I recently installed this AV program to test an issue. I can safely say I've never used a more parasitic program, especially one that's designed to protect your computer. That includes the normal bloatware that I've uninstalled from friends/family members machines.
Installing the program - no problems. The voice notifications are annoying, but easy enough to turn off. All my problems occurred when I tried to uninstall it. Firstly, removing the program through add/remove programs defaults you to the Avast update screen, not the uninstall screen. This is the only time I've ever seen a program do this - most people don't pay that much attention to install screens, and the first time I went through the process I clicked next assume the program would be removed.
To actually uninstall the program, you have to select a different option, and then select the features you wish to uninstall. Finally, with that discovered, you'd assume there would be no further problems? Unfortunately, the program didn't actually uninstall itself - it just broke itself. A couple of hours later, I decide to check that the Windows 8 default AV is running - Windows Defender. I launch the program, and I'm greeted with the popup that it's turned off and isn't monitoring. I check the notification area, and see the Avast Icon is still present indicating it's still installed, but also not currently monitoring as it's missing components.
Fortunately, Avast provide an uninstal utility:
avast! Uninstall Utility | Download aswClear for avast! Removal
(Please, spread that link. :lol:). I download the tool, get prompted to boot into safe mode and then discover that even their removal tool is badly designed - the default options don't even remove Avast! themselves. You have to manually select the Avast installation folder for it to be deleted, otherwise this doesn't get removed. Avast! finally removed - I reboot and check Windows Defender again, still not automatically turned. Fortunately, it's easy to turn on from the Action Centre - all problems finally solved.
I can safely say I will never be recommending Avast! AV to anyone - an AV program should be designed to protect your computer, not trick users into keeping it installed and operate a scorched earth policy when they're finally able to remove it. It's easier to remove most malware than this AV program. :r1:
