing unwanted and unrequested software, but it seems it is almost like a cult that people just defend them and claim that things are impossible.
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As already stated, Avast can not install itself. Once installed, you do need to use the avastclear.exe program to aid in removing the product.
There isn't any cult. No program which includes Avast can install itself without having been downloaded and run.
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IHate Avast, did you by any chance install Ccleaner? I've read of instances where it will install Avast.
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IHate Avast, did you by any chance install Ccleaner? I've read of instances where it will install Avast.
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=195048.msg1512946#msg1512946
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@IHsteAvt,
What brand of computer are you using on which this mysterious installation happened?
Thanks
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The same thing happened to me, I haven't used my laptop in 2 weeks and haven't downloaded anything new in months but I turned iton today and "avast" opens up on the screen as soon as I log in and opened an internet explorer browser before I could even type anything. I've never heard of this program and it looks like a virus, how did it download to my computer?!
And before the same smart ass dude says it can't download itself again, it apparently did since no one but myself lives in my house or uses this laptop. So genius how did it get there?!
To whom it may concern:
I don't know if this is the right place to post this but it sems very difficult to contact your company and I would like to make the following points:
One of your products has apparently installed itself on my Windows 10 partition as some sort of trial.
How or why did was it able to do this?
I don't want it - I'm happy using SOPHOS and WIndows Defender
Will Windows' uninstall feature get rid of it completely?
How do I know if it has altered or disabled anything on my computer?
How can I stop this happeneing again?
Who can I report this to?
regards
Terence
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It would have been nice if you could answer The question. What brand is your computer?
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My laptop is a HP Pavillion Laptop.
I have now had a response from the Chief Executive of Avast, so I am looking to investigate it with him.
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My laptop is a HP Pavillion Laptop.
I have now had a response from the Chief Executive of Avast, so I am looking to investigate it with him.
Here's what I've been able to find out:
"Hi Bob, I can't really say what could be the root cause of this issue without proper log analysis of course.
But off the top of my head, this may happened within our HP OEM deals migration campaing which was triggered couple of weeks ago.
Can you please ask for user's PC specification if we can confirm this theory?
If the theory is true the SecureLine app on user's computer was just updated (automatically in the background), not newly installed.
And as the SecureLine app might just be lying there unused for a very long time, it may be surprising for the user indeed."
If I found out anything else, I'll post it here. If you get any additional information, please do the same.
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Thank you Bob
I will continue my dialogue with Avast too and I will gladly post any resulting reply.
What kind of specification information would be needed?
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This is an extract of specifications..
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17134.885]
(c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\WINDOWS\system32>systeminfo
OS Name: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
OS Version: 10.0.17134 N/A Build 17134
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
OS Configuration: Standalone Workstation
OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
Registered Organization: Hewlett-Packard
Product ID: 00326-10000-00000-AA940
Original Install Date: 28/05/2018, 12:42:14
System Boot Time: 18/07/2019, 22:46:51
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: HP Pavilion 15 Notebook PC
System Type: x64-based PC
Processor(s): 1 Processor(s) Installed.
[01]: Intel64 Family 6 Model 61 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~1400 Mhz
BIOS Version: Insyde F.36, 02/02/2015
Windows Directory: C:\WINDOWS
System Directory: C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume2
System Locale: en-gb;English (United Kingdom)
Input Locale: en-gb;English (United Kingdom)
Time Zone: (UTC+00:00) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London
Total Physical Memory: 8,114 MB
Available Physical Memory: 4,680 MB
Virtual Memory: Max Size: 11,186 MB
Virtual Memory: Available: 7,715 MB
Virtual Memory: In Use: 3,471 MB
Page File Location(s): C:\pagefile.sys
Domain: WORKGROUP
Logon Server:
Hotfix(s): 10 Hotfix(s) Installed.
[01]: KB4100347
[02]: KB4343669
[03]: KB4346084
[04]: KB4477137
[05]: KB4485449
[06]: KB4497398
[07]: KB4497932
[08]: KB4503308
[09]: KB4509094
[10]: KB4507435
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Thank you Bob
I will continue my dialogue with Avast too and I will gladly post any resulting reply.
What kind of specification information would be needed?
Computer specs. Good program to use would be Speccy (Portable) https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/builds (https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/builds)
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Thank you Bob
I will continue my dialogue with Avast too and I will gladly post any resulting reply.
What kind of specification information would be needed?
Computer specs. Good program to use would be Speccy (Portable) https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/builds (https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/builds)
I've passed that information on. Thanks
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Thanks Bob
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This is very interesting. As this is also something that just happened to me. I've always used F-secures antivirus solutions, but my subscription ended end of October and I haven't renewed it yet. So about 1 week ago Avast just suddenly appeared. Don't know why cause I have never downloaded it or have downloaded anything that would have installed it. But I didn't mind it anyways. Until yesterday when one of my cards apparently was used for Pakistan state oil com and my card got blocked by my card issuer. So then I started investigating and as it's really really spooky how a program just installed itself onto my computer without me having installed it or done anything it just happened to be there. As previous comments have clearly been made that programs just doesn't install themselves. And that's true, something or someone has to install it. Which only makes me believe that someone unauthorized has done this. Which is really scary thinking that a hacker might use avast for something. They should look into that as that's really serious. Just wanted to let you know that this is happening.
