Mac – Fixable stuff

How to Disable/ Turn-Off Avast Antivirus – Windows and Mac

fixablestuff — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 04:23:28 +0000

Avast might block certain apps and software including Drivers from installing on your computer. the best way to avoid this issue, you can disable Avast temporarily on your Windows or Mac. Using this way, you can ensure the safety of your system and also download or install your favorite program. If you are one of the Avast users, Follow this guide to learn about different ways to disable the antivirus program temporarily.

Avast is one of the widely used antivirus programs in the World. It offers cross-platform support and you can use this app on almost any platform including Windows, Mac, Android. It helps you protect your local files, folders, programs from getting infected with viruses. It also offers a total security package that covers internet protection and blocking malicious URL. The antivirus has free as well as paid plans and you can switch between them according to your usage. Unfortunately, the program is also known for blocking many activities such as installing programs, Drivers, Visiting certain websites, etc. To overcome this issue, you can turn off avast for some time until your activity is done.

Reasons for Disabling Avast Antivirus

Avast is responsible for many security-related activities running on your computer. It hosts different components such as Web Shield, Email Shield, and File Shield. These components work in Real-time to secure your computer instantly if any threat is detected.

Unfortunately, due to strict policies, Avast blocks certain websites and most of the software from being installed on your system. Sometimes, it might also block a certain part of the program you are trying to install, This results in broken or corrupt installation. To overcome these issues, We need to turn off Avast.

How to Disable Avast on Windows

Avast offers you an easy option to disable or turn-off the antivirus program for a few minutes or until the next restart. This enables you to install your favorite software or launch a video program without any warnings. There are many Windows software companies that always recommend the users to turn off the antivirus program to ensure the full installation of the service.

To Disable Avast, Click the Avast icon in the Windows taskbar and select Avast Shield Control. Choose the time for which you want to disable the program and finally click ok when asked for confirmation.

Below are the steps to temporarily disable Avast antivirus on Windows 7/8/10.

Step 1

First, we need to locate the Avast application on Windows, as the application is always running in the background, there is no need to launch it. Click the small triangle icon on the Windows taskbar and Right-click the Avast Antivirus icon. This will open a list of quick options.

Step 2

From the drop-down list, select the “Avast Shield Control” option, and depending upon the required, select the time for which avast will be disabled. If you are just trying to install something quickly, Select the “Disable for 10 minutes” or “Disable for 1 Hour option”. If you are looking for a bigger task, select “Disable Avast until the computer is restarted”.

The last option from the list enables you to disable Avast permanently. You can select this option if required.

Step 3

Finally, Avast will prompt for the final time asking you to confirm your selection. Just click the “Ok” button to continue with your choice of disabling Avast.

Step 4

If you want to be sure, Launch the Avast dashboard on your system and you will see “All Your Shields are Off”, this means that you have successfully disabled the Avast Software on your Windows 10 computer.

Once you have disabled it, you can now try to install any package or software before re-enabling it again.

How to Disable Specific Avast Shield on Windows

If Avast is blocking certain activities such as visiting a website or installing software, It won’t be a good move to disable the whole system. You can simply disable a specific Avast shield component to overcome small issues created by Avast. This will help you to keep protecting your system from other unknown threats.

There are many four shields that protect your whole Windows computer. The File Shield, Behavior, Web, and Email Shield. If you want to disable any of these specific shields on Windows, follow these steps.

Step 1: Launch the Avast Antivirus program on your Windows system and select Protection from the left pane. Under the Protection tab, click Core Shields to open a list of all active avast shields.

Step 2: Find the shield you want to turn off and use the Toggle button below it to switch. Upon clicking the toggle button, you will get four options, Pause the specific shield for 10 minutes, 1 hour, until the next restart, or permanently. Select the appropriate option and continue with your choice.

Step 3: If the Shield is successfully disabled, you will see “OFF” text in the toggle button. To turn the shield ON, use the same toggle button you used for turning it OFF.

How to Disable Avast on Mac

Unlike Windows, Disabling Avast on Mac is a hard task and you have to follow every step carefully to disable the program. However, Avast offers you more options than Windows while disabling the antivirus program.

Here are the steps required to disable Avast.

