People who have been using the free AVG antivirus tool will have seen by now a rather alarming pop-up warning (I'm kind of paraphrasing): Warning-- AVG 7.5 will stop checking for new signatures effective May 31st June 25th.
That happens to be today.
Loyal Friends and True of this series will already be aware of a couple of facts (as I have said them often enough), and will reiterate them here:
* An anti-malware tool (such as an antivirus) that is not receiving the latest updates is for all intents and purposes useless. This can happen if its subscription has 'expired', or it is improperly configured. (To read how to make sure this isn't you, click here.)
* I am a big fan of the free (top-rated) antivirus scanner, AVG.
So, I read the details in the pop-up to find out why my beloved AVG was going to go the way of the dodo bird and T-Rex on May 31st June 25th today. I was relieved to learn that AVG 7.5 was being phased out, and replaced with the new Version 8.0, and if I wanted, I could go ahead and upgrade to 8 now. So I did.* 
The screenshot shows the web page that opens.
Now, I had to look at this twice. And each time I looked it, it sure seemed to me like I was being forced to buy a Internet security suite for $55 (If I wanted to stay with AVG).
My initial reaction was.. well, I got a little hot under the collar (to use a little of the 'hip' slang of today, I got "bent").
And then I saw -- way down at the very bottom -- the link I was looking for, and I stopped cursing: AVG 8 can be downloaded for free. (To do so now, click here.) 
I clicked the link and installed the new Version 8.0, which went very smoothly (on both an XP and Vista machines). New to AVG 8.0 is anti-spyware protection, and the option to include a AVG toolbar. 
To get the full benefits of the toolbar, you (of course) need the paid version. In the free, you only get "safe search", which is essentially just a site filter (a pre-made blacklist) in combination with Yahoo Search. I see no real benefit to installing the free-version toolbar.
This is the new 8.0 user interface. 
* Tip of the day: Don't panic, "freak out", or "get bent"-- like I did. Just scroll down to the bottom and click the link for the free AVG 8.0. (please read the Comments section, below [or click "Comments" up near the title], it may very well be that you will want to hold off on this upgrade for a while... )
[Addenda: For those of you seeking how to make the pop-up go away, you can either uninstall 7.5, or upgrade to 8. You are not going to be allowed to sit pat on 7.5.]
Today's free link: The paid version of 8.0's toolbar does include a good technology, the LinkScanner Website analyzer. While the paid for edition of LinkScanner is commendable, the free "Lite" version is an excellent addition to your safe surfing arsenal. To get it, click here.
Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.
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