Windows 10 Avast endpoint protection plus

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So the Avast message - from nobody official is - "it's difficult, we don't have an answer and we're too busy to let you know anything officially, but stay tuned we may get an idea/solution sooner or later" ?

classy customer support and highly professional.

if the free version was made to work, why is it sooo difficult to get the paid version to work?

I have lost confidence in avast PERIOD

[KDibble]

I would just like to point a few things out:

1. MS has never offered a free "upgrade" program for its OSes before. This is new territory for all third-party vendors.

2. However, anyone knowledgeable about managing the roll-out of new OSes in a large-scale professional environment knows that in order to do that safely, one must first test the new OS on one machine and make sure that it actually works properly and that any compatibility issues are resolved before the OS is distributed to production machines.

3. The release of Windows 10 up to now has been no different from MS's previous releases in this regard. Windows 10 is currently still pretty buggy, and is not anywhere near feature-complete, nor do all software and hardware manufacturers have drivers or new versions that will work with it.

4. Avast is under no obligation to help support MS's latest marketing strategy of trying to maximize the Windows 10 installed base as quickly as possible in order to lock people in to its aggressive and intrusive data collection and "update" systems before they know what's really going on.

5. As has always been the case, some things that are "free" are more expensive in the long run than things that you pay for up front.

Perhaps people should take a breath and consider that they should simply wait until Windows 10 becomes stable and well-supported by the third party market before they start using it, just as they have in the past.

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I'd agree with you KDibble, if it weren't for the fact that the cloud-based Avast for small businesses (up to 200 users) works just fine under Windows 10 (we have it deployed to 6 PCs so far).  We're using that software as a bandaid, but are looking seriously at replacing ABP with the cloud solution (which is free).

I guess my point is that Avast has the AV engine working under Windows 10 with other products aside from ABP.  They might be having problems with other aspects, such as firewall, which are holding up the process.

My other thought is that Microsoft went out of its way to include as many people as possible during Beta, and had Windows 10 available to the public for a year before release.  I'm not a programmer, so I don't fully understand why, but I'm always surprised why companies wait until an OS is RTM before beginning work on their software support.  Why didn't Avast begin testing and code changes to support Windows 10 6 months ago?

[KDibble]

Because beta isn't final, and time spent developing for an OS that isn't final and may end up being significantly different when it is, is largely time wasted.

I would also guess that the "cloud based" version simply intercepts traffic on a few ports and sends it off to "the cloud" for analysis, which returns a simple instruction for whatever little snippet of code is actually installed on the machine regarding what messages to display to the user. Virtually all of the "hard stuff" therefore isn't interacting with the OS at all. In fact, I'd bet it wouldn't be very difficult to make such a system work with any internet-connected Windows OS of any vintage. If you're going to do everything on the Win 10 client machine, and have it talk to a console that is potentially installed on a Win 10 box as well, then there's a lot more to contend with.

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I don't believe the cloud based AV is sending everything to the cloud.  I believe it just means management of it is done in the cloud.  My system still has the same Avast folders and downloads the same definitions every few hours as the ABP product.

My system says I'm running definition version:  150911-5 (which is today's update), and 3,788,201 as the number of definitions.

I can see your point on coding for a Beta OS being time wasted.  I'm sure MS solidified the kernel a few months before release, and the last month or two was fit and finish (polishing the UI, pulling out debugging code, etc.).

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I purchased a three year ten user license to ver 8 EPP a year ago.  Have two years remaining.  Now have four computers unprotected.  What can I do to get them protected now that I have upgraded to Windows 10.  I don't want to lose the money I have invested. Is there an upgrade/migration path available?

[REDACTED]

I would just like to point a few things out:

1. MS has never offered a free "upgrade" program for its OSes before. This is new territory for all third-party vendors.

2. However, anyone knowledgeable about managing the roll-out of new OSes in a large-scale professional environment knows that in order to do that safely, one must first test the new OS on one machine and make sure that it actually works properly and that any compatibility issues are resolved before the OS is distributed to production machines.

3. The release of Windows 10 up to now has been no different from MS's previous releases in this regard. Windows 10 is currently still pretty buggy, and is not anywhere near feature-complete, nor do all software and hardware manufacturers have drivers or new versions that will work with it.

4. Avast is under no obligation to help support MS's latest marketing strategy of trying to maximize the Windows 10 installed base as quickly as possible in order to lock people in to its aggressive and intrusive data collection and "update" systems before they know what's really going on.

5. As has always been the case, some things that are "free" are more expensive in the long run than things that you pay for up front.

Perhaps people should take a breath and consider that they should simply wait until Windows 10 becomes stable and well-supported by the third party market before they start using it, just as they have in the past.

1. BUT there has been new OS's out there and the only difference is that you are saying that makes this SO different is that it is FREE? why would that make a difference? avast just did not prepare and we're hanging AND without official information.

2. some of us got to the end of the first install and then had the issue and those that did 10 machines and did not check should reassess their program. totally a separate issue to the issue in this post which is information about WHEN and IF there will be a solution for CURRENT users who PAID.

