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How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 19th 18, 08:34 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

When I start Windows, I get a popup box

Windows Defender

(i) This program is turned off

If you are using another program that checks for harmful or
unwanted
software, use the Action Center to check that program's status.


If I open the Action Center, I just see two (orange) sections: one
telling me "Windows Update is set to check with you before downloading
and installing updates.", which I have no intention of changing!, and
one telling me "Your files are not being backed up.", which just means I
don't have an _automatic_ backup in place.

There is no mention of AVG at all.

I'm sure I've seen Action Center acknowledge, and reflect the settings
of, AVG before now. (AVG's icon is in the tray, _without_ a yellow
triangle on it; if I click on it, it comes up and tells me "You have
basic protection", and "Virus definition: 3 hours ago".

So how do I remind Action Center that I have a working and up-to-date
copy of AVG? (Do I have to do something from within AVG?)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I've never really "got" sport or physical exercise. The only muscle I've ever
enjoyed exercising is the one between my ears. - Beryl Hales, Radio Times
24-30 March 2012
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  #2  
Old February 20th 18, 03:49 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
pjp[_10_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,183
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

In article , says...

When I start Windows, I get a popup box

Windows Defender

(i) This program is turned off

If you are using another program that checks for harmful or
unwanted
software, use the Action Center to check that program's status.


If I open the Action Center, I just see two (orange) sections: one
telling me "Windows Update is set to check with you before downloading
and installing updates.", which I have no intention of changing!, and
one telling me "Your files are not being backed up.", which just means I
don't have an _automatic_ backup in place.

There is no mention of AVG at all.

I'm sure I've seen Action Center acknowledge, and reflect the settings
of, AVG before now. (AVG's icon is in the tray, _without_ a yellow
triangle on it; if I click on it, it comes up and tells me "You have
basic protection", and "Virus definition: 3 hours ago".

So how do I remind Action Center that I have a working and up-to-date
copy of AVG? (Do I have to do something from within AVG?)


I get the same. I think it's something to do with MS and an update. When
it sees another AV program running Defender shuts down on purpose but
the Action Center doesn't interpret that correctly. I dismiss it and
think no more about it.
  #3  
Old February 20th 18, 04:01 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

When I start Windows, I get a popup box

Windows Defender

(i) This program is turned off

If you are using another program that checks for harmful or
unwanted
software, use the Action Center to check that program's status.

If I open the Action Center, I just see two (orange) sections: one
telling me "Windows Update is set to check with you before downloading
and installing updates.", which I have no intention of changing!, and
one telling me "Your files are not being backed up.", which just means I
don't have an _automatic_ backup in place.

There is no mention of AVG at all.

I'm sure I've seen Action Center acknowledge, and reflect the settings
of, AVG before now. (AVG's icon is in the tray, _without_ a yellow
triangle on it; if I click on it, it comes up and tells me "You have
basic protection", and "Virus definition: 3 hours ago".

So how do I remind Action Center that I have a working and up-to-date
copy of AVG? (Do I have to do something from within AVG?)


Action Center - Change Action Center settings

There you can decide which alerts to enable or disable. My AV program
(Avast) takes care of the registry settings to register it as the
alternative to Defender; else, I'd have to use the Action Center
settings to disable its alerts regarding "Virus protection" (and perhaps
"Spyware and related protection", too).

Avast acquired AVG in 2016 so there's no point in sticking with AVG
anymore. In fact, soon after the acquisition, Avast modified AVG to add
their spam signature, by default, if you installed the mail shield.
Avast wanted to use their new acquisition to spam via Usenet and e-mail
like they do in their own-brand AV program.

https://press.avast.com/avast-announ...re-avg-for-13b
  #4  
Old February 20th 18, 12:52 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

In message , VanguardLH
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

[]
If I open the Action Center, I just see two (orange) sections: one

[]
There is no mention of AVG at all.

I'm sure I've seen Action Center acknowledge, and reflect the settings
of, AVG before now. (AVG's icon is in the tray, _without_ a yellow
triangle on it; if I click on it, it comes up and tells me "You have
basic protection", and "Virus definition: 3 hours ago".

So how do I remind Action Center that I have a working and up-to-date
copy of AVG? (Do I have to do something from within AVG?)


Action Center - Change Action Center settings


That just turns off the warnings. I'm sure I've seen Action Center
acknowledge the existence of AVG, in fact I think it did on this machine
when I took it (the machine) out of mothballs after a little over a
year; unfortunately AVG wouldn't upgrade on its own, so I fetched the
new version and installed it, and rather than just updating the old
version, it installed alongside the old version - which (I think itself
as well as Action Center) kept popping up to tell me it was out of date,
I wasn't protected, and so on, while the new one did tell me I was fine.
I eventually had to "terminate with extreme prejudice" the old one using
Revo Uninstaller's forced uninstall, as recounted in a thread a few days
ago. Since I did that, Action Centre has shown no sign of knowing AVG
was there - which, as I've said, I'm sure I've seen it do in the past, I
think even on this machine.

