Frequently Asked Questions (Home)

To install AVG 2012 on your computer:

1. Go to the AVG download page for the latest installation file.

   • Click the name of the AVG edition you have purchased.
   • Click the orange Download button.
   • If you are asked, please save the file to your computer. We recommend you to save the file on your Desktop.
2. Double-click the downloaded AVG installation file on your Desktop.
3. Follow the installation wizard.

You can find more detailed installation instructions (including screenshots) in the AVG Installation Guide .

AVG 2012 should now be successfully installed and protecting your computer.

• If the installation was not successful, refer to FAQ 4 for help with common issues.
• You can also contact AVG Customer Services for help installing AVG.

When upgrading to AVG 2012, all of your current AVG settings will be kept, and the previous version will be automatically removed from your computer.

To upgrade to AVG 2012 from AVG 2011, AVG 9.0 or AVG 8.5:

1. Go to the AVG download page for the latest installation file.
   • Click the name of the AVG edition you have purchased.
   • Click the orange Download button.
   • If you are asked, please save the file to your computer. We recommend you to save the file on your Desktop.
2. Double-click the downloaded AVG installation file on your Desktop.
3. Follow the installation wizard.
4. When prompted, use the copy&paste method to enter your AVG License Number.

You can find more detailed installation instructions (including screenshots) in the AVG Installation Guide .

AVG 2012 should now be successfully installed on your computer.

• If the installation was not successful, please refer to FAQ 4 for help with common issues.
• You can also contact AVG Customer Services for help installing AVG.

To enter the AVG Licence Number using the copy&paste method:

1. Open the e-mail containing your licence number
2. Click the left mouse button at the beginning of the licence number, hold and drag the mouse to the end of the number and then release the button. The number should now be highlighted.
3. Press and hold the CTRL key and then press C. This copies the number. (Alternatively, right click the highlighted licence number then select ‘Copy'.)
4. Point and click the position where you would like to paste the copied number.
5. Press and hold CTRL key and then press V. This pastes the number to the location you selected. (Alternatively, right click on the licence number field then select ‘Paste'.)

If you are installing AVG and the installation process fails, there are several steps you can take to install AVG successfully.

1. Make sure you are installing AVG under an account with administrative rights.
AVG needs to copy files into folders that are not accessible by accounts without administrative rights. Please make sure that you are logged into Windows with administrative rights.

2. Always use the latest AVG installation file.
The AVG program is continuously being improved, including the installer, which is responsible for the correct installation process. By using the latest installation package, there is no need to download larger program and virus base updates immediately after installation. To download the latest installation file, visit the Download section of our website, select your product, and then click the AVG for Windows link.

3. Close all running programs and disable security applications.
Before running the installation file, please close all unnecessary programs and make sure that there is no security application that could interfere with the installation process. Typical examples of programs that may prevent AVG from being successfully installed include anti-spyware utilities and registry monitors/cleaners, which prevent access to the Windows registry. AVG needs to be installed into the registry to provide the functionality and protection it was designed to offer.

4.  Remove possible conflicting applications.
If you are using an application which might be in conflict with AVG, please disable or uninstall it completely before running the AVG installation. In general, AVG may conflict with applications that provide the same or similar functionality as an AVG component. This is especially important for other programs with one or more of the following features:

• Real-time protection against viruses (like AVG Resident Shield)
• Monitoring or controlling network traffic (like AVG Firewall)
• Checking or filtering e-mails (like AVG E-mail Scanner)
• Checking websites, web content filters (like AVG Online Shield)

For a list of programs known to be in conflict with one or more components in AVG 2012, please see FAQ 4406.

5. Disable User Account Control (UAC) (Windows Vista and Windows 7 only).
In Windows Vista and Windows 7, the User Account Control function may in some cases create a copy of specific AVG files in a virtual folder. This limits AVG functionality after installation.

If the troubleshooting above was not successful, please follow these steps to provide AVG Customer Services with the information necessary to resolve your issue.

This error occurs if the AVG automatic update has failed. To try and resolve this issue, please try to update AVG manually:

• Open the AVG User Interface (Start > All Programs > AVG )
• Click on the "Update Now" button on the left of the window

If the update claims it has finished successfully but the database is still outdated, please also check your system time and date to make sure they are correct. You can modify the system time settings by double-clicking on the clock at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

If there is another update error, please contact us so that we can recommend an appropriate fix.

