Thinking about dropping Avast. Windows 10

irv

Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
2,219
Location
Oshawa, Ont. Canada
My Avast paid subscription is about to expire and I am thinking about just using Windows defender.

My computer is Windows 10 and from what I have read, defender is a very good choice but I want to hear some personal thoughts/experience from those that just use Windows Defender.

I've had a couple issues with Avast recently and I wasn't happy with their customer service and what they were wanting to charge to remove a Norton tag and a bug they said was on my computer?

This bug/Norton thing was not there before a last big update but they claim it was attached to something I likely downloaded?

I like the fact that Avast will alert you about an unsafe site and some other things about it but if Windows Defender does the same thing, why spend the $80.00 dollars a year for Avast?

Anyways, I'd appreciate some thoughts on this before I go ahead and just let Avast expire.

Thanks.
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I'm pretty sure most browsers (Edge, Chrome, Firefox) have built in "unsafe site" filters, so you'll still have that if you move to Defender.
 
It all depends on your risk level, how much protection including amount of overlap, you need.

If you let strangers (or family) use the computer unattended or are on the same LAN, visit dodgy sites, pron sites, use warez, use unknown public wifi in high risk areas, open email attachments, or run an ancient browser with gaping security holes, you can either change those things or hope some software will catch a problem after it has already gotten too close for comfort.

Personally, no, i wouldn't run any of the 3rd party bloatware security suites unless your system is very valuable where any downtime would be costly. Otherwise there is no substitute for a full OS partition backup, that you have tested to be viable and restorable... just because a product claims it can do that, doesn't prove it will. The proof is in the tested success of doing it per system, per backup, per restoration media. Sometimes little snags come up like bios detecting or using a bootable flash drive, or with the app seeing other restoration media, for example.

Heh, some USB flash drives even overheat and corrupt if you try to write gigs at a time to them.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by 2015_PSD
Here are some comparisons from an independent lab; Windows Defender is not even in the top 10 based upon Protection (for what that is worth):

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/


Unless I am reading that link wrong, does the 4th one down not look like it is better than the first 3 choices?

Defender is down there down with only the first section/test/evaluation being slightly less better but the 2nd and 3rd are also better than the first 3 choices?

I appreciate the help/info guys, but I am really trying to get away from any sort of paid subscription if I can?

I've done some reading about Avast and although some of it agrees with my thoughts as well, one really never knows what is real and what is just bashing from other competing companies disguised as everyday computer users.

At this point, I think I am going to give Windows defender a shot. Is there anything I will need to do when my Avast runs out? It is currently sitting idle/closed because of the features of Avast so will it automatically turn on and start protecting right after Avast closes later today or tomorrow or will I have to activate something?

Sorry, I am not very computer savvy when it comes to this sort of stuff.
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Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by 2015_PSD
Here are some comparisons from an independent lab; Windows Defender is not even in the top 10 based upon Protection (for what that is worth):

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/


Unless I am reading that link wrong, does the 4th one down not look like it is better than the first 3 choices?

Defender is down there down with only the first section/test/evaluation being slightly less better but the 2nd and 3rd are also better than the first 3 choices?

I appreciate the help/info guys, but I am really trying to get away from any sort of paid subscription if I can?

I've done some reading about Avast and although some of it agrees with my thoughts as well, one really never knows what is real and what is just bashing from other competing companies disguised as everyday computer users.

At this point, I think I am going to give Windows defender a shot. Is there anything I will need to do when my Avast runs out? It is currently sitting idle/closed because of the features of Avast so will it automatically turn on and start protecting right after Avast closes later today or tomorrow or will I have to activate something?

Sorry, I am not very computer savvy when it comes to this sort of stuff.
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I sorted by the protection column to have all of the "6's" in a row, but yes, the 4th in the list is better than the 1st in the list. Based upon the ratings of 6-6-6 (6 being the top in any given category); the top ones are (in alphabetical order) Avira, F-Secure, Kaspersky, Norton, and Vipre. You have to remember there is a reason some of the tools are free. They provide some protection, but are typically "liteware" meaning they do not have all of the features and capabilities of the paid versions. Speaking for myself, I only run paid versions of any anti-malware software and typically run MalwareBytes along side of an anti-malware suite.

My wife and I are both in the IT sector and so I typically run the top two anti-malware suites in the house--like Kaspersky and MalwareBytes on 50% of the machines and ESET and Malwarebytes on the other 50%. This way I am spreading the risks across so that if one suite does not catch it, the other will, but that is just how I do it.
 
I'm sure, running Ubuntu Mate that I'll never run Windows again, but were I to do so I would just stick with Windows Defender. From the little I've read in the seven years since getting out, I think third party add ons just screw browsers up.
 
I reluctantly keep some Win10 installations around here for the Mrs. who is a high school teacher and two daughters who are elementary school students. None are technically proficient nor savvy enough to know how to remain safest online. I just use Defender or whatever they call it these days, and make sure it is kept updated. I also use OpenDNS's content filtering and Microsoft Family's content filters.

