Guide | How To How to: AVG Free 2013 Notification Ad Removal

[moonshine]

Hi guys! I know some of the AVG users out there are pretty ticked off by the advertising at the bottom of the UI. So here's a quick workaround that will shut off that Ad for good!

Step 1:

First and foremost, we need to disable AVG itself so that the fix will work. To do this, just disable AVG through the Icon Tray.

Step 2:

Open an Explorer Windows and go to Organize, then Folder and Search Options then go to View Tab and uncheck Hide extensions for known file types then hit apply.

Step 3:
Go to Program Files, then AVG then finally, AVG2013. Inside that folder, you'll find a file named bnfree.mht. This the file that we need to change so that pesky ad in the UI will be removed. Just rename it to something like bnfree.bak.

Step 4:
After doing all those step, just do a restart and you'll finally see that the annoying Notification at the bottom of the UI is gone.

So that's it for this guide. Hit Kudos if this guide helped you. Thanks guys!

 

[McLovin]

Great guide. Will surely help the people that are using AVG.

 

[malbky]

Great guide. Thanks but wont be using AVG soon. Is there really any difference left between avg free and avg premium Av?

 

[moonshine]

Well, The Premium AV's Got Online Scanning which is different from the Linkscanner in the Free version. It also has priority updates compared to the once a day update for the Free version.

 

[malbky]

Not something big. The one update per day should be increased to at least 3-4.

 

[Ink]

Back on topic, works great.

Edit: Plus a few extra modifications.

Remove the folders inside "awacs":

C:\Program Files (x86)\AVG\AVG2013\awacs
C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG2013\awacs

Remove the folder "TuneUp":

C:\Program Files (x86)\AVG\AVG2013\TuneUp

PC TuneUp should then fail to initialise.

 

[Littlebits]

Excellent guide, very helpful to AVG Free users!!

Good day.

 

[VladDracul]

Thank you for the tip,it worked beauuuutifully!

 

[onlyisu]

Thx, it also works with my AVG IS 2013!

 

[Lotsa]

This fix no longer applies to the newest free AVG 2013. I can't seem to find which file/files trigger the ad notification in the newest addition. Any help disabling the ad would be most appreciated. Thank you.

 

[zekelowther]

Your method no longer works, now just delete C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG2013\banners\free, it worked for me as of july 13, 2013

 

[DougCuk]

This is a summary and enhancement of the current working fixes from various previous posts.
This has been tested as of December 2013 and has no apparent side-effects

The quickest way to disable the Notification Panel and Advertising Tiles in AVG Free 2013/2014
================================================================================
1. Disable AVG self protection:

Right click the AVG icon in the taskbar (near the clock)
Select to Temporarily Disable AVG Protection
Agree the default timeout - usually 10 minutes​

2. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer and Navigate to:

C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG201x\ ...... for 32bit systems (201x means 2013 or 2014)
C:\Program Files (x86)\AVG\AVG201x\ for 64bit systems​

3. Delete the following three folders: Awacs, Banners, Tuneup

Do not delete anything else you see inside the AVG201x folder.
If you accidentally delete anything else go to the recycle bin and restore it​

4. Close the My Computer/Explorer window
5. Enable AVG self protection:

Right click the AVG icon in the taskbar (near the clock)
Select to Enable AVG Protection - takes 20 seconds or so to fully activate.​

Open the AVG program - you should now have a clean AVG interface.
This fix survives the AVG daily updates and minor program updates but
after each major program update you will need to redo the fix.

 

[Djskunky]

Great tutorial. Do you guys know how to do the same on AVG 2015 Trial? Nothing seems to work. I just notice if I cut my internet, no banners are display.
Thanks in advance

 

[davhag49]

Need to research.

 

[DougCuk]

Sounds like the AVG marketing department are up to their usual tricks - changing how the adverts get served - to try and stop you blocking them.

Have not looked at the 2015 version yet - I have a policy of not installing AVG software until we are well into the year it claims to be written for - I have no wish to beta test 2015 security software and crash my system - the 2014 version is working ok. I will be waiting till 2015 actually arrives before swapping over - maybe even waiting till February - just to be safe.

IMO the marketing dept at AVG have too much input on the product - and end up putting users off the products - with too many adverts and dishonest, scare-tactic warnings about upgrading to the latest version. The tech dept used to post honest advice in the AVG Free Forums (now closed) - which often contradicted the (marketing dept) warnings coming from the software. So no need to panic and update to next years version - support will continue for the previous version (or two) - despite what any warning messages from the software might say.

 

[NullPointerException]

It's a two years old thread ; guys. Let's create another one.

 

[Lotsa]

I found a program on YouTube named Ads Remove 2 which is designed to remove the banner from AVG free 2015. I have not tried the program, so I can't verify anything about it. I'm still using AVG free 2014. I may try it when AVG forces me to upgrade to 2015. I've searched the Internet, and I haven't found any reviews about this program, so use at your discretion. So far, I've only seen it for download on the developers website. I've downloaded this program, and I've scanned it inside and out so to speak, even sending it through Jotti's malware scan. No problems found. Here's the youtube link:

I've removed the YouTube link, just in case this program is malware, as suggested in the post below this by NullPointerException. But, I sure do wish someone would discover a safe way to get rid of the AVG 2015 banner. It severely annoys me when I scan with AVG on my wife's computer.

 

[NullPointerException]

I found a program on YouTube named Ads Remove 2 which is designed to remove the banner from AVG free 2015. I have not tried the program, so I can't verify anything about it. I'm still using AVG free 2014. I may try it when AVG forces me to upgrade to 2015. I've searched the Internet, and I haven't found any reviews about this program, so use at your discretion. So far, I've only seen it for download on the developers website. I've downloaded this program, and I've scanned it inside and out so to speak, even sending it through Jotti's malware scan. No problems found. Here's the youtube link:

1. It is not made by AVG labs for the obvious reason.
2. It looks very shady. It must need to modify AVG's libraries and GUI files. I will never trust such program.
3. If you can't find anything about it over the internet, it's more likely malware.
4. Comments are disabled and only 64 people have viewed this video, including most likely myself. I would never trust such program.

 

[Lotsa]

1. It is not made by AVG labs for the obvious reason.
2. It looks very shady. It must need to modify AVG's libraries and GUI files. I will never trust such program.
3. If you can't find anything about it over the internet, it's more likely malware.
4. Comments are disabled and only 64 people have viewed this video, including most likely myself. I would never trust such program.

Thanks for your input NullPointerException. I was also concerned about the disabling of comments on YouTube, and I'm not sure I trust the program either, otherwise I'd have tried it already. If it was offered for download on CNET, FileHippo, etc., I might be more inclined to use it. I actually sent an email to the developer, and I got a reply back, but he didn't give me any info about the program. Maybe I'll email him again and ask why he doesn't submit the program to a reputable download site.