A newer version of avast! Home Edition is available.
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15 out of 43 people found this review helpful
1 stars
Version: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
"This product completely paralysed my computer!"
Pros: What is there to like about this?! It wouldn't let me do any work; it wasn't user-friendly; it paralysed my system.
Cons: Everything. The gui was unintuitive, and not clear about what parameters I was able to set.
Summary: I really don't want this product back on my computer -- it doesn't work as advertised, and takes far too much processor time. A number of times, my computer was unresponsive to anything I wanted to do. I finally uninstalled, and now my computer works just fine again. What's wrong with this picture?
- 10 replies to this review
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"Processor time"? You don't even have a clue, do you? From what you say, one at least may conclude: this excellent program is not for totally inept users.
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I'm afraid you sound _very_ much like someone who does not have a lot of computer savvy!:-( Many people confuse familiarity with computer applications (Microsoft Office, Quicken, Acrobat, Photoshop, etc) with computer know how. This is a misconception, to which John W. Sherer, the "Video Professor", has largely contributed. Understanding how to use an application on a computer is _not_ the same as understanding how a computer does and should work!;)
From the overall sound of things, if avast! 4 Home was really causing your system to "seize" up, I would suggest you find a close friend or acquaintance who does understand how computers work and have them check out your system for you. Like others here have said, it sounds like you've got some problems much more serious than performance! You may have identity thieves, online resource thieves, mail abusers, and who knows what all crawling around on your system!
fwiw:
thx,
Dave S. -
If your system was paralyzed, you probably had more problems than you realized, which is not uncommon with Windows users. I've used the Yahoo!-supplied version of Norton AntiVirus and this stuff actually detected two trojans that Norton did not. In fact the trojans actually disabled Norton. Yes it may seem slow on the virus detection, but I'd rather have completeness over speed. Virus checking is protecting your computer from the 10's of millions of people on the internet that can DIRECTLY access your computer. If you're going to technological orgy of millions, at least put your digital condom on... especially if it's free. :) You can't complain about the time it takes....
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buy your self a decent comp and it might work better for you mine runs perfectly fine
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So Avast paralyzed your computer? How long have you used it? Take it from me I used Avast for almost a year and no problems. Just give it one more try. By the way, other programs might conflict with Avast. It has been found that Firefox pre-loader conflicts with Avast.
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Did you uninstall a previous antivirus software? It may have not been completely removed as needed.
Also, it is said that Zonelarm's Firewall conflicts badly with this software. That may be your real problem. -
u noob you can download new skins with an easier gui, just try the vista gui- the best!
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It may very well be a non-compatibility issue with other software. Basic Zone Alarm worked for a long time with AVAST but at one update from one or the other or both , they no longer functioned together. Zone Alarm has been described to me as a big bouncer at the door that is a far too aggressive and eventually there will be problems. Most people wait until their computer is "paralyzed" BEFORE introducing a Virus protection. AVAST does take time to work at the beginning so if your computer is working "just fine" now then I suspect AVAST probably cleaned up your virus issues before you hit the un-install button. Unfortunately you will probably never give AVAST another chance but not worrying about excessively monitoring or "setting parameters" is one of the features I enjoy. Cal me lazy. You realize how "intuitive" the program becomes by just letting it work. If it was taking up "processor time" noticeably then that might be an indication you really had some virus problems.
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When are people going to learn that "My Computer" is a non-entity? What is your OS? Are you sure you installed the program properly? "You were not clear about what parameters you were able to set"? Maybe you are not clear about antivirus apps at all and you shouldn't write about them. Buy a big do-all defence pack and don't worry anymore. Avast is not for beginners.
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It could be just your particular computer? I had the exact problem you describe here with Avast that I had with Zone Alarm Pro in 2001 when this computer was new! I had Zone Alarm pro with my first computer without any problems. But even now, 7 years later, this computer will only handle Zonne Alarm basic.
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