Is there a trial version?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I downloaded Avast Internet Security hoping to try the product out. The product cannot seem to get to the internet to activate the trial, so I called support. Support told me there is no trial version of Internet Security. He was arguing with me that there is no trail version, and wanted me to prove it to him. I am very confused, and that’s not good support. The website says trial, the install says trial and the product says trial. Is there a trial version or not? I really wanted to see how it works.

What about the page I’m reading says no trial version? Ok I’m a little mad, but lying to me on the phone is stupid.

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2

There isn’t specifically a trial version download the regular version and you have 30 days unrestricted use (a trial period). So whilst using this product without having purchased and entered the license file you would be using the trial period, so it will display that it is under trial until you do that.

From the link you gave and the text you posted it is clear you have a ‘trial period’ but not specifically a trial version. Whilst the wording on the page is also confusing as it mentions both a trial period and a trial download

So there is likely to have been some misunderstanding involved here as opposed to someone specifically lying to you.

3

As DavidR says, the retail product downloads function as a 30-day trial if not activated with a license key. If your internet connection itself is blocked after installing avast!, that is another issue.

4

Nearly all AV/Security suites have trial periods. Very few software products (of any kind) on the market today actually have a specific trial edition that has to be uninstalled and replaced with a fully functioning licensed edition. I get that.

The original issue was that I called to try to activate the trial period. Support told me first that there was no such thing and that I had to buy a license. Then I subsequently referred to it as a trial edition. My bad, it’s the same thing in my mind but I’ve been around the software industry for 25 years. Parsing my words and arguing with me doesn’t answer my question, solve my problem or sell me the product.

I downloaded and installed a product. It says that it cannot connect to the internet to activate the trial period. That’s the problem I started with, and what I described initially to support. He wanted me to uninstall and install the free version. When in doubt, just say “if you are referring to the trial period, then yes it is good for 30 days”. “Prove it” is not going to win me over.

At this point, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Probably not calling support. I do have one outstanding question. Does the product function fully during the trial period, including virus definition updates? My installations would not activate or update. That’s all I wanted to know.

Thanks

5

Phone support is provided by iYogi, not avast. What does it say when you click Activate Trial? You can try submitting a ticket at www.support.avast.com

6

Yes the product should be fully functional during trial period, have you fully removed all previous av’s and firewalls with there correct uninstaller’s so there is no corruption between programs before installing avast?

7

I submitted a ticket, but did not hear back. The error is the generic I can’t get to the internet, make sure your proxy settings are correct. I set both it and IE to not use a proxy (from auto detect), nothing. I did some searching, and there was an issue before with having to “install” the license file for the trial period, so I tried that too. Nope. Then I looked in the license file, and it says “500 Internal Server Error.” I figured that was because it couldn’t connect to populate the file. I even checked the outbound FW policies for Win 7 in the outside chance… nada.

My wife suggested I uninstall our web filter K9 (bluecoat) which did not help either. The issue is the same on two separate computers, one Win 7 32 bit, one Vista 32 bit. This is the only AV software installed on this PC. Norton 2010 was previously installed, but I removed successfully. I did not run a forced cleaner/uninstaller, but did clean my registry afterward.

8

If you had norton installed on both i would suggest running the uninstaller which you will find here http://uninstallers.blogspot.com/ You also might find that a fresh install of avast would be preferable if you have had some norton bits left in your systems as this could corrupt the avast install, you also should not have to place any registation or keys into avast untill your trial period is used up.

9

superdaddy is right, I reinstalled my Windows today, because I had some problems with a customization pack and it kind of deleted some of my system files (i didn’t had a restore point) so I reinstalled my OS, after that I tried to install Avast IS 5.0.677 and get a trial license till I can buy a license (I can only in 3 weeks). The antivirus installed itself but didn’t acquire a Trial License… neither when it installed itself and neither after the installation was completed!

I used to like Avast :expressionless: and I quit using Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 (with license) just for this one, but now I think I made a mistake… if this won’t be fixed anytime soon I’ll get back on Kaspersky and I assure you, Avast won’t get a nice review from this… I recommended this antivirus to all my friends and the persons I know… was that a mistake? we will see that.

10

Misaki2010, please start your own thread so as to recieve better help with your problems.

