Started my computer today and got a message that my free license was to expire soon so I decided to re-register, the program gave me some problems so I had to go through the process a few times before I finally got it to work. After it updated the software I found my connection to be broken so I restarted my computer only to get a message saying my hardware had significantly changed since I installed Windows (which wasn’t true) so I had to reactivate it. After Windows booted up my connection was still broken, I checked my network properties and found that the program had installed it’s own firewall and was trying to force me to use it, so I disabled it and got it working again and reactivated Windows (which I should not have had to do).
This should not have happened, for what reason should any of this have had to change anything on my computer to cause me so many problems?
What version did you used? I remember there were activation issues with some older versions but latest ones don’t have that problem anymore. Did you used the latest avast! installer version?
I don’t know about the “hardware” issue (which could be coincidence), but about avast, it “seems” you accidentally installed some trial edition of AIS, instead of re-registering the Free edition.
I would suggest uninstalling it (and maybe even running the specific removal utility for avast) and reinstalling the latest stable Free edition.
Avast is always kept up-to-date, and I did the registration for the free version, not any trial version. As for the hardware problem, it was caused by avast since none of it has changed since the day I installed Windows. There’s no possible way I’m going mess with removing and reinstalling avast if just trying to re-register the free version caused these kinds of problems.
The Free edition doesn’t include firewall, which you commented there was some attempt to install it. When you are about to re-register, you are also offer an opportunity to use the trial.
Under these circumstances, I just mentioned the possibility that, “something” went wrong in the registration and accidentally may have installed some part of the trial.
This is still a potential possibility, and I wasn’t excusing avast or accusing you of anything.
About avast changing your hardware, the only thing just remotely connected to such idea is the drivers installed by avast (which are of course no real hardware).
I don’t think you should now be worried about anything. I would call this more a glitch or alike.