this morning when turning my computer on I got a warning pop-up screen from my Avast 4.8 saying I am using an illegal key…or at least I think I’m not
I read the Support FAQ on Avast! support and since I did buy mine online I suspect I might have gotten a pirated key. Now I am pending between sending Support a ticket with my valid(?) license or just upgrading to version 6 (unless I am mistaken, the Avast! offer is 75% off to upgrade to version 6? or we just “validate” the existing 4.8 without any upgrade to 6? ).
Problem is I heard friends who had issues with their Avast!6 (BSODs and random computer crashes). Hence my dilemma, I’ve been fairly happy with 4.8 and I wouldn’t want any computer crashes or lags/freezes…
Advice and opinions are welcomed, please
Thank you in advance.
99% of people are having no issues with the 6 versions, you only notice problems when you read the forum because this is where the come when they are troubled but out of a 160 million odd users what you see here is small in comparison.
You are better to update to version 6.0.1289 for better protection and it uses less resources as well, you would need to contact avast to get your license key upgraded to suite the new version also.
Another thing i would recomend is doing a clean install of the new version to eliminate any problems but before doing that i would also suggest upgrading your system to SP3.
Here is the avast uninstall tool which you will need to run from safe mode http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear.exe download the tool and save then reboot into safe mode and run the tool the reboot back ito normal mode and install your new copy of avast, you should only then have to click on the license key file that avast would converted have emailed to you.
Please be aware that you should probably save a backup of your license key.
In addition, Avast support should be able to correctly answer about your specific case, whether you are able to upgrade with your same license, or would you need a new key (and whether you’d need to pay for a new key or your current licensed period also supports the new version without additional payment).
Now, if you get to use the removal tool from Safe Mode, please select the correct folder and the correct version of the uninstaller / removal tool. Carefully reading and following all the correct procedures might help you avoid those little problems you mentioned other users are having.
If you’re concerned about blue screens, I don’t think you have to be afraid of upgrading to v6.0.
Based on the MS WinQual data, the latest version (6.0.1289) is really very stable and isn’t really causing any BSOD problems at all…
