temporarily suspending Avast

How do I temporarily suspend Avast in order to install Nikon NX2

Much better idea is completely uninstall it.

You do not need antivirus software on your Mac, particularly Avast which is a known distributor of adware. There are no Mac OS X viruses, malware yes and we recommend malwarebyteformac.com for this.


http://www.thesafemac.com/avast-installs-adware/

nualam said:

How do I temporarily suspend Avast in order to install Nikon NX2

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You can fully quit Avast and, if you want to, uninstall it following these directions:
https://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-remove-avast-antivirus-from-a-mac/
To do a complete uninstall, you might also want to also trash these components:
~/Library/Application Support/com.avast.MacAvast
/Library/Receipts/avast.pkg

It might be a good idea to just get rid of Avast permanently. It isn't safe. See:

http://www.thesafemac.com/avast-installs-adware/

http://www.thesafemac.com/avasts-man-in-the-middle/

My feeling is that anti-virus software is way more trouble than it is worth. There are no really worrisome malware examples for the Mac in the wild right now, and all fully interactive anti-virus software will to some extent cause slowdowns and possibly some nasty software conflicts.

That said, if you really want a free anti-virus program, have a look at:

Avira for Mac (free)
https://www.avira.com/en/free-antivirus-mac
is a competent free anti-virus program. And at least it doesn't install malware of its own, like Avast does. If you start to notice that your Mac has slowed down, or you start seeing the dreaded rotating beachball way too often, you should probably uninstall Avira:
https://answers.avira.com/en/question/how-to-uninstall-avira-free-antivirus-for-mac-9749

MalwareBytes is frequently recommended as an anti-malware program on this site. While it is a comprehensive anti-adware program, and worth having for that purpose alone, I think that it's anti-malware abilities are extremely limited. That may not make a difference, because there is very little to look for. But if you want anti-virus software you might as well go with something that is more effective rather than something that is less effective.

Avira for Mac (free)
https://www.avira.com/en/free-antivirus-mac
is a competent free anti-virus program. And at least it doesn't install malware of its own, like Avast does. If you start to notice that your Mac has slowed down, or you start seeing the dreaded rotating beachball way too often, you should probably uninstall Avira:
https://answers.avira.com/en/questio...s-for-mac-9749

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I used Avira when running Windows (up to Windows 7) and found it to be an effective AV program. Didn't know they also had a version for the Mac. I notice that they also advertise a Pro version on their site for $44.99.

chscag said:

I used Avira when running Windows (up to Windows 7) and found it to be an effective AV program. Didn't know they also had a version for the Mac. I notice that they also advertise a Pro version on their site for $44.99.

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If I were going to pay for an anti-virus program, I'd go for the program that has consistently won all of the believable comparison tests and which gets high marks in reviews, and that's:

Virus Barrier ($40 year)
https://www.intego.com/antivirus-mac-internet-security

And, in fact, that's what I did. I've been running Virus Barrier for over a decade now. Not because I think that I need AV software (I don't), but because as an attorney it would look bad if I didn't have it. In all that time it has never saved me from anything that I actually needed saving from. But it has never slowed my computer down, it has never caused a software conflict, and it comes from the only AV company that is Macintosh-only. (So it's not a port of a Windows product from a company that doesn't understand the Macintosh.)

Do I recommend that folks run out and purchase Virus Barrier? Nope. I don't think that ordinary Mac users need AV software.

Folks who have questions about Macintosh malware should check out these videos:

Do Macs Need Anti-Virus Software?
http://macmost.com/do-macs-need-antivirus.html

also:

How To Protect Your Mac From Malware
http://macmost.com/how-to-protect-your-mac-from-malware.html