Its not a question of support it is a question of re-registering. That is, or should be, just a simple administrative requirement, be it one of dubious necessity.
It seems it is being made uncertain by AVAST themselves to goad users to update older versions to the current bloated one.
My point is that AVAST say older free versions do not need to be re-registered and will continue to work after the ‘expiry’ date. Yay, everyone happy. Yet we have this thread here indicating that is not happening in some cases and as a result putting users security at risk. If that is some glitch in the re-registering system then AVAST should fix it.
Re-registering has got nothing to do with the program itself and should be a straightforward matter as it has been for as long as I’ve been using AVAST (8 years). You confirm you’re still using it and the definitions continue to be updated.
But its working software and there’s no problem with definitions being updated is there? That is the important thing and ‘all’ any AVAST version needs to work as it is supposed too. If its age meant those could not be updated then that would give validity to some of the comments.
Fact: AVAST have stated that older versions will still work after the re-registration expiry date. There’s no reason why they should not. However by making that automatic re-registration process as uncertain as possible and, apparently, in some cases temporarily disabling AVAST on ‘expiry’, it is being used as a coercive administrative device.
We all want to continue using AVAST or we would not be here; why do they care what version we’re using so much that they are willing to put put loyal, long time users systems at risk? Do not try to equate that with the risk of using older software either, this is an undisguised threat from an identifiable source: AVAST.
As it is on every boot up I’m getting AVAST prompting me to re-register even though the re-registration process does not function and is not required for any free version anyway. The automatic re-registration process for some older versions appears to be broken and, if so, AVAST should fix it ASAP.
Microsoft no longer supports XP - They aren’t supporting it. People are still using it. (At their own risk)
Avast no longer supports some of the older versions. People are still using those versions. (At their own risk)
Yes, the user accepts the risk but the one source of threat they should not be under is one of it being totally disabled by AVAST themselves and simply because they, apparently, can’t organise automatic re-registration properly.
From other threads here it is not just the ‘free’ versions who are having trouble with the registration process either.
Why at 30 days is there now even a countdown to the expiry date and the pop-ups when the re-registration is supposed not to be required ie. automatic?
BTW plenty of people are still using Windows XP because certain programs and hardware only work with it, particularly the latter where there are simply no working drivers available for current Windows OS. There are also many using it not as their primary OS but on VMs too for the same reasons.
Dev-Info: Hi guys, let me please answer some questions here. Outdated software is quite hard to maintain - in Avast, we still support Avast Antivirus product for XP despite the fact that only 5% of our costumers still use XP. Web servers (for updates, communication, …) must still support old methods which were used in this product many many years ago. We have still some users on Avast v8 and we cannot 100% guarantee they are safe for the latest threats, because Avast v8 doesn’t contain some new shields or technologies available on newer OSes.
I’m sorry but isn’t that still missing the point? The problem is not the program version itself it is the Byzantine re-registration process which you’re being prompted to use on every boot during the 30 day expiry countdown. When you try to use it that process does not actually work.
As others have also described when you click to re-register it puts up a message box saying: "“Retrieving information, please wait.” and then nothing happens. No information is retrieved, no form to re-register appears, it just stops.
If you try to get an offline registration key you’re sent to this page:-
This clearly states that older AVAST versions will work after they’ve ‘expired’. That is the only unequivocal AVAST statement I’ve found about this matter.
The problem is being reported that this does not happen and your system is left apparently unprotected for, in one case, 11 days before it started working again. I hope it is understood now why the people in this thread and I suspect many others are concerned.
Why, rather than a pop-up prompt to re-register, are we’re not getting one telling us that we now do not need to re-register the free versions? Seems like common sense to me.
BTW this is not an exclusive XP matter either, there are plenty of others using later Windows OS who want to continue using a particular older AVAST version for a variety of reasons too.
So 4 days remaining left on the countdown to wait to see what happens after my current registration expires.
Thanks AVAST for making this such an uncertain time and risk losing a long term user who has promoted your product in numerous forums and via personal recommendations for almost 8 years. It good to know how much that work on your behalf has been appreciated.
Yet nobody from AVAST has bothered to assuage my concerns and those of other users who’ve contributed to this thread. All you had to do was confirm that on expiry the older AVAST versions will still work as before and has been promised (see my last post).
I got an assurance from martinz in this thread that version 7 would auto reregister after 10 days of previous expiration. This did n’t happen and protection (shields) were disabled and updates unavailable.
I agree with cluster, information from Avast has been, well sketchy and unreliable, reflecting poorly on its products. The whole registration issue has been badly handled and prompted many long time users to walk away.
I’ve only used this product since 2003. It’s always been registered and has always protected my many systems.
I still think Avast should simply eliminate any sort of registration of any form in the free version.
One of the main motivations for this thread is that, for users of some older AVAST versions, the removal of the necessity and facilities to re-register every year has resulted in their system being left unprotected after the ‘expiry’ date. In other words the automatic re-registration or however the continuing activation actually works is reportedly broken for some people.
Its not as though free version users were told any of this officially. It sorted of seeped out via this forum.
You have to try to get an offline manual key first and then you get to that page which promises all will be well after the current expiry. If you just click to re-register, as you are being prompted to do at every boot for the last 30 days, you’d be none the wiser.
How difficult would it have been when you click to re-register to have it put up a message box explaining that even though you will be prompted, presumably because that is an embedded AVAST feature, re-registration of ‘free’ versions was now no longer required?
Talking to the people using your product, telling them what is happening, keeping them well informed is considered pretty much essential business practice in most industries isn’t it?
Of course, that wouldn’t solve the problems being discussed here when AVAST apparently stops working on expiry. It is inexplicable AVAST not responding to those reports in any helpful way or even seeming to understand the problem ie. it is the automatic re-activation system that may be broken, not the older AVAST versions.
I also tried with a space between the W and the rest of the code as, for some reason, when I copied and pasted it the space, if there is meant to be one, was not included. Still the same negative result
Literally just 10 minutes to go now before the current licence expires. What’s going to happen then?
So far…nothing.
I suspect the proof of the pudding will be on PC reboot but at least it appears I’m still protected during this session.
Of course, if everything goes OK and there’s no problem AVAST will be my favourite people again.
If my experience here helps alleviate others concerned about this matter then I’ll be even happier. But really this is the job AVAST should have been doing themselves - talking to their users, keeping them informed about what was going to happen on expiry, answering their, quite reasonable, questions and, of course, dealing with any problems.
