Solved AVAST difference in quality Support. HELP PLEASE!

[Mike Lynch]

Yesterday evening I purchased an AVAST Premium 3 Year Subscription.

This morning, actually, just after Mid Night I opened a MS EDGE Browser window to check my Banking Information.
Where I would normally find multiple Shortcuts, there was nothing.
All I had done prior to this was the AVAST install so I call 1-844-973-3072, their Premium Support Line.
After speaking with the Agent in Manila for 37 minutes, to include a LogMeIn session, they determined they could not help me.
They did however try to refer me to their "Super Premium" support for over $200 per hour.
Yikes, talk about extorsion, AVAST has got it down to a science.
I declined and said I'd try calling their Corporate Office in the morning, after 9am EST.
I then thought I'd try an earlier Restore Point, which I did.
Well, that prover to be a waste of time.
There were no Shortcuts in the MS Edge Browser windows, just as it was after the AVAST install.

If any Forum Member has any insight on how to recover the Shortcuts I had on my MS Edge Browser window, please help.

As the AVAST Agent kept reiterating, you can re-create them manually yourself.
That may be true however, first I must remember ALL the Shortcuts and their particulars like USERNAME and PASSWORD.
The first one I did was this Forum, which made it fairly easy.
The tough ones will be like my Bank which I reference throughout the day.

I should have known better but I was searching for a replacement for NORTON and BITDEFENDER.
Any help would be appreciated.

Mike Lynch

 

[torchwood]

Hi Mike,

i'm assuming that upon installation of Avast you ran a full system scan...
check the quarantine folder it might have placed them there, should also be a restore rab

Bleepingcomputers, has a malware tool called FRST, has an option to search for shortcut links
if you use it uncheck the stantand options you are presented with, tick the shortcut links only
it will place a results report in the same folder you downloaded it too

Its highly likely that Avast will flag it as malicious,, it is not.... you might have to Whitelist it

 

[Mike Lynch]

An AVAST Agent had me REPAIR Avast Premium Security, completely overwriting a number of Quarantined Files that he/she/it were in the process of trying to recover. Avast claims the Files are gone forever. Then they decided to Escalate the situation to the next higher level. They also switched, for just one instance from Texting to Email. I assume they are / were hoping to obliterate any remains of the Quarantined data in hopes the O/S would use that space for the Email info sent to me. I fully expect to be told by "the next higher level", we are so sorry but! Playing by the rules and following a Level 0 (zero) Tech usually leads to a disaster, except when you ISP's Tech Support suggests you "unplug your Router and wait five minutes. This will surely overcome any issue you have with the format of the Email Messages you have on your screen. A crushing defeat at the hands of a New Hire with 1/2 hour of "On the job training".

 

[Mike Lynch]

Well, as I guessed, AVAST has yet to re-contact me with a potential FIX or an Apology / Excuse for No Fix Available.

I'll mark this Post as SOLVED to clear the Topic / Post.

Here is the answer:

Avast fined $16.5 million for ‘privacy’ software that actually sold users’ browsing data


Norton and Avast are merging into an $8 billion antivirus empire


I'm sorry to have wasted Forum Members time with my Posts regarding Avast and Norton. Seems like the combo of these two is just really, really BAD.

- - - Updated - - -

Just a side note. It is impossible to cancel a Subscription with Avast. After 1/2 hour, of phoning and responding to their phone Tree, disconnected more than I care to think about. Wasted TIME and MONEY.

Should be a piece of cake but it's not.

 

[michael diemer]

Another good reason to just use MSE.

 

[Mike Lynch]

Just for clarification:

[h=2]Microsoft Security Essentials[/h][COLOR=var(--sds-color-text-04)][COLOR=var(--sds-color-text-04)]Free antivirus product produced by Microsoft for the Windows operating system[/COLOR]
support.microsoft.com/en-my/help/17150/windows-7-what-is-microsoft-security-essentials[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--sds-color-text-02)][FONT=var(--sds-font-family-01)]Microsoft Security Essentials is a discontinued antivirus software product that provides protection against different types of malicious software, such as computer viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojan horses. Prior to version 4.5, MSE ran on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, but not on Windows 8 and later versions, which have built-in AV components known as Windows Defender. MSE 4.5 and later versions do not run on Windows XP. The license agreement allows home users and small businesses to install and use the product free of charge. Built upon the same scanning engine and virus definitions as other Microsoft antivirus products, it provides real-time protection, constantly monitoring activities on the computer, scanning new files as they are created or downloaded, and disabling detected threats. It lacks the OneCare personal firewall and the Forefront Endpoint Protection centralized management features. Wikipedia[/COLOR]
[/FONT]
[TABLE="class: mpvVy86ft6wJCBilhHAP"]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Developer(s)[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]Microsoft[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Initial release[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]September 29, 2009[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Operating system[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]Windows Vista SP1 or SP2 and Windows 7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Platform[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]IA-32 and x64[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Size[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]IA-32: 11.7 MB, x64: 14.4 MB[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Available in[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]33 languages[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]Type[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]Antivirus software[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="align: left"]License[/TH]
[TD="class: DwTP9nH2oYaLYMErpfIp"]Freeware[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[FONT=DDG_ProximaNova][/FONT]

 

[torchwood]

im using Bitdefender, and OperaGX on my rig

 

[Mike Lynch]

I like Bitdefender Anti-Virus Plus a lot, I have questions, unresolved with Bitdefender Chat, which I believe is quite good.
Examples:
Internal Drive is C:\ (with the O/S)
ALL of the following Drives are attached via USB.
External Drive #1:\ External Drive #2:\ External Drive #3:\
Logical Partition 1: = D:\ Logical Partition 1: = Z:\ Logical Partition 1: = No Drive Letter
Logical Partition 2: = Y:\ Logical Partition 2: = M:\ Logical Partition 2: = L:\
Logical Partition 3: = L:\ Logical Partition 3: = K:\ Logical Partition 3: = K:\

What happens when there are TWO Logical Partitions with the SAME Letter Designation in a FULL SYSTEM SCAN?
What happens when there are TWO Logical Partitions with the SAME Letter Designation in a FULL SYSTEM SCAN,
like two C:\?
What happens when there is a Logical Partitions with No Drive Letter in a FULL SYSTEM SCAN?
Once the C:\ Drive (with the O/S) is Scanned and EXCLUDED from re-scans is it "UNEXCLUDED" after an UPDATE is processed?
Once the C:\ Drive (with the O/S) is Scanned and EXCLUDED from re-scans is it "UNEXCLUDED" after an UPDATE is processed
but which C:\ Drive

Bitdefender Agent decided that the Questions are worthy of being escalated to a Team that addresses issues like these.

On the other Front:
"I'll let everyone know if and when AVAST answers, if they do. My bet, AVAST is LAST!"