Author Topic: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006  (Read 3707 times)

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I've increasingly been annoyed at the way Avast has been changing the past few major updates.

There are false positives after false positives. I can handle false positives, Avast. No worries -- Just don't dele----- Oh, you deleted it. Well is it somehow recoverable? No? You deleted it in totality? Great... Thanks.

Just gone.

No warning. No "well I'm going to rename it maybe..." or, I don't know "I'm going to put it into that fancy 'chest' system I have built in..."

It's more like...

"Well, I don't know what a chest feature is anymore, I'm going to blast you away."

I can guess what some of you will be thinking at this point, "You can change that in the settings"

Fair enough... however, has anyone actually TRIED this lately?

When I attempt to go into the settings and change it's behavior, no matter what settings I physically change, Avast goes and reverts them to whatever they were before. This is across all computers.

Not to mention, the exclusion list barely functions as well. But hey, at least it knows how to save what changes are made to it, right?

It feels like, Avast thinks it knows best. So it just deletes files on a whim. Honestly, Deletion should NEVER be an option.

I love how Avast's logic goes for the "fix automatically" function. Basically it works like this -> Can I repair the file? -> No? -> Can I move it to the chest? -> No? -> Can I delete it? -> Well, yeah of course I can! I'll delete it!

I'm not sure what illogical joke this is, but that's not how file systems work. If you can delete an item, you are equally as able to do all other options BEFORE deleting it. Here's how this works: When a file is in use, you can't do anything to it, (unless it loads entirely into memory, but to that point, you would have full access to the file, as no handles are on the original file.). At the point of it still having a handle on the original file, you can't move, rename, or delete it. But somewhere along the lines, avast seems to do the exact actions it would take to resolve handles on a file, like close out the application using the files? then instead of, I don't know, a data safe option, it just deletes it.

Well Avast, I don't remember stating it's cool to delete data, but if I agreed to it in those EULAs that I didn't read... Then I'm not using you anymore.

Moving to the chest is equally as safe. But Avast feels like taking the extreme and removing data off your computer as a viable option. It also feels like Avast has forgotten what the chest feature is, as I don't think it's moved a file there for maybe... a year or more for me?

I've just had it. I've had Avast installed, but turned off for months now, and I haven't missed it. I've also reformatted some computers and didn't feel like installing it again.

Perhaps if these issues were to be resolved, I'll venture back and try it out.

Offline Asyn

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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2016, 05:42:00 PM »
To start with...

- Which Avast..? (Free/Pro/IS/Premier)
- Which version..?
- OS..? (32/64 Bit..? - which SP/Build..?)
- Other security related software installed..?
- Which AV(s) did you use before Avast..?
W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2016, 06:36:36 PM »
Free
Latest (Although it looks like it stopped updated after I disabled all services permanently, so last update was build 12.3.3154.19)
Windows 10
x64 (Anniversary)
No other software installed, Avast is the only security software I've needed.
That was a long time ago, believe it was Avira.


Offline Asyn

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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2016, 07:21:05 PM »
1. Download Avast Free Antivirus: https://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe
2. Follow instructions: https://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility (Run this tool for all prior installed Avast versions..!!)
3. Reinstall Avast with the downloaded installer from point 1.
4. Reboot.

Let us know if you problems persist after that.
W8.1 [x64] - Avast Free AV 23.3.8047.BC [UI.757] - Firefox ESR 102.9 [NS/uBO/PB] - Thunderbird 102.9.1
Avast-Tools: Secure Browser 109.0 - Cleanup 23.1 - SecureLine 5.18 - DriverUpdater 23.1 - CCleaner 6.01
Avast Wissenswertes (Downloads, Anleitungen & Infos): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=60523.0

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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2016, 09:53:37 PM »
The part when it can delete the file but somehow can't move it to quarantine is bizarre indeed. I've experienced it twice, but I have no clue what triggers that or why.

You can however adjust the settings to "No action" which means deny access, but leave file where it is. For on-access shields only though.
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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2016, 10:20:02 PM »
@Rejzor, this is what has driven me away from Avast. Every attempt I make at changing the settings, Avast will revert them.

@Asyn, I do thank you for your attempt at helping, however I am curious, wouldn't it be diagnostically relevant that this is happening across 5 computers that I have tested it on. Not to mention most of these computers are clean images/formats. Do you really think it's an installation issue?

But I digress. I'll give your method a shot and let you know.

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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2016, 10:32:37 PM »
Why not back up those changed settings and after an update simply restore your saved settings ???
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Re: Why I'm uninstalling Avast from all computers after using it since 2006
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2016, 11:35:44 PM »
I didn't even realize Avast is allegedly going downhill until I was reading about Windows Defender in the Anniversary update for Windows 10.  That ended up leading me to the Avast forums to find out I've been using a product that allegedly doesn't work, didn't work, never worked, pretends it's working... I'm not sure why people pay for 'full versions' of AV products, as I never have since the McAfee and Norton Bloat Wars many years ago.  Free Avast, MalwareBytes, Windows software and router hardware firewalls are all I do.  What's an infected computer look like?  I'm kidding, I see them all the time where I work, but seriously, I've personally never had an infected computer using the aforementioned products.

I have the same FREE version DatsiK96 has; build 12.3.3154.19, so I thought I'd best check my computer and see if maybe  I might have the non-committal Chest issue, too. I prefer the 'ASK' option, but I went ahead and changed it for all the shields, clicking OK on each one, closed the interface, re-opened the interface, checked the what to do setting and it's still set at Move to Chest on all of them.  But, knowing how Windows works, I decided maybe I should reboot... just in case that might trigger a setting reversion, as it does state further down the window, a restart may need to be performed to change that setting in the first place.  Rebooted, yadda yadda, checked settings... all are still set for Move to Chest.

So no, Avast didn't remove the option, at least not on this specific build.

What are the ads people are freaking out about? I think it's asked maybe twice a year, maybe less, maybe more, if I want to purchase an upgrade via a popup window. I don't really remember. Sure, it's plastered all over the main interface window, but it SHOULD be, that's what businesses do, SELL products! Anyway, certainly not often enough that I need to vent online about the upgrade advertising.