I have a recently acquired laptop running MS Windows 7 64-bit SP1 and have just installed my Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 32-bit edition, which has updated itself successfully.
There does not seem to be a problem, but does the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 32-bit edition conflict with the 64-bit OS?
I noticed that the system restore points prior to the installation of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 32-bit have disappeared.
Is this related to avast ?
Unless somone here know, i suggest Microsoft forum
I am happy with Avast and you are right. I apologise. I just thought it was such a commonplace question it would not take up much valuable time to reply.
BTW, I do my bit - I do recommend Avast to all and sundry, and they take my advice 
The vast majority of 32bit programmes run quite happily on a 64bit system
You cant run a 64 bit program on a 32 bit computer.
The reverse however works quite well.
Thanks for troubling to reply to my off-topic question. It certainly seems to work seamlessly.
I bought a used Think Pad about 2 years old for a song here in Germany from a computer workshop and reseller after I had asked them for any reputable laptop with Windows 7 on it (my favourite after the old XP). They installed W7 themselves I think, and superimposed a malfunctioning German keyboard superimposed on what had been a Russian one which provided a few funny quirks to get used to, mainly to do with the letter “Q” 
Still It functions like new and was a give-away price. Hope it’s not bugged by banking fraudsters. I had to install an AV - so of course it was AVAST again.
I see on another thread that your colleague DavidR no longer recommends Malwarebytes as a backup scanner to Avast. What do you suggest? I dumped SAS as it only seemed to catch cookies.
BOB - You cant run a 64 bit program on a 32 bit computer.
The reverse however works quite well.
Thanks - yes, this certainly seems to be the case - see my reply to @Essexboy