Latest version of Avast Antivirus

[andrew129260]

I really like the new update a lot! The interface is a lot better now, and things are more clear on what each setting does. The new avast web rep is great as well.

Really liking this new update.

 

[DavidE]

I don't like the new UI.

i.e.
In Ver. 8 I can click on the Notification tray icon and open a Current Status window and quickly glance to see if things are working, and what activity...

In Ver. 9 when I click on the Notification tray icon, I get a window that just shows "Everything is OK", and no detailed info of status...
MEH!
Fortunately I don't look at AV screens often, so I'll just have to trust things are OK if I update to V9.

I'm tired of re-learning a new UI Every Year for Avast program updates, so I don't recommend it for non-tech users...
I do use it myself, but I don't want to try and explain to non-tech users how to use a new UI every year...

If someone here knows how to quickly see a Summary Status in Ver. 9 please tell me - I haven't found an easy way...

 

[Slartybart]

I'm just happy to be rid of Happy Harry - that smiley drove me nuts.

I think you're looking for statistics [Realtime data, Historical data, Component Status]

I can't find a 1 click way, the GUI does remember the last main screen [status, scan, about, but not secondary/popup screens]. If stats were opened in the main GUI window, you could navigate to that and then the next time you clicked on the tray icon, avast would present stats to you.

There's no reason for stats to open on a new window, as far as I can see.

I don't like the new UI.

i.e.
In Ver. 8 I can click on the Notification tray icon and open a Current Status window and quickly glance to see if things are working, and what activity...

In Ver. 9 when I click on the Notification tray icon, I get a window that just shows "Everything is OK", and no detailed info of status...
MEH!
Fortunately I don't look at AV screens often, so I'll just have to trust things are OK if I update to V9.

I'm tired of re-learning a new UI Every Year for Avast program updates, so I don't recommend it for non-tech users...
I do use it myself, but I don't want to try and explain to non-tech users how to use a new UI every year...

If someone here knows how to quickly see a Summary Status in Ver. 9 please tell me - I haven't found an easy way...

​

 

[Slartybart]

Also just noticed that sandbox is not in the free version. I don't think it was supposed to be in the previous version of Free, but it was available to configure (I guess it was functioning).

 

[Slartybart]

The statistics->Component status is a bit wonky.
scans are only updated if you launch a scan, scheduled scans are not counted in the count
perhaps they will be after the 1st manual scan is launched.
The average scans per user per month doesn't help - it looks as though I've run 9 scans. The actual count for my scans shows above the average in a blue bar.

viruses blocked is only a count, you can't click on the count to see what was blocked, Logs and quarantine don't provide the blocked virus information (probably web protection)

updates - received in the last 24 hours is not updated: mine says zero

In general I like the new interface, but I'm still poking around.
The stickiness of the interface threw me off (I kept getting the about screen when Avast was launched)
I'll have to get used to the side ribbon, but I do like that you can minimize it.

The full system scan (scheduled) shows no virus, but when I highlight the scan log, it shows 1 folder, 6974 files, 3.3 GB tested. This is not a full scan of my system. I'm running a manual full scan now and will see what it tells me (folders, files, GB tested)

I thought I had limited the shields in the previous version, but Mail shield shows up in the new version. I'll have to see what a fresh install offers for shields (the previous versions seemed to have some overlap - web/internet/browser) so maybe Avast collapsed functions.

Settings (gear) -> active protection only shows 3 shields: file system, mail, and web.

 

[andrew129260]

It looks like they combined all the shields now and just make 3 simple shields.

 

[Slartybart]

It looks like they combined all the shields now and just make 3 simple shields.

Yep, I should know better than to think before I read:

FAQs: avast! 2014
The number of real-time shields in avast! 2014 is reduced by merging some of them to another.
The P2P Shield, [FONT=inherit !important]IM[/FONT] Shield and Behavior Shield are now a part of the File System Shield,
while the Network Shield with Script Shield are a part of the Web Shield.

