Windows 7 64bit and AVG free

Question

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven

13 Years Ago

Hi all. I have long been a fan of AVG free but recently it has been causing headaches.

3 times now my windows 7 ultimate 64bit laptop has been unable to start up correctly.
I have had to boot it into safe mode and uninstall AVG free in order to get it working again.

My question is, can anyone recommend a decent FREE antivirus program that will work with windows 7 64bit?

I have tried avast but wasn't impressed with it as my laptop took for ever and a day to boot then the same again when it had booted.

windows-vista-7-8

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mjdodd 27 Posting Pro

13 Years Ago

just to add I have used the microsoft essentials 64bit ever since win 7 arrived and it has done the business.
Trade press say it is OK and as ISPs now do a lot of anti virus automatic the danger from viruses is less than it used to be.
don't struggle use another AV!
M

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PhilliePhan 171 Central Scrutinizer Team Colleague · Answer 1 · 2010-12-26T05:54:38+00:00

My question is, can anyone recommend a decent FREE antivirus program that will work with windows 7 64bit?

Hey Rik,

Did you try Avira? That would be my recommendation.

Commodo is probably good, too, but I know that they've had some problems with their firewall and Windows 7 64-bit. So, I'd avoid that and just try the AV.

Avira had some issues about a year ago - something to do with chkdsk I think, but they have since been addressed. As far as a free solution, that'd be my choice.

I prefer Avira to AVG and Avast! for all OS.....

Happy Christmas :)
PP

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 2 · 2010-12-26T08:35:07+00:00

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven

13 Years Ago

Cheerz, I will look into that!

Edited 13 Years Ago by Rik_ because: n/a

W1ND0W5 · Answer 3 · 2010-12-27T01:11:48+00:00

Avast is also quite good.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 4 · 2010-12-27T03:18:37+00:00

Have a good read of my first post. I tried Avast and was rather unimpressed with it and I explained why!

Dcurvez 0 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 5 · 2010-12-27T20:54:10+00:00

you are not the only one having issues with a once "awesome" anti. My husband has been a computer tech for over a decade..and with the new windows 7 out, he..himself has told me that AVG is no longer the "be all and end all".

the company he works with has taken to looking around for something that will suffice as well. seems there are alot of issues with the transition for AVG to windows 7.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 6 · 2010-12-27T21:08:01+00:00

I too am a professional computer technician! :) I am so disappointed with AVG as I have been using it for many years. Before AVG I used Etrust antivirus which was fantastic and free to me after I repaired several computers for one of the lead programmers of Etrust. I switched to AVG after loosing the key for Etrust and was very happy with it for many many years. I have been putting AVG on customers computers for just as long too.

That's why I don't have experience with other AV programs (stick with what you trust is my motto) but, because I am still having problems with the startup of my laptop...
Searching for the cure is taking time.

Dcurvez 0 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 7 · 2010-12-28T21:44:29+00:00

well, let me see if i cant dig into his brain and find out how he is getting around it for now. my guess is that he is taking it out of start up..and then launching it manually. but..he is the guru, lol..not me! the only thing i got really good at on that end of the industry is turning around and askin him to look at it LOL!!!

he is outta town..back at work today, but he will be buzzing in on the phone around noonish..will ask him then // and then post his answer k :)

Dcurvez 0 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 8 · 2010-12-28T21:47:22+00:00

AND another thing:

yes, Avira is also very good. but in comparison to AVG...it pales a tad. to have in the vault these programs: Malware Bites, AVG, Avira and good old Spybot..
will do a person good! :) (at least that is what is in the vault here)

Dcurvez 0 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 9 · 2010-12-29T19:40:08+00:00

okay he says for now on the 64bit systems he is installing Micrsoft Security Essentials ..until AVG can rectify this problem.

But he is still sticking with AVG 32bit. :)

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 10 · 2010-12-29T20:46:03+00:00

Micrsoft Security Essentials?!? Haven't seen many good reviews of that.

PhilliePhan 171 Central Scrutinizer Team Colleague · Answer 11 · 2010-12-30T02:22:10+00:00

yes, Avira is also very good. but in comparison to AVG...it pales a tad.

