Well , I have introduced Avast to alot of my neighbors and relatives and got them a little familiar with the program as well , however , all those machines have been XP . As far as I’m aware , they’ve not endured any problems either.
My 98 machine was an oldie , low on ram , little biddie HD , and pretty much out-dated.
The safe way may be to move to the chest yet I felt pretty comfertable when I first ran it on my XP machine which was my first experience with any anti-virus utility at all . Since I’ve lived and learned , I do suggest using the chest for a new user . I’m not concerned with my old 98 machine , it sits in a closet.