There you can decide which alerts to enable or disable. My AV program
(Avast) takes care of the registry settings to register it as the
alternative to Defender; else, I'd have to use the Action Center


That's what I expected AVG to do. Maybe if I uninstall it and install it
again, it will, but I CBA - I was just hoping someone would know a way,
either inside Action Center or inside AVG, of telling the former of the
latter's presence.

settings to disable its alerts regarding "Virus protection" (and perhaps
"Spyware and related protection", too).

Avast acquired AVG in 2016 so there's no point in sticking with AVG


So why are the two products continuing to exist? I'd have expected them
to gradually turn AVG into Avast.

anymore. In fact, soon after the acquisition, Avast modified AVG to add
their spam signature, by default, if you installed the mail shield.


Though that doesn't mention Avast, I don't think.

I've turned off the mail shield anyway - there's no point, with my or I
think most other mail clients (I suppose _some_ clients can run scripts;
mine certainly can't. Anything saved to disc should trigger an AV
product anyway).

Avast wanted to use their new acquisition to spam via Usenet and e-mail
like they do in their own-brand AV program.


Oh, so if I ever switch to Avast, I've got to turn something off there
too. Thanks for the warning!

https://press.avast.com/avast-announ...re-avg-for-13b

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Security is the perfect excuse to lock you out of your own computer.
- Mayayana in alt.windows7.general, 2015-12-4
  #5  
Old February 20th 18, 01:13 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

In message , "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
writes:
In message , VanguardLH
writes:

[]
There you can decide which alerts to enable or disable. My AV program
(Avast) takes care of the registry settings to register it as the
alternative to Defender; else, I'd have to use the Action Center


That's what I expected AVG to do. Maybe if I uninstall it and install
it again, it will, but I CBA - I was just hoping someone would know a
way, either inside Action Center or inside AVG, of telling the former
of the latter's presence.

[]
Or, failing that "easy" way, anyone know which are the relevant registry
settings, and what they should be set to.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

No sense being pessimistic. It wouldn't work anyway.
- Penny Mayes, UMRA, 2014-August
  #6  
Old February 20th 18, 03:48 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

Alternatively, if you don't want any of the alerts from the Action
Center and don't want to separately configure them in its GUI wizard,
right-click on the system notification area (aka tray area), Customize,
click on "Turn system icons on or off", and disable the Action Center.
I don't want any of its alert so I disabled it. If you don't want to
get alerted, what is the point of leaving the Action Center running? To
me, the Action Center is just security bloatwa it affords no
protection in and of itself. I don't need yet another tool telling me
the state of various programs.

AVs register themselves during installation by using an API call to
register with the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window...nstrumentation. Sorry
but I don't want to delve into how an AV gets registered or what is the
API call or what Windows does with that data sent in the API call or how
it encodes that registration in the registry. The Action Center
receives notifications from WMI. If the AV doesn't register itself with
WMI (some don't; as I recall, MalwareBytes doesn't because it is neither
anti-virus or anti-spyware but instead considers itself anti-malware) or
that registration gets corrupted, you have to re-register the AV with
WMI (see my last paragraph on how I'd do it easily). See:

https://www.opswat.com/blog/windows-...-wmi-consumers

In that article is mentioned "use of a private API that can be obtained
by signing an NDA". Well, if the API is private, it might be documented
but how to use it (structure of the call) might be something that
Microsoft has to tell the AV vendor after that AV vendor agrees to an
NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). This is probably to thwart malware that
could override the WMI settings to either make the AV look dead or cause
other problems to the user.

I found the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Action
Center\Checks

That tells the Action Center what to alert on or not to alert on;
however, those {GUID}-named subkeys reflect the settings found in the
GUI for the Action Center. Those are encoded strings so you don't want
to mess with their values. They probably contain the data sent in the
WMI call for the "class AntiVirusProduct" construct. The only ones that
I found info about we

{E8433B72-5842-4d43-8645-BC2C35960837}.check.100 (anti-virus)
{E8433B72-5842-4d43-8645-BC2C35960837}.check.102 (anti-spyware)
{E8433B72-5842-4d43-8645-BC2C35960837}.check.103 (Windows updates)

Those strings are too short to have anything within them to identify the
handler for those services. A search through the registry on just
E8433B72-5842-4d43-8645-BC2C35960837 didn't turn up anything outside of
the Action Center's registry settings key. The other Checks\{GUID} keys
might have info about the registered AV program but those strings are
encoded (and I wasn't going to spend time finding out how to decode them
or how to issue WMI calls to query registration of the AV).

