I have been using Avast 4.8 free for a little over a year now. My license expires in about two weeks and I’m getting a notification to install version 5.0 (free). Is there a way to renew my license and still continue to use 4.8?
If you can find another key that is compatible with Avast 4.8
I still Avast 4.8(free) and its license with expire February next year.
Why wouldn’t you want to install version 5?
Although nothing has been decided so far, I doubt Avast 4.8 will be supported until then :-\
Greetz, Red.
True, the support ends in 2010…!
So, if your OS is compatible with version 5.x, better update sooner or later…
asyn
For all users who want to stick to 4.8 until support ends, this link might help…
(Be aware, I’m not sure if this still works, but you can try…! Feedback appreciated…!)
https://secure.avast.com/web/eng/home-registration.php
asyn
How much RAM does 5.0 use compared to 4.8? That’s a huge issue for me until I have time to fix my desktop computer. The one I’m using for now (a laptop) is seriously lacking in RAM and it can’t be upgraded.
Does 5.0 have the custom installation option like 4.8 does? If I remember correctly, 4.8 allowed you to install the protection you needed. I think there was the standard shield, the web shield, the p2p shield, and email shields. I only installed the standard shield because I have no use for the others. Can I still do that in 5.0?
No, but you can turn parts off, I’d also keep the web shield because thats one of the most important shields.
No, but you can turn parts off, I'd also keep the web shield because thats one of the most important shields.
Completely wrong!Avast 5 have custom install.For example,i’ve choose not to install The Mail Shield.And it’s not advisable to turn off parts or shields of Avast after install.(only if you have to,and only temporarily).
For the good reason that it doesn’t work. 5.0 instantly disabled Windows Live Messenger in April when I first installed it on my laptop. I cleaned it out and reinstalled 4.8. Since then the laptop had to be clean-installed when the hard drive went.
My 4.8 license just expired. I ran ASWCLEAR5 for good measure to make sure it was gone then installed 5.0 again in trial mode. Once again Windows Live Messenger no longer will start. No error message. Just a brief flash of a window then it exits. The instant I uninstall 5.0, Messenger starts working again.
I still use v4.8 on my backup machine, which is Windows 98. Avast 5 don’t work on 98… It was originally suggested that definitions for 4.8 would end mid 2010, ie about now, but there has been no recent update. My current registration expires in October so we will see what the situation is then, I will probably just uninstall since the machine is very rarely used on line.
Avast 5 working fine on my main XP machine.
bapriebe, which firewall and other security programs do you use?
davews, the support seems to finish by the end of the year (2010).
I only recently upgraded from 4.8 to 5.045. I actually felt that the system was quite noticeably faster now. Anybody can post a link to what changes avast have done in v5?
Yes, in my system the startup from pressing the power button until all disc access stoped(hdd led stop blinking) was aroud of 4 min, now with 5.0 go to 2min 50 seconds, around 1 minute faster.
AVAST Professional 4.x has been the only security product I used on that laptop for the last 3 years. Windows Firewall is disabled. It runs WINXP Pro SP3.
[b]I’ve been using AVAST 4.8 Free version ever since its release and have been mighty happy with it. I was using the Malwarebytes Anti-malware program with it and the combination has proved really effective in keeping my PC safe.
Unfortunately my PC crashed due to a h/w issue and I re-did the OS from scratch (using a licenced Windows XP with SP2 (fully updated with all the latest security updates)) - I’ve now installed the latest release of Avast 5.0.545.
I’ve been reading up on whether ver 5.0 can be used in combination with Malwarebytes Anti-malware and sadly so 
there appear to be problems in using the two together!! Can you please suggest which program (free ones) can I use in combination with Avast 5.0 that I have on my system please? Any help is greatly appreciated!! The other options I can think of are Spybot S&D and Lavasoft’s Ad-aware - but I have no clue if it would be advisable to use them.
I was originally planning on using the Microsoft’s Security Essentials as I have a licensed copy of windows along with Avast - but I read in many forums that it’s not advisable to use them together
Any views/suggestions most welcome folks![/b]
HyperGeek,
you probably should have started your own thread, as to not confuse the OP and the people helping.
Malwarebytes both the free version and the paid version works perfectly fine with avast5, as many here use either/or with rarely a problem.
I wouldnt recommend Spybot or Ad-aware.
another good on demand(free version) or resident(paid) is SAS(superantispyware)
http://www.superantispyware.com/
and no its not good to use 2 AV’s at the same time, unless you turn resident off on one, but its best to just stay away from 2 at once.
Sats
@Hypergeek
There is no problems with Avast!/Mbam, apart from that “mbamswissarmy” detection that I have seen.
And thats a rare one, with only a couple posts here.
Its happened before recently, so it might happen again. But the side effects seem minimal, if it detects,
worst that can happen is you delete it, which you should never do first anyway, then you might have to re-install Mbam, a simple thing.
I have not seen any OS crashes or bluescreens from it posted, things you get from 2 AV’s, if that is the type of conflict you fear.
I have never seen the mbamswissarmy FP myself, nor had any other Mbam/Avast! conflict.
I see your running XP sp2? You might want to upgrade to SP3 before anything else, no AV/anti-mal can protect you from an OS thats not up-to-date.
Hi Sats,
Sorry I’m new to these forums and hence didn’t know that I have to start a new thread, was searching for something relevant and hence thought I’d post here - will keep in mind next time, for now I’m just replying to this one (hope that’s alright) 
Firstly, thanks a ton for responding so fast!! Much appreciated.
Just wanted to make sure I understood this right, at the moment, I have Avast 5.0.545 Free version installed and registered. The latest version of Malwarebytes Anti-malware Free program available is 1.46 - are you saying that I can go ahead and install the same?
Also, please correct me if I’m incorrect here, from what I understand, MBAM Free 1.46 does not have the resident module and has only on-demand scan option? I think the real-time/resident protection is only available in the paid version. So, I guess I should be okay to install it?
Thanks in advance for your help
Yes to all questions, you are correct.
Mbam pro comes with auto-updates, in addition to real-time protect.
Some here also use Mbam Pro+Avast!, no problems, though I’ve never tried myself.