AVG antivirus update may knock out your internet connection

[David Baxter PhD]

AVG antivirus is causing patching headaches

As if we didn't have enough patching emergencies to deal with this week, a recent update of AVG's antivirus software knocked out some people's Internet connection. AVG's support page indicates that after upgrading to AVG version 8.0.196, your network link may fail.

If rebooting your PC doesn't fix the problem, follow the instructions on AVG's support page to download the fixfiles.zip file to your computer. Double-click the .zip file to open it, and then double-click fixfiles.exe in the resulting folder to run the utility.

If the glitch persists, the company recommends that you run a repair installation of your AVG app. If reinstalling your antivirus software doesn't get you back online, AVG advises that you contact the company's support desk for further instructions.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

The latest versions of AVG have become bloated and slow. Additionally, although once highly rated, recent versions are falling behind in their ability to detect and delete known viruses.

I switched to avast! antivirus software several months ago. I'd recommend you give it a try. Another recommended alternative is Avira. I haven't tried it personally and Avira seems to be more of a "suite" than a simple antivirus program (i.e., includes firewall and anti-spyware). My experience with suites is that they use more resources and they do not always provide you with the best protection. I prefer to use separate software for those components.

 

[Sparrow]

Thanks for posting this David,

Knocking out internet connections? Good grief!:hair: Luckily that hasn't happened to me. The 7.5 version was good when it first came out. I have found 8.0 bogging down over the last few month's like a few of my friends who have gone away from AVG.
Some performances almost seem cyclical, look at Norton... they used to be better years ago too.
I've been debating Avast for a while, their ratings have certainly remained high right across the board for a while.

 

[ladylore]

I have recentl found this out David. But I now have the internet back. :yahoo: