Hello Simon,
This shouldn't happen with AVG.
Please perform scan manually by clicking on "Scan Computer" and check whether you are getting the gear icon.
Keep us informed about the status.
As an update I ran my regular scheduled scan last night. When I started my PC and opened the AVG interface I got the same first screen as above. This time when I clicked on the button beside 'Scan Computer' I got the following screen.
and I can't get out of this screen. The arrow at the top left doesn't do anything. All I can do is shut down the inteface and reopen it which takes me back to Page 1. I therefore never see the gearwheel icon and so cannot amend the scans.
This is the original issue I reported.
Thanks for all your help so far.
Regards…
Thank you for being patient, Simon.
It seems that a re-installation should fix this issue.
For uninstallation, refer this article: http://avgread.me/1DEtNP0 .
To install AVG Antivirus free follow the steps as mentioned (here).
Keep us informed about the status.