HI I would like to ask a question about avast free and its ability to detect and block viruses or malware in general. I would like to now if avast free’s detection of internet threats is just average in detecting and blocking internet threats to make sure they do not get on to my new desktop computer. This has recently got me thinking about how well avast free is doing in terms of protecting my desktop computer from getting a virus in the past. I also wanted to ask the avast forum this question because on the avast forum recently their is a topic on the avast forum discussing the overall detection of avast free in general and also how disorganized the avast company is recently. So I was just curious in thinking of some opinions on this topic and whether I should look into other antivirus products or stay with avast free. But I must say that I have over the years got the odd virus on my desktop computer and I do now other people who have switched to other antivirus programs simply because avast free did not do its job and block the virus from getting on to their computer in the first place.
no antivirus software (either paid or free) is 100% perfect at detecting viruses & spyware. and new threats are released into the wild everyday.
you just have to use your own judgement in selecting the best antivirus software for your computer.
I also wanted to ask the avast forum this question because on the avast forum recently their is a topic on the avast forum discussing the overall detection of avast free in general and also how disorganized the avast company is recently. So I was just curious in thinking of some opinions on this topic and whether I should look into other antivirus products or stay with avast free.As you say there is already a topic about this, where these opinions are debated so no need to start a new topic
If you go to sites like https://www.av-test.org and http://www.av-comparatives.org you can see how Avast ranks in comparison to others like Bitdefender and Avira.
So one virus gets through and you jump ship.Typical customer loyalty at its finest i dont think.
I am afraid that if that is your mentality about antivirus software then you may as well not bother with any at all as none of them are 100% perfect and users sadly expect them to be and if they do not fit their expectations then they jump ship.
I could suggest other av software to you but i feel it would be a waste of time as you seem to expect av vendors to perform miracles and produce a bulletproof solution.
No av can protect a wreckless user. 
I have been using Avast now since 4.6 and my total infections so far are zero… I do go to some dodgy sites as well when I am doing investigations. So in my experience it works
Snap, I haven’t had a single infection since installing avast free in March/April 2004. I too investigate some sites in the course of helping on the forums (this is on this live system, not a test bed system).
So I look at my own personal experience when making any decision on what AV I use.
Generally I don’t follow comparative sites, etc. or you end up following trends rather than personal experience.
Well the reason I first started using avast free back in 2005 was after trying a compeitors beta program and going to a bunch of dodgy websites, ended up with a very bad boot sector virus, while Avast did it’s best cleaning it at the time, unforuately wasn’t able to clean all of it. Ended up losing Motherboard, original PC hard drive, and had to get a new CPU Processor at the time.
Ever since then been using Avast Free Steady just about, briefly tried Microsofts product again in 2009, then eventually came back to Avast
Now I practice better safety, no more dodgy sites, no more beta antivirus from other companies lol, secondary scanning from Malwarebytes or online scan once in a while, Overall though it’s personal preference which antivirus stay with on your computer, basically what you feel comfortable with using in layman terms
I have been and still I am a loyal customer to avast. I have been using Avast since the first release of version 7 and the final verdict is that not one single malware came into my laptop.
+1
I have been using Avast ever since it looked like a portable radio. In conjunction with my safe surfing habits up to a certain extend, never got infected. Never change a winning team they say.
ive been with avast for a while now and the only negative thing i can say is that it has too much bloatware to it and the fact that it keeps trying to install things like the safeprice addon for web browsers which pesters me every now and again as it tries to quietly install itself under my nose, dispite me disabling it in the options.
hI I would just like to say that I am really sorry I made anybody upset I just wanted some help and advice that was all I really wanted to some advice. I am sorry I made any one up set.
I am really sorry
thanks for the advice.
Been with avast for many years,cant thank them enough for offering a great free product,no virus problems at all.
Apart from occasional slow done internet browsing with online security in Firefox.
And no pestering pop ups for weeks to upgrade,looks like they are listening to the customers…
Hey Diddy, no need to apologize. 'Tis normal to think the grass is greener on the other side even when it is not.
Best thing to say here is that Avast has, over the years, since version 4.8, protected my (several systems) successfully, and can’t report an infection anywhere. But the best protection is often oneself, tho.
You can hardly criticize the competitor product for infecting your machine if you were using the beta version.Its not exactly a fair critique.
Ratings are always nice and everyone likes a winner.
For me, it’s always been about having a clean computer and actually being able to use my computer.
Avast has done that for me since I ditched Norton back in 2003.
I have a computer I can actually use and my computer is clean. I don’t need anything else. 
Yes I know my infection back then was my own fault, I grown up since then, and learned a lot over the years, than I knew back then
To be quite honest, even Symantec has gone a long way since 2003 and has proven as very capable competitor in the recent years.
Even if that’s the case, the price still isn’t right.