Step 1

Launch the Avast antivirus program on your Mac.

Step 2

From the top bar, Click the Menu option given at the top-right corner and click the Preferences tab.

Step 3

From the top menu, Select the Core Shield option. This will open a list of all the Avast shield components. Under each shield, you will find checkboxes. You can use these boxes to enable/disable the components.

Step 4

Finally, Click the Scan option from the menu bar and disable all the components in this tab and exit the antivirus program.

Summary!

Avast is known for securing millions of computers and help protect personal data and files from getting infected with Viruses and Malware. Using the steps given, you can disable Avast on Windows or Mac temporarily or permanently and get rid of Avast blocking certain apps or programs from installing on your system.

If you have any questions or queries regarding the Avast antivirus program, Do let us know by commenting down.

How to Find Ram Type, Size and Speed

fixablestuff — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 03:47:59 +0000

Finding the RAM type is easy, you don’t need to look into any hardware component to determine your RAM type or Size. In this article, We will take you through a guide where you will learn how to find RAM type, Size, and Speed on your PC.

RAM is what determines the smooth behavior of your system. If you have a small RAM memory size and want to run Professional Applications such as Adobe Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, or play high-end games then you might find it hard. There will be times when your computer will freeze for few minutes or sometimes even for few hours, Also the applications might malfunction and exit without proper warning, due to the low RAM you might face these and several such issues. The best way to deal with this is to determine various factors of your existing RAM and check if you need an upgrade. Even if you buy the best laptop under 800 bucks, you will need to find out whether it has a sufficient amount of RAM for your needs. Read on to learn how to check RAM details in Windows 10.

What is RAM?

Random Access Memory (RAM) is also known as the primary memory on your Computer. This is a fast memory type that is responsible for running Apps, Programs, and other daily tasks on your PC. RAM holds data for the short term and then transfers it to the secondary memory type i.e. ROM or your Hard-Drive.

The More RAM you have, the smoother and fast your system will perform. Also with more RAM, You can play High-end games, Work on Professional software, Using multiple apps simultaneously, Avoid lagging or freezing of your Computer, get rid of computer overheating issues.

If you are struggling with less RAM issues on your computer and thinking of upgrading it? Well, first you should check and see if you have an option to upgrade it. There are many laptops where the RAM is embedded into the motherboard making it impossible to upgrade. However, some new-aged laptops and Almost all Desktop PCs have the upgrade friendly Hardware and you can install multiple RAMs in a single PC.

What Kind of RAM do I have?

There are mainly two types of RAM available for your PC. One is DDR3 and the other is DDR4. the biggest difference between these two is their ability to perform based on various factors. You can not use DDR3 RAM in a DDR4 RAM slot so please be sure to check your RAM type before choosing any upgrade option.

DDR3 Vs DDR4 RAM

Although both the RAM is used on almost all the High-end computers, The difference can easily be detected through their Pins. DDR4 RAM uses a 288-pin connector, while the DDR3 uses a 240-pin Connector.

DDR4 RAM is known to transfer Data at high speed when compared to DDR3, another major difference is between the clock speed of both the RAM. The Clock speed determines the rate at which the RAM can read and write data. The clock speed number denoted the number of cycles per second the RAM can perform, represented in megahertz.

How much RAM do you have in Windows 10?

Earlier, It used to be very difficult to obtain any information about your RAM. also the operating system used to give limited knowledge. However, over time, it has upgraded, and now you can get multiple options to see information about your RAM.

Here are the basic steps to get insights on your RAM in Windows 10.

Click the Windows search bar, type ‘System’ settings.
Click the first option that appears.
Scroll down and click the About option
Finally, look for the information about your RAM.

If you need to see some advanced information then continue with this guide.

How to View RAM type, Size, Speed, and manufacturer in Windows 10

The above step is only useful to get basic information about your RAM. However, If you want to know the RAM type, Clock speed, Memory, Memory Type, or manufacturer, you have to access this information through the Command prompt on Windows 10.

Follow these steps to explorer advance RAM information on Windows.

Step 1

Go to the windows search bar and type “Run” to open the Run dialog box, type “CMD” and hit enter. You can also directly type in the word “Command prompt” in the Windows Search bar and open the Windows Command Prompt.

