Hi Asyn the reply to your first question is answered above and reason given as to why

I do not have what you reference in settings , troubleshooting… ONLY “Load avast! services only after loading other services” It is similar and has been checked all along.

Hi Dave - whether it is or not (bad naming if it is …!) my definitions were not updated anywhere around the appearance of this thing in the task manager. An update occurred this morning at 4 am. If this thing avast.setup (which sounds like a configuration function - not a download or update function) is triggered by automatic def updates - it should VANISH (turn off!) after the updates are downloaded and installed. Automatic shut off as it automatically turns on.

This thing (avast.setup) has not shown up before … it is a GLITCH… There is nothing that would have caused this to launch and then once it did - I was not offered a way to shut it off. It may have something to do with automatic updates, but as you can see by my setting above, program updates are set to manual, only virus defs are automatic. I was not receiving any virus updates when I noticed this in the task manager.

There SHOULD BE a way to stop avast.setup (a NON essential and nuisance service) if it get’s triggered.

I will watch and see if it comes on after I get my notification of defs being updated. IF SO - and it doesn’t go off automatically and I can’t shut it off manually - I will turn my defs to manual. I didn’t want to do that because I am SO BUSY (doing 5 people’s job functions or more working for myself) that I don’t necessarily remember to check for updates manually.

Something named Avast.setup should not even be launching unless I am setting up or configuring a new install or upgrade. I know too these avast.setup issues have been reported for years - I’ve found posts since 2007 about this avast.setup running.

There needs to be addressing of why Avast! makes computer systems run slowly and drag. Why do shields (active components of Avast! protection) have to be disabled for things to work? (this was recommended again in this very thread) This is poor design. Perhaps like a firewall, there can be high, medium and low (or light) choice settings for the AV functionality? I don’t need the same type of or level of protection intensity as someone who games online and shares via P2P. I need protection browsing from malicious sites and basic AV protection of my system. I need protection from Google!! (ha ha … everyone needs protection from Google!)

Thanks again for your help.