Virus scanners operate by searching your harddisk(s) for files which might be infected by a virus. This method is never 100% secure, since only known viruses (or known virus patterns) are detected. If an infection has been detected in a certain file, the virus scanner might be able to clean the file, but very often this is not the case. In that case, you can try another scanner to clean the file, you can try to replace the file or - as a last resort - delete it.
However, if many important operating system files are affected, it might be the best solution to reformat the harddisk and install the operating system from scratch.
There are even viruses can not be cleaned by mere hard-disk reformatting. E.g. so-called boot-viruses infect the boot-sector of disks, and will very often not be removed by simply reformatting the harddisk. In this case you will need to repair the boot-sector, a good utility for this can be found in Norton Utilities (not free).
AVG Free edition
AVG Antivirus has been an up and coming virus scanner for many years. Its free version is one of the most downloaded files on the Internet in the Computer Security sector. The new interface is clean and intuitive while still remaining useful.
AVG went through a rewrite of their virus scanning engine and included two of their stand alone products with AVG Antivirus as well. AVG Antispyware and AVG Antirootkit were both integrated with the virus scanner. Also revamped was the way AVG Antivirus uses the hardware within your computer. It was changed to make better use of the multiple cores which are common in todays computers. This should speed up scanning as well as reduce slowdowns.
Ease of Use:
Though AVG Antivirus is mostly a hands off program, there may be some instances when you may need to configure some advanced options. For 99% of the population though, the default options will be more than sufficient.
The menu's within AVG Antivirus are very simple and offer all the options and information needed to keep your system safe from Internet threats.
Effectiveness:
AVG Antivirus is one of the most complete programs i have found to date. It includes many new options to make it one of the most effective virus scanners on the market. It is still plagued by horrible slowdowns at times. Even things so simple as just typing an IM can be stopped for several seconds for some reason. If you can get past the occasional slowdowns of your computer, the scanning functionality of AVG Antivirus 8 is top of the line. With the rewrite of the scanning engine, AVG included multi processor support. That dual core processor you bought is actually going to start getting a workout now. AVG also included support for Windows Vista and the 64 bit versions of Windows XP and Vista.
Updates:
AVG Checks for updates every 4 hours by default. You can change this to any interval you wish. The updates section of AVG Antivirus also shows you which virus database version you have as well as when the last update was. It also tells you when the next update is scheduled. All of this information is also displayed on the main menu screen so that you always have the information at your fingertips.
Feature Set:
AVG Technologies, formerly Grisoft, has gone above and beyond with the new release of AVG Antivirus. Included with the virus scanner are a rootkit scanner, spyware scanner, an on-access scanner called Resident Shield, email scanner and a link scanning browser plugin. There is also a portion of AVG Antivirus called Web Shield. Web Shield is a chopped down firewall application that scans standard web ports for any threats encountered while browsing the web. It also includes protection for MSN Messenger and ICQ.
Ease of Installation:
Installing AVG Antivirus 8 was easy and only took about 10 minutes including downloading the additional updates required after installation finished. We had no issues or errors during the install.
Help/Support:
With the name change from Grisoft to AVG Technologies, the support site was updated and saw many improvements over the old design. Support offerings included with AVG Antivirus 8 are a FAQ, email support, phone based technical support as well as including a support section within the program itself.
Summary:
Version 8 of AVG Antivirus is a definite improvement over version 7.5. The scanning features have been sped up and the new interface is a clean and modern take on a time tested product.
Including a link scanner and integrating AVG Antispyware and AVG AntiRootkit provides an even more effective product. An unfortunate problem that has plagued AVG products for quite some time has not been eliminated even though AVG did a complete rewrite of the virus scanning engine. The on access scanner still tends to slow down computers to the point where they are not usable at times. This isn't a constant factor and has been improved significantly, but you will notice it when it happens. Beyond the slowdown issue, AVG Antivirus 8 is a complete product that will help keep your computer clean and safe.
When you open AVAST 4 you'll find two different interfaces-one for the average user and one that is for the more advanced user. The simple interface has the look and feel similar to that of DVD player software. It is unfortunately difficult to use and navigate. The options are not labeled with the exception of a pop-up description when you hover over a button. The enhanced interface provides plenty of options to customize the program to fit your needs, however it also suffers from some simple tags for the buttons.
This software provides good protection with the on-demand scanner and the resident scanner though these slow down the system while performing file transfers or opening programs. The email protection is adequate for POP3, SMTP and IMAP accounts.
AVAST 4 didn't receive the West Coast Labs Checkmark level 1 or 2 or the VB100%. AVAST wasn't as effective as some of the other products reviewed. For better virus protection refer to some of our higher ranked products
The AVAST update feature checks for product and virus definition updates at either a user-defined interval or manually. When you do a manual check for updates, you decide which updates to install. When the software automatically checks for updates, it can update the files at that time or at a time previously specified during setup.
This product is very easy to install and i didn't encounter any problems.
The manufacturer offers online support with a knowledge base search and FAQs page. You can contact customer support through email-they responded to ours within 36 hours. The telephone support is only for commercial users.
BitDefender
The best line of defense against computer viruses, spyware and spam is BitDefender 2008, BitDefender 2008 is an outstanding product with a user–friendly interface that will scan all existing files on your computer, all incoming and outgoing emails, IM transfers and all other network traffic.