If the update finishes successfully and your system time & date are correct, please do the following to perform a repair installation of AVG, this should fix the issue:

1. Please click on the link below to download the latest version of the installation file:
   http://www.avg.com.au/download/home-security/avg-internet-security-2012/#tba2
   • Click the orange 'DOWNLOAD' button for your version of Windows. If you're not sure, download the 32-bit version.
   • When you are prompted, choose a location where the installation file should be stored. We recommend saving the file to the Desktop (you can do this by clicking on the "Desktop" button on the left-hand side of the "Save As" dialog box).
2. Locate the downloaded AVG installation file, eg. on your Desktop (it has a four color square icon and its name starts with avg_...) and launch it. Now follow the installation wizard as usual.
3. Continue until you are presented with 3 options, one of which is "Repair Installation" and choose that before hitting "Next".
4. Click on next and follow the prompts until AVG is successfully installed.

If you require any assistance on this or any other subject, please feel free to contact us.

If you receive this error message when activating or installing AVG, please proceed as follows:

1. Ensure that the licence number is entered correctly.
   The licence number must be entered exactly as it appears on the documentation sent to you via email, including hyphens "-". We recommend that you copy and paste the licence number directly from the email into the licence field as described in FAQ 3 .
2. If AVG reports that this licence is "invalid" and you are sure that you have entered the licence correctly, then you are using an older version of AVG which does not recognise the licence. Click here for instructions on how to upgrade to AVG 2012.

If, after downloading AVG and running the installation file, you receive the error: "Extraction Failed - File is Corrupt", then there has been a connection problem during the download and you will need to download the installation file again.

To fix the issue, first please empty your Internet Explorer cache:

• Open Internet Explorer.
• Select menu "Tools" -> Internet Options.
• Approximately in the middle of the dialog window there is a button "Delete files..."
• Press this button, check the "Delete all offline content" option and press "OK".

Now, delete the previously downloaded file and go to the AVG download page for the latest installation file.

• Click the name of the AVG edition you have purchased.
• Click the orange Download button.
• If you are asked, please save the file to your computer. We recommend that you save the file on your Desktop.

If you require any assistance on this or any other subject, please feel free to contact us.

If you're installing new hardware or software, sometimes you are required to disable AVG temporarily.

To disable your AVG protection, please proceed as follows:

• Go to Start > All Programs > AVG > AVG User Interface
• Click on Tools > Advanced Settings
• In the left hand pane, click "Temporarily disable AVG protection"
• Tick the box that reads "Temporarily disable AVG protection" then click Apply
• Tick "Disable Firewall Protection" (for Internet Security products only)
• Choose an effective time period and select OK

Your AVG should be temporarily disabled.

If you require any assistance on this or any other subject, please feel free to contact us.

To transfer your AVG licence from your old computer to a new one, please follow these steps:

First, uninstall AVG from the old computer:

1. For Windows XP: on the taskbar, click Start -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs. Locate the AVG entry and double click to uninstall.
2. For Windows Vista/7: on the taskbar, click Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features. Locate the AVG entry and double click to uninstall.
3. Follow the uninstallation wizard.

Now install AVG on the new computer:

1. Go to the AVG download page for the latest installation file.

   • Click the name of the AVG edition you have purchased.
   • Click the orange Download button.
   • If you are asked, please save the file to your computer. We recommend you to save the file on your Desktop.
2. Double-click the downloaded AVG installation file on your Desktop.
3. Follow the installation wizard.
4. When prompted, use the copy & paste method in FAQ 3 to enter your AVG License Number.

You can find more detailed installation instructions (including screenshots) in the AVG Installation Guide .

AVG 2012 should now be successfully installed and protecting your computer.

• If the installation was not successful, refer to FAQ 4 for help with common issues.
• You can also contact AVG Customer Services for help installing AVG.

Please be advised that it is not necessary to uninstall your current AVG product if you wish to upgrade to a higher edition.

To upgrade your AVG product, simply:

• Open the AVG User Interface (click Start > Programs > AVG 2012)
• Click on Help > Reactivate.
• Replace your current AVG Licence Number with your new AVG Licence Number and click Activate.
• If prompted, follow the wizard to install additional components.

We suggest copying your new AVG Licence Number from the e-mail received after your upgrade was processed and pasting it into the appropriate field as described in FAQ 3 .

If AVG detects a threat, you will see the warning similar to the one displayed above.

If you see this warning, you need to take one of the following actions:

• Move to Vault (Recommended) – clicking this option will move the file to quarantine.
• Go to file – this option takes you to the folder where the suspicious file is located so you can manually delete the file.
• Ignore the threat – We do not recommend that you use this option unless you have a very good reason to do so!
• Heal – this option is only displayed when it’s possible to clean the infected file. It will restore the file to its original state.

Once you have selected the appropriate option, it’s a good idea to run an AVG Computer Scan. To do this:

1. Open AVG (Go to Start -> Programs -> AVG 2012 -> AVG User Interface)
2. Click 'Scan Now' on the left hand menu
3. If any infections are found during the scan and not removed or healed, it's best to contact our technical support team for further assistance.

