Avast! ye landlubbers

Avast! internet security managed to make my laptop so secure that it couldn't connect to the internet. Very secure I suppose but not very helpful! Having installed it based on some articles I'd read on PC Pro about how I ought to have some antivirus installed rather than the basic package included with Windows 8 I thought I would give their top rated free recommendation a go. All seemed well, everything was working, it found a couple of ancient viruses that weren't really going to do anything but it seemed OK and wasn't hindering me. I managed to turn off the annoying voice and the popups after a little investigation and it seemed quiet... Until I got home from work and... nothing. 

I wasn't getting an IP address, no refreshes/renewals/reboots would do it. The only software I had changed had been Avast! so that was removed and I rebooted but still no internet! Grrr... So into the device manager to reinstall the network device in question (Intel wireless card) and there were many unhappy looking network adapters with the name - avast! at the end of them... Why these weren't removed when I uninstalled the software I do not know but they were all binned, then the real network device removed and reinstalled. and hooray, back online!

All with the backdrop of grumpy children, a short deadline and wind and rain outside I was feeling pretty grumpy but this experience has really put me off Avast! So beware ye landlubbers, this 'ere antivirus package might not be the most friendly for Windows 8 users! (I'll try a few more when I'm feeling less stressed).