After my computer got a start-up problem 2025-07-06 (6-th day of July month in 2025), I sent my computer (a desktop computer) to my brother for fixing the start-up problem, after replacing the bad-working motherboard with a new one, he replaced the hard disk and, two days ago (2025-08-10) he returned my computer, and today I’ve found that the copy Avast Free Antivirus was not in my computer anymore (while all softwares that do not depend on the hardware are still installed and work as usual), is it normal?
Did you ask if he uninstalled Avast? Because that is by far the most likely scenario.
You say the hard disk was replaced? If this is your only internal storage then your brother must have copied you installation of Windows + programs + data over. Then Avast should be present. Of you have more than one hard disk, maybe Avast was installed on the replaced drive, and your other programs on one that remained?
I don’t think Avast Free is tied to the hardware in any way. Not any more or less than other programs. But maybe it is and changing the motherboard messed things up. Reinstall Avast Free. Perhaps after running AvastClear first. Everything should start working again.
I don’t know how the data was moved to a new hard disk. I would’ve imaged everything and reactivated Windows if necessary. Maybe your brother reinstalled Windows and then somehow ported all programs over except Avast.
The hard disks are one for the operating system, and one for everything else, my brother said only that he replaced the latter because in his opinion it was slow.
P.S.: The orignal copy of Avast Free Antivirus was installed in the C unit, then at some time I’ve moved it to the D unit using a soft link because the C unit was too full, while the D unit was desert (later I’ve found that the cause of the fullness of the C unit was the Microsoft archive for feedbacks).
Right. So if you moved Avast to D, and that is the one your brother replaced, then it makes sense Avast is missing. Just reinstall Avast Free. If there are problems, run AvastClear first and then try again.
As I wrote above, the hard disk that does not contain the operating system contains everything else (the C and D units), thus the hard disk that he replaced is the one that contained both the C and D units, my inexpert thought was that Avast Free Antivirus might have a mechanism that when the hardware changes, it triggers an auto-uninstall function, while other hardware-checking softwares that where moved from the ridicolously small C unit to the huge D unit where just locked, and softwares that don’t check the hardware were not affected.
(for comparison in 10 years only 1 quarter of the D unit was filled, while before starting moving things with FolderMover.exe the C unit was at 90% in less than 2 months)
As my brother lives in another house, and I have not his virtual contacts, this morning I’ve requested to my mum to ask it to him, and she said that he was busy driving, while when I’ve asked during lunch time she said that at that time he at a sea was relaxing after the travel, so up to now I was unable to ask to him if he was the cause.
P.P.S.: while I was awaiting responses I’ve already re-installed Avast Free Antivirus and synchronised it with my e-mail user to import settings that where in the original copy.