Antivirus Software Reviews
By Mary Landesman
As noted, each of the three free antivirus scanners - AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, AVAST 4 Home Edition, and AVG Free Edition - have proven ability to detect in-the-wild viruses. This is a core, basic functionality of any reputable antivirus scanner and thus serves only as the basis for inclusion in the review, i.e. no points were awarded for meeting this minimum qualification. (Before considering any antivirus solution, you should check their ItW certification by consulting any of the following: VB100%, ICSALabs, or Checkmark).
Zoo Detection
AVAST 4 Home Edition had the highest rate of zoo virus detection (92%), followed by AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic at 85% and AVG Free Edition at 81%. However, AVAST's higher zoo detection was offset by a correspondingly higher rate of false positives, 9 total compared to AntiVir at only 2. Conversely, AVG scored the lowest in both categories, racking up 11 false positives.
Response Times
How nimble your antivirus vendor is can make the difference between an infection and a non-event. To gauge this, we looked at the response times recorded for 26 major outbreaks during a particularly prolific virus period. Vendors who were among the first five to release antivirus updates for one of these 26 threats received points accordingly. AntiVir was one of the top 5 vendors a total of 5 times, AVAST appeared twice, and AVG only once.
Compressed/Archive Types
Many virus creators thwart signature-based scanners simply by repackaging a known virus using a different compression or archive type. This not only changes the signature, not all scanners can decompress the resulting files in order to scan them properly. According to tests performed in 2005, AntiVir is capable of scanning 30 different compressed and archive types, compared to AVAST at 28 and AVG at only 17.
Adware and Spyware
When it came to adware and spyware, none of the free scanners peformed well. The best of the worst was AVAST, which removed 33% of the active components of the adware and spyware installed to our test system. AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic removed 5% and AVG removed none. (Paid versions of these same products proved more capable thus a low score for the free products has no bearing on their paid counterparts).
Footprint
Each of the free antivirus scanners was conservative in the amount of disk space used, installing 40Mb or less on our test systems. (The smallest was AVG at only 30Mb). AVG installed four running processes, compared to three for AntiVir and six by AVAST. The footprint on the system can be particularly important for those running older operating systems (i.e. Windows 98/ME) where hard drive space and memory might be at a premium. Fortunately, any one of the three meets those needs.
Support Options
If you run into difficulty using the product or trying to remove a stubborn infector, you'll have to resort to an online knowledgebase or self-help forum. AVAST does offer phone support, but there's a per minute charge attached which could likely turn the free solution into an expensive alternative rather quickly.
The Final Scores
If we left spyware/adware removal out of the mix and focused only on the scanner's ability to detect traditional virus threats, out of a possible 125.6 points, AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic scored 94, AVAST 4 Home Edition scored 89, and AVG Free Edition scored 66. However, when we included adware/spyware removal in the judging, the results were dismal, with AVAST scoring highest at 66 points, AntiVir following at 58, and AVG with only 30.
Of course, these particular antivirus scanners don't claim to have adware and spyware removal capabilities, so it would be unfair to judge them harshly if they do not. Still, if you are looking for a standalone antivirus scanner that can also offer spyware or adware protection, you'll have to shell out a few dollars to get it.
Antivirus Software Reviews
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Review: Free Antivirus Software
Antivirus Software Reviews
By Mary Landesman
Free antivirus software may be the only option for those on a limited budget. The question, of course, is how well free antivirus software protects your PC, how easy is it to use, and if something goes wrong will you be left out in the cold? The answers may surprise you. This review looks at three free antivirus solutions: AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, AVAST 4 Home Edition, and AVG Free Edition.
Each of the products tested has been certified (VB100%, ICSALabs, or Checkmark) to be effective at detecting 100% of in-the-wild viruses. But the list of in-the-wild (ItW) viruses is miniscule in comparison to the number of actual known viruses. The ItW list also omits certain types of threats, including adware and spyware, thus it may not be representative of the actual threats confronting users today.
For this reason, we turned to AV-Test.org, a project of the University of Magdeburg and AV-Test GmbH, Andreas Marx. Each year, Andreas subjects antivirus scanners to a wide range of tests, extending the basic wildlist testing to include a collection of 159322 zoo virus tests, as well as the ability to detect viruses in 37 compressed and archive formats, and any false positives (detection of viruses in non-infected, legitimate files) resulting from these tests. We also performed our own in-house tests to determine whether any of the free products were capable of providing a high level of protection against adware and spyware.
The Scorecard
To ensure objectivity, we rated each of the free antivirus scanners based on system impact (install size and number of active running processes), detection of zoo viruses, detection of spyware/adware, compressed/archive types handled, number of false positives, product support options, and response times (how quickly the vendor releases updates after a new virus is discovered in-the-wild).