If you are installing AVG and the installation process fails, there are several steps you can take to install AVG successfully.

1. Make sure you are installing AVG under an account with administrative rights.
AVG needs to copy files into folders that are not accessible by accounts without administrative rights. Please make sure that you are logged into Windows with administrative rights.

2. Always use the latest AVG installation file.
The AVG program is continuously being improved, including the installer, which is responsible for the correct installation process. By using the latest installation package, there is no need to download larger program and virus base updates immediately after installation. To download the latest installation file, visit the Download section of our website, select your product, and then click the AVG for Windows link.

3. Close all running programs and disable security applications.
Before running the installation file, please close all unnecessary programs and make sure that there is no security application that could interfere with the installation process. Typical examples of programs that may prevent AVG from being successfully installed include anti-spyware utilities and registry monitors/cleaners, which prevent access to the Windows registry. AVG needs to be installed into the registry to provide the functionality and protection it was designed to offer.

4.  Remove possible conflicting applications.
If you are using an application which might be in conflict with AVG, please disable or uninstall it completely before running the AVG installation. In general, AVG may conflict with applications that provide the same or similar functionality as an AVG component. This is especially important for other programs with one or more of the following features:

• Real-time protection against viruses (like AVG Resident Shield)
• Monitoring or controlling network traffic (like AVG Firewall)
• Checking or filtering e-mails (like AVG E-mail Scanner)
• Checking websites, web content filters (like AVG Online Shield)

For a list of programs known to be in conflict with one or more components in AVG 2012, please see FAQ 4406 .

5. Disable User Account Control (UAC) (Windows Vista and Windows 7 only).
In Windows Vista and Windows 7, the User Account Control function may in some cases create a copy of specific AVG files in a virtual folder. This limits AVG functionality after installation.

If the troubleshooting above was not successful, please follow these steps to provide AVG Customer Services with the information necessary to resolve your issue.

To reinstall, uninstall, or perform a repair installation of AVG 2011, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the download page for the latest installation file (once there, right-click the file you need and save it to the Desktop):
   AVG Anti-Virus 2012
   AVG Internet Security 2012
2. Double-click the downloaded AVG installation file on your Desktop.
3. The following options will be displayed during the installation process:
   • Add/Remove Components - Choose this option to add or remove AVG components.
   • Repair installation - This option repairs or reinstalls damaged or missing AVG components.
   • Uninstall - This option removes the AVG program from your PC.

In case of troubles with uninstallation , please proceed according to FAQ 4416 .

To extend the license period of your AVG program with a new AVG License Number, please see FAQ 4461 .

We would like to inform you that AVG 2012 does not support installation on Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Server operating systems.

These systems do not provide features and functionality that are necessary for proper detection and especially removal of malware. The systems are insecure and are not maintained by Microsoft anymore. Therefore we cannot guarantee sufficient protection.

If you use Microsoft Windows 2000 you have currently two options for using AVG protection:

1. Upgrade your operating system

You can buy a newer operating system to use on your computer. The list of systems where AVG 2012 can be used is available on the product pages (for example AVG Internet Security ). For list of all supported operating systems see www.avg.com/special-old-os

2. Use AVG 9.0

AVG 9.0 still remains supported by AVG Technologies and can be installed on Windows 2000. If you are already using AVG 9.0 you do not need to do anything. If you want to install AVG 9.0 with you current license see FAQ 1995 .

Note : This FAQ article can be displayed also in case that you are using some other unsupported operating system (for example Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows XP SP1 ). For more information and recommendations please refer to the document AVG Legacy OS support .

Yes. AVG is pleased to offer FREE program upgrades to our customers during the whole license period.

Detailed download and installation instructions can be found in FAQ 4388 .

Should you have any troubles when upgrading from an older AVG version (AVG 8.x or 9.0), you can request an AVG 2012 compatible license number by following these steps:

1. Use the copy&paste method to enter your current AVG License Number into the upgrade form .
2. Click Upgrade to AVG 2012 .
3. The new AVG 2012 License Number will be displayed together with a link to download the AVG 2012 installation package.

You can also enter your e-mail address to receive the AVG 2012 License Number via e-mail.

For detailed information on system requirements (computer hardware, operating systems) of a particular Home Security product, please click on the product you are interested in and visit the product page:

AVG Internet Security

AVG Anti-Virus

AVG PC Tuneup

• In the AVG Upgrade Center :
  Enter your AVG License Number into the License Number field . On the next page, select the required license duration and press the Add to cart button . For details on offered payment options please visit FAQ 14 .

• Directly from AVG Authorized Resellers, Distributors and Partners .

You may check your current AVG license expiration date in your AVG by clicking the Support tab. The expiration information is displayed in License Details section. 

If you have any questions regarding your license renewal, please contact AVG Customer Services .