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AVG 2011 Update Causes Widespread Problems For 64-Bit Windows

Posted by timothy on from the now-that's-a-bricking dept.

phx_zs writes "Last night's mandatory update of AVG 2011 Free edition has caused most 64-bit Windows 7 PCs to fail while loading Windows. On their website they have an FAQ with instructions on how to repair the problem using a boot CD or USB device."

3 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. Antivirus? by Peach+Rings · · Score: 0, Troll

    Does anyone on slashdot still run antivirus software in the background? It strikes me as a terrible idea to run through a pattern matching algorithm for every disk write. I haven't run antivirus software in years and I've never had a virus.

    I mean, it's not exactly hard. Download from sourceforge, compile from source, use sandboxie, whatever.

    1. Re:Antivirus? by VortexCortex · · Score: 0, Troll

      I'll second this. I'm reasonably careful - browse only with Firefox and a handful of extensions, don't use bootleg software, careful about executing anything (unsigned or unknown), and typically stay out of the darker areas of the net. I'd even go as far as to say I think I know what I'm doing.

      I still got hit.

      Windows users are insane.

      "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." - Benjamin Franklin

      Keep running the Most Targeted, and therefore most vulnerable OS. Keep "recovering" from crashes & viruses; Keep putting up with the fact that a constantly running A.V. is essential. Keep feeding the insanity because [insert your excuse here], and Windows is more familiar...

      Except that It's not always more familiar. Most laymen I've encountered have just as much (if not more) trouble migrating from XP to Win7 as they do migrating to Linux or OSX.

      Oh, right, it's AVG not MS that caused the crash... Tell me: Why was AVG's A.V. product installed? (Just plain insane, I tell you).

      AV doesn't protect against most "Zero-Day" exploits; 1 month later your OS is patched against the known exploits... What then is the benefit of running an AV? It protects against unpatched flaws in your OS.

      Psst: Instead of developing my own FOSS AV product, I just patch bugs in Linux...

  2. What the.... by Slash.Poop · · Score: 1, Troll

    Why is /. not blaming this on M$?

    --
    I'll try anything once. Twice if it tastes good