AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0.138

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  4 stars

  Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0.138

  "
  AVG8 Some problems, better with tweaks"

  by zcarcharodon on July 7, 2008

  Pros: Decent virus scanner, and added Adware detection

  Cons: I've had AVG 8 for 2-3 weeks now. Everything seemed okay at first, it took up between 10,000-40,000k in memory, most of the time closer to 40,000k. But still, it seemed okay. However, when I opened multiple browser windows (4 to be exact) of a content/media heavy page (ie ufc.com), it started to lag and become unresponsive. When I right clicked the context menus were very slow, and usually I'd have to ALT+CTRL+DEL, End Task, on the browser (didn't matter if it was Firefox or IE).

  I figured out that the Resident Shield was bogging me down, so I disabled it. Now it runs at a loss less memory (less than 10,000k) and I can run multiple browser windows no problem. For the record my PC is a Pentium 4, 1.6 GHZ. For me, I'll take my chances with doing a full scan every so often (which you have to do anyways), rather than 24-hour Resident Shield, which is basically as bad as having a virus, the way it lags me up. To get rid of the "Resident Shield Disabled" warnings: Tools > Advanced Settings > Ignore Faulty Conditions > Uncheck Resident Shield.

  I've also used other tweaks, one that got rid of that nagging Drop Down Notification box. Below is a quote from a website (between the asterisks).

  ********

  To get rid of the "Dropdown Notification" simply change 2 files in the C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8 subfolder:

  Rename the file "avgresf.dll" to something like "avgresf.dll.disabled"

  Rename the file "avgmwdef_us.mht" to something like "avgmwdef_us.mht.disabled"

  ********

  Most guides suggest renaming "avgresf.dll", however I kept this one as is, and it still works by just renaming the "mht" file. I'd rather not mess with the DLL just in case. Do whatever works for you.

  Another tweak that got rid of the link scanner upon installation:

  ********

  avgfree8.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch

  ********

  I tried posting some AVG 8 tweak links, but CNET does not allow links, so do the following for the links:

  Google these strings and it should be the first result (NOTE: copy and paste everything to Google, the quote marks and + sign, that way Google searches exactly):

  1)

  "More Perspectives and Tips on AVG Free version 8" + "Grand Stream Dreams"

  2)

  "AVG 8 Free Better Than 7.5 After Tweaking" + "dslreports"

  3)

  "tweakguides forums" + "new AVG8.0 Antivirus Free Edition " + "avg 8.0"

  Thank you for submitting your feedback!

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• 2 replies to this review

• reply by: zcarcharodon on July 10, 2008

  Penny1951, here is the FAQ from AVG's site, when installation fails. Hope this helps:

  Google this string (just copy and paste the entire thing with quotes in Google's search box). It will bring you to the correct link on AVG's site, the FAQ section.

  "If you are installing AVG 8.0 Free Edition and the installation process fails, there are several steps you can take to install AVG Free successfully"

  Report this post

• reply by: Penny1951 on July 9, 2008

  Do you know why after D/Ling AVG(on Dial-Up) that it wouldn't install saying the file was corrupt? I have Vista Premium.

  Thanks for your help

  Report this post

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