Author Topic: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..  (Read 6606 times)

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Offline robuk

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Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« on: December 30, 2019, 08:48:00 AM »
Hello,
I am a new member. As you know Windows 7 support ends in a few weeks. I am going to install the free Avast security version. My question is do I just install it and let it run, or do I need to uninstall any portion of my W7 security software for best performance?
Thanks in advance.

Incidentally my father has been using free Avast on his Windows Vista PC for the past two years,Avast has protected him(as far as we know) despite his horrendous online security behaviour.

Regards
Rob 
   

Offline Asyn

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2019, 10:55:58 AM »
Be sure to get rid of all remnants of any prior installed AV(s)..!!
-> https://support.avast.com/article/11/
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2019, 11:06:06 AM »
Some posts related to this already in the forums (may be hard to find).

Considering that Avast continued to support XP and Vista long after official support by MS ended, Avast program support continued until the end of 2018 (version 18.8....) and Virus Definition updates are still supported.

Though as far as I can recall there hasn't been any official word on support for win7 support by Avast, I believe it will be some time after MS ceases support.  Plus virus definitions support is likely to continue beyond that.

As an Avast user I can't speak for Avast.
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Offline robuk

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2019, 11:07:12 AM »
Asyn Thank you for advice.

Offline Asyn

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2019, 11:25:38 AM »
You're welcome.
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

Offline bob3160

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2019, 12:54:43 AM »
How to Successfully Install Avast -> http://goo.gl/VLXde
Free Security Seminar: https://bit.ly/bobg2023  -  Important: http://www.organdonor.gov/ -- My Web Site: http://bob3160.strikingly.com/ - Win 11 Pro v22H2 64bit, 16 Gig Ram, 1TB SSD, Avast Free 23.5.6066, How to Successfully Install Avast http://goo.gl/VLXdeRepair & Clean Install https://goo.gl/t7aJGq -- My Online Activity https://bit.ly/BobGInternet

Offline robuk

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2019, 08:49:56 AM »
bob3160 Thank you.

Offline bob3160

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2019, 02:09:35 PM »
bob3160 Thank you.
My pleasure. Happy New Year. :)
Free Security Seminar: https://bit.ly/bobg2023  -  Important: http://www.organdonor.gov/ -- My Web Site: http://bob3160.strikingly.com/ - Win 11 Pro v22H2 64bit, 16 Gig Ram, 1TB SSD, Avast Free 23.5.6066, How to Successfully Install Avast http://goo.gl/VLXdeRepair & Clean Install https://goo.gl/t7aJGq -- My Online Activity https://bit.ly/BobGInternet

Offline juansann85

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2020, 10:32:05 AM »
Hello,
I have Win xp and Avast installed on it and it works perfect. The problem is that you are not going to get Windows updates, but the virus protection will be continue working while the software can be installed.
I'm not worried about it because I haven't had any problems. The biggest problem of having an obsolete windows is that there are programs that do not offer compatible versions, but for now Avast does.

Offline robuk

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2020, 07:48:14 AM »
juansann85 Thank you.

 I am going to remove Microsoft Security Essentials using the add/remove function on my Windows 7 then install free avast. The reason I came on this forum was because originally I did a live chat with a Microsoft agent and they said I could just leave the MSE on and it would just cease to function, with Avast working over the top.
Having coming on this forum I know realise the best way to do it is to remove MSE first then install Avast, so they don't compete. However I am unsure as to whether MSE once stopped and if  left installed would continue to work or not?
In any case I am going to remove it next week and install Avast.
Thanks everyone.

Offline rocksteady

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2020, 10:18:00 AM »
@robuk,
You have no need to remove Microsoft security via Add/Remove. When installed, Avast will take over as primary AV service and override the Microsoft AV. Thats the way its supposed to work.  If you for some reason you have to remove Avast, then Microsoft security will return to service to fill the gap. That way you will always have some protection.

Offline robuk

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2020, 02:14:07 PM »
rocksteady Thank you for your advice. I will try that, I can always remove MSE later if there is a clash.

Offline Cluster-Lizard2014

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2020, 03:13:03 PM »
There is an important thing to mention here and that is if the OP is using MSE now there is no guarantee of how long that itself is going to be supported for use on Win7 PCs.

MS have been been providing contradictory information about this but their initial response was that Win7 + MSE was not going to be supported beyond Win7's EOL (End Of Life) date. Apparently they've since either changed their mind, been persuaded otherwise or that initial information was completely wrong, apparently. In short: everything is still very uncertain.

But from what happened with WinXP there are going to be no guarantees. MSE, or at least older versions, could be installed and accepted daily AV definitions updates automatically for several years after its EOL.

But at some point, mid-2016 I think, the MSE automatic AV definition updates stopped working. It would try to download them, stall at about 66%, retry and then simply stop and report MSE was not up to date. There was no warning from MS about this beforehand and no information provided by them as to why this was happening. That is typical of MS.

It was soon discovered that you could still manually update the definitions by going to MS downloads and getting the latest installer there. But mid-2018 that stopped working too. Again no MS warning or information provided.

However, a clever guy on another forum worked out a solution and provided an installer tool which worked for about 6 months until MS pulled the plug completely and made the definition updates incompatible with the older versions of MSE running on WinXP machines.

So how long MSE is still going to work with Win7 nobody knows at this point. You can be pretty certain MS are going to end support for it completely in the end and MSE users like the OP are not going to be able to return to it even if they do not get on with AVAST or whatever alternative they've tried.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2020, 02:18:01 AM by Cluster-Lizard2014 »

Offline DavidR

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Re: Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2020, 05:32:53 PM »
My personal take on this is (likely differ from others):

I have an old win7 netbook, that I no longer use and I'm not sure how it was initially configured. 

I also installed Avast immediately after I received it.  So I can't recall if it ever had any MS AV installed and the OPs comment:
Quote from: robuk
I am going to remove Microsoft Security Essentials using the add/remove function on my Windows 7 then install free avast.

This leads me to believe that MSE didn't come pre-installed as part of the win7 OS,  or like Win10 you can't uninstall the Windows Defender AV.  If this is the case that MSE was installed by 'robuk' then I would recommend that he does uninstall it from the control panel.
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Offline bob3160

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