 

[andrew129260]

Also want to add I noticed they added support for windows live mail. For scanning emails and attachments. You can configure it slightly as well in the mail shield settings.

I set it so it now adds a clean message to my emails. Pretty cool for free.

 

[Slartybart]

I used to exclude mail shield during an install because I considered it redundant. I tried turning it off, but avast! nags about an error. It's not an error... I turned it off! So I'll have to see if I can exclude it through setup (CP->change).

Hmmmm, I'm not sure where you see Windows Live Mail, more correctly Windows Essentials Mail (I know I'm being anal The support for mail protocols and message flagging (although not creating a clean message as the flag) has been around for a few releases.

Are you saying there is a specific setting for Windows Live Essentials Mail?

Also want to add I noticed they added support for windows live mail. .....

​

 

[andrew129260]

Yes, you can use the custom install to avoid any shields you do not want. (Although with them making it 3 shields now, its a tad not as customizable as before.)

I'm just stating (i use windows live mail 2012 on win 7) that For once my email is actually being scanned and has a message added to it. I have used windows live mail before and my email was never scanned. For instance in past versions it would say 0 emails scanned so I assumed it did not work with windows live mail.

Now it does. And the setting I was talking about under the mail shield is you can now add that attachment to the bottom of your email stating it was scanned by avast and is safe. Avast shield is also now reporting it scanning my emails, where before It did not scan any...

I hope this makes sense.

 

[Slartybart]

... I hope this makes sense.

Makes sense.

But, I do not like avast! advertising in my eMail! Sure it tells the recipient that the msg is clean, but it also promotes avast!


I hadn't noticed this because I had Mail Shield turned off. Then I got tired of seeing the "error" one of the shields is turned off, so I turned it back on. When someone replied to an eMail, I saw the "clean eMail" message inserted. I looked in my sent folder and the original msg didn't have it in it - the shield plugs it in on the way out.

Soooo, I changed the setting on Mail shield to NOT insert a msg on clean eMail.
:ar: untick Insert note inot clean message (outgoing)

 

[DavidE]

I'm just stating (i use windows live mail 2012 on win 7) that For once my email is actually being scanned and has a message added to it. I have used windows live mail before and my email was never scanned. For instance in past versions it would say 0 emails scanned so I assumed it did not work with windows live mail.

I use WLM 2012 on Win 7 and with Avast 8 I could see emails were scanned because the scan counter would change.
Maybe there was a problem with your Avast 8 install if emails were not scanned ???
For me it's more difficult to quickly see the status of info like this in Version 9, compared to Version 8.
That' why I posted what I did in post #702...

But, I do not like avast! advertising in my eMail! Sure it tells the recipient that the msg is clean, but it also promotes avast!

I agree Bill, but more importantly to me, I don't like a program changing my email in any way, for any reason.

I don't mind promoting and recommending Avast or any program that I use, trust, and believe in...
I appreciate that Avast offers a free AV...

Yea, I'm finding I can turn this off or configure it to my liking in V9, but how many "non-tech" users would be able to find these settings, understand them, and change them appropriately?

I can understand Avast updating to improve security and think that's great.
I have a hard time understanding why they have to re-design the GUI so much that users have to re-learn a new interface every year...

I have difficulty explaining to people I help the difference between IE and Chrome, or Web Mail and Client Email...etc.
I don't want to try and help (force) them understand and configure a new version of Avast every year if there is a better option that is easier to understand and works for them.
:shock:

Well, so much for my rambling on...
For me V9 audible alerts/messages are not working, but i did find someone else reporting the same issue in Avast forum... at least it's not just me

 

[Slartybart]

All good points, nothing should muck with my eMail & I don't mind promoting a product...

re: redesign GUI. the avast! interface was fairly static until the smiley face version (I coulda had a v8!) Hopefully this interface will become their standard for a few years. It's clearly a design meant to attract Norton users; the color scheme, the pop out windows.

