Bad move Grisoft

General Topics
1

http://www.majorgeeks.com/AVG_AntiVirus_Free_Edition_d886.html

Please note that while we still gladly offer AVG for download, recently AVG Free Edition has been breaking peoples computers, including both of the editors at Majorgeeks. We had a lot of difficulty removing and repairing our machines and we like to think we know what we are doing. After 10+ years we had to find a new anti-virus. Their new model seems to be a poorer quality free edition with an attempt to upsell to the paid versions. This is something we can not stand by and watch without warning you. We have had numerous emails as well from people who needed their computer fixed after a botched installation of AVG Free Edition. Other companies continue to offer free protection and we suggest you try those instead. I am currently using Panda Cloud anti-virus but Avast and Avira offer good, free protection. You might consider one of these alternatives. You’ll thank us later.

We hope AVG makes a comeback in the free protection arena, an area we feel they had dominated all of these years.

2

AVG False Positive against Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware 1.50.1

An AVG database update this morning (December 24, 2010) incorrectly detects two DLL files (mbamcore.dll and mbamnet.dll) in Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware 1.50.1 as trojans. This is a false positive. AVG has acknowledged this false positive, and has promised us that it will be corrected within an hour.

We are sorry for our users who are affected by this. It has happened before in the past, and AVG had assured us it would not happen again.

We are also aware that this incident has negatively affected our rating on CNET Download.com and other portals. We would appreciate if a few of our users would set the record straight.

http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=71130

3

thnx for the info :slight_smile:

4

I’ve used AVG some months before avast, long time ago.
It was poorer than avast on configurability. avast has improved a lot its detection rate since then.
The AVG forum continues to be a junk.
I have no trust on Grisoft.
The model of making the free worse and worse to force the paid version is a continue bad movement from them. The update process of the free version used to be very very bad.

5

Well, thanks for your info, as well…!! :slight_smile:
asyn

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The model of making the free worse and worse to force the paid version is a continue bad movement from them. The update process of the free version used to be very very bad.
It does make it easier for me to convince people to use avast!5 Free when I do the avast Security Seminars. :) The fact that their current paid version is a system hog, doesn't hurt either. ;D
7

Does anyone have any evidence that shows that the related issues have only happened to the users of their free AV, showing this as “an attempt to upsell to the paid versions”?

Thanks

P.S: Is avast! also free of such issues? I’ve seen problems being mentioned… and some people get BSODs, etc… So, what to say about it?

Also, the issues with AVG only occurred to people using Windows 64-bit. I guess it was just “an attempt to upsell to the paid versions”, but only 64-bit version?

I’m not here as an AVG defender… or whatever I might be seen as… these issues should not happen with any vendor!.. but such comments are ridiculous, in my opinion, when problems exist with every security vendor, without one single exception.

8

the funny thing, when I posted it at AVG’s forums. All they cared about was correcting my post (Grisoft to AVG Technologies), are they kidding me?

9

that tell us what there priority is…and explains why this happend

10

Could you please post the link here…!?? Thanks…!
asyn

11

Most people that have gotten BSOD’S with the stable 5.0.667 version of avast have mostly been because of not thoroughly cleaning out previously use av’s properly or some other configuration issue, i would say that the greater majority have no issue’s with avast whatsoever.
The only thing i found surprising was that the editor’s at majorgeek’s were using such a crappy av in the first place.

12

Well, whether it’s crappy or not, it’s an opinion you’re entitled to have… but why should that same opinion apply to everyone else? I believe others are from the opinion avast! is crap as well… Is it a valid, generalized, opinion? No. :slight_smile:

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Crappy does seem to be the generalised opinion of avg though and that is putting it nicely ;D

14

I was personally referring to:

  1. The update process that was always degraded to free users (limited servers).
  2. Limitation of automatic updates a day.
  3. No translated interface to the free version. Although this is not security related.
  4. Shields that were free passed to the paid version.
    Need more?

No, not a software is perfect. What we are referring is security related between free and paid.
Of course, neither AVG nor avast want bugs in the free version.

15

And let’s not forget this little problem in the first part of Dec.

AVG Update Cripples Users’ Windows 7, Vista Computers

http://www.dailytech.com/AVG+Update+Cripples+Users+Windows+7+Vista+Computers/article20310.htm

Like Tech, I tried AVG years ago, Their product was bad and their forums were worse.

AND according to this, It was Malwarebytes, Quicktime, YouTube Downloader and Chrome that were being detected.

http://forums.avg.com/ww-en/avg-free-forum?sec=thread&act=show&id=139985

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http://forums.avg.com/ww-en/avg-free-forum?sec=thread&act=show&id=140093

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  1. So, people who simply want something for free, are expecting to have the same features that people who actually pay for the better version? Makes any sense? No, it doesn’t. Those who pay should/must be provided with better features. Those who don’t pay… live with what you pay for, which is nothing.

  2. Same as 1.)

  3. What do you mean?

  4. Maybe I am not understanding you. What shields, that once belonged to the free version, passed to the paid version? Isn’t it the opposite situation? AVG made LinkScanner Free. AVG made Identity Protection free. AVG now added Anti-rootkit protection to the free version; along side with Identity Protection.

The only difference between the free and paid versions are the web shield.

So, which shields/components are you exactly talking about?

18

I am glad you do not run Avast!, then. ::slight_smile:

19

Neither AVG. ;D

Which gives me “advantage” of seeing what things are: problems exist for every security vendor. And, it also allows me not to criticize lack of features, when these features are part of a product, for free.

It also allows me say it wouldn’t be fair for others who use AVG, to start saying AVAST is selling two products (the paid antivirus and the internet security package) that has a component called “Behavior Shield”, which with version 5.0 did nothing at all. And, which version 5.1, won’t do much than that either.
It’s part of the free avast! AV as well, but it also part of the paid products, and those who pay for avast!, are paying for a product that says it has XYZ component to protect them against ABC threat, which does nothing, at all.

Now, how fair would this be? See, examples can be found everywhere.

Or, would it be fair to point this: http://www.avast.com/comparison-chart ?

It seems avast! free version has slower updates… so, why criticize how AVG provides the free version updates? It makes no sense.

The paid version has a sandbox… free version doesn’t. So, why talking about the difference between AVG’s free and paid products? Makes no sense.

It makes sense for the paid products to provide more features to those willing to pay for the product, being avast!, AVG, etc. It is what is suppose to be like. Or, should paid users have the same features as those who don’t pay for it?

Heck, if you folks are avast! users and your friends/relatives too, then help make it a better product. Bashing one other product (which seems to be what is happening) won’t make avast! be any better.

I have relatives with avast!, which is why I’m registered here… and if I see fit to provide some suggestion others haven’t yet… or to enhance one… or post some issue one of them may be having, then I will… gladly.

What benefits would come out of such type of thread to avast! users? None. :slight_smile:

20

Be your points valid or not, you have chosen a poor venue to express them. ::slight_smile:

Tech refers I believe to a habit of software vendors of releasing a feature rich free version, then taking things away from it, and moving them to pay versions after a customer base is established.

Something Avast! does not do.