Don't let Judy hear you say that! :)

chrishea 182 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso · Answer 12 · 2011-01-03T23:00:25+00:00

I am using AVG with Win 7 64-bit Home Premium on an ASUS laptop (2100mhz dual core). I've been running it for almost a year on this system and I haven't had any obvious problems. The system starts a bit slow compared to what it was at the start but I have a lot of stuff on here so I can't specifically point a finger at AVG. Besides Ultimate vs Home Premium there might be something else different that results in mine working and yours not. AVG still does the job for me.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 13 · 2011-01-03T23:07:46+00:00

Hmm, I might just wait a while and see what happens. I am a safe surfer anyhow as I rely on WOT!

gistecky 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 14 · 2011-01-07T13:03:08+00:00

I don't understand why you put your machine's life at stake with the free ones. The free ones are really of little help.

But if you succeed to find out the virus name, then you may find an online scanner to help you, or some patches developed by many people that you may get on searching.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 15 · 2011-01-07T22:53:19+00:00

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven

13 Years Ago

My computer is not infected tho!!!!

vin24 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 16 · 2011-01-08T16:03:00+00:00

Hey dude! If you want free anti virus, well I suggest you to select avast. It works for me. By the way I have a windows 7 ultimate 64 bit.

pajojeff 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 17 · 2011-01-10T22:42:30+00:00

Come on guys, give him a break. He is making a lot of sense.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 18 · 2011-01-11T00:11:43+00:00

Well, I bit the bullet and put AVG free back on and all seems to be working perfectly! Looks like they have sorted the problems at last! :)

makprince 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 19 · 2011-01-19T16:32:10+00:00

you can refer Quick heal total security lol it is better.

danholding 5 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 20 · 2011-01-19T19:23:18+00:00

hi guys i have win7 64bit aswell and i have avg installed aswell i have not had any problems till this morning when i started using the computer i moved the mouse about 1 inch and it froze and blue screened and now every time i start up it loads the sound and wireless drivers and then crashes im not shore if this is avg or a virus atm but would you be able to give me some more info on how you found out that avg was the problem with your start up??

any help would be great as im getting very annoyed and cannot use the computer and have a lot of work to do.
if i cant find a anwser i surpose i will have to reinstall win7 and hope it will fix this sodding problem sorry if this is posted in wrong forum but this seems to be a similar problem to mine as far as i can see.
regards
dan holding

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 21 · 2011-01-19T19:36:19+00:00

It would bsod in normal mode every time I started my laptop up, so I went into safe mode and uninstalled AVG free to get it going again.

danholding 5 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 22 · 2011-01-19T19:40:35+00:00

did your computer restart sometimes when booted up or was it just BSOD every time? im trying to work out if its AVG or not as i haven't had any problems with it since installing it.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 23 · 2011-01-19T20:32:27+00:00

It was a bsod every time. Have a look at your event viewer for cluse as to what your problem may be caused by. Instructions - http://www.windows7update.com/Windows7-Event-Viewer.html

danholding 5 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 24 · 2011-01-19T20:35:36+00:00

ok thanks for that i will have a look tonight and see what the cause of this is if shown if not i think i will just do a clean install of windows and get rid of all this cluttered space.

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 25 · 2011-01-19T22:55:36+00:00

Post what you find here and we will see what we can come up with!

danholding 5 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 26 · 2011-01-19T22:58:56+00:00

ok i will do atm i have no internet access via that computer due to this but i will boot up in safe.mode with networking services and see if i can still post here
what info do you need from the BSOD apart from the error message and error code? if anything else. thanks again for the help :)

Rik_ 111 Nearly a Posting Maven · Answer 27 · 2011-01-19T23:13:38+00:00

Post all the info you can. The more we have the better.

danholding 5 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 28 · 2011-01-19T23:16:44+00:00

ok great im glad some one out there knows something about the error codes from "bsod" it doesnt mean a thing to me but i would love to know how to learn what they mean as i live on computers (not literally!)