I would like a bit more control over the popup msgs. I'm tired of seeing FB security when I don't have a FB account - but I guess it's a small price to pay. I've set the duration to 0 & 5, perhaps cross marketing popups aren't affected or it's a bug.

I'd also like a few more shortcut options on the home page and include/exclude what panels are displayed on the stats window. Oh well, I guess I missed those design meetings

I'm a professional rambler!

I agree Bill, but more importantly to me, I don't like a program changing my email in any way, for any reason.

I don't mind promoting and recommending Avast or any program that I use, trust, and believe in...
I appreciate that Avast offers a free AV...
.....
I have a hard time understanding why they have to re-design the GUI so much that users have to re-learn a new interface every year...
.....
Well, so much for my rambling on...
.....

 

[ThrashZone]

I would blame anyone who didn't like out-going messages altered one bit,
Must be a new Free advertising campaign and turns into nagware if turned off

 

[Slartybart]

You can change avast using CP -> Feat&Pgm

I deselected Mail Shield and Secureline

Secureline is a VPN service offered by Avast. VPNs (virtual private networks) create a secure „tunnel“ through the internet so that your connection is secure when you connect over public WiFi (coffee shops, restaurants, airports). Hackers may try to steal your personal data using public WiFi networks so it’s always a good idea to use a VPN. The service offers the ability to connect to servers in different geographic locations, or you can let the service detect the closest and best connection by selecting „nearest location“ Secureline is offered in monthly and yearly license packages.

After changing avast! and rebooting, I've noticed that some other network related pgms are crashing. This might not be related to changing avast! though.

There's no cancel on the change pgm, so I tried to X out getting the msg "This might cause avast! to become unstable" [yes] or [no] continue boxes. I said no and went ahead with the "changes". There is no "reboot required" so who knows, maybe the 2nd dummy change will resolve the crashes. Otherwise, I'll try a repair which sets everything back to defaults.

If that fails, there's always uninstall/reinstall.

 

[andrew129260]

I don't understand why you wouldn't like it there in your email. But maybe that's just me.

 

[JJComputerGuy]

JJ the Computer Guy

If you're using ZoneAlarm and trying to install the latest Avast program, make sure you shut down and remove ZoneAlarm first. After installing Avast, then re-install ZoneAlarm. If you don't do this, Avast will report "Some Shields are off" and certain parts of Avast won't operate correctly.

 

[andrew129260]

Interesting. Did not know that. Thanks jjcomputerguy. I will have to test that in my vms

 

[DavidE]

You can change avast using CP -> Feat&Pgm

I deselected Mail Shield and Secureline

Secureline is a VPN service offered by Avast. VPNs (virtual private networks) create a secure „tunnel“ through the internet so that your connection is secure when you connect over public WiFi (coffee shops, restaurants, airports). Hackers may try to steal your personal data using public WiFi networks so it’s always a good idea to use a VPN. The service offers the ability to connect to servers in different geographic locations, or you can let the service detect the closest and best connection by selecting „nearest location“ Secureline is offered in monthly and yearly license packages.

After changing avast! and rebooting, I've noticed that some other network related pgms are crashing. This might not be related to changing avast! though.

There's no cancel on the change pgm, so I tried to X out getting the msg "This might cause avast! to become unstable" [yes] or [no] continue boxes. I said no and went ahead with the "changes". There is no "reboot required" so who knows, maybe the 2nd dummy change will resolve the crashes. Otherwise, I'll try a repair which sets everything back to defaults.

If that fails, there's always uninstall/reinstall.

Thanks for that info and screen print in post #715!
+1
I updated via the GUI program update and trying to figure out if everything updated correctly.
I'm finding some settings did not carry forward correctly.

 

[UrAsish]

Inbuilt update not working

Could not update from 8.0.1497 to new version. Only definitions are updated via inbuilt program update option. Although its showing 9.0.1500 is the latest version, it shows everything is up to date. Update stays on initializing state for hours without using data. Whats wrong??