Windows 7 Goodbye AVG!

I like the registry cleaner function in CCleaner because it has a very light touch.

It seldom finds much of anything to remove but after uninstalling software it always seems to find the left over references that the uninstaller didn't get.
So I run it as part of any uninstall I do.

Mike
 
Hah!!!

Back in the 70s I had a Fiat Mirafiori coupe.
It was a neat car, twin cam, Dual Weber Carbs but it was a Fiat and maintenance was a bear. The parts cost twice as much as the parts for my BMW.

At the time it was commonly agreed that Fiat stood for "Fix it again Tony".

Mike
 
Avira - Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh vera. another virus
AVG - Aint Very Good
Kaspersky -kasper- a ghost , cannot be seen, non existent, - Sky - so high up it cant be seen... Whts the point bein installed?!?!
Norton - what have i found , ( like a irish man , ) its found NOR-TUN,, i tell ya noy!, dis anti veerus has foynd nortun

Mcafee - short for , Macdonalds Cafe, cheap and chearful. not good for you,. fun while it lasted

MSE - The future !
 
I have been running MSE since I first installed Win 7 (RC version). I also believe it uses very few system resources. I have never been successfully attacked with MSE in place, but I also am proactive with my security. I always update apps and signatures (MSE updates sigs each day), and use a multi-layered approach with both a H/W and S/W firewall in place. I also use Sandboxie when I will be surfing to sites I am unfamiliar with, although the newer browsers are now including sandboxes by default. (Chrome does and I believe IE 10 will have it)

I am very pleased with MSE, and like you said FREE rolls off the tongue so nicely. MSE is very highly rated in comparison testing.

Note: It appears MS resurrected Windows Defender in Win 8, but actually uses MSE and just renamed it Windows Defender. It is installed by default on Win 8.
 
Mike,

Absolutely... I have often noticed a performance increase when switching client's machines from AVG to MSE. Same when switching from others to MSE.

I will repeat that I think it is terrific that MSE will be embedded in Windows * & on by default, no matter under what naming. People should have good security available out of the box (ie for free)... will greatly help save people from themselves.

Cheers,
Drew
 
AVG is crap, period. When I bought a wireless router from Newegg, they gave me a 1 PC, 1 year version of AVG Internet Security. After having it on my notebook for 1 week, it was time to go.

But it didn't let go easily. I uninstalled it with Revo Uninstaller, to get it all. But there were some stubborn leftovers that remained, causing BSOD's. After just a few days ago of trying to get rid of another AV, I made my decision fast, a clean install, the cure-all for 90+% of all computer problems (on the software end).

And it turned out perfectly. 2 installs of ESET Smart Security on my ThinkPad T42 (no BSOD's), 2 to go.

Next time Newegg offers me AVG with anything, I'll insert a note, telling them to give it to someone in need. I'd rather run Avast or MSE, and have MBAM Pro installed to cover it's tail any day over AVG.

Cat
 
Any time you uninstall AV it's a good idea to go the the maker's site and see if they have a uninstall/cleanup tool. I gave up on AVG years ago.
Joe
 
I have been running MSE since I first installed Win 7 (RC version). I also believe it uses very few system resources. I have never been successfully attacked with MSE in place, but I also am proactive with my security. I always update apps and signatures (MSE updates sigs each day), and use a multi-layered approach with both a H/W and S/W firewall in place. I also use Sandboxie when I will be surfing to sites I am unfamiliar with, although the newer browsers are now including sandboxes by default. (Chrome does and I believe IE 10 will have it)

I am very pleased with MSE, and like you said FREE rolls off the tongue so nicely. MSE is very highly rated in comparison testing.

Note: It appears MS resurrected Windows Defender in Win 8, but actually uses MSE and just renamed it Windows Defender. It is installed by default on Win 8.
I noticed that, too. Knew it was more than Windows Defender with a facelift.

It'll probably be fairly good security. Just grab a copy of MBAM Pro (I got another last week) from Newegg, with the discount code, it's usually around $13-$14, for a lifetime subscription. MBAM does work with Windows Developer Preview, I tried it out.

Forget AVG on Windows 8. Don't even think about it!

Cat
 
We did an affiliate link here with AVG for those who may have wanted to buy the full Internet security suite and access a "cheaper" product and "cheaper" brand. Neither myself, nor someone else I know on the team would ever recommend this software in a serious mission critical situation. It has problems, and even their affiliate team is non-responsive. (It is possible that they declined our commission agreement with them because of this thread, because we promoted independent lab results, other AVs, or because of this thread... but more likely, because they are inept, in my personal opinion). I have never recommended AVG to anyone. When it was being run as strictly freeware with the likes of AVAST, I would always have to give a professional opinion that Avast was better, based on the data. This was years ago. Independent lab test results don't lie. It's mediocre protection and an overwhelming amount of data from here and other BSOD diagnostic sites shows that it causes more blue screens than an 18-wheeler dumping blueberries on your monitor, if you want my honest opinion. The day that AV goes into a production environment that I'm in charge of is the day I give up on security. I would recommend Symantec products ahead of it, and that is saying a lot. It just does not compete in heuristics and in-the-wild detection. It seems to interact with systems in such a way that it creates significant enough problems that some users may be better off unplugging the router to double down on their investment.
 