This latest version of BitDefender has a new Gamer Mode feature that minimizes impact on gaming performance by removing any popups or warnings during game play while still protecting your computer. The software still has all of the reliable features for which Bitdefender is known such as “Privacy Protection” for outgoing personal information, “Web Scanning” while you’re using the Internet and “Rootkit Detection and Removal,” which detects then removes hidden virus programs.
BitDefender has also improved their existing B–HAVE feature that runs pieces of software on a virtual computer to detect code that could be an unknown virus. In addition, a setup wizard makes it easy to customize security settings.
Ease of Use:Softwin has covered all of the bases with BitDefender. This comprehensive product has an attractive, easy–to–use design that is consistent throughout the software and the manufacturer’s website. Because it is simple to use and updates itself automatically, you can install it on your system, then practically forget it’s there—an ideal solution for any user.
BitDefender has an option to display a small window called the “File Zone” on your desktop that indicates how many files the program has scanned in the past few minutes. You can also drag and drop files into the File Zone for an immediate scan. The program prepares a report of each completed scan so you know exactly what your files do or do not contain and you can instruct BitDefender to disinfect or remove any infected files or messages.
You can also customize BitDefender’s security settings for features such as AntiVirus, Antispam, Antispyware and Parental Control.
Effectiveness:
BitDefender’s customizable settings make the program effective for a variety of users. For example, if you receive legitimate commercial email, you can set BitDefender’s spam filters to allow specific or all emails.
Virus Bulletin rated BitDefender a VB100%, the highest honor for anti–virus software.
The VB 100% logo is awarded to anti–virus products that detect all current “in the wild” viruses during both on–demand and on–access scanning in Virus Bulletin’s comparative tests.
Additionally, BitDefender passed the ICSA 2007—a similar test that certifies the software can detect viruses, prevent virus replication, and doesn’t generate false positives.
Updates:
The live update feature checks for product and virus definition updates at either a user–defined interval, manually or default (every hour). When you do a manual check for updates, you can decide which updates to install. When the software automatically checks for updates, it can update the files immediately or at a specified time that you can determine during setup.
Feature Set:
BitDefender creates a summary log of events that shows the last definitions updates, details on any virus the software encounters, the last time you ran a scan, definitions number and more. And new in 2008, Bitdefender has added a Gamer Feature so it won't interrupt you during intense gaming.
BitDefender’s startup guard will tell you if a program is trying to load itself upon start up so you can choose to allow it or not. This software suite also comes with adware and spyware detectors. Though we recommend using an antispyware scanner, as they are designed specifically for this purpose, it is nice to have two programs working towards a common goal, to keep your computer clean.
Ease of Installation:
Installation of BitDefender is a snap. Uninstalling BitDefender was easy as well. We did find some leftover registry entries and directories after the uninstall completed though.
Help/Support:
When you purchase BitDefender you also receive one year of virus signature and scan engine updates. The manufacturer offers qualified technical support live via the Internet and telephone.
There is also an online database with answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and they have an email address–they answered our email within 6 hours. An online forum is also available on the BitDefender support site.
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Kaspersky
Ease of Use:In the past, Kaspersky had issues with their interface and the ease of use associated with it. They have listened to their customers over the years and changed the interface to rival others on the market. Now, simplicity is key within Kaspersky Antivirus. Kaspersky's main menu screen is split into different sections depending on what you would like to accomplish. Protection, Scan, Update, Reports and Data Files, and Support are listed on the left side of the screen with the options pertaining to each in a sub menu or on the right-hand side of the screen. There are also advanced options available through a settings option at the bottom of the screen.
Effectiveness:
Kaspersky Antivirus is one of the most advanced products on the market for virus scanning. Its on-access scanner is extremely fast and doesn't cause any noticeable slowdown of the computer while performing regular tasks such as browsing the web or writing documents or even higher end tasks such as transferring and moving files. The on-demand scanner within Kaspersky Antivirus is very fast as well. Another plus with Kaspersky is its light footprint on your system resources. Memory usage is minimal during the on access scanning times as well as on demand scanning. During a system scan, we noticed about 55MB of memory usage on average with up to 30% CPU usage.
Updates:
Kaspersky Antivirus checks for updates every hour by default. There are other programs out there that also do this but Kaspersky takes it to a new level because of the speed that they respond to outbreaks and release updates. If there is a major outbreak, Kaspersky Labs has an average update release time of less than 2 hours. This is the fastest of any antivirus company at this time.
Feature Set:
Features included with Kaspersky Antivirus are some of the most complete in the market. Beyond protecting your files and email from viruses, Kaspersky Labs took this a step further. They included a scanner that will check all the web pages you visit for viruses as well. This feature is especially useful for people that use Internet Explorer as their web browser due to the history of security holes related to viruses in the Internet cache your computer stores.
Kaspersky Antivirus also includes a registry protector called Registry Guard. This will prevent any unwanted changes to your computer registry.
We were especially impressed with the reporting features included with Kaspersky Antivirus. There are reports available for each scan that is done as well as "live" reports that are generated on the fly for several portions of the program that are scanning all the time.
Ease of Installation:
The installation of Kaspersky Antivirus is extremely simple and posed no problems for us. A single reboot was required to complete the installation.
Help/Support:
Kaspersky Labs offers several support options to help keep your system in top shape. Direct email support, support forums, phone support as well as an impressive FAQ are all available.
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