Is Avast program update being pushed ?

[pr_av_on]

I'm noticing that on a couple of friends' computers (I occasionally service some of them) the avast computer program version has been updated to 2015 from older versions even though the program update was disabled in their settings. Did Avast push an automatc program update recently anyway, or was there perhaps a specifically crafted popup that might have triggered such an update even though the program update setting was disabled ?

I'm just asking to make sure since I've noticed it all of a suddenly in the past couple of days on a couple of computers -and it took me by surprise (might have happened in the last month or so, since that's usually the cycle I check these computers at).

Cheers 

[Alikhan]

Yes.

Avast have been pushing updates since old versions are not supported anymore.

[DavidR]

Yes.

Avast have been pushing updates since old versions are not supported anymore.

Not entirely correct - one of the major issues right now is that Microsoft is also pushing windows 10 to qualifying operating systems, win7 and win8.1.

For those using this OS before that happens it would be important that the version of avast being used is compatible with win10.

[Lisandro]

Besides all other reasons, also Avast old versions are being deprecated: https://blog.avast.com/2015/05/06/support-for-older-avast-windows-consumer-version-will-end/

[davexnet]

I've Windows 7 on an old Dell Dimension 4600.  It's barely supported by Windows 7, the hard drive
controller was never supported by Intel with Windows 7; Microsoft has a driver but it's extremely slow.

Even on this box, MS is pushing Windows 10.  Don't they have an intelligent process that can determine
whether the hardware is suitable or not? I've installed kb3050265 that has a registry setting that apparently
tells MS you're not interested in upgrading.

My  avast free got updated from 2218 > 2225.  Just with the two shields it's much heavier and the PC is dragging.
(its' a 2.8GHz Pentium 4) I've downgraded back to 2218.  If avast does it again, I'm going to rip it out and
run something else.

I don't understand why 2218 is being forcefully upgraded... Do the avast techs know something (bad) about it that they're
not telling us?

[mchain]

As the Dell Dimension 4600i is circa early Windows XP, it has 3 IDE drive ports and 1 SATA port for your drives.  I know because I had one of those machines.  Fortunately it died a few years back with a BIOS update corruption issue, and I don't have to deal with that any more.  It too, used a Pentium 4 2.8 single core processor, and did not have hyper-threading technology built-in.

You are already looking at obsolete and ancient technology which is slower by a factor of at least 2 using IDE ports over SATA and Microsoft wants you to run Windows 10 on it?  Not going to work well and nowhere near what one might expect due to old hardware and specifications.

You are fortunate it is still running.  This is a good candidate for running some version of Linux, such as Ubuntu to use what usable life is still left in the hardware, not Windows, let alone running the latest version of avast!.  Backwards compatibility can only go so far as far as Windows is concerned.

I'd get rid of the current windows 7 install and run Linux on it but ensure all personal files are removed and backed up before installing Linux on it so you can at least have access to all your old files on the Dell once you do that.  Linux is designed to run on older machines such as this one, and performance for what you need it for will be much better.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop  You want 32-bit as this is a 32-bit machine.
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/install-ubuntu-desktop
Linux Mint:  http://linuxmint.com/  Again, 32-bit as 64-bit will not run on your machine.  Pentium 4 on the Dell is 32-bit and cannot run 64-bit.  Try the Cinnamon version as it is best for the beginner.
http://lifehacker.com/5993297/ubuntu-vs-mint-which-linux-distro-is-better-for-beginners

[davexnet]

Thanks for the suggestion.  Perhaps the Linux will even support the HDD controller.  I believe XP does,
that's another thing I was considering.  I got it from a friend of a friend, apparently the owner 
got sick of it after deleting the Dell XP image and installing 7. 

It's the same machine you had - 2.8GHz, non-hyperthreaded. 
Another alternative is to buy a cheap SATA PCI controller card and see if Windows 7 is usable.
I already got a supported video card, Nvidia 7600 GS AGP.

This PC only used for the most basic things, kind if a hobby to be honest.
avast 2218 works great but 2225 slows it right down.