I have the same xp system as Merlin has and have the same problem as him. First of all let me tell all of you that yes the free version does "expire". When I tried to repair the installation the avg repair process said it was expired and there was a box to click on to restart it. That doesn't work, so I did what I always have to do when something goes wrong with avg and none of the tech's can figure it out. I uninstall and reinstall it. What works for me is uninstalling with avg clear file version 18.8.4084.0 and installing with avg installer 2.1.1286.0 Also don't panic if the uninstaller doesn't close at the very end. I had this happen to me once. As long as the progress bar has gone completly all the way over to the right you will be ok. Just use task manager to close it and restart your computer then do the reinstall. You should be ok. Hope this helps.
We appreciate your effort, Merlin.
We're sorry to know that you're still facing issues with AVG AntiVirus. We suggest you repair your AVG Anti-Virus free to fix this issue.
To repair your AVG please follow these instructions:
Go to Start -> Control Panel.
Note: Click Settings first if Control Panel is not available in the Start menu.
Open (Programs) -> Programs and Features, or Add or Remove Programs.
Select AVG Protection in the list of programs.
Click the Change or Change/Remove button.
Select Repair.
Follow the instructions on your screen to complete the installation.
Restart your computer.
Feel free to let us know if you require any further assistance.
Thank you.
Dear Sreenu,
Thank you for your message.
I already tried the file you sent. It is not opening on my Windows XP PC, refuses to run, and I get the message "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\avgclear.exe is not a valid Win32 application."
Please see the screenshot I am getting here: not-valid hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
Do you have an AVG Clear Tool (not 64-bit) that will work on Windows XP computers?
Per your advice that background services may be causing this, I have tried going into Start -> Run -> services.msc and restarted the only two AVG-related services I see:
AVG Antivirus
avgbIDSAgent
This did not fix the problem.
Please advise further.
Thank you.
Hello Merlin,
We are sorry to know this.
The cause for this error message might be services running at the background may stopped.
We would request you to uninstall AVG AntiVirus program from your computer using this clear tool: https://bit.ly/2S4Jzrd
Then reinstall AVG AntiVirus free, it will work properly.
Thank you.
I had the same issue with an old computer I'm using to run old programmes. I followed the instuctions given by Hari Shankar. It worked so far. Thanks Hari
I have the same xp system as Merlin has and have the same problem as him. First of all let me tell all of you that yes the free version does "expire". When I tried to repair the installation the avg repair process said it was expired and there was a box to click on to restart it. That doesn't work, so I did what I always have to do when something goes wrong with avg and none of the tech's can figure it out. I uninstall and reinstall it. What works for me is uninstalling with avg clear file version 18.8.4084.0 and installing with avg installer 2.1.1286.0 Also don't panic if the uninstaller doesn't close at the very end. I had this happen to me once. As long as the progress bar has gone completly all the way over to the right you will be ok. Just use task manager to close it and restart your computer then do the reinstall. You should be ok. Hope this helps.
Hello Merlin,
We are sorry to know this.
The cause for this error message might be services running at the background may stopped.
We would request you to uninstall AVG AntiVirus program from your computer using this clear tool: https://bit.ly/2S4Jzrd
Then reinstall AVG AntiVirus free, it will work properly.
Thank you.
Hi Terry/Dennis,
We're glad to know that you've fixed the issue by reinstalling AVG as suggested by our colleague.
We'd like to clarify that AVG Free Antivirus will sometimes show the validity in subscription section. This doesn't means that it needs to be registered or activated. It is simply, to keep track on how long an user is using the AVG program. However, an user can reinstall the free version to get another year for free (365 days), when the program provides expiry notification.
Thank you for updating the status. Have a great day. Stay safe!
Let us clarify this for you, Merlin.
I'm afraid as the installation file, uninstaller will differ for Windows XP, as it is an older operating system.
The older version which is compatible with Windows XP should be installed & depending on it, AVG Remover alone is the uninstaller.
Hence, you've received the message while attempting to run AVG Clear, as we'll not be able to run it.
Please clarify whether you still receive the warning on your AVG system tray icon.
Dear Hari / AVG Support,
I have an update.
I reinstalled the version of AVG Free AntiVirus that I had originally in my first posting. My current software version is now 18.8.3071 (build 18.8.4084.409). UI version is 1.0.134. The virus definitions version is the only new data that has changed, and it is now 210618-4.
