AVG 9.0 Free is out

If you go to AVG's main site you will see it there

http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

Lets here from those who have tried it out
I recommend you uninstall 8.5 before putting on 9.0
I have not had a chance yet to install it but i will sometime today

robin

 

Great! Any idea if/when this will automatically update from 8.5 to 9.0?

Download:

http://free.avg.com/us-en/download?prd=afg

 

this is on their site but i would still uninstall 8.0 before putting on 9.0
I allowed it to install without taking off 8.5 Pro and it messed things up big time
I had to uninstall 9.0 and reinstall it

So it doesn't look like it will upgrade itself you need to follow the following from AVG site


2385
How to upgrade your AVG Free to the latest AVG 9,0 Free Edition

To install AVG 9.0 Free Edition over the current AVG 8.5 Free Edition please proceed as follows:

* Download the latest AVG 8.5 Free Edition installation file from our website.
* When you are prompted, please do not open this file directly from the Internet, but click the "Save" button and choose a location, where the installation file should be stored (we recommend saving the file to the Desktop).
* Reboot your computer.
* Close all running applications, locate the downloaded AVG 9.0 Free Edition installation file (it has a four color square icon and its name starts with AVG_...) and launch the installation.
* Follow the installation wizard to install the new AVG 9.0 Free Edition.
* If a restart is required after the initial configuration, please reboot your computer to finish the installation.

Note: Previous version of AVG will be automatically removed during installation. All settings from old version will be converted to AVG 9.0.

 

Bwahahahahaha:

They are kidding right?

 

So that may not work as flawlessy as advertised... thanks for the tip!

The updated user manual is here:

http://download.avgfree.com/filedir/doc/FREE_PRODUCTS/AVG_Free/avg_afg_uma_en_90_3.pdf

 

AFAIR it has always been like this.


Cheers

 

It may be of interest to some (or many!) to note that this version contains basic rootkit protection, according to the chart on the AVG Free website.

Now, how AVG distinguishes between a "basic" rootkit and an "advanced" rootkit is beyond me . Maybe a rootkit that only redirects your Internet browser is considered "basic", while one that destroys all your files is considered "advanced" .

 

That's an interesting information

However, the new version seems to contain some "fingerprint technology" Let's see if the new engine is really faster

 

It's kinda stupid considering you can use avast! on 50 computers if you have so many of them at home. But AVG allows you to install it only on 1 computer at your home? Thats just lol. Unless i don't understand their stuff right.

 

A suggestion
AVG is coming out with a newer program update in the very near future to fix some issues including the mail crashing issue.
If you are planning to upgrade your 8.5 I would wait until this is done
I am awaiting it for a client to the paid version and was told the free version would have the upgrade too.
I will post here when i see the upgrade or you can just check the website to see which version it is up to now and then check again in a few weeks.

It is better to wait a bit anyway so they can get any kinks out. there is no rush to upgrade it

robin

 

The price of being free:

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/9992/51068007.png

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/2900/32477046.png

I 'd rather use MSE at this point. At least you get to have one company peeking at your PC, not two...

 

Fuzzfas, I don't see anything odd with that text. Similar functions are already built in to other products (Norton, Kaspersky, McAfee etc.) that use varying levels of in-the-cloud-technology. All of them send some information back to home base Though it may be optional in commercial version, however in MSE SpyNet membership is mandatory.

 

Just because others do it, doesn't make it "natural" for me. Once upon a time, when a program was sending "certain personal identifiable information, files and software" ("certain" as let your imagination free), it was called spyware.

Nowdays, it's called normal. How things change...

Yes, MSE Spyware Net is not optional. But at the end, it's the same EULA as Windows. I mean, they already do that when you do Windows Update...


Can you imagine if it was ASK Toolbar with an EULA saying that it will be collecting "certain personally identifiable information and sending them home?" Scandal! Spyware! Run people! Now it's all fine because it's not called ASK but AVG or MSE...

Human beings are strange...

Well , at least i am coherent about this. I hate them all these spyware type of programs, MS included. I even have Windows updates off by default and do manual updates only.


I am viewing Avira's EULA soon.

 

... and you really think other AV don't collect data? Good morning

 

I don't think nor i use crystal balls. I read EULAs.

 

You will find a similar text in every other EULA I think, an AV can't protect you without access to your machine. It's so easy

 

I suggest you read Avast's and Avira's EULA. Also there is difference between non personally identifiable information and personally identifiable. Once upon a time all software was actually eager to let you know that only "generic", non personally identifiable info will be sent.

 

What about browsers and providers? I think there is no privacy in the world wide web, even if you read all EULAs

 

There are things you can avoid, there are things you can't. The whole situation of course, is result of the incompetence of the politicians who are clueless about PCs and software, so they can't grasp the situation.

Your ISP is something you can't avoid and by EU law, actually has to keep record of what you do, for anti-terrorist purposes.

The browser, AFAIK, doesn't give away any personally identifiable info and in Opera i have also set it not to update automatically ever.

Just because i can't avoid my ISP knowing what i am doing, doesn't mean that i will let just any private company do the same. At least my ISP is doing that because of state order. A 3rd company is doing that just because she wants to and because there is no EU legislation that bothered to study the issue of EULAS. As AVG EULA says, you accept "AVG's privacy policy". I mean, all other companies that produce a tangible product, have to submit themselves to state laws, that include privacy. Software houses are more or less making "their own law", just because there is a legislation vacuum for them.

