Where the old setting remoted in the latest update? How do we switch between Hardened mode moderate or aggressive?
The old settings are history.
Another retrograde step with no easy access to settings.
It really is time for a complete revision of this UI with a view to simplicity and ease of use, it’s called Intuitive.
Hi Dave, don’t shoot the messenger… 
So is Hardened mode aggressive history too?
Can you explain to me where the old settings went?
I asked for it in the other part of the Forum too.
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=233940.msg1545765#msg1545765
But I would appreciate answers within the reach of a mere ordinary mortal!
If I have to understand that the old Settings are “history” in the sense that they are now part of the past, then I ask why as soon as the new version was installed I was able to access it for some settings and after only a few hours they disappeared?
It doesn’t seem to me that there have been any important updates to modify the user interface to such an extent!
I don’t care for the old settings really, what I care about is the Hardened mode and other few important settings that still aren’t present in the new UI. You shouldn’t have removed old settings without bringing the important stuff to the new UI first, that was very irresponsible.
Got to shoot someone, at least make a noise in the forlorn hope that someone at avast is listening/watching and pays some attention to this pitiful User Interface.
Even those with the secret handshake and or knowledge of the geek:area (we really shouldn’t have to keep mentioning it in the forums, people should know), that is pretty much a single level mess (scrolling forever) to find what you need.
The fact Aggressive option is now gone, the feature is ultimately useless now. Before, Hardened Mode Moderate meant avast! got trigger happy on almost any semi suspicious EXE and it was so bad it made it basically useless. Aggressive mode depended on massive whitelist and it was great. You could basically use everything and it just worked, rarely anything got blocked as far as legit apps go.
So, now you’re stuck with Moderate which is actually more aggressive, more annoying and more useless.
Exactly!
Maybe aggressive is now the only option mode, since no one likes moderate. Or maybe they forgot about it when they decided to remove the old settings? And will add it shortly to the new UI… If not, I’ll say goodbye to Avast, hardened mode aggressive is what makes Avast the best free antivirus.
Hi guys, Petr asked for feedback/suggestions a while ago.
→ https://forum.avast.com/index.php?msg=1537306
Sorry but the messenger is getting shot again 
Long before this plea, we had been saying leave it alone, or incorporate them in the geek:area (but make it a visible area/option not hidden by unknown search term. It’s a users system and they should be able to configure it as they require at their own risk, the configurability of Avast is one of the things that attracted me to Avast over 16 years ago.
I even suggested to put a warning about changing default settings could impact protection levels. Seems like that suggestion fell on deaf ears also.
I’m also sure when the old settings were removed first time round (before this temporary repreave, people asked for them to incorporated into the bloody geek:area, now people are finding things that were in the old setting which aren’t in the geek:area. The whole geek:area is a mess, a virtual single level scroll fest to try and find anything.
Ouch… ;D
I completely agree with everything you said.
There’s no point in avast asking for feedback from users if they don’t listen to them when they say things are good and changes are bad… especially for those who are using a paid version. :‘(
The basic UI is too light and the geek area menu is undrinkable.
In the past - as far as I’m concerned - avast has already accustomed us to some changes against users’ wishes, I’m thinking for example of the statistics as they were in the myavast account (not like now , useless), the display of the devices used, or in a more commercial area , the replacement of avast internet security by the much more expensive premium version…well , for that, it’s their policy and they certainly know it’s better for them,…, too bad. :-[
It’s just my point of view
I don’t mind the mess in geek:area, you can configure it once and then leave it. I just want the aggressive hardened mode back. There should be some notice from Avast by now explaining what’s happening, one important feature just disappeared and no one is saying anything about it.
So what happens to the file shield exclusions i had in the old settings? Are they still there or do i need to manually re add them in the new global exceptions setting?
Are they not in the regular Settings > General > Exceptions ?
That is where there are on my previous 20.2.5130.570 version (I have yet to update my program version). But I can’t see any reason why they would change that.
FWIW, my updated version of Avast free still shows Open old settings link in Menu>Settings>Troubleshooting at the bottom of the page. If I click the link, the “new” old settings menu(s) appear (takes a few seconds the first GUI session) and the Hardened Mode options show up like before on the General tab.
I used my personal update strategy of downloading the free offline installer and running it on top of the prior version. The installation was done while remaining online. I only use a custom subset of the available products and uncheck the Chrome install.
What I now see in Menu>About is Version: 20.3.2405 (build 20.3.5200.561), Virus definitions: 200508-0, UI version 1.0.512. Not sure if I ended up with a mangled or “non-expert” install, but I did at least verify the DigiCert signature on the download so it should be genuine.
The previous settings disappeared with the update of the user interface to version 1.0.512
In order to make some changes in the previous Settings I followed this procedure:
I reinstalled Avast with the offline installation file, downloaded as soon as the new version 20.3.2405 was released, by disabling the internet connection;
the old Settings were still present in the Settings-Troubleshooting menu and therefore I was able to access them by making the changes that interested me (at the end I also made a backup of the Settings);
I reactivated the internet and, as we wanted to demonstrate, with the update of the user interface from version 1.0.506 (it seems to me) to 1.0.512 the old Settings are gone.
It is clear that I can no longer access it, but what I needed I did.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that after importing the saved Settings, it can reactivate the changes made because the wrong policy was to abolish access to the previous Settings and, unfortunately, I believe that this will also be the case in subsequent versions of Avast.
Then after each release of a new version there are serious drawbacks, that the times of switching off and switching on the PC have doubled in the latest versions, etc. … it seems that it does not interest much.
They lived happily ever after having removed access to the previous Settings!!