After reinstalling and running my first scan, I got a green popup on the application saying my license has expired. I looked at My Subscription in the program, and under Subscriptions on this PC, it shows that AVG Antivirus FREE expired on June 13, 2021 (0 days remaining). See the screenshot here: subscription hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB
Does this expired subscription have anything to do with the red X and the message "AVG AntiVirus: WARNING, your system is UNSECURED"? I have not had to purchase a license previously for the free version of this AVG software. Would a license code issued by AVG fix the error message for my older XP operating system? Can you issue to my e-mail address a license code valid for your AVG Antivirus FREE edition to try and fix this error message at no charge, since it is your free version for basic protection?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Merlin, I appreciate your effort taken to resolve this concern.
I sincerely apologize for the difficulties you are currently experiencing.
I would like to explain this to you.
As you mentioned that you've installed and using another antivirus on your PC, so it might conflict with AVG AntiVirus FREE and might disabled the features of AVG AntiVirus FREE.
Using multiple antivirus programs on the same PC might conflict with each other which results in your PC unprotected and cause these kind of problems. To get rid of this, follow the below steps,
* Please use this below link to run AVG Remover tool on your PC.
http://download.avg.com/filedir/util/AVG_Remover.exe
Please run the above tool to remove the traces of AVG AntiVIrus FREE and proceed to below steps.
1. Press your window key and type "appwiz.cpl" and hit "Enter"
2. Here you can see the list of installed applications in your PC.
3. Uninstall the conflicting antivirus softwares and also uninstall the AVG AntiVirus FREE.
4. Restart your PC.
Since our latest version of AVG AntiVirus FREE is not compatible with Windows XP operating system, so please use the below link to download the older version of AVG AntiVirus and install it on your PC, but the latest updates will not be received.
https://install.avcdn.net/avg/iavs9x-xp/avg_antivirus_free_setup_offline.exe
Please try the above steps and let us know the status.
Merlin, AVG AntiVirus FREE is completely free antivirus software from AVG, it will provide you the basic protection for your computer. Activation code is not required for AVG AntiVirus FREE. In order to fix your issue, we need to completely uninstall the AVG AntiVirus FREE without any traces from your PC. In this situation, we need to manually remove the traces and uninstall it.
Please follow the below steps to locate and delete the AVG files manually.
1. Type “Temp” and press enter, remove all the AVG files.
2. “%temp%” and remove all the AVG files.
3. %appdata% - Remove all the AVG folders.
4. %programdata% - Open the AVG folder and remove the old files.
Please go to c: drive-> program files and delete the AVG files.
5.Now uninstall the AVG AntiVirus FREE from your PC and restart it.
6. Reinstall the AVG AntiVirus FREE using the link which I shared you in the previous comment.
Please try the above steps and keep us posted about the status.
Thank you.
Dear Balasubramanian,
Thanks for your decisive answer. It is good to know that "AVG Free is AVG Free"–no activation codes needed–and the issue I had would point to old trace/registry/etc settings needing to be removed.
By any chance, do you have an available AVG clear tool that will work on my Windows XP Home Edition? I think I need a 32-bit version of your AVG clear tool (.exe format), as I got the error message C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\avgclear.exe is not a valid Win32 application from the one that was provided to me after opening it.
Thanks in advance.
I had the same issue with an old computer I'm using to run old programmes. I followed the instuctions given by Hari Shankar. It worked so far. Thanks Hari
Dear Hari / AVG Support,
Thank you for your message and instructions.
Earlier this afternoon, about an hour after posting my question that my license had expired somehow for AVG FREE in the posts above after reinstalling the software, I saw that my AVG FREE license had been updated and extended for an additional year (365 days) to June 18, 2022. The previous message said that my software expired on June 13, 2021. I suppose that is why I was getting the red X saying my computer was not protected.
I am thinking that something may have been fixed on your end or a courtesy activation was somehow issued from the AVG side that extended my license for another 365 days, even though I am certain I have the FREE software installed and it doesn't/shouldn't require activation.
Right now, with the license good for 365 days and the red X warning message gone, I am happy without proceeding with the trace removal instructions of the software you gave, but I have them written down in case I need to reference them in the future. My only concern with my present setup is that it will only be valid for 365 days, and then the process will likely need to be repeated upon the expiration date. I don't suppose there is a way to extend the activation a little more–say 365 days–given the steps and time I have already taken to resolve this issue, for basic protection? Or might I need to buy a license for basic protection in the future? I now see a green button next to my license expiration date saying UPGRADE, whereas before there was a red button with EXPIRED and next to it a green button that said BUY NOW.
Thanks so much for all your help.