She uninstalled AVG. She ran the official Microsoft “uninstaller tool” to scrape out the leftover registry keys. She rebooted. Then she opened Windows Security, turned on (Virus & threat protection, Firewall, App & browser control, Device security). She enabled Controlled Folder Access to protect her design projects from ransomware. She updated Windows. She installed uBlock Origin on her browser to block sketchy ads.
The installer was a trap.
After three weeks, Mira realized something. Her laptop was slower. The free antivirus was constantly running background checks, indexing her files to “speed up future scans.” The boot time went from 12 seconds to 35. avg free antivirus for windows 11