Hi, I normally really like and prefer Avast! free edition as my anti virus software. But the latest 2012 Version 7 edition was causing such a huge slow down on my PC that I eventually had to uninstall it and switch back to AVG free. The problem was such that Windows 7 Pro x64 reported the slow down. Any and all programs would either be very slow to load, or not load at all. Especially if it was a big program, like a game. Something that definitely should not happen when running and 8 core CPU with 16Gb of ram and the system installed onto an SSD. When the Avast! crew fix the problem, I'll gladly change back to it. Till then, I'll have to stick with AVG as my preferred anti virus.
Note: The system slow down had nothing to do with running scans and all settings within the program were left as default. It is, or was, a problem noticed when the computer was on idle and the tray icon sitting static. It's really a huge bummer for me, because I really like the sandbox and ability to report false positives that are usually picked up with some of the no-cd patches I use for games.
If anyone else has experienced the same problem, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks in advance.