Like 80 million Windows users, I had AVG Ver 7 installed happily on my Windows XP PC. The software was free, functional and unobtrusive. From the end of this month this version will stop being updated, according to the software itself, and therefore an upgrade to Ver 8 is required.
My experience with Ver 8 to date has not been pleasant, and I can no longer recommend the AVG package as an anti-virus solution to my clients. The problems started after installation, when bringing up Windows Explorer ground to a halt, and a number of virus warning screens appeared. The software was taking over the machine with it’s checks, to the point of making it no longer function. The final straw occurred when I booted up Google search in Firefox – usually the fastest results on the Net, only to find that every result had a painfully slow anti-virus check being carried out alongside it – visibly destroying the display. This can be switched off in Tools->Add-ons, but the software didn’t even ask me if I wanted it included.
This release is a prime example of unnecessary feature-creep, and goes to show that you can make a mistake and lose your user base. I hope they correct the software, although it currently looks too bloated to make any modifications without a radical change in direction. Until this is fixed I am recommending the open source ClamWin Antivirus that seems quite limited in comparison but appears functional and doesn’t push itself onto you.
Sometimes the anti-virus industry appears to use scare tactics. The chances of clicking on a virus-laden link on Google are low if you take the common-sense approach of only clicking sensible looking links.
