Webuser Forums: AVG 8

Odds are it's a conflict with other software, that's causing the problem. If you're running other security software (Spybot and Threatfire to name but two) it could well be throwing huge hissy fits about it. Expect to experience some or all of the the following, if there's a conflict, depending on the severity;

1. Vanishing desktop icons, toolbars and everything else, when your desktop boots up.

2. Normally reliable programs working slowly (if at all). In more severe cases, such programs will also include non-security software, for example, Revo Uninstaller.

3. Your browsers will refuse to work correctly. In severe cases you'll be totally unable to access the internet at all, no matter what the browser.

4. Your PC will run slower than a dead, superglued snail in a vat of molasses. This, is no exaggeration. Expect things that normally take seconds, to take minutes... if they work at all.

5. Total system lockup. To the point where, even trying to shut down programs using control-alt-delete fails. Nothing short of a hard reset (using the PC power button held for a few seconds) will shut you down.

6. Uninstalling AVG becomes a near impossibility. Normal uninstaller programs lock up halfway through, Revo refuses to work, and your system locks up, trying to uninstall AVG. Time to press the big shiny button again...

7. Upon uninstalling AVG (done by uninstalling just about every piece of security software that can conflict with it, very slowly and very painfully) you may also find the following:

A) Hundreds of leftover bits of files, registry entries, folders and so on. So much so, that manual removal of all files, folders and registry entries is necessary, using windows search and registry edit... weeks after uninstalling AVG 8, I was still pulling bits of it out of my registry.

B) The addons option for Firefox is locked solid. AVG files exist but cannot be removed, as uninstall addon doesn't work. New add-ons cannot be added. It took some serious poking around Mozilla's site, to figure out how to reverse the problem!

My suggestion? If your heart is set on using AVG 8, uninstall all your security software. Now, at this point, you'll think "I'll install it all back, one program at a time, until AVG locks up, then I can discard whichever program conflicted with AVG 8... right?"

Wrong. I did that too. AVG and all the programs worked perfectly. No conflicts whatsoever. Until the next time I booted up my PC. Then... system meltdown, and a four hour battle to remove AVG off my system... yes, four HOURS... so, be very, very careful about what programs you try to reinstall after installing AVG!

If on the other hand, you're not that bothered about AVG 8, just uninstall it, (if it lets you...

) and install Avast 4.8 instead. Works perfectly with Spybot, Threatfire... and is a darned good AV.

Or you could just stick with AVG 7.5 until the end of the year, and then decide what AV you want

Hope you found this helpful!

CYL - Tigerwolf