Back in the day I would always promote Avast over AVG... even used Avast myself for a long time... BUT, now, in view of MSE all the others become a silly moot point. Speaking of tests, never mind the great real-world performance, there is a reason MSE keeps coming out on top. :)

Cheers,
Drew
 
MSE is good for intermediary anti-virus and anti-malware detection. Windows Defender Offline beta is something you really need to look at. A lot of resources are being pooled into this area for a final release during Windows 8. I will be demonstrating this software soon and exactly how it has the potential to save a lot of systems from total meltdown.
 
Thanks for that link, Drew. I'll have to take that software for a test spin.

It seems that since mid 2009, when MSE was in beta phase (I was running it on XP, & the user numbers were limited), Microsoft has been taking security more seriously. Although at first, it was developed not to compete with paid solutions, but for users who didn't run a AV to have a choice, it has indeed cut into the pockets of big name security providers. After Windows 7 was released, & I bought a new PC a month afterwards (the one I'm on now), and for a while, MSE was my main protection.

I run MSE in some of my VM's, in fact I participated in the testing phase for the recent version (4). Microsoft Connect sent me the the invitation. It's decent security, I most certainly would prefer it over most of the other free products, and a few of the paid ones also, including AVG, after my one week trial of their software.

Prior to then, I had Windows Defender, but at that time, it was slow, and like a firewall, nagged at everything I did. It didn't stay on my computer long. But the version that Windows Developer Preview has doesn't even resemble the old, it looks more like MSE with a facelift.

I don't have a problem with Windows shipping with security, as long as I have the right to disable it. Apparently, the big name security providers does, though. Many users cannot afford the prices of security software, and it's a learning curve with most brands also. MSE requires no learning curve, except to keep it updated & ran regularly.

At any rate, in keeping in line with the thread, once XP support is gone, and their users upgrades, the future of AVG is an uncertain one. It's well known that it's incompatible with Vista/Windows 7, there's many, many forum posts across the world to vouch for that (causes BSOD's). What I still cant understand is that AVG is still a top download (the #1 on many sites) of the free versions of AV software. Avast is a distant 2nd place.

Cat
 
Ok, well, I did the whole trip w/ Windows Defender Offline Beta. Keep in mind I (already) use MSE.

1. Since I was just doing this out of curiousity & to be informed, I chose Quick Scan, rather than wait through a Full Scan.
2. Even though I reckon my machine was/is clean, I wanted to see it this would say differently
3. It found nothing.
4. On the surface, I (can) see no difference between this and the appearance or actions of (my) MSE and its scanner.
5. It would seem (to me) it is for ppl who do not have MSE or Defender.

Now, Cat...

"But the version (of Defender) that Windows Developer Preview has doesn't even resemble the old, it looks more like MSE with a facelift."

Defender, prior to Windows 8 was stickly Anti-Malware. In Windows 8, Defender IS MSE or it's MSE but, now named Defender

"MSE requires no learning curve, except to keep it updated & ran regularly."

The 1st part is true but, even, moreso, to the extent that it is fully automated... it keeps itself updated & runs by itself. By default MSE is protecting constantly... it's scan, by default, runs a Quick Scan (Automatically) weekly @ 3 AM. This can be changed run Daily and the scan changed to Full.

In Win8 Defender offers real-time protection, against all types of threats. Definitions are updated automatically. The scan runs Daily, by default @ 3AM... the time (hour of the day) it runs is selectable.

And, actually, Gates has been trying/wanting to offer FREE security out-of-the-box for a long time. And, yes, the obstacle was pay-for-them things like Norton, et al. But, started w/ Defender, then there was OneCare & PC Safety Scanner. But, the aim, from the onset, was what we now see in Windows 8... embedded, free, full package security. As an IT Pro & MS Partner I recall years ago @ conferences it being discussed that this was the goal, asap. Also, that it be unobstusive & automated, demanding little from End Users & system resources. Back then we learned it started w/ Defender which, was not designed by MS. It was from another company called Giant Company Software Inc. MS liked the product, Giant Anti-Spyware so much they just simply bought Giant in December of 2004. Initially it was called Microsoft Anti-Spyware & later was rebranded as Windows Defender. Things evolved into MSE. Now, in Win8, MSE has the label of Defender & Gates has done what he had wanted, in the 1st place, long ago... GOOD, FREE security, embedded & on by default.

Drew
 
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