3. Still buggy? what are you using? not one issue running anything BUT avast..... I have not heard anything from anyone about issues besides "why did MS f-up something that worked fine and put this out there, I don't need a tablet interface on my business desktop"  i.e. nothing program related.

4. is this an official avast position or are you stating your opinion about your experiences with avast and what you perceive is there policy? if that is the official policy why don't they send this information to users? they seem to have our contact info for sales pushes or renewals but not critical program information for a PAID customer?

5. ohhh thank you for your grand wisdom..... most likely everyone PAID for the previous copy of windows so is win 10 really free? and the point of this thread again is WE ALL PAID FOR AVAST AND WANT IT TO WORK.

thanks for your view point, but if you are not an avast employee you are way off base sticking your nose into something that must not be effecting you but you want to spout off on.

where is AVAST in this?

[KDibble]

I don't believe the cloud based AV is sending everything to the cloud.  I believe it just means management of it is done in the cloud.  My system still has the same Avast folders and downloads the same definitions every few hours as the ABP product.

My system says I'm running definition version:  150911-5 (which is today's update), and 3,788,201 as the number of definitions.

I see. And people are reporting that the free stand-alone version works on Win 10 as well, at least to some extent. Well then maybe the issue is solely related to the management end (SOA, or Enterprise version).

[KDibble]

1. BUT there has been new OS's out there and the only difference is that you are saying that makes this SO different is that it is FREE? why would that make a difference? avast just did not prepare and we're hanging AND without official information.

2. some of us got to the end of the first install and then had the issue and those that did 10 machines and did not check should reassess their program. totally a separate issue to the issue in this post which is information about WHEN and IF there will be a solution for CURRENT users who PAID.

3. Still buggy? what are you using? not one issue running anything BUT avast..... I have not heard anything from anyone about issues besides "why did MS f-up something that worked fine and put this out there, I don't need a tablet interface on my business desktop"  i.e. nothing program related.

4. is this an official avast position or are you stating your opinion about your experiences with avast and what you perceive is there policy? if that is the official policy why don't they send this information to users? they seem to have our contact info for sales pushes or renewals but not critical program information for a PAID customer?

5. ohhh thank you for your grand wisdom..... most likely everyone PAID for the previous copy of windows so is win 10 really free? and the point of this thread again is WE ALL PAID FOR AVAST AND WANT IT TO WORK.

thanks for your view point, but if you are not an avast employee you are way off base sticking your nose into something that must not be effecting you but you want to spout off on.

where is AVAST in this?

My recollection is that there were serious issues, and delays, with the roll-out of a version that works with Windows 8 and then, after that, 8.1. Avast business version wasn't working on the day that Win 8 was released, or for some time afterwards.

As regards bugs in Win 10, there are several, in some cases involving MS's forced automatic updates, and some of which have caused the OS to become unusable. There are also several missing features that won't be available until subsequent "major updates" come out, this fall and next spring. Who knows how the OS will behave after those?

Do you also believe that if you bought a car in 2007 you should be able to trade it in for a new one today for free? (Actually, I'm pretty sick of analogies between cars and computers.) Of course, when MS announced Windows 7, or Win 8 or 8.1, they did not announce that it would come with a free upgrade to Win 10. Therefore, of course you did not pay for Win 10 when you bought those OSes. To suggest otherwise is nonsense. 

At any rate, if you did not thoroughly test this new OS before deploying it for production, then you also "did not prepare" and you bear a significant portion of responsibility for what happened afterwards. This is just advice from an experienced IT manager with a fairly large network. Because I planned ahead, and read ahead and knew that the business version of Avast wasn't going to be ready for Win 10, I did not have this problem. Take the benefit of my experience, or leave it, as you wish.

[hillen]

While I understand and appreciate the words of wisdom from those in the IT industry, I do simply have one question. At what point do you start to test your systems/apps with new OS's and how long does it take to do the actual testing.

In my experience it takes at least 3 months of no bug reports from my users before I do the switch -- but I can't do any testing without a CONDOM! So tired of the "Never deploy a new OS" as I am the guy who has to make it available to real users to achieve the testing in the first place. The argument of M$ being aggressive in data collection, etc. may be true, but once again without a CONDOM, who can test their machines in real world scenarios to counter this? It takes time and resource to do it, but without a CONDOM it's a moot issue.

Lastly, the issue people are having with Avast is AVAST itself, not our "schedule" to migrate to a new "FREE" OS. They are completely silent about the issue and yet as others have stated, they have time to peddle their new wares to us. I somehow think they fail to understand their REPUTATION is on the line and at the pace it is going, they will be deemed as a non viable software to use because of their own actions ( or lack of it ). Have you read other topics on this forum? How people are getting REALLY irritated by the tactics being used by Avast to peddle their software, but yet they seem completely oblivious to the fact people are getting pissed!

I guess I should just shut up now and just do what I know I need to do, regardless of the actions ( or lack of ) from Avast.

