"tiredofbadsoftware"  wrote in message 
news:m440v9$mrl$1@news.albasani.net...
>
>Reasons are adding up to get rid of AVAST:
>
>1) Doesn't load on startup, doesn't keep registration settings.
>
>2) Slows everything down on a toshiba Satellite, everything slows to a
>crawl due to inefficient scanning by AVAST
>
>3) Customer service replies to your email telling you to go to some
>webpage and fetch.
>
>4) Latest: Virus definition updates take forever and connect you to some
>strange website, possibly my avast has been hacked?
>-208.185.54.42IPYX-074089.above.net:80
>
>5) It's inevitable: what starts as a good program is screwed up by later
>modifications and additions.

I use Avast Free and have no such problems on my Win7 HP 64bit computer.
I don't use the Mail Shield scanning or the Web Shield scanning options.
Updates are very fast. Perhaps you are hacked, as you suspect.
Try one of the good free anti-virus online scans and perhaps some free
rootkit scans.
Try the free SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, and Adwcleaner programs for
starters.
-- 
Buffalo 

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