Scan speeds were not included in scoring, as these can vary widely depending on system configuration and whether any infections are present and, in any event, have no bearing on detection or capability of the product. Likewise, though we comment on ease-of-use and costmetics of the interface, these are subjective opinions that will vary from user to user and thus were not used to score the products.
Antivirus Software Reviews
By Mary Landesman
Free antivirus software may be the only option for those on a limited budget. The question, of course, is how well free antivirus software protects your PC, how easy is it to use, and if something goes wrong will you be left out in the cold? The answers may surprise you. This review looks at three free antivirus solutions: AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, AVAST 4 Home Edition, and AVG Free Edition.
Each of the products tested has been certified (VB100%, ICSALabs, or Checkmark) to be effective at detecting 100% of in-the-wild viruses. But the list of in-the-wild (ItW) viruses is miniscule in comparison to the number of actual known viruses. The ItW list also omits certain types of threats, including adware and spyware, thus it may not be representative of the actual threats confronting users today.
For this reason, we turned to AV-Test.org, a project of the University of Magdeburg and AV-Test GmbH, Andreas Marx. Each year, Andreas subjects antivirus scanners to a wide range of tests, extending the basic wildlist testing to include a collection of 159322 zoo virus tests, as well as the ability to detect viruses in 37 compressed and archive formats, and any false positives (detection of viruses in non-infected, legitimate files) resulting from these tests. We also performed our own in-house tests to determine whether any of the free products were capable of providing a high level of protection against adware and spyware.
The Scorecard
To ensure objectivity, we rated each of the free antivirus scanners based on system impact (install size and number of active running processes), detection of zoo viruses, detection of spyware/adware, compressed/archive types handled, number of false positives, product support options, and response times (how quickly the vendor releases updates after a new virus is discovered in-the-wild).
Scan speeds were not included in scoring, as these can vary widely depending on system configuration and whether any infections are present and, in any event, have no bearing on detection or capability of the product. Likewise, though we comment on ease-of-use and costmetics of the interface, these are subjective opinions that will vary from user to user and thus were not used to score the products.
Antivirus Software Reviews
Top Free AntiVirus Software Reviews
Antivirus Software Reviews
By Nick Tan Robobooga
Ever wondered if free anti virus software that are commonly found on the internet are as good as they say? Here's the review...
Many people have always wondered if free anti virus suites are better than the commercial counterparts.
Well, according to my past experiences, many free anti virus suites are not as good as their commercial counterparts....
This may be depressing news to many internet users who do not want to spend too much..
However, many people do not know that some commercial av(anti virus) software are not as good as commercial ones (around 5 %)
But I will only talk about free av here.
So Here's a list of the top 3 free av software that i tested and tried
1) AVG:
Provides real-time protection and is user friendly, good for the average home user
Has a commercial version which caters more for business needs. However, it does not detect as much viruses and malware as the other 2 av software.
2) avast! home edition:
Good virus database and detection. Not as user friendly.
Confusing Icons and user interface. Detects decent amount of malware and viruses. Provides good realtime protection. The only thing that I do not like about this is the user interface. It tries to look visual appealing to users but suffered in the user friendliness.
3) Avira anti-virus:
Best database of viruses, detects nearly as much viruses and other malware as commercial av. Decent user interface.
Realtime scanner not as good as AVG. Another thing about the free version is that it pops out a random advertisement of its product. But nonetheless, it is still quite a good free av
All has their Pros and Cons.
Note: Do not install more than 1 av software in a computer as the av may conflict with each other and cause your system to run more slowly then usual. Therefore, my advice is to stick to 1 av software and not install any more.
Personally, I think Avira is my preferred av as it really detects quite a lot more malware and viruses than the other 2 (about 5% more). The problem about the advertisement popping out is nto hindering my preference as it rarely pops out.
Nevertheless, the choice is yours.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Tan_Robobooga
Antivirus Software Reviews
By Nick Tan Robobooga
Ever wondered if free anti virus software that are commonly found on the internet are as good as they say? Here's the review...
Many people have always wondered if free anti virus suites are better than the commercial counterparts.
Well, according to my past experiences, many free anti virus suites are not as good as their commercial counterparts....
This may be depressing news to many internet users who do not want to spend too much..
However, many people do not know that some commercial av(anti virus) software are not as good as commercial ones (around 5 %)
But I will only talk about free av here.
So Here's a list of the top 3 free av software that i tested and tried
1) AVG:
Provides real-time protection and is user friendly, good for the average home user
Has a commercial version which caters more for business needs. However, it does not detect as much viruses and malware as the other 2 av software.