In the Action Center, click the down-arrow chevron for the Security
section. If a 3rd party anti-virus properly registered itself via WMI
or is still properly registered, it will be listed there. Mine shows:

Virus protection
Avast Antivirus reports that it is up to date and virus scanning is on

Spyware and unwanted software protection
Avast Antivirus reports that it is turned on

Note the "reports" status. Looks like Windows or the Action Center will
query the AV to check if it is enabled and updated. If I disable all
shields in Avast, this list auto-updates in Action Center's Security
center to tell me that Avast is turned off. Could be the Action Center
is querying the current state of the Checks\{GUID} keys, or it might
itself be issuing WMI calls to check on status.

Under the "Spywware and unwanted software protection" listing, there is
a link to "View installed antispyware programs". When I look at that,
it lists Avast (as on) and Defender (as off since I disabled it -
Defender was only an anti-spyware program until Windows 8 where
anti-virus was added). The entry in this list, for me using Avast, says
"Avast Antivirus" so I searched on that string in the registry. There
are the obvious entries where Avast stores its settings and its
Uninstall string in the registry but I wasn't hunting for those. Didn't
find one. You would have to decode the Checks\{GUID} keys or find out
what WMI calls (the same ones use by the Action Center) to query status
on the installed components to determine if one of them was an AV.

If the AV is registering itself under the Checks\{GUID} key, maybe it
will also deregister itself. Have you checked in Avast's config GUI
that your license is still valid? You only get 1 year per license after
which (or a month before due to a prompt) you must renew the license;
else, Avast gets crippled. They don't want you using an old version,
even for their free version. It's not just the signatures they want to
make sure you have updated but also the heuristics and feature set as
part of a program update, plus they probably have their own marketing
reasons to require a yearly license update. Go into Avast's setting and
check its subscription status. I have 36 days remaining so soon I will
get a prompt and will have to renew the license to keep Avast active.
The only way for me to renew the license before it expires (and not
using their prompt method since I disabled all prompts to get rid of
their repetitive spam popups in their free version) is to uninstall
Avast, cleanup, and reinstall Avast to get a new license.

Avast claims their users no longer have to re-register Avast but you'll
see there is still a subscription status that will expire. Perhaps they
moved the license renewal into the program update function. On Windows
7 Home Edition x64 SP-1, my Avast instance is at 17.9.2322 (build
17.9.3761.278). I don't use AVG (never did, still don't after Avast's
acquisition) so I cannot tell you how to determine its subscription
status or if it is even active (presumably it has an option to disable
itself for awhile or until the next Windows boot).

Have you even tried uninstalling AVG (and then either manually cleaning
out the remnant file and registry entries or using their cleanup tool)
and reinstalling AVG? Avast has a cleanup tool so I'm assuming so does
AVG. Of course, after uninstalling AVG and cleaning up, you could
switch to Avast since Avast owns both Avast and AVG. Also, during the
reinstall of AVG (or installing Avast), you can eliminate their spam
without having to disable that option to append their fake signature
onto your e-mails and Usenet posts: Don't install the superfluous mail
shield module. It affords no added protection beyond the on-demand
scanner. You might want to review what modules you install by doing a
customized installation. For Avast, I only install their File Shield,
Behavior Shield, Web Shield, Wi-Fi Inspector, and Game Mode. All the
other fluff is either superfluous, ineffective (e.g., Security Browser
Extension which was called Web Reputation which is nothing more than a
similar extension to the WOT, Web Of Trust, extension) or is lureware
(you get a trial but have to pay to continue using). From what I've
seen of screen snapshots online for AVG, Computer Shield you want but
Web & Mail Shield is superfluous and SafePrice is a bloatware extension.

Avast claims AVG will continue to survive but I don't that will remain
true as Avast will want to focus on their corporate image and marketing
and not dilute their market with multiple differently-branded products.
I doubt dual-branding will survive. The feature sets will merge and
having to invest resources on providing separate GUIs and codebases is a
waste of money to supply 2 product brands with similar features and
capabilities.

https://blog.avast.com/avast-and-avg-a-future-together

https://www.the-parallax.com/2016/09...-avg-users-qa/
- The actual technical work of running the products with a common engine
is pretty straightforward. That¢s going to roll out in three months.
- For engineering, of course, we¢ll be running one consolidated engine,
but it¢s going to be a more complex engine, ...

It's possible AVG out-survives the Avast brand. Until then consumers
remain confused about dual-branding thinking they are different
products. Avast also acquired Piriform, so ownership has changed for
the CCleaner, Speccy, Defraggler, and Recuva tools that I use.
  #7  
Old February 20th 18, 06:43 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default How to tell Windows I'm using AVG?

