Avira Phantom VPN - to be avoided!

[Larry Sabo]

Having received an e-mail from Avira touting it's new free VPN product, one of my customers asked if this is something he should get, so I checked it out. It works okay but speeds dropped considerably, as one might expect.

I noticed that in addition to installing Phantom, it installed Launchy--Avira's software products launch vehicle that included icons linked to various other programs Avira tries to get you to install. I hate Launchy but it couldn't be uninstalled without first uninstalling Avira Anti-Virus. So I did that then uninstalled Launchy and re-installed Avira Anti-Virus. It didn't preserve my license credentials so I had to dig them up and re-activate Avira A-V Pro. What a PITA! I can hardly wait for my Avira A-V customers who give Phantom VPN a try to start complaining about this. I think I'm going to look for another A-V product to market once my remaining licenses are all sold. They are getting as bad as AVAST.

 

[FremontPC]

Give this a look, might help:

https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/3qwon1/unable_to_uninstall_avira_launcher/

 

[Larry Sabo]

Thanks, @FremontPC, but I had no trouble uninstalling Avira Pro, then Launchy, then re-installing Avira Pro (all without having to reboot). I'm just aggravated that it installed Launchy when I installed Phantom VPN and that it didn't have the courtesy/smarts to preserve my credentials. Many users wouldn't have their license key and registration details for the program handy and it would be a nuisance to have to go dig for them. I resent that Avira spams their customers with invitations to install other programs once they've installed Avira A-V Pro.