Recently I have been having some problems with my Windows machine. I suspect some type of virus is acting up and causing erratic results. So I was interested to read a recent article on Malware. The author said he tested out some web sites on the Internet that try to trick the user into downloading some bad code to this computer. The author said he used AVG antivirus software to detect and remove the malware. So I thought I would give AVG a try for my own computer problems.I was a little disappointed that the AVG web site did not seem clear on how to get the free version. It kept trying to get me to pay $4.95 to buy a copy. Now if AVG could actually correct my Windows problem, I would be happy to pay them a lot more than 55 bucks. But I needed the proof first. I thought I got to the place on the AVG web site where I could get the free edition of the software. However it turns out it was just a trial version of the software. I figured that would help me determine whether the software could resolve my problems.
The AVG antivirus install program was a huge download. And I have a high speed broadband connection. However I still had to wait a long time for the download to complete. When I installed the program, it immediately found some problems. I chose the option to fix these problems as a power user. But I was a bit disturbed that AVG warned me that this might cause the computer to go into a unstable state. WTF? I proceeded anyway. Then I got really annoyed when AVG kept popping up windows asking me if I wanted to fix the same problem over and over again. This pop up could not be closed with the normal Windows close button. Is this a virus removal program or an actual virus program I had just downloaded?
Finally I chose to actually run a virus scan. It detected a couple problems that looked promising. Then AVG told me I needed to reboot my machine. I accepted this action. However on reboot, Windows said it could not find my profile. It loaded the default profile for my computer. Oh no! All my desktop items were gone. So were my Internet Explorer favorites. I was in a panic state. So I immediately uninstalled AVG antivirus from my system. Luckily another reboot got my profile back. Here are some lessons I learned:
- Back up your files
- Don't not store anything on the Windows desktop
- Do not use AVG antivirus software
I thought I heard somebody say AVG is one of the common antivirus software. From my first experience, I cannot imagine anybody putting up with their poor web site and software with loads of problems. I almost got owned by AVG. Do not do the same.