Which for me is something insane, which only in the software world exists. I mean, i am sure that if you were to buy just ANY tangible commercial product from a shop and you were told that the vendor has the right to apply his privacy policy at your house, including the right to get personally identifiable info from your house, including peeking at your books, shelves, wardrobes or personal file inventory, you 'd probably reply to him "Dude, are you nuts, or what? Ha ha!"

In software this happens, because nobody reads the EULAs, the politicians don't even know what that thing is and they don't care. Basically, i suppose you can have a database with all your credit card info or your program that keeps all your passwords, if it gets flagged as false positive , it will be sent to a private company and that's normal... As per "the software's privacy policy".

Fortunately, unlike the ISP, i had the option to choose "cancel" and exited installation.

 

We're not talking about ANY commercial product, we are talking about a security product. My house is secured by a security company and yes - they had to get into my house to install the systems

But let's get back to topic, it's your decision ...

 

Fuzzfas, I share your concern. End users have been conditioned by the software industry to blindly accept EULAs without really knowing what is happening. Yet from a technical perspective, it is essential that AVG has access to these files in order to let their software do what it's supposed to do.

Because of the complexity of modern systems, trust and transparency at the corporate level, their accountability and credibility, have become even more important. The open source movement has set new standards in this regard. Why not start a separate 'EULA watch' thread on this forum?

 

I also had to put AVG and install it on my PC in order to run, but that's it.

Does your security company reserves the right to monitor whatever she likes inside your house (incl. your bedroom) at all times and transmit it to them, enter your house without your permission at her discression and access your private library/archive in your house? Did they take an inventory of the things you keep in house? Cause that's the equivalent we 're talking about.

I don't understand, why i should see normal that an antivirus need to send home personally identifiable info (totally unspecified), copies of the software that is flagged without asking me (heck, even the CHINESE Twister, ASKS before uploading something detected. If you want you may NOT upload it. You know, China isn't famous about privacy), list of installed hardware and software?

Why? I thought the job of an antivirus, could be perfectly performed by updating signatures and scanning files with them. You find something? Ask user for action and that's it. If i want to give them my file list or copies of every file they correctly or wrongfully detect as malware, i would do it my self. Also the collection of software and hardware list is purely for their statistical surveys.

As for the certain personally identifiable info, which they not specify, well, they know better why an AV needs to have them in order to work...


You 're right though, it all comes down to user's decision. In this world, the more you tollerate, the more ready companies are to take advantage of you and go one step further. Who is going to guard us from the guards?

The worst abuses of freedom and civil rights have always been done in the name of "security" and "freedom".

Anyway, since i have an issue with Avast and Opera, i am looking to alternatives, included payware if i find a good price and a good EULA. Avira's free EULA btw seems very neat, no mention of sending home anything and actually specifies that it only generates a random registrationkey in the free version which can not be traced back to you. Which is encouraging. I may end up getting the premium (i wish i had taken advantage of the 2 year license promo).

 

My opinion is that AVG must have LOCAL access to my files in order to perform its job. I don't think there is any technical imperative need to send home my "personal identifiable info" (whatever that may be), my software and hardware list, copies of the files that AVG detects (be them true or false positives).

I remember when you could actually use an AV without even having an internet connection, downloading the definition files manually. Now all of a sudden, they must know the colour of the underwear your PC wears? Why? Or at least, why not letting the end user decide?

I consider normal for them to have my IP (after all i update, they see it), my OS and browser and that's it. Other than that i can't see why AVG needs anything else to perform its duty. In which way exactly, will AVG detect a virus if it's not in its definitions, if it sends home info "about my restore points, including software names, path", etc? If their problem is to make AVG clean inside restore points, this is something they can make work in their lab if they can, its OS related, there is no need to have MY restore points info and software.


I would open such an EULA topic, but i am tired of having to explain my view each time against the horde of "i don't care" users. I am thinking of posting about this to CoU, where they may actually have the chance to do something about it by giving it adeguate pubblicity and people there are sensitive about privacy.

 

They and others could show examples of what incoming data consist of, how it is managed. Youtube? If no evil Facebook data mining is taken place it should calm down EULA readers and explain words open for interpretation. Can end speculations and fueling the very paranoid which wont have any of this at all. Likely companies will need much "encouragement" to make such demos of internal data management, but it is user data so request not too intrusive. Will probably never happen but only way to make majority aware of conditions and to have something holding companies up against. EULA is required but less than analyze of outgoing traffic is only words, written by a lawyer probably. Security companies should be on the forefront about this, be concerned on behalf of users. Some of their products delete tracking cookies Im not really worried but also naive to say I dont care. Should be kept eye on.

 

You ppl are WAY too paranoid about every damn thing. Possibly identifiable is when something is detected on your desktop and it sends back the file path which also includes profile name. And if profile name is your real name, that is considered as possibly identifiable info. But if you get all the data from millions of users, do you really think they'll be chasing your very name from those millions of entries sent daily to them? It's just for statistics aggregation, nothing else.