Posted January 12, 2018
Now, I really don't mind ads in free software. I mean you openly state that in exchange of letting me use the product for free you get to show me ads - fair enough. Similarly if the free product has feature limitations.
Avast however is becoming a prime example of what a free product should not be like.
I was a happy Avast user since around 2005. Few years ago pop-ups started appearing "OMG! Your boot time is 15 secs. There are 836934 problems causing slow-downs. Buy Avast Pro to solve them". OK, this is slightly annoying. I don't mind ads but I hate those kind of scare-crap tactics. Still I decide to keep Avast...
Then, few months later Skype starts mysteriously opening up on start up. I check Skype's settings; make sure all autostarts are disabled. Check the registry.. nothing. It still happens. Then by chance the culprit is found: Avast's recent update has enabled an option to automatically scan and update all my installed software. I'm really pissed now, because I like updating my software myself, and I don't like Avast enabling this option without asking me first.
The final straw however was when I noticed that Avast started adding (again - without me enabling this option) a "scanned by Avast www.(avast's address).com" to all my outgoing emails. It took me time to find this option to disable it, but it seems Avast keeps enabling it from time to time when it updates. Now a program that tries to spread itself by attaching to a user's outgoing email without his knowledge is almost textbook definition of malware; something that Avast should be protecting me from.
And other bad practices of Avast include:
_ Silently deleting some files it thinks are malware, without any warning, despite having my settings set to "Ask me first". It's then makes it as difficult as possible to get to the Virus Chest to restore those files.
_ Auto-updating (program updates; not virus definitions), despite having options set to "ask me first". It often does ask me, but some updates are still made without my approval.
_ Attempting to install Google Chrome when auto-updating; you have to remember to opt out.
_ Installing, by default without asking me - not even an opt-out, features that I never wanted, like some idiotic browser addons.
So sadly, because I really loved it how it was initially, this means that after spending more than 10 years with it, Avast has to go.
I've decided to upgrade to a new antivirus, possibly a paid one. Avast Pro would have been an option if it wasn't for the crap they pulled.
So, I'm looking for recommendations. In particular I want:
_ Something lightweight: I don't want something that will affect performance worse than any malware could.
_ I just want virus protection: I don't need any crap that will "improve my PC's performance", "protect me when shopping online", "make sure my programs are up to date"... etc. I don't mind if that stuff is included, but it should be easy to disable. Specifically, nothing of this kind should be installed by default without my knowledge.
_ It should never remove anything silently. It should be easily to get to its quarantine area to restore items. It should be easy to create exclusions. I don't mind false positives; I know it can't be helped, but I don't want to spend ages looking for a way to restore a file that AV didn't like.
_ Simply, it should not treat users like idiots.
I'm thinking of getting Kaspersky. I've heard good things about it and it seems to be scoring well in "best AV rankings" lately (which I'm not sure how much to trust).
Does anyone have any experience with it? Any other suggestions?
Avast however is becoming a prime example of what a free product should not be like.
I was a happy Avast user since around 2005. Few years ago pop-ups started appearing "OMG! Your boot time is 15 secs. There are 836934 problems causing slow-downs. Buy Avast Pro to solve them". OK, this is slightly annoying. I don't mind ads but I hate those kind of scare-crap tactics. Still I decide to keep Avast...
Then, few months later Skype starts mysteriously opening up on start up. I check Skype's settings; make sure all autostarts are disabled. Check the registry.. nothing. It still happens. Then by chance the culprit is found: Avast's recent update has enabled an option to automatically scan and update all my installed software. I'm really pissed now, because I like updating my software myself, and I don't like Avast enabling this option without asking me first.
The final straw however was when I noticed that Avast started adding (again - without me enabling this option) a "scanned by Avast www.(avast's address).com" to all my outgoing emails. It took me time to find this option to disable it, but it seems Avast keeps enabling it from time to time when it updates. Now a program that tries to spread itself by attaching to a user's outgoing email without his knowledge is almost textbook definition of malware; something that Avast should be protecting me from.
And other bad practices of Avast include:
_ Silently deleting some files it thinks are malware, without any warning, despite having my settings set to "Ask me first". It's then makes it as difficult as possible to get to the Virus Chest to restore those files.
_ Auto-updating (program updates; not virus definitions), despite having options set to "ask me first". It often does ask me, but some updates are still made without my approval.
_ Attempting to install Google Chrome when auto-updating; you have to remember to opt out.
_ Installing, by default without asking me - not even an opt-out, features that I never wanted, like some idiotic browser addons.
So sadly, because I really loved it how it was initially, this means that after spending more than 10 years with it, Avast has to go.
I've decided to upgrade to a new antivirus, possibly a paid one. Avast Pro would have been an option if it wasn't for the crap they pulled.
So, I'm looking for recommendations. In particular I want:
_ Something lightweight: I don't want something that will affect performance worse than any malware could.
_ I just want virus protection: I don't need any crap that will "improve my PC's performance", "protect me when shopping online", "make sure my programs are up to date"... etc. I don't mind if that stuff is included, but it should be easy to disable. Specifically, nothing of this kind should be installed by default without my knowledge.
_ It should never remove anything silently. It should be easily to get to its quarantine area to restore items. It should be easy to create exclusions. I don't mind false positives; I know it can't be helped, but I don't want to spend ages looking for a way to restore a file that AV didn't like.
_ Simply, it should not treat users like idiots.
I'm thinking of getting Kaspersky. I've heard good things about it and it seems to be scoring well in "best AV rankings" lately (which I'm not sure how much to trust).
Does anyone have any experience with it? Any other suggestions?