I don't normally post reviews of software because it isn't normally that important but I felt compelled to post something about the new version of AVG.

I got a notification that I needed to update my version of AVG like I have so many other times in the last 4 years.

The download is 112 megs. I thought to myself, why is this download so huge? I then found out.

It appears that AVG has gone from a program that runs quietly in the background to a program that is a now a total resource hog. I have a dual core 2.8 Ghz desktop computer that has 8 gigs of ram in it. I rarely if never saw the light on the front of the computer that indicates hard drive activity light up when AVG 9 was installed.

First things first. The upgrade from AVG 9 to 2011 took an astounding 25 minutes. This is despite the fact that I have about 7 mbps download speed. Most of the time in fact was the time that it took for the program to install itself. Keep in mind that the computer that I installed it on is no slow dog. I use it as a home theater server. I can stream 3 Hi Def movies simultaneously to 3 separate computers in my house from this machine and it doesn't miss a beat.

After the upgrade my hard drive activity light flashed all of the time and would not stop flashing. I am 100% that this was caused by the new version of the software.

This program was running like crazy despite the fact that no active scans were running. I shut down half of the processes associated with the program down and the program still made the hard drive light up like it was running some sort of scan.

I have been an AVG user for at least 3 to 4 years. I have recommended it to numerous people in the past. I can't say I would recommend it to anyone anymore. In fact, I would probably advise anyone who is using this program on a laptop to uninstall it. Why? It will absolutely devastate your battery life if you are person who primarily uses their laptop on battery power during the day and then charges it overnight like I do.

I would bet that it would also make a computer that isn't so fast run extremely slow because it is now a huge resource hog.

My recommendation? Try out Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free and runs quietly in the background and is as good as the free version of AVG.

I used AVG early on in its life, but quit due to unreliable updating. I moved to Avast and Avira and run both (but not on the same computer). I've been pleased with both products and don't have a clear favorite.

:act014:Just dropped AVG free 9.0 at the recommendation of a friend for "Microsoft Security Essentials" which is also free. Three days later,,,,so far so good.
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Here's a linky (http://www.av-comparatives.org/comparativesreviews/main-tests) to a nice comparative review of many of the current product offerings, including the ones mentioned above. Click on the pdf to d/l and read the report.

I used and recommended AVG for PCs for years. It was simple, effective, and free. The two bigger guys - Norton and McAfee - were just bloated and overpriced. After switching to Macs a few years ago I stopped having to worry about it. Perhaps over time an increase in the use of Macs will make them more of a target for viruses and malware. For now, my Macs and I live in bliss.

I have used McAfee, Microsoft Security Essentials, and currently run AVG 9.0 on the PC I'm forced to use at work. I was unaware a newer version was even available until reading this post. I'm usually on top of the latest updates. Perhaps it's my ill feelings toward this plasticky Dell running bloated Windows. :)

My recommendation? Try out Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free and runs quietly in the background and is as good as the free version of AVG.

Thanks for the heads-up before I updated to AVG 10.:act030:

:act014:Just dropped AVG free 9.0 at the recommendation of a friend for "Microsoft Security Essentials" which is also free. Three days later,,,,so far so good.
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Did the same thing a couple of months ago. AVG was getting a little too intrusive and bloated for me. Switched to Microsoft Security Essentials and have been very pleased.

Another option is AVAST antivirus. It's free and it's served me well for years now.

I am using Microsoft Essentials on both my Levono laptops now. I was using AVG and noticed the same thing as the OP.