Disabling avast! - temporarily

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi,

I just received a new program I want to install. The instructions says I NEED/MUST disable any Anti-Virus program before installing their software.

How to I temporarily ‘disable’ avast! v4.7 Home?

Thanks - james

2

What program is it? I would suggest, at least in my experience, that the following is enough:

Right click on the taskbar icon for Avast and choose ‘Stop On Access Protection’. This will temporarily disable all Avast ‘resident providers’. You can restart them by doing the same thing in reverse, or they will start automatically after rebooting.

3

Hi Jem,

It’s a QuickVerse Bible program. I’ve used avast! for several years and have installed countless programs - all without disabling avast.

It’s was the explicit instructions QuickVerse included that prompted my query as to how to temporarily disable avast!.

I will do as you suggested - left click on ‘Stop On-Access Protection.’

I’m thinking this would probably be a good idea when installing any new software?

Thanks - james

4

No, it’s not a good idea - for ANY software. That’s the best way to install a malicous program in the end.
I’m not saying that QuickVerse is such a case, but the instruction is ridiculous; don’t see any reason to do so.

5

igor, are you saying that installing large software programs {such as WordPerfect or Excel} without disabling avast! is perfectly normal - and safe? James

6

Don’t follow these instructions. People think that antivirus will mess their installation and to ‘avoid any trouble’ suggest that. There is no need, for sure, to do it in any case.

For sure not… this is asked by infected program to get installed in your computer.

7

Yes, it’s safe and normal.

8

I installed the complete MS Office Professional package a couple of months ago without turning off avast. No problems encountered.

9

Thanks Tech and alanrf,

I’m convinced! Avast! stays ‘on full alert.’

james

10

Me too, a lot of times…

11

This I would say is the time when you most want your AV running, when you are installing software. When someone says you should, I would want to know exactly what it is that they are doing and exactly why it would require an AV to be disabled.

It's was the explicit instructions QuickVerse included that prompted my query as to how to temporarily disable avast!.
So did these explicit instructions say exactly why, I bet they did not.

But then again I’m a trusting sod (NOT).

12

DavidR,

No, only an enclosed card with a bright red octagon STOP sign bearing the words: “Temporarily disable any Anti-Virus and/or Spyware programs until the program has been successfully installed.”

No rationale was given.

james

13

I though not.

There seems to be a hang over from days of old when you were advised to close all open windows/applications, etc. before installing new software, I really can’t understand why they would suggest it nowadays though.

14

The only time I disable AV is when I’m installing drivers from a ‘known source’. I’ve always believed this to be good practice, just in case the AV prevents changes at a ‘core’ operating system level. NVidia, Logitech, and AlcoholSoft all advise disabling AV while installing their drivers. Any other apps - I don’t disable AV. If this is actually unnecessary with Avast (or any AV) I’m happy to be educated by someone who knows better.

15

First you need to understand that avast doesn’t block, it is looking for malware by signature and the only time there would be any blocking was if it found something and all hell would break loose with the visual and audible alert.

Some AVs that have heuristics might find that type of activity suspicious and so may block, but they too I would guess should also through up an alert and not simply block.

Now avast5 whilst it doesn’t have ‘heuristics by name’ as there is a sort of hard and fast definition for what heuristics is, it will however have something closer to HIPS so that may get in on the act in something like the activity you mention. However, again I would suspect that you will get the audible and visual alert and not simply be blocked. If that were the case then you could choose to pause the protection if you are happy at what is being done is legit for the task you set out to do.

I have also installed nvida graphics drivers without pausing avast.

16

avast does not prevent any change, it just block infected files to run, change files, etc.
A good antivirus shouldn’t mess with any installation (if what is being installed does not conflict with the antivirus).