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This is very interesting. As this is also something that just happened to me. I've always used F-secures antivirus solutions, but my subscription ended end of October and I haven't renewed it yet. So about 1 week ago Avast just suddenly appeared. Don't know why cause I have never downloaded it or have downloaded anything that would have installed it. But I didn't mind it anyways. Until yesterday when one of my cards apparently was used for Pakistan state oil com and my card got blocked by my card issuer. So then I started investigating and as it's really really spooky how a program just installed itself onto my computer without me having installed it or done anything it just happened to be there. As previous comments have clearly been made that programs just doesn't install themselves. And that's true, something or someone has to install it. Which only makes me believe that someone unauthorized has done this. Which is really scary thinking that a hacker might use avast for something. They should look into that as that's really serious. Just wanted to let you know that this is happening.
Unfortunately you don't give any details and, without details, no investigation only speculation.
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This is very interesting. As this is also something that just happened to me. I've always used F-secures antivirus solutions, but my subscription ended end of October and I haven't renewed it yet. So about 1 week ago Avast just suddenly appeared. Don't know why cause I have never downloaded it or have downloaded anything that would have installed it. But I didn't mind it anyways. Until yesterday when one of my cards apparently was used for Pakistan state oil com and my card got blocked by my card issuer. So then I started investigating and as it's really really spooky how a program just installed itself onto my computer without me having installed it or done anything it just happened to be there. As previous comments have clearly been made that programs just doesn't install themselves. And that's true, something or someone has to install it. Which only makes me believe that someone unauthorized has done this. Which is really scary thinking that a hacker might use avast for something. They should look into that as that's really serious. Just wanted to let you know that this is happening.
Do you use a old version of CCleaner?
Why has Avast been installed to my machine?
https://support.piriform.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001205071-Why-has-Avast-been-installed-to-my-machine-
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I had the same thing happen to my pc, turns out its Asus gift box installing it over and over. You may have something similar.
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I had the same thing happen to my pc, turns out its Asus gift box installing it over and over. You may have something similar.
Sounds like something to talk to Asus about. :)
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Avast didn't install itself, but it rode as bundleware on Bluefox Free PDF Converter with no way to opt out of the install. I'm sorry, but there'd be no way I'd ever trust any software or company that engages in that kind of quasi-malware behavior. Especially an antivirus program. I had to wait for a good minute or two for it to finish installing so I could uninstall the stupid thing.
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... I had to wait for a good minute or two for it to finish installing so I could uninstall the stupid thing.
To completely uninstall Avast, download the uninstaller from here:
https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility
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Avast didn't install itself, but it rode as bundleware on Bluefox Free PDF Converter with no way to opt out of the install. I'm sorry, but there'd be no way I'd ever trust any software or company that engages in that kind of quasi-malware behavior. Especially an antivirus program. I had to wait for a good minute or two for it to finish installing so I could uninstall the stupid thing.
The folks to be angry at are Bluefox. You also should have used the custom install of their program to avoid installing bundled software.
Install something like Unchecky to prevent unwanted installs. https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/)
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The folks to be angry at are Bluefox. You also should have used the custom install of their program to avoid installing bundled software.
Install something like Unchecky to prevent unwanted installs. https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/)
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Actually, I doubt Bluefox is bundling Avast out of the goodness of their hearts for altruistic reasons. Avast has sanctioned this kind of behavior somewhere.
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Had need of an FTP app for the first time in many years, was pleased to see FileZilla still kicking around, which soon turned to disgust when it silently installed avast antivirus. WTF!
I already had antivirus installed, which this corruptware choose to ignore, and it also triggered three warnings on our IDS.
Threat Management Alert 1: Signature ET DNS Non-DNS or Non-Compliant DNS traffic on DNS port Opcode 8 through 15 set. From: 10.10.1.100:53178, to: 185.246.208.33:53, protocol: UDP
Threat Management Alert 1: Signature ET DNS Non-DNS or Non-Compliant DNS traffic on DNS port Opcode 8 through 15 set. From: 10.10.1.100:53176, to: 77.234.42.35:53, protocol: UDP
Threat Management Alert 1: Signature ET DNS Non-DNS or Non-Compliant DNS traffic on DNS port Reserved Bit Set. From: 10.10.1.100:53169, to: 43.245.161.2:53, protocol: UDP
Why would any sane person choose to trust a company like Avast for their antivirus needs, when they clearly have dodgy business tactics?
FileZilla uninstalled and replaced with WinSCP.
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Had need of an FTP app for the first time in many years, was pleased to see FileZilla still kicking around, which soon turned to disgust when it silently installed avast antivirus. WTF!
I already had antivirus installed, which this corruptware choose to ignore, and it also triggered three warnings on our IDS.
Threat Management Alert 1: Signature ET DNS Non-DNS or Non-Compliant DNS traffic on DNS port Opcode 8 through 15 set. From: 10.10.1.100:53178, to: 185.246.208.33:53, protocol: UDP
Threat Management Alert 1: Signature ET DNS Non-DNS or Non-Compliant DNS traffic on DNS port Opcode 8 through 15 set. From: 10.10.1.100:53176, to: 77.234.42.35:53, protocol: UDP
Threat Management Alert 1: Signature ET DNS Non-DNS or Non-Compliant DNS traffic on DNS port Reserved Bit Set. From: 10.10.1.100:53169, to: 43.245.161.2:53, protocol: UDP
Why would any sane person choose to trust a company like Avast for their antivirus needs, when they clearly have dodgy business tactics?
FileZilla uninstalled and replaced with WinSCP.
Time to learn any time you install a program use the custom install or, have Unchecky ( https://unchecky.com/ (https://unchecky.com/) ) running in the background to warn you of added programs.
Avast happens to be an excellent product. FileZilla to earn extra income chose to add it to their product during a default install and you didn't catch it.
Remove Avast using their removal tool https://www.avast.com/en-us/uninstall-utility (https://www.avast.com/en-us/uninstall-utility)