I have a 19 year old tabby who is suffering from CRF, which I really consider old age more than I consider it to be kidney failure. He is off the charts when it comes to longevity. The vet just gave me some RenAvast. My vet used to work with the Humane Society and he has been my cat's vet for 19 years. I'm going to trust him on this, but I'll update everyone in about a week or two to tell you if there is any difference. I understand people being cynical about something like this, but I figure if my vet of 19 years gave me this there must be something to it. I wanted to post my story for everyone because I don't want people to be too cynical about something that might help your kitty. Maybe it will work, maybe not. But in my case, it did come from a trusted source so there must be something to this.

Running 2 firewalls will deteriorate performance. The 2 firewalls will fight each other. However, there should be a firewall running before allowing your computer to connect with the internet. If Avast has a firewall, then one of these firewall should be disabled. If Avast does not have a firewall, by all means, run the Windows firewall, Your computer may connect with the internet during boot-up, or immediately afterward, if software settings are set to check for updates, and if your internet connection is "live" at that time.

I agree, it's definitely not necessary to uninstall the old antivirus software before downloading a new one. But before installing the new one, for sure. fredda, at the risk of stating the obvious, Windows XP is no longer supported from a security standpoint and using it does entail some risk. So long as you are using this PC for general purposes only and not for essential uses with any Win-only software, I would seriously consider installing Linux (a different operating system that's available for no cost) to replace XP. Start a new thread on that topic if that may apply to you, there are other contributors here (not me) who can provide helpful guidance.

If you've checked the things that could have an indirect effect by choking resources - ie, you don't have too many windows open at the same time, you've cleared cache and history in the browser, your hard drive isn't near capacity and has been recently cleaned up and defragged, then you may be stuck. An old version installation of something like an antivirus program is likely to be auto-updated with the periodic check for threat profiles, which should happen no less than weekly. Meaning, you're fighting a losing battle. The old version will likely get replaced with the first update. If you can't find happiness with Avast, it may be time for you to try a different security program. A recent thread in this forum had a link to an article containing independent ratings. Good luck.