2) avast! home edition:
Good virus database and detection. Not as user friendly.
Confusing Icons and user interface. Detects decent amount of malware and viruses. Provides good realtime protection. The only thing that I do not like about this is the user interface. It tries to look visual appealing to users but suffered in the user friendliness.
3) Avira anti-virus:
Best database of viruses, detects nearly as much viruses and other malware as commercial av. Decent user interface.
Realtime scanner not as good as AVG. Another thing about the free version is that it pops out a random advertisement of its product. But nonetheless, it is still quite a good free av
All has their Pros and Cons.
Note: Do not install more than 1 av software in a computer as the av may conflict with each other and cause your system to run more slowly then usual. Therefore, my advice is to stick to 1 av software and not install any more.
Personally, I think Avira is my preferred av as it really detects quite a lot more malware and viruses than the other 2 (about 5% more). The problem about the advertisement popping out is nto hindering my preference as it rarely pops out.
Nevertheless, the choice is yours.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Tan_Robobooga
Antivirus Software Reviews
Antivirus Information & Software Reviews
Antivirus Software Reviews
By Dennis Doyle
The best way to prevent viruses is to purchase anti-virus software. Most anti-virus software today scans to look for spyware, and adware. So there is no need to purchase three separate tools. But having an anti-virus application is not enough, you need to ensure that it is kept up to date with the latest definition files. It is useless to have an anti-virus program that has not been updated in months. Most programs do automatic checks, and update in the background.
Spyware is software that does not intentionally harm your computer.
Spyware is designed to track and record the types of websites you visit, and what you do on those sites. The goal of this type of software is to monitor your web activities and learn your likes and dislikes so that advertisers can send you unwanted e-mails, and pop-ups, slowing down your computer and annoying you at the same time.
Adware does not harm your computer, and is a more legitimate form of freeware or free software.
Some companies that provide free software may disable certain features, while others will give you a fully functioning version of the software but display advertising during its use, or the advertising may be more profound with pop-ups being shown when the program is running. They will also slow down your computer by installing start-ups (programs that run in the background automatically every time you start your computer). How many are you running right now?
Viruses are destructive forms of software.
They were purely designed and created for one purpose alone: to wreak havoc to your computer. They destroy whatever they come in contact to and will initiate self replication and infect as many components of the computer's operating system or network as possible. They can erase entire hard drives making it virtually impossible to ever recover the data -- even if the drive were sent to data recovery experts!
Viruses are the first and last word in computer infiltration.
Simple ones simply tie up your computer, whereas complex ones can do virtually anything to an unprotected computer. No one should browse the web without good antivirus software!
We've tested dozens - even hundreds! - of virus removal programs. Some of them are great, most of them get the job done (more or less), and too many simply don't work. We've gathered the top contenders in the field, and reviewed them here for your convenience!
http://AntiVirusInformationReviews.blogspot.com
Antivirus Software Reviews
By Dennis Doyle
The best way to prevent viruses is to purchase anti-virus software. Most anti-virus software today scans to look for spyware, and adware. So there is no need to purchase three separate tools. But having an anti-virus application is not enough, you need to ensure that it is kept up to date with the latest definition files. It is useless to have an anti-virus program that has not been updated in months. Most programs do automatic checks, and update in the background.
Spyware is software that does not intentionally harm your computer.
Spyware is designed to track and record the types of websites you visit, and what you do on those sites. The goal of this type of software is to monitor your web activities and learn your likes and dislikes so that advertisers can send you unwanted e-mails, and pop-ups, slowing down your computer and annoying you at the same time.
Adware does not harm your computer, and is a more legitimate form of freeware or free software.
Some companies that provide free software may disable certain features, while others will give you a fully functioning version of the software but display advertising during its use, or the advertising may be more profound with pop-ups being shown when the program is running. They will also slow down your computer by installing start-ups (programs that run in the background automatically every time you start your computer). How many are you running right now?
Viruses are destructive forms of software.
They were purely designed and created for one purpose alone: to wreak havoc to your computer. They destroy whatever they come in contact to and will initiate self replication and infect as many components of the computer's operating system or network as possible. They can erase entire hard drives making it virtually impossible to ever recover the data -- even if the drive were sent to data recovery experts!
Viruses are the first and last word in computer infiltration.
Simple ones simply tie up your computer, whereas complex ones can do virtually anything to an unprotected computer. No one should browse the web without good antivirus software!
We've tested dozens - even hundreds! - of virus removal programs. Some of them are great, most of them get the job done (more or less), and too many simply don't work. We've gathered the top contenders in the field, and reviewed them here for your convenience!
http://AntiVirusInformationReviews.blogspot.com
Antivirus Software Reviews
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