In message , VanguardLH
writes:
Alternatively, if you don't want any of the alerts from the Action
Center and don't want to separately configure them in its GUI wizard,
right-click on the system notification area (aka tray area), Customize,
click on "Turn system icons on or off", and disable the Action Center.


That doesn't answer my original question, though see below.

I don't want any of its alert so I disabled it. If you don't want to
get alerted, what is the point of leaving the Action Center running? To
me, the Action Center is just security bloatwa it affords no
protection in and of itself. I don't need yet another tool telling me
the state of various programs.


I don't see it doing any _harm_, though. Remember I'm fairly new to
full-time home use of Windows 7: I haven't yet turned off UAC prompts,
for example, which a lot of people here have.
[]
In the Action Center, click the down-arrow chevron for the Security
section. If a 3rd party anti-virus properly registered itself via WMI
or is still properly registered, it will be listed there. Mine shows:


Surprise surprise, AVG _is_ shown the

Virus protection
Avast Antivirus reports that it is up to date and virus scanning is on

AVG Antivirus reports that it is up to date and virus scanning is on.

Spyware and unwanted software protection
Avast Antivirus reports that it is turned on

AVG Antivirus reports that it is turned on.
[]
Under the "Spywware and unwanted software protection" listing, there is
a link to "View installed antispyware programs". When I look at that,
it lists Avast (as on) and Defender (as off since I disabled it -
Defender was only an anti-spyware program until Windows 8 where
anti-virus was added). The entry in this list, for me using Avast, says
"Avast Antivirus" so I searched on that string in the registry. There


I get the same, except "AVG Antivirus".
[]
If the AV is registering itself under the Checks\{GUID} key, maybe it
will also deregister itself. Have you checked in Avast's config GUI
that your license is still valid? You only get 1 year per license after
which (or a month before due to a prompt) you must renew the license;
else, Avast gets crippled. They don't want you using an old version,
even for their free version. It's not just the signatures they want to


I know the sort of thing you mean: I've seen that sort of thing. I can't
actually find anything in AVG's interface saying how long I have left -
but I think I only installed the current version in the last month, so
should have plenty left.
[]
Avast claims their users no longer have to re-register Avast but you'll
see there is still a subscription status that will expire. Perhaps they
moved the license renewal into the program update function. On Windows


That would seem logical.

7 Home Edition x64 SP-1, my Avast instance is at 17.9.2322 (build
17.9.3761.278). I don't use AVG (never did, still don't after Avast's
acquisition) so I cannot tell you how to determine its subscription
status or if it is even active (presumably it has an option to disable
itself for awhile or until the next Windows boot).


My AVG says it is 18.1.3044 (I'm sure it was 17.something last time I
looked!).

Have you even tried uninstalling AVG (and then either manually cleaning
out the remnant file and registry entries or using their cleanup tool)
and reinstalling AVG? Avast has a cleanup tool so I'm assuming so does
AVG. Of course, after uninstalling AVG and cleaning up, you could


AVG does have one - I downloaded it, intending to use it after trying
with Revo's forced uninstall if that didn't work, but it seemed to.

switch to Avast since Avast owns both Avast and AVG. Also, during the
reinstall of AVG (or installing Avast), you can eliminate their spam
without having to disable that option to append their fake signature
onto your e-mails and Usenet posts: Don't install the superfluous mail
shield module. It affords no added protection beyond the on-demand


Well, I have it turned off.
[]
Avast claims AVG will continue to survive but I don't that will remain
true as Avast will want to focus on their corporate image and marketing
and not dilute their market with multiple differently-branded products.


On the whole I'd have expected the same, i. e. AVG disappear, though it
has been well over a year.
[]
It's possible AVG out-survives the Avast brand. Until then consumers
remain confused about dual-branding thinking they are different
products. Avast also acquired Piriform, so ownership has changed for
the CCleaner, Speccy, Defraggler, and Recuva tools that I use.


I think they might indeed keep AVG and ditch Avast - I think the AVG
brand is somewhat better known. FWIW, the ABOUT page for my AVG says
Copyright© 1992-2017 AVG Technologies, All rights reserved.
making no mention of Avast.

So it seems Action Center _does_ know I have AVG - it just doesn't show
it in the basic opening screen, which just shows two orange sections (I
have to delve into it to find mention of AVG), and still tells me at
startup (or _something_ does) that Defender is turned off.

I'm not worried - I leave this machine on for days, so only see that
rarely. (My old XP machine used to lose its wifi connection - I never
did get to the bottom of why - intermittently, but on average about once
every day or two. A reboot seemed to be the only thing that
re-established it.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

By most scientific estimates sustained, useful fusion is ten years in
the future - and will be ten years in the future for the next fifty
years or more. - "Hamadryad", ~2016-4-4
 




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