Prevent AVG from auto-updating by disabling its definition and program update schedule tasks. AVG Free antivirus automatically updates virus definitions and program update, they’re pre-configured in such a way in Settings. If you want to disable AVG automatic updates due to slow internet connection or downloading and installing updates taking longer time than expected, follow the steps below.
Stop AVG from automatic updating
Disabling AVG definition and program update scheduled tasks
1. Open AVG user interface, click Options > Advanced Settings > Schedules, select’ Definition Update Schedule’ and uncheck ‘Enable this task’, click ‘OK’.
2. While you’re expanded Schedules on left, select ‘Program Update Schedule’ and untick ‘Enable this task’, click ‘OK’ to apply the changes.
Note: AVG warn you when you disable database updates in its program window with ‘You are not fully protected Update Manager: Database Update is disabled.’ clicking ‘Fix Now’ will re-enable the definition update schedule task but not the program update schedule task.
We suggest you to keep the database update enabled. This article applies to AVG Free antivirus 2015.
May 9. 2017 Update: If you’re using AVG 2017 or later (uses Avast technologies)
1. Open AVG and launch ‘Antivirus Free’
2. Click on Menu and choose ‘Settings’
3. Select ‘Update’ and set ‘Manual Update’ for Virus Definitions and Program Settings.
ALSO SEE: How to Restore AVG Default Settings
AVG was, in it’s earlier incarnations, a great (free) antivirus program. But, with each passing year, it went from a 4-star to a 1-star program. It CONSTANTLY runs program updates for itself (that you cannot stop, because if you do, it will beat you to death with nag screens that your AV protection is no longer updating), and even in the paid version, it is worse ad-ware than a Juarez site. It doesn’t promote a serious anti-root kit tool, and it is GIGANTIC for an AV program (over 300-MB!). It scans frequently, every time it updates itself, it runs a memory and systems scan, and in general, it is AT LEAST as bad as most cookie schemes you’ll ever see. We won’t even talk about it now turning into spyware with heavy ‘web site monitoring’ efforts it now conducts. I have NEVER had a serious ‘virus’ capture from it, while Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and CCleaner have both been more successful at tracker and trojan captures than it. Seriously, this is 300MB of bloat that does nothing but sit there and makes itself look busy. Go to safe mode, uninstall it, and pick ANYTHING ELSE (if you just can’t stand going to a Linux system instead).
You’ve talked about AVG missing Anti-rootkit tool and FYI, Malwarebytes Free offers free rootkit scanning. Just enable one option in MBAM settings and perform the scan. Read this for more info https://techdows.com/2014/02/enable-anti-rootkit-and-chameleon-self-protection-in-malwarebytes.html
Helpful. Thank You.
You’re welcome Arun. Glad that I could help.
Lance C > Thank you for your comment. I used AVG for a few years. I disabled its updates for long time and never had any issues with viruses etc. Lately AVG started showing me false positive signs of a virus in my computer called Heri or something like that. At the same time AVG was not updating itself at this stage. Reluctantly I uninstalled the old version and reinstalled the new version of AVG which downloaded its WHOLE package of malaware. Despite me selecting no updates, AVG continues to update itself on almost every other start up and God knows what else it runs in the background.
I agree to Lance C that it has never shown to have trapped any virus on my computer. Infact the only virus it showed [ Heri ] to have come to my computer, it was UNABLE to fix that. Once new version was installed, that virus notifications stopped on my computer. Instead now I get updates all the time and the ads of buying this completely useless so called antivirus.
I suspect this AVG is a virus itself. It is a spyware and an adware. It doesn’t do much except to extract all the information that is stored on your computer and your activities every day. I take the advise of Lance C to erase it and get some other effective anti virus on my computer.
If any one knows of a good free antivirus these days please advise me. Thanks for that in advance.
I thought I would move to AVG and paid for AVG Zen. I am now trying to turn off the Driver Update, but am not finding a way I think access may have changed since this article or I am missing something.
I am running the latest version on Window 10 (Oct 31, 2016). Right now, I would like to have Mcafee or Norton back:(
What I can say is latest AVG doesn’t offer Program Update option under Schedules of Advanced Settings, that has been removed, we don’t know the reason why. Apart from that, the article on disabling automatic updates for definitions is still relevant and valid.
For several years I’ve been a loyal advocate and user of AVG Free, However, I’ve recently become very annoyed with the latest version of AVG. AVG has removed our option to update when it suites us, instead it updates itself all the time using large amounts of data and computer resources! This is a problem when you are on a limited internet data plan! I was on the earlier version and had Auto Update Disabled, yet it kept updating itself without my knowledge, and is now a version that Auto Update cannot be disabled! As a result, I will remove it from my computer and probably resort to Avast Free or Avira Free. I’m already using Malware Bytes Free and also find Advanced System Care and most of it’s related programes are well worth using as I have for the last couple of years! Just avoid using its driver updater if youre using a modified operating system with different display, audio, modem etc drivers! Apart from that Advanced System Care is very good and runs alongside Windows Defender, Windows Security Essentials, malwarebytes and many others! I hope this info is usefull to some folk! Good luck to all!
exactly….I too uninstalled avg recently. the only thing it was doing is downloading something from internet ….god knows what.
I’ve been working in IT 40 years and a AVG customer since it first rolled out. Must have installed it on several thousand system builds over the years. I just installed it for the last time after it destroyed a Win 10 system I was recently building. I was already looking for something else because like you say it was out of control and with no way to stop updates, it made it even worse. All I ever saw it delete was a stray bootleg version of one program, every real threat, and there have been many, has been caught with Malware Bytes. AVG started slowing systems down to the point it was cheaper to maintain Acronis and a multi tera drive with constant backups than to use AVG’s massive bloatware. It was a good program early on, then it stopped looking for viruses and started mining data first and looking for virus as a side job, not carried out well at all. My last install was last week and it won’t be back