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win 10 has been out for some time, beta and final. the argument that a product for 8 was not ready the day 8 came out is silly and I'm not asking for that with windows 10. I accept that Avast may be behind, my message and the whole post is about having AVAST GETTING INVOLVED WITH A PAYING CUSTOMER AND TELL US SOMETHING.

buggy or not they have the free version working so there must be some way to make the paid version workable. free version will go through the update deals and they will work them out as they come, why is the paid version not on the same track?

as to the upgrades to a new version because of owning a current version - UNTIL they officially tell me that there is a change from the standard operation they have used to date (i.e. the same as all other windows OS upgrades) - YES I do expect that my license and products be upgraded to a version that works with the new windows and I relied on that when I purchased a LONG TERM license with Avast.....

and again - I did one station and agree with you, if you did 10 stations without testing the first one completely you deserve to be in that situation you created for yourself. I am patiently waiting for an answer to this BEFORE I do more.

I understand you are ahead of the curve and did your homework, I did too and have one more issue, avast. I want input and am getting none. Seems unreasonable as an exiting license holder. there are lots of views of this post as I've said before, and I'm guessing they are all feeling the same irritation as me.

[KDibble]

While I understand and appreciate the words of wisdom from those in the IT industry, I do simply have one question. At what point do you start to test your systems/apps with new OS's and how long does it take to do the actual testing.

In my experience it takes at least 3 months of no bug reports from my users before I do the switch -- but I can't do any testing without a CONDOM! So tired of the "Never deploy a new OS" as I am the guy who has to make it available to real users to achieve the testing in the first place. The argument of M$ being aggressive in data collection, etc. may be true, but once again without a CONDOM, who can test their machines in real world scenarios to counter this? It takes time and resource to do it, but without a CONDOM it's a moot issue.

Lastly, the issue people are having with Avast is AVAST itself, not our "schedule" to migrate to a new "FREE" OS. They are completely silent about the issue and yet as others have stated, they have time to peddle their new wares to us. I somehow think they fail to understand their REPUTATION is on the line and at the pace it is going, they will be deemed as a non viable software to use because of their own actions ( or lack of it ). Have you read other topics on this forum? How people are getting REALLY irritated by the tactics being used by Avast to peddle their software, but yet they seem completely oblivious to the fact people are getting pissed!

I guess I should just shut up now and just do what I know I need to do, regardless of the actions ( or lack of ) from Avast.

If you want to protect your test machine you have the option of installing the free unmanaged version of Avast, which, as people have reported, works with Win 10, while you run your tests. Those who operate in an entirely MS environment and thus have not experienced issues that are common with new OSes for people who use third-party software also have the option of using MS Security Essentials which, I understand, is available for Win 10. Finally, I think it is possible to roll back a Win 10 "upgrade" to the previous OS; I've seen instructions for this on the web.

I am not a huge fan of Avast and I have several issues with them, including the fact that the existing SOA is buggy in several respects with regard to managing Win XP and Win 7 machines. I also have major problems with Avast's approach to updating licenses for managed networks, which seems always to go wrong and require tech support to fix. I also object to Avast's frequent efforts to push problems with known bugs to resellers to deal with, since resellers cannot fix those bugs. And as an English-speaking person, I also have ongoing problems resulting from the fact that Avast is not developed by native-English speakers: The English labels and descriptions of features in Avast are sometimes simply not correct. I hasten to add that I have no prejudice against non-English speakers, but Avast does not acknowledge that this problem exists, nor does it have an effective strategy for addressing it. Finally, the documentation is extremely poor; it is almost always necessary to talk to support staff, or other experienced users, to find out how things are supposed to work and how they can be used to best advantage.

But I like Avast because, in its prime function of detecting and preventing malware infestations, I think it is the best while being the least intrusive for users in a corporate network setting. Unlike other products with greater name-recognition, it doesn't bog machines down and it is easy to uninstall when needed. I have also never seen it require a reboot from a user, unlike some other products.

[jfox]

As a k12 endpoint education user I was disappointed that Avast has not updated it. We built over 300 computers and really wanted to run windows 10 on them and had tested the beta versions many times and found it really very good. But I can't fault Avast. I know it takes time and they are providing it free to educational institutions.
I al  other ways Avast has been very good at protecting out computers and providing it free to k12 means infections can be stompped out and not spread to home and business machines nearly as easily.
So Thank you Avast.

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For anyone who came here looking for information rather than a fight. Avast says they will have it updated by the end of the month:

https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB231

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The Avast Endpoint Protection products are being updated for Windows 10 compatibility and should be available before the end of September 2016. We recommend that customers who require Avast Endpoint Security delay upgrading to Windows 10 until the compatible version of the product is available.

This is a direct quote (cut and paste) from https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB231

Looks like we have more than a year to wait!

Don't believe me use the above link and look to the bottom of the page. Below the subtitle "Can I use Avast Endpoint Security with Windows 10?"

Yikes!