Windows 7 ending-changing to Avast questions please..

[loungehake]

I am assessing 0patch Pro to enable the prolonging of the usefulness of Windows 7.  The idea of code micropatching seems sound and it will cost about £20 per device per year.  I have been running 0patch Free without issues.

I would expect that Avast will continue to provide support for Windows 7 for at least as long as Windows 8.1 is maintained by Microsoft which ends support in April 2023.

I am sticking with Windows 7 because of Microsoft 'telemetry'.  0patch is a good deal.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

MSE does not come pre-installed with Win7, at least not the Pro 64bit edition.

I've done an install and reinstall of that version fairly recently and I had to download the MSE installer from MS.

Interesting information about how to uninstall it properly ^^ and that ^ post too. Thanks.   

[robuk]

Thanks everyone.

Cluster-Lizard2014 Support for Windows 7 ends on Jan 14th. We had an email about it a last August.

 https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/windows-7-end-of-life-support-information?ocid=ema_rmc_win_FY20_07_Win7EOS1_Hero-noncta

Conflicting advice from different people. Some say leave MSE in some say take it out. I will have to see in the next few days whether of not its easy to uninstall or requires other methods as suggested by Bob.
I will let you know..

PS My MSE came with my W7 Professional legal copy in about 2010.

[robuk]

Update. I have just done a live chat with Microsoft (again). They say the MSE should stop working after I have installed Avast. MSE continues to work but will not receive updates any more.
I will let you know..

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

Maybe you had an email about Win7 EOL but as I opted out of the MS 'Customer Experience' telemetry gathering options I did not.

However I've been, like most Win7 users should have been, aware of the EOL date for years.

It is what, exactly, is and is not going to work after that date, in particular MSE that is of concern.

When they pulled MSE support for MSE on WinXP I was using it on a VM (Virtual Machine) the only purpose MSE is ideally suited too. It has a small footprint, won't conflict with the parent PC's AV or other security software and does a good enough protection job for if you just limit your browser/online use to the minimum. Perfect for WinXP on a VM after its EOL.

Unfortunately they did not recognise this continued usefulness so when, without warning, MS killed MSE with WinXP an alternative had to be found. I've not been happy with either of the solutions I've tried (AVAST and another lesser known AV) as both significantly slows down the VM (it uses a paltry max 1GB of dedicated RAM), particularly on boot. Both 'solutions' also added a far bigger footprint too which, when you're using a relatively small SDD, adds to the problems.

TBH I do not want to go through that again with Win7.  But we might not get any choice if MS decide to be 'unhelpful'.       

[robuk]

 Update
I have completed the removal of Microsoft Security Essentials and installed Free Avast. It took about 20 minutes including the First Avast Scan.
Despite what Microsoft Live Chat telling me to leave MSE in place and Avast simply being able to turn it off and install itself. I was guided by the information on the Avast website to remove all other security apps before installing Avast.
So far no problems.

I have installed the Free Chrome/Avast Browser(I usually use Opera/Firefox), does anyone think the Avast version offers any additional benefits over Firefox or Original Chrome?

Thanks for your help.

[bob3160]

Avast Secure Browserhttps://youtu.be/hDOGrDExWqs

[robuk]

bob3160 Thanks, I will check that out.

[Asyn]

I have installed the Free Chrome/Avast Browser(I usually use Opera/Firefox), does anyone think the Avast version offers any additional benefits over Firefox or Original Chrome?

-> https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Secure-Browser-FAQ

[robuk]

 :)Asyn Thank you.

[Asyn]

You're welcome.

[robuk]

Hello again all,

So after 2 days of installing Avast (after removing MSE) I have noticed that general web browsing and in fact other operations have slowed considerably whilst having Avast installed. Is this normal? and is there anything within the Avast functions I can alter to make it better.

It is very noticeable in fact, as I am lucky enough to enjoy a very fast internet connection. I would say browsing is now half as fast as before. Perhaps that's because Avast is more active in the background than MSE was? any thoughts?

Shouldn't grumble too much though it is free protection after all.

Thanks

PS Sorry if the font/size is not as before,the function options keep changing after I post.

[Asyn]

Hi Rob, see: https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Troubleshoot-Antivirus-Web-Shield/

[robuk]

Asyn Thanks for that link very helpful.
As far as I can see(I have no knowledge of these things) the main point is this paragraph :"Untick the box next to Enable HTTPS scanning to disable the setting. When enabled, the HTTPS scan protects your system against the malware delivered over HTTPS connections. When disabled, File Shield still scans all downloaded content before running any files."
Will disabling HTTPS scanning:
1. Reduce security by a large degree
2. Improve speed by much?
I should add that I would estimate the slowing down of my browsing experience is about 10-15% or so. I can live with it for max protection.

[Asyn]

I should add that I would estimate the slowing down of my browsing experience is about 10-15% or so. I can live with it for max protection.

OK, not that much (for older hardware), I'd suggest to stay on default settings.