Step 2

Type the following command inside the command line and hit enter – wmic MemoryChip get MemoryType, Capacity, Name, Manufacturer, Configuredclockspeed, DeviceLocator, FormFactor, Serialnumber, Speed

Step 3

If you need even more information then use this alias – ConfiguredVoltage, DataWidth, MaxVoltage, CreationClassName, InterleavePosition.

How to View your RAM in Windows 10 using third-party software

If you don’t want to follow the above-mentioned steps and just need a simple option to manage your RAM, Download the CPU-Z software on your Windows 10.

Here are the steps to follow-

Step #1: Go to the official website of CPU-Z and download the copy for Windows 10.

Step #2: Once the file is completely downloaded on your system, double-click the setup file and use the Setup wizard to complete the installation process.

Step #3: Next, launch the Software and use the tab navigation menu, and select the “Memory” option.

Step #4: Under the General Memory option, you will find your RAM Type (DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4), and RAM Size. Whereas in the timing option, you will find DRAM Frequency, Cycle time, and Command Rate.

How to Find your RAM type on Mac?

Finding your system information is pretty simple and straightforward when it comes to the Apple device. Unlike Windows, You can simply grab your System information using these simple steps.

Step 1

Click on the “Apple Logo” located on the Topbar and select “About This Mac”.

As with everything Apple, the process for finding basic details about your hardware is super-simple: just click the “Apple logo” and select “About This Mac.” Your simplistic RAM information gets displayed in the “Overview” tab.

Step 2

To check the real-time memory usage on Mac. use the Spotlight search and type “Activity Monitor”. Click the first option and check the real-time data.

Final Words!

These are the ways to find your RAM Type, Size, and clock speed on Windows as well as Mac. Once you have determined your RAM components and specifications, You can find similar specifications with upgraded options on various e-commerce websites to upgrade your RAM to higher memory.

If you have any questions then feel free to ask them in the comments section below.

How to Uninstall Avast on Mac in 2020

fixablestuff — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 01:13:49 +0000

Removing the Avast folder and throwing it in the Trash won’t help you to remove Avast Completely, it might leave some Avast files, cache folders, and other trash behind which is unable to detect and remove. However, there are different ways to uninstall Avast antivirus from your Mac. in this article we will show you all the ways to uninstall Avast on Mac.

Avast is an antivirus program that is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone. It is known to protect your computer from external threats such as viruses, Trojan Horse, Malwares, Spywares, and ransomware. The web shield component of Avast is known to protect your computer from online activities such as Phishing, Fraud, Unknown downloads, Browser hijacking. Avast is available in Free as well as paid versions. However, if you are tired of Avast consuming too much battery on your Mac, you can simply uninstall it.

Uninstalling Avast from Mac

Removing avast from Mac is different from what we generally do. Deleting the Avast folder from the Applications section might not always remove all the files, it can leave some traces behind. Although, we have found 3 different techniques that you can use to successfully remove Avast from your Mac.

Method 1: Use the Default Avast Uninstall option

Did you know, Avast comes with default uninstall option for Mac. Using this option, you can quickly remove the Avast Antivirus program from your system. The best part about using the default Avast uninstaller is, it will completely remove the program and all its files from different locations on your system. Follow the below steps to see how it works.

Step 1: Launch the Avast antivirus program on your Mac.

Step 2: Click the “Avast Security” option from the top bar and select “Uninstall Avast Security” from the menu.

Step 3: A new Avast Security Uninstaller window will open. Follow the uninstall wizard till the end to completely remove Avast Security from your Mac.

Step 4: If asked for a password, Enter your system password for mac and click the “Install Helper” button to continue.

That’s it! You have successfully Uninstalled the Avast antivirus program from your Mac.

Method 2: Uninstall Avast Security Manually

If you don’t want to use the above-given method, or because of some reasons, if you are unable to see the default uninstall option on Avast, You can try uninstalling it manually. Follow this guide to know the exact required steps.

Step 1: Quit the Avast Antivirus Program on your Mac. You can do this by launching the avast program from the top bar. Click the Avast security option from the top-left corner and select “Quit Avast Security”

Step 2: Go to the Applications folder, Right-click the Avast icon, and select “Move to Bin”

Step 3: Now we have to remove the service files from the Library Folder. Check the following folder locations and apply the changes as instructed.

