Computer Advice Appreciated..

[Mitchell]

I hope this is okay to post in the main forum. It's not "Personal" about Mitch's personal or work life. I've been restricting those topics to my blog. It is, however, about a computer issue that I would appreciate advice on.

I have the free version of Avast software/antivirus, first introduced to me several years ago when my old desktop computer had the adware virus, and again installed by the store I bought this laptop computer from, in Lancaster, when I still lived there in 2011.

I update the software as instructed once a year.

Today, I received an e-mail advising me to update. I went to the Avast website, and downloaded the free Avast antivirus software that I've always had. It has seemed to work fine up until now. This time, when I did the download and update, my whole computer seems to look different. The page which is supposed to be Internet Explorer, and give me headlines, weather, etc, etc, now simply says Google Chrome, and nothing else. The Google Chrome page itself, that says Google Chrome separately on my computer, seems fine, as all the frequently visited websites such as WPVI are still saved on there. I have icons locked at the bottom of my computer screen/toolbar. Two yahoo icons, as well as a Firefox icon that wasn't there before. Things just seem all messed up.

Does this happen with an antivirus download? Is it anything to worry about? The computer seems to be running okay, except for these things. It's nearly three years old, as most people know, as I got it new in August, 2011, at the time I returned home to PA, from the long summer, when my mom was being treated for her illness in NJ.

Any advice would be appreciated. Things just seem.. weird. Thanks.

 

[shark]

It's possible that the Avast download had made changes on your computer that you didn't realize. A number of online services include accounts for other services that you have to refuse, or they will download along with the service or software you asked for. I've seen a few software services that are pushing an a/v service, a particular toolbar, a preferred home page or search engine, etc.

Now, that I'm thinking about it...

 

[Mitchell]

Thanks, shark. I did refuse a few changes that they offered, but for some reason, certain ones are just in there anyway.

My 6pm newscast from Philly, usually fine when I view it normally on Google Chrome, blacked out for a minute, for some unknown reason. I know it was my computer, and not their website, because I saw a message that said "Oops we seem to have lost this website". I then had to reload it, and it was okay.

The whole bottom toolbar and everything looks weird. I know I had to download an update to Avast in order for my computer to be protected from the latest virus threats, but whatever they downloaded today, seems to be a pain in the ass.

 

[Jericho716]

Have you tried uninstalling the service, seeing how your computer responds (toolbar, display, etc.) and then re-downloading it? Or even better, not using free antivirus services? Not worth it.

 

[WorkInProgress]

What you're describing sounds to me like a change in what your homepage is on IE, which can be readjusted with the IE settings. Google has managed to get its claws into a lot of things, and to advertise itself wherever possible, but it doesn't sound like anything worse than that.

 

[Mitchell]

Thanks, Work.

There is another problem:

When the anti virus thing updated itself.. it seems to have changed the way it gives me updates, etc, and looks totally different. So far, it hasn't given me any notices of viruses. It just looks weird, and different than before.