How can I install and run free editions of Bitdefender and AVG on my new HP laptop?

No White Guilt

I am planning to buy a new HP laptop and I want to protect it with the free edition of Bitdefender as the default program, but I also want to install AVG for occasional scans incase Bitdefender missed something.

How can I keep one passive and one active and switch between them?

How can I deactivate the default Windows Defender, McAfee LiveSafe Trial, etc. so they don't conflict?

HP Laptop 17t-cn300, 17.3"

• Windows 11 Home
• Intel® Core™ i5-1335U (up to 4.6 GHz, 12 MB L3 cache, 10 cores, 12 threads) + Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
• 16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB)
• 512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
• 3-cell, 41 Wh Lithium-ion prismatic Battery

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/98318/how-can-i-install-and-run-free-editions-of-bitdefender-and-avg-on-my-new-hp-laptop

It's generally not recommended to run two active antivirus programs simultaneously on a single device. This can cause performance issues, instability, and potential conflicts between the two solutions, compromising your overall security.

Here's why it's not ideal:

Conflicting Scans: Both programs will be constantly scanning your files and applications, which can significantly slow down your system and potentially lead to false positives.

Resource Hogging: Both programs will constantly be using system resources, impacting performance and battery life.

Reduced Stability: Conflicting rules and definitions between the two programs can lead to system instability and unexpected behavior.

However, if you still prefer a layered approach with Bitdefender as the default and occasional AVG scans, here's how you can manage them:

1. Configuring Bitdefender:

Real-time Protection: Keep real-time protection enabled in Bitdefender for continuous on-demand scanning.

Scheduled Scans: Configure scheduled scans in Bitdefender to run periodically, covering areas not handled by AVG scans.

Game Mode: Consider activating Bitdefender's Game Mode when you need maximum PC performance, as it temporarily suspends background scans.

2. Configuring AVG:

On-Demand Scans: Disable real-time protection in AVG to avoid conflicts with Bitdefender.

Manual Scans: Use AVG only for occasional manual scans when you want a different perspective or suspect a specific threat that Bitdefender might have missed.

3. Deactivating Other AV Programs:

Windows Defender: Windows Defender automatically disables itself when another antivirus program like Bitdefender is installed. You can check its status in Windows Security settings.

McAfee LiveSafe Trial: Uninstall the McAfee trial version to avoid any potential conflicts. You can do this through Programs and Features in Control Panel. You can uninstall McAfee using the tool provided by McAfee themselves. Simply download the McAfee Consumer Product Removal (MCPR) tool from the link https://download.mcafee.com/molbin/iss-loc/SupportTools/MCPR/MCPR.exe

Regards

No White Guilt

Thanks, so is Game Mode what I put Bitdefender into when I want to do a manual scan using AVG?

Is it possible to keep one program completely deactivated while using the other and simply alternate between the two?

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/332788#Comment_332788

AVG:

1) Temporarily disable AVG protection: https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?l=en&urlname=disable-avg-antivirus

2) Set exclusions in AVG Antivirus: https://support.avg.com/SupportArticleView?l=en&urlname=avg-antivirus-scan-exclusions

Set all the Bitdefender folder in exclusion list of AVG.

BITDEFENDER:

1) Temporarily disable Bitdefender Protection: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28557/

2) Set exclusions in Bitdefender Antivirus: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/13427/

3) Set exclusions in Bitdefender Advanced Threat Defense: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/2393/

Set all the AVG folder in exclusion list of Bitdefender.

Whatever anti-malware product you want to use for real-time protection, make sure that you keep the other anti-malware in its exclusion list.

Additionally, Avast acquired AVG, and hence both AVG and Avast have somewhat the same UI, with AVG using the malware detection database of Avast. In conclusion, AVG relies entirely on the Avast engine for the detection of malware.

Also, there is a portable version of Emsisoft Anti-Malware called Emsisoft Emergency Kit, which relies on the Bitdefender engine. The noteworthy aspect is that the portable version does not require any installation and can be used whenever you want to use it. In this case you can use AVG as your standalone product and Emsisoft Emergency Kit as portable antimalware whenever you want to.

Last but not least, even if you choose to continue using AVG and Bitdefender and disable the protection of one of them, including setting exclusions for each other's folders, there might still be a performance issue. This is because both antimalware processes will run in the background, and there is no way to stop or disable them.

Regards

No White Guilt

Thanks, what if I completely uninstall the one I'm not using and reinstall the one I want to use?

Any negative system/performance effects from this?

Any pros/cons of using AVG or Avast?

Also, for mobile, I'm getting a Samsung Galaxy Tab A (SM-T597V) with 32GB (storage)/3GB (memory).

It has "Secured by Knox" at startup on the screen... would this interfere with using third-party programs like Bitdefender, etc?

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/332795#Comment_332795

It is entirely up to you to decide which antimalware you want to keep and which you do not. For choosing the best antimalware for your system, you can check the website below, which ranks different antimalware software based on various test categories.

https://www.av-test.org/en/

https://www.av-comparatives.org/?

https://www.mrg-effitas.com/test-library/

Let me tell you that Bitdefender has been awarded 'Antimalware of the Year' several times by the above-stated antimalware testing agencies, compared to any other antimalware software.

Confirmation of any conflict between 'Secured by Knox' and Bitdefender for Android cannot be established until both are installed on the device.

Regards

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

Reading this, I remembered this article posted by av-comparatives some time ago that explains what happens when multiple security solutions are installed on the same device:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/why-you-should-never-have-multiple-antivirus-programs-on-your-computer/

On the same topic, there's this article about Bitdefender Lite:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/2228/

I hope these help.

Regards,

Alex