(i) paying for AVG 8 Internet Security Suite or
(ii) handing over your details to a mirror site in order to download the stand-alone anti-virus program.
Some of my clients tried the mirror sites but the downloads were sometimes less than satisfactory and I was called to the rescue.
AVG may have rectified the situation but meanwhile, after much searching I found a better solution: I use the AVG 8 free down load with no strings attached on the Computeractive magazine's website (the link is given in the next paragraph). This is only viable if you are on broadband because of the huge download time on dial-up. If you are on dial-up, or if you prefer installing from a CD or DVD, buy the August edition of PC Advisor magazine. (The August edition will be available from 15th June!!). The AVG 8 installation file is available with both the CD version and the DVD version of the magazine.
If you are on broadband:
Go on line and type the following (no spaces) into the Address bar of Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. www.computeractive.co.uk/vnunet/downloads/
2129071/avg-antivirus-free-edition
Download the file but when asked if you wish to Save or Run, be sure to select Save and save it into your Downloads folder.
If you are on dial-up:
Disconnect from internet. Use the CD or DVD from PC Advisor (August) and copy the AVG 8 file from the disk into your Downloads folder.
Either broadband or dial up: With the installation file safely saved in the Downloads folder disconnect from the internet (because after the next step you will no longer be protected).
Uninstall AVG 7.5 or any other anti virus program you have been using. You can use the program's own un-installer or the Windows un-installer. To use the Windows method, go to Start-->Control panel-->Add/remove programs. You can choose to keep your personal AVG settings in readiness y for the new version.
After uninstalling the old program you can install the downloaded AVG free (ver 8); the downloaded file in your Downloads folder is in the form of a compressed file which has to be unpacked. Unpack (install) it by double clicking it. (the file is called something similar to avg-free-stf-en-8-100a1295, the last set of figures may be different).
During the installation, tick the box to keep your personal settings if you had the previous version of AVG. Also I choose not to have automatic scanning at startup.
When asked if you would like the AVG security bar I always say no by un-ticking the box. I find all these add-on bars are a clutter and they often create irritating pop-ups.
Continue installing. I usually click Skip on the update panel and then update later when I am sure the program is safely installed and configured.
Configuring AVG 8:
This means setting it work to your preferences. The following settings are my own preference but you can alter them to suit yourself.
I do not like automatic scanning every time I switch on? This daily activity is unnecessary and slows down the start-up process. I only scan my computer for viruses (manually) once a month or when odd things are happening. If you did not cancel the automatic scanning during your installation, you can stop this activity by double clicking the AVG icon on the Desktop. Then on the top menu click Tools-->Advanced Settings. On the left hand panel, click the plus sign in the box labelled Schedules, then click Scheduled scan. Click the bottom box labelled Enable this task to remove the tick and click Apply. On the left hand panel click Program Update Schedule. Click the bottom box labelled Enable this task to remove the tick and click Apply.
Automatic updating: Most people do not like being interrupted by AVG's automatic update. Especially if they are on Dial-up. I like to update when it is convenient, not when AVG dictates. The new version does not let you change from automatic to manual update, but there is a work around. On AVG's top menu, click Tools-->Advanced Settings. On the left hand panel, click the plus sign in the box labelled Schedules, then click Virus database update schedule. Find Run at a specific time and change the time to say 03.00am. Un-tick all the square boxes except under Task settings where Enable this task must be ticked. Click Apply and OK.
I am a great fan of AVG free, but you may wish to seek another opinion. For an independent review click the following link: http://pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=2080 The new version 8 has some extra features such as anti-spyware and a resident link scanner. The link scanner works like this; If you do search on the internet you are presented with a list of search results, rest your cursor on one of those results and you will be told whether it is safe or not. Configuring the email scanner: these are my own preferred settings but feel free to use different settings.
On AVG's top menu click click Tools-->Advanced Settings. On the left hand panel, click the icon labelled Email scanner. On the next screen, temporarily place a tick in the box labelled Check outgoing e-mail. Un-tick the box below it labelled Certify e-mail. Now cancel the temporary tick in the box labelled Check outgoing e-mail.
Under the heading Check incoming e-mail un-tick the box labelled Certify mail. Ensure that the top box is ticked so that incoming emails are checked. Update: Anti-virus and anti-spy programs are useless unless they are updated regularly. Don't confuse this with Upgrade. There is no need to upgrade to the Pro version for an annual fee unless you want its additional features such as anti-spam. Updating AVG 8 free.
You must connect to the internet before you can update AVG. Go on-line and then double click the AVG icon on the Desktop and then click the Check for updates button (now on the left of the AVG window). When AVG finds the latest update, it will show a window containing the details of the update. Click the Update button. When the update has been downloaded you will be informed by AVG, also a small pop-up will appear at the bottom right hand corner of the screen saying the update was successful. Occasionally there may be more bits to download, you could click the Search for Updates button again to find out. Repeat this until you see a message saying 'Your AVG free program already has the latest updates installed and is fully up to date...' Close down AVG and if you wish, disconnect from the internet. Sometimes you will be asked to restart the computer, this means that an improvement to the AVG program has been downloaded and a restart is necessary in order to install the improvement. Click the Start button click Turn Off Computer and then click Restart and wait for the computer to shut itself down and restart itself. AVG updates are available daily, you will know when updates are available because the brightly coloured AVG icon in the Notification Area (bottom right of screen) will be changed to a black and grey icon almost covered by a red rectangle containing a white exclamation mark. So your anti-virus program has found a virus. Don't panic! The infected file will be repaired by
your anti-virus program. Calm down, and make a careful
note of everything that the Virus Alert notice says. You will be offered a
choice of things to do. Choose Repair first. If this fails, choose
Quarantine or (send to the Vault). If that fails, choose Delete.Viruses which have been repaired, quarantined or deleted are rendered harmless.
Your anti-virus program will also alert you to the presence of a worm or Trojan, in which case the Virus Alert notice may say 'Access to the file was denied' or unable to delete or quarantine. This may need expert attention because anti-virus programs are sometimes unable to destroy certain worms or trojans. Make a careful note of the name and other details of any virus/worm/trojan. Your computer technician will then be able to find it and destroy it
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