Macintosh HD > Users > [current user] >~Library > Caches > com.avast.AAFM
Macintosh HD > Users > [current user] >~Library > Application Support > Avast
Macintosh HD > Users > [current user] >~Library > LaunchAgents > com.avast.home.userpront.plist

If you can not see the Library folder inside the current use, this is because the folder is hidden. Head over to the desktop, click the top bar, and select “Go”. inside the drop-down menu, select Go to Folder. Type ~/Library and hit enter.

Method 3: Remove Avast Antivirus using third-party Uninstaller

If you find both the methods hard, there is another method using which you can uninstall avast on your Mac. You can use any third-party antivirus or Program uninstaller tool for removing Avast Security. For this tutorial, we are going to use the application called “CleanMyMac”.

Follow these steps to remove avast using CleanMyMac.

Step 1: Launch the CleanMyMac application on your Mac. From the left pane, Under Applications, Select the uninstaller option.

Step 2: Scroll through the list of All Applications list and look for avast Security. You can also use the search bar and type “Avast” to locate it.

Step 3: Click the checkbox in front of Avast Security and finally click the uninstall button at the bottom.

Final Words!

As you can see, we have successfully used all three methods to uninstall the Avast antivirus program from Mac. If you face any difficulty while using any of the given methods, feel free to ask us questions or your queries in the comment box below.

How to Edit DDS Files in GIMP

fixablestuff — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 02:26:51 +0000

GIMP is known for providing many features and functionality to edit photos. One of the main features of GIMP is its ability to support DDS or DirectDraw Surface format. The format is mainly used for the DirectX-compatible textures. Below we are listing available ways to edit DDS files in GIMP.

DDS files are often used to texture game environments, Modes, and components. This file format isn’t compatible with all the Image editing Apps. Softwares like Photoshop and Paint might crash while you try to edit the DDS file. However, there are other tools that can make this task very easy and hassle-free. Using GIMP, you can easily open this file format and perform different actions on the DDS image. GIMP offers you tools like a paintbrush, pencil, text editor, Shapes, Textures, Gradient, Paint bucket. You can use these tools to perform various actions on the DDS file.

Editing a DDS File in GIMP

GIMP is a free open source image editor that also acts as a DDS file editor. The Editor is popular and widely used among Graphic Designers, Photo editors, and scientists. GIMP is designed to work for Professional Designers and Content creators. The software offers similar features to its paid alternatives such as Photoshop. GIMP also offers an active online community, here you can share and learn about different techniques and plugins that you can use to enhance your editor and increase productivity

For editing any DDS image file, First, download the GIMP editor from its official website. After downloading, double-click on the program file and follow the installation wizard to install the software on your computer. Once done, follow the given steps to edit the DDS file in GIMP.

Step 1

The first step is to download the GIMP DDS Plugin from the official repository.

Step 2

After downloading the DDS Plugin, Extract the downloaded zip file by double-clicking on it or Right-click on the file and select the “Extract Here” option. If you don’t already have a Zip archiver then you can download it by visiting 7-Zip.

Step 3

Open the extracted folder and copy the file named “dds.exe” to the Plugins directory on GIMP. The location of the plugins directory might vary from system to system, However, in Windows, the location is “C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins” and Mac users can locate the folder in “$HOME/Library/Application Support/GIMP/2.8/plug-ins/” directory. Once you have copied the file in the directory, continue to the next step.

Step 4

Launch the GIMP image editor program on your computer, Click the File>> Open option and select the DDS file that you want to edit in GIMP, and click on the Open Button.

Step 5

Finally, Edit the DDS file in GIMP.

as we have already told, you can perform various actions and use almost all the Editing tools available in the GIMP editor to edit your DDS File.

Final Words!

GIMP is a free alternative to High-end and costly Image editors like Photoshop and illustrator. because of its open-source nature, You can edit/ modify the software and distribute it under your name. Although, Designers don’t need to do it and they can use the official software without any worries.

We Hope! you have understood and now you can edit the DDS files in GIMP. If you have any questions or queries then please let us know by commenting down.