About Avast Internet Security 2014

If you use this, and its SafeZone feature instead of working shows you a pop-up saying an exception Breakpoint, error code 0x80000003 has occurred at a certain location, and you should click OK to close the program, this means:-

The latest Avast security has been optimized for the latest Windows, which is now version 8.1, which many of us may not be using or choose not to use, and so we're getting that error code because the operating system version we are using doesn't have vitualization features that are fully compatible with these latest optimizations of Avast/Windows 8.1. - The rest of Avast works fine, and there's nothing wrong with your operating system. To cure that problem, go into Control Panel > Programs and Features > Avast Internet Security and click on that to bring up the choices "Uninstall/Change", select Change, and then you can choose from lists the features you'd like to add or remove, by either removing the check from the box for it, or adding a check if there's none already. But don't uncheck everything else you're not interested in, or it will reduce your program to only the item or items you did check.

So, again, when you get to the lists window, just remove the check from the box in front of 'SafeZone'. Leave everything else as it was originally checked, and then do a reboot. Your Avast will now have everything except SafeZone, and you will not get any more pop-ups or nags about it.

The Avast forums on the subject contain lots of crying, but nothing useful for a solution. I learned about all this from Microsoft's own forums and help. And so I must say "Thank You, Mighty Microsoft!". And Avast owes me a working SafeZone for my Windows 8 Pro, in case I need the aggravation. My spies tell me it conflicts frequently with the secure features on your own bank's website, and just confuses things. It obviously isn't ready for Prime Time yet. So now you know how to work around all that. 

Short PS:

You may find that you'll get more bang for your buck by purchasing the Pro version of Malwarebytes. It may not be quite as popular, but it really works, and that's what we're looking for.