I am not sure how to do it on Windsor; but a lot of my Linux installations I maintain for family/ friends/ neighbours simply have /home set to disallow executables.
 
Let me see here, Windows 10 has something like 350 MILLION exploits, about 200M of which are patched. Linux only numbers in the 10,000's, (many patched) so I'll stick with Ubuntu thanks.
But yes, I've always relied on Windows Defender for my windows machines, and think it's the smartest choice.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by 2015_PSD
Here are some comparisons from an independent lab; Windows Defender is not even in the top 10 based upon Protection (for what that is worth):

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

And yet they awarded the Defender their "Top Product" badge, while not giving it to some of those Top 10 other products.
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Yep, not sure why they rated it that way since they rated the other systems higher.
 
I used Windows Defender (now called Windows Security) for a long time, ever since I got the Microsoft 1803 system update. I never had any trouble from Defender and actually recommended it here and a few other places. Defender does work OK and is baked in to the Windows OS. There is not really a lot to worry about with it. It can be enhanced to be even stronger with a free utility called ConfigureDefender, which you can find on a Google search. Here is one of many links to it:

https://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-SOFTWARE/System/System-Enhancements/ConfigureDefender.shtml

I looked at ConfigureDefender but never really saw a need to use it. Last week I ran into the first possible malware problem I have had in a very long time. I was searching for a copy of the old school Asteroids video game to play online. After clicking a few sites in a Google Search, my computer acted funny, it was slow and I got some odd pop up windows. I scanned with Defender and Malwarebytes and no problems were found, restarted and all was ok, but it started me thinking that I might need a stronger AV than Defender.

I searched and read more articles than I care to count and found Kaspersky Security Cloud Free. KSC Free really is free and does not nag me to buy the paid versions. It has a lot of good features and gets excellent reviews and test results. It has web and email scanning, ransomware protection and even has an online virtual keyboard you can use if you are worried about keyloggers. There is also an extension for it in Chrome and Firefox that helps give me an idea if Google Search results are ok. Firefox often ran slow with Defender which sometimes would force me to use Chrome. Chrome with Defender was faster than FF with Defender but FF and Chrome both run faster with KSC Free.

I don't believe the hype about Russia and Kaspersky. No one has ever proved any of the accusations. KSC Free gets great reviews, it is super light with more useful features than you might expect and it does not slow down my computer. It's a great choice for a free AV.

https://www.kaspersky.com/free-cloud-antivirus

https://malwaretips.com/threads/kaspersky-replaces-free-antivirus-with-security-cloud-free.97183/

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/kaspersky-security-cloud-free.422089/

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/kaspersky-security-cloud

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/kaspersky

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/08/14/kaspersky-security-cloud-free-review/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/kaspersky-security-cloud-free/ar-BBYhAj4
 
Originally Posted by irv
2015_PSD said:
At this point, I think I am going to give Windows defender a shot. Is there anything I will need to do when my Avast runs out? It is currently sitting idle/closed because of the features of Avast so will it automatically turn on and start protecting right after Avast closes later today or tomorrow or will I have to activate something?

Sorry, I am not very computer savvy when it comes to this sort of stuff.
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The best way to get rid of Avast is use their removal tool:

https://www.avast.com/en-us/uninstall-utility

It runs in safe mode and usually gets rid of all residual Avast files too. Defender should turn back on by itself when Avast is removed. If Defender does not start after removing Avast, then you may have some residual leftover Avast files still on the computer. You can use the free version of Revo Uninstaller or free Iobit Uninstaller to clean those out and Defender should start back up after that. It would be good idea to check for updates on Defender and run a scan right away as soon as Avast is gone.
 
Originally Posted by Jimmy9190
Originally Posted by irv
At this point, I think I am going to give Windows defender a shot. Is there anything I will need to do when my Avast runs out? It is currently sitting idle/closed because of the features of Avast so will it automatically turn on and start protecting right after Avast closes later today or tomorrow or will I have to activate something?

Sorry, I am not very computer savvy when it comes to this sort of stuff.
11.gif


The best way to get rid of Avast is use their removal tool:

https://www.avast.com/en-us/uninstall-utility

It runs in safe mode and usually gets rid of all residual Avast files too. Defender should turn back on by itself when Avast is removed. If Defender does not start after removing Avast, then you may have some residual leftover Avast files still on the computer. You can use the free version of Revo Uninstaller or free Iobit Uninstaller to clean those out and Defender should start back up after that. It would be good idea to check for updates on Defender and run a scan right away as soon as Avast is gone.


I would just start removal by using Revo Uninstaller for free version. Revo will start by executing the Avast built-in uninstaller, then do a clean-up of any left over items.

In my experience, Revo many still leave some associated folders behind. That's when I'd go in and search for items named "Avast" (or whatever program you're removing) and manually delete anything obvious like a left over folder, etc.
 
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