11

One more point, there is no trial license it is a trial av that will run until the trial period is used up, if you want to keep the program then you buy a key.

12

craigb - the thing is that this is the first time that happens to me, or to any of my friends. I recommended about 2 days ago this antivirus to a friend and he had the same problem, now me… anyway I’ll wait for Avast 5.1 and then see what it’s like, the trial isn’t important beucase I really want to buy a license for this antivirus, it consumes much less than Kaspersky and it seems much better. The thing I love the most at Avast is the sandbox, I couldn’t “live” without it.

13

Of course you are having a problem because you are trying to register avast internet security without having bought a key first, obviously it works because you say how much you like it so then purchase a key from avast that they will send to you and then place your key into avast to keep the AIS version.

14

craigb - yes, well that’s the think, I wanted to use the trial 'till November 25 or 26, because only than I can purchase my license (I’m short of money at the moment). I still have it installed but without a license in it, so it says that I can’t update 'till I activate the trial license or buy a retail license. I tried to activate the trial one but it says that the proxy isn’t configured correctly or I don’t have a internet connection… I didn’t had this problem before :frowning: anyway, can’t wait for 5.1 + retail license.

15

Look, I really have no idea what is going on, but you don’t have to activate any trial period. That is a given no action required other than to install and the 30 day trial period starts, at least that has been the way it has been for the time I have been on the forums over six and a half years.

Whilst on your auto update check it may mote that you are using the trial period, but I simply haven’t seen what it is you have described.

One problem though if at any point during that period you uninstall, it is considered you have terminated/ended the trial. If you subsequently install it, the period is lowered to 6 days as an anti piracy measure to prevent the reinstall every 30 days, etc.

If you can’t update and that mentions a proxy problem:
Try this, from the avastUI, Settings, Updates, Proxy Settings and set it to Direct Connection (no proxy) see image.

Do you have to use a proxy to connect to the internet ?
If you do then you would have to set the proxy settings manually in here also.

16

I reinstalled the suite to make print screens to show you the problem with more details. Here is the install error:

The debug info is here → I made a copy in a .txt file → http://www.sendspace.com/file/shjv9u → and here are the installed software errors!

P.S.: I tried those proxy settings (and I don’t use any proxy by default on my system) this has never happened to me… I connect to internet by a username and a password…

17

Please, upload (attach) the avast log: C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5\Setup\setup.log
(or the shorter C:\Users\All Users\Alwil Software\Avast5\log\Setup.log).

If the file is too big for the forum, post the last 400-500 lines of it.

18

here is the C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5\Setup\setup.log - I deleted some of the text from the beginning because it was to big to upload.

19

Thanks Misaki for posting the pictures. This is the exact same issue I had on 2 separate computers that I attempted to describe. I appreciate you putting it in pictures so everyone can see.

DavidR, I appreciate what you are saying. Yes, I can run the program without activating and without virus updates. But, that leaves me unprotected from zero day threats. That’s the point. And if that’s how the trial period works, you should really set expectations differently in the product and on the website. If you state something will behave a certain way and it doesn’t, this confuses and frustrates customers. Or, just state the obvious and say that the current product has a bug when trying to activate the trial period, tell people you are working on it and then everyone will understand. If you Google, the same thing happened a year or two ago.

And as for the comments about expiring trial periods… I am not trying to run the full product for more than 30 days, trying to get it for free. I installed it for the first time on 11/6/2010. Up to then, I had been running another vendor’s product for a couple of years. I do not expect or want a free key. I started this thread because the iYogi folks were very rude and unhelpful, and because I never got a response from the support case I submitted. Just wanted to try the product. At this point though, there are too many choices and my time too precious. Time to move on, last post.

20 
22:51:56 min/gen  Return code: 0x2000001A [The license for this product is invalid or has expired].

2000000A error means there is another instance of updater running. It seems that the previous instance hanged. Check the log (avast4\setup\setup.log). 2000001A error means the license key is invalid or expired. Please: a) Check your system date and time. b) The Registration key is valid for 14 months. Has this period expired? Register again (for free).

Click on Maintenance, than Registration for online registering.

  1. Open Avast.
  2. Click on “Maintenance” then “Registration”.
  3. Fill out the form for your license key and click “Submit”.

Inserting the license key into: avast! Free Antivirus, avast! Pro Antivirus and avast! Internet Security.