Windows 8 & Avast Problems - Latest Version Stability?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Like other’s here, I have paid the price of being an early adopter of Windows 8 and an Avast Fan. Since upgrading to Windows 8 (fresh install) I was having issues bringing up my router’s (ASUS RT-N56U) admin panel and found it was something to do with problem between Windows 8 and the Network Shield. It seems many others are having issues. Maybe this thread can be the unofficial Windows 8 stability thread to track as future versions come out, if they solve any of the problems?

But I’d like to make a few points that some may find informative. (Correct me if I’m wrong on any of this.)

I read that Windows 8 is the first version of Windows with Anti-Virus built-in, but they are still calling it Windows Defender. Windows Defender use to just be anti-spyware prior to Windows 8. Now Windows Defender is actually what Microsoft is has called their own anti-virus “Microsoft Security Essentials” MSE for short. So as of Windows 8, Windows Defender is basically the same thing as MSE now. Typical Microsoft making things confusing for us all.

After uninstalling Avast, I read a few posts in a some reputable forums (can’t remember where), that said MSE wasn’t bad. So I figured, what the heck, to insure maximum compatibility, I will just, for the first time ever, go with the built-in anti-virus (now being called anti-malware because it is both anti-virus and anti-spyware.) So far, no issues. But I feel I probably didn’t do my home work good enough because today, I was just curious and did a search “microsoft security essentials” and limited the Google search to past month and find all these articles with titles like:

“Microsoft Security Essentials Loses AV Certification” or “Microsoft Security Essentials Fails AV-Test, Loses Certification …” These have appeared within the last week. And I went to the AV-Test site to verify they did test the 4.1 version of MSE. So for me, it’s bye bye MSE, and hello ??? AVG ??? Avira? Maybe the real question is, is Windows 8 Defender really any different than MSE?

Well, not Avira. Because you’ll find last check, Avira wasn’t considered compatible with Windows 8. Check this article “Windows 8 Compatibility Plagues Antivirus Tools - Security -”

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=avira%20av-test&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.informationweek.com%2Fsecurity%2Fantivirus%2Fwindows-8-compatibility-plagues-antiviru%2F240142231&ei=0RnGUOmiIq7riQLXnoGwCg&usg=AFQjCNEaBFRGc3GKzPwc3p9eucWGG15IDw

Now here’s where things get interesting, the AV-Test list of Windows 8 compatible anti-virus programs INCLUDES AVAST as of version 7.0.1473. The version release on 10-23-2012!

http://www.avtest.org/en/tests/home-user/windows-8/

Yet if you look at the Avast release history, you’ll see the latest release (as of this post) is 7.0.1474 and it includes at least one Windows 8 related fix. So bottom line, I wouldn’t trust AV-Test’s compatibility list!

Avast version history: http://www.avast.com/release-history

So I’m on the fence as to go back to Avast and see how 1474 does or just switch to something else.

And as a final note, there are a lot of complaints about lack of support regarding the Windows 8 issues. I can fully understand the impatience and frustration we feel when we waste hours trying to trouble shoot problems like this. But I would sincerely hope that 90% or more of the people complaining about support are using the Pro version and not the free version. If you didn’t pay anything for the software, it really seems unfair to complain about lack of support. Just do like I did and move on to a different product.

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Free or paid everyone receives the same level of help here and 90% of the help is coming from free users :wink:

3

In fact, we DO care a lot of the free version users.
All of us started to use the free version at the past.
A lot of “old” users keep the free version until now.
The support does not separate the free and paid users.
Complains - at least constructive ones - are always welcome.
avast! Be free!

4

I don’t know how the stats concerning MSE were compiled.

What I do is from personal experience. I used WD8 for about 6 months in total on W8-DP, W8-CP and W8-RP. When I finally got around to replacing it with avast! AIS 7 I ran a Full Scan. It found nothing. I also ran some on-demand scans from other anti-malware (AV) companies. They also found nothing. I am surfing the Net well over 8 hours a day, though not all the time during the day.

Bottom line is that in my actual real world experience and not in some lab and I found WD8 to be a realiable anti-malware product. I switched back to avast! AIS because it offers features WD8 does not and with avast! AIS 7 Firefox renders webpages a lot faster than with WD8.

Note: I switched back to W7 when W8 RTM, othewise known as W9 beta came out. Now that W7 will be sold in computers through October 2014 as per Microsoft I have no desire to upgrade? to W9 beta.

5

Hi,
currently we are really trying to replicate the problem with accessing routers with Network Shield and Win8. We have tested already a dozen of routers without any problem visible.

Could you please help me understand what are the required conditions to have these issues?

Is your router running the stock firmware, ASUS RT-N56U original in this case, or have you flashed some alternative router firmware there?
Were the problems reproducible in 100% of times – e.g. every time you tried to access the router, you had the problem? Is the problem limited to Wifi only, or ethernet only, or both - if by a chance you have tried both these connection types?

Thanks a lot.
Lukas

6

also noted problems accessing my modem router with win 8 pro and avast, but this only occurred with internet explorer it acts weird, sometimes doesn’t open the page and complains about not having a connection, other times it opens but all contect is blocked, and some other random stuff,
firefox can access my modem without any problem, so it is either the avast module within the ie that does the problem, or ie 10 itself

tested on Ethernet in my case

hope it helps

7

I have win8 and I’m also having this issue with the routers admin panel and my IP camera panel. The router is a westell7500.

Web surfing is fine but when I try to load an admin panel is when the problem occurs.

If the “Network Shield” is disabled everything goes back to normal.

8

i have a problem with avast internet security and my printer, whenever i try to print any kind of document,page or whatever,with avast installed on pc ,want’s like 5-10 min to take out a page.If i deactivate avast do same thing ,instead if i uninstall avast the printer work’s properly.Can someone give me a tip or something.

9

Regarding network problems with Windows 8, one thing that I have found is that Avast Internet Security Build 7.0.1474 usually does NOT turn off the Windows Firewall Automatically, causing 2 Firewalls to be turned on at the same time which can cause Conflicts with trying to access the Internet and your Network by the way.