I’ve read a lot on the site about how important having an antivirus is, so I went and found AVG but I’m getting an error on my computer.? It was on my computer once before I think, but now it wont work.? It spits out an error like Error: Action failed for file avgemc.exe: starting service….0x8007041d, and some others…? What do I do?

When software does not install properly, a lot of users choose to look towards other solutions or just forget about adding that component to their PC; when it comes to an antivirus software, that is not an option.? I’m glad you were able to read up on how important a good antivirus is for your machine and AVG is a wonderful choice, I use it on my personal machines here!

Lets look at some tools and way to try and reinstall the software so your machine is protected again.

“What goes up must come down,” right?? With software, what is installed usually comes with an uninstaller, but users do not always use this route to properly remove files from their computer thus leaving particles and remnants from the old installation on the machine which can cause problems or errors during a future install as I think is occurring in your case.? Since you do mention that your computer has had AVG on in the past, it leads me to believe we will need to remove the old files and folders from the computer before we try to put the software back on.

If you navigate to the AVG Download Tools, look at the top two options that say “AVG Remover.”? If you know your system is a 32 bit machine (basically an older machine with out a operating system change older then a year or two I would imagine your PC be a 32 bit system.? Most users know when their machines are 64 bit systems!? Download the appropriate tools and save it to your desktop.? Next, I recommend exiting out of all windows and programs before running the uninstaller so read the entirety of this post before closing the window!? (Except I know you would be smarter than surfing the internet without an antivirus on the machine that you are having trouble with!)

Run the uninstaller from the desktop and follow the prompts for it to remove ALL files/folders/processes from the computer.? I like to think as similar to a water/sponge combination on a chalk board; the eraser does a lot but still leaves dust while the water and sponge removes EVERYTHING before you write on it.

After the uninstaller is finished, reboot your computer to get it fresh and ready for the next installation.? Run the latest AVG install, downloading a copy here and you should be installing smoothly from here on out!

I’m glad you submitted this question for me to talk about how previous installations can cause problems for future software, especially if the proper program uninstaller is not originally used!

*Credit for this solution goes to: Troy, a valued member in our forums.