Is Avast beginning to annoy anyone else?

Shrimply

Impossible to win, if you don't like popups, and then don't like them switched off

Hardly impossible, they've had it right for years...

If it sits there quietly doing it's job in the background, why do you have to interact with it at all

The problem is it taking on jobs which it was never asked to do. And not allowing the user to choose, rather than just deciding.

You're moaning that it stopped you downloading something from a suspect website, to me, that's a useful feature, its a hey, do you really want to venture here.

No, it stopped me downloading something from a perfectly safe, but not often used website. That's totally different. And my complaint is it didn't say "hey, do you really want to venture here". It just stopped the download. I had to actually disable avast to get the file. My argument is it should of asked if I wanted to continue.

The scanned by avast thing is hardly a big deal, many products, especially in the corporate world, do similar things

Well I'm sorry, but I think it looks unprofessional. Particularly if your organisation then adds it's own as well. I don't want my phone to add "Sent from Shrimply's HTC device" and I don't want my anti-virus to add messages. However, you dress it up it's forcing advertising on your contacts.

There are plenty of other options out there, some suggested in this thread, and clearly I'm not alone in feeling that Avast is beginning to make its presence known a bit too much.

bsod

popups and sounds have been there for more than a decade.

as i said, corporate emails from multinationals and government do similar. sent from my ipad/htc/spectrum serves no purpose to the recipient, scanned for viruses is potentially re-assuring that the email is safe.

as you're not paying for it, and have no input into the design spec, you can't really moan about it doing things you don't want, just turn it off - a few seconds of clicking should get it to your liking.

all the settings are in one place, settings, general and active protection - reputation services, sounds, popups, alerts. browser plugins can be disabled in the browser

some of the options out there, and mentioned in this thread are inferior

GabbaGabbaHey

bsod wrote: »

scanned for viruses is potentially re-assuring that the email is safe.

No, actually, it isn't. All it does is provide a false sense of security to the technically illiterate.

It's a totally meaningless statement - any scammer sending out virus-laden emails can include "this message was scanned by <insert name of anti-virus tool>" within the message.

bsod

scammers can't spell, the fact that they can write words, doesn't increase the likelyhood of a virus ever reaching the user, and doesn't negate the meaning of those words in legitimate emails.

It isn't totally meaningless at all, if I'm expecting an email from hmrc, and one comes saying it has been scanned by symantec, It's reasonable to assume it has, and it indicates which security they have in place. That doesn't remove the need for local antivirus - if that's a different product, then there's an additional layer of reassurance. In a corporate environment, it provides reassurance that the virus scanning is enabled on the server.

The technically illiterate tend to stick with defender or some other bundled or pushed product.

SnowTiger

bsod wrote: »

scammers can't spell, the fact that they can write words, doesn't increase the likelyhood of a virus ever reaching the user.

It isn't totally meaningless at all, if I'm expecting an email from hmrc, and one comes saying it has been scanned by symantec, It's reasonable to assume it has, and it indicates which security they have in place. That doesn't remove the need for local antivirus - if that's a different product, then there's an additional layer of reassurance. In a corporate environment, it provides re-assurance that the virus scanning is enabled on the server.

The technically illiterate tend to stick with defender or some other bundled or pushed product.

Genuine? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

bsod

Not the point. If you deal with a person or organisation on a regular basis, those words at the bottom give you information about their security that you wouldn't otherwise know. The vast majority of emails that get through layers of security are genuine

pendragon_arther

I've used Avast for years but sometimes why it allows the occasional nasty to get through. Yesterday I decided to run a scan and it came up with one threat which I quarantined and was advised to run a boot time scan which I did. So, if it's so good how comes it lets a virus through?

BTW, I can't find the log folder. Everywhere says look in C/Program Data folder but I don't have one in Vista, only C/Programs.

SnowTiger

bsod wrote: »

Not the point. If you deal with a person or organisation on a regular basis, those words at the bottom give you information about their security that you wouldn't otherwise know.

It could mean their systems are infected with something that's creating or modifying emails and attaching those reassuring words of comfort.

bod1467

pendragon_arther wrote: »

BTW, I can't find the log folder. Everywhere says look in C/Program Data folder but I don't have one in Vista, only C/Programs.

Are you sure it's not just a hidden folder? Check Folder & Search Options in Explorer, the View tab and select Show hidden files, folders and drives.

FreddieFrugal

I have indeed noticed that Avast has recently started being very intrusive constantly showing pop-ups about 'speeding up your pc' etc. It's started sounding like a virus itself.

Since I'm having to do a clean install on my computer, I'll have a new look at which free anti-virus software is currently the best rated.

I've had Avast for several years now and been very happy with it, picked up on a rootkit that the version of McAfee I had had installed at the time couldn't spot, but it is now becoming a pain.