...com ("AVG Free Edition" on the left hand side menu). It requires filling in a quick bit of information to get the serial number e-mailed to you to be able to install this (a bit of a nuisance for a free product, but this program is worth the minor inconvenience). The commercial version is now ... Read review
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A review by blue.summer.sky on AVG Anti-virus June 28th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Instructions / Help
Satisfactory
Ease of use
Easy
Ease of Installation
Good - quick to install
Value For Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Free and with almost daily updates .
Disadvantages:
None for most users .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Available for free from http://www.grisoft.com ("AVG Free Edition" on the left hand side menu). It requires filling in a quick bit of information to get the serial number e-mailed to you to be able to install this (a bit of a nuisance for a free product, but this program is worth the minor inconvenience). The commercial version is now on version 7 (instead of version 6 for the free one).
**My Experience:** I've been using AVG for about 2 years now and recommended it to quite a few friends whenever they ask about anti-virus software (or if I find out they aren't running any even!). It's stopped a couple of viruses from getting onto my computer and hasn't let one slip through yet (keep your virus definitions updated regularly though to be safe!). I used to do a full scan of my computer quite often but AVG has proved to be so reliable in catching viruses that this proves to be unnecessary and now I barely ever bother doing a full scan. The two components of AVG (avgcc32.exe and avgserv.exe) take up barely 2 mb of memory and barely any cpu time and runs as well on an old Windows 95 machine as it does on Windows XP. In the past I've used anti-virus software from Norton and PC-Cillin, but AVG has to be my favourite.
**Free version:** The free version is a slightly cut-down version of the retail version, with the following limitations: - Basic user interface - Disabled advanced scheduling of tests - Disabled creating of your own tests - No technical support However, none of these "limitations" have ever bothered me for the following reasons: - The interface still has everything I need. - I don't feel the need to schedule full tests on a regular basis. - You can still tell AVG which drives to scan. - If you're not very computer literate and don't have a friend who knows their computers, then you may want technical support, but the only instance you're likely to want support in is if you get a virus, and if your files are destroyed, no amount of tech support will help! (You did make a backup of all those irreplaceable files, didn't you?? See my other review for the Maxtor OneTouch 250 GB USB and Firewire External Hard Drive http://www.ciao.co.uk/Maxtor_OneTouch_FireWire_and_USB_250_GB__5408266 , as there's simply no excuse not to backup what's important to you and viruses are only one of many ways that you can lose those files!)
**Settings:** There aren't many settings in AVG (and there don't need to be as it works well without them). Personally I turn off the scheduled scanning as I find it unnecessary (and annoying if you're in the middle of trying to do something urgent on your computer when the test begins and slows your computer down) and not worth the extra wear on the hard disk. You can scan e-mails in outlook and certify incoming and outgoing mails as having been scanned - I turn off the option to append the certification at the end of each mail but let it scan them. The update manager should NOT be overlooked as running out of date anti-virus software is pretty pointless! You can set it to check for updates and automatically download them whatever time you like (e.g. over-night or during your lunch-time). Updates seem to be released every few days or so and vary from a few kilobytes to a megabyte in size (so generally pretty quick downloads even if you're on a dial-up connection). You may want to manually tell it to check for updates if you're not often connected to the internet or your computer isn't often turned on at any one time. A virtually undocumented feature is "Use heuristics" (on the Resident Shield tab). This isn't ticked by default. What it does is to try and identify suspicious virus-like activity for unknown viruses. This is supposed to use more of the processor, but I've not noticed any impact and think it's worth enabling. I came across a few people's comments about programs having been wrongfully identified as viruses with this option, but I've not found this to be the case (and I try out quite a lot of programs). Believe it or not, those are pretty much all the settings - they really are pretty simple compared to most programs these days. Apart from the heuristics option, I think pretty much anyone could figure out what each one was for.
**Conclusion:** After the necessary registration to get the serial number to install, the program is really easy to use, unobtrusive and protects well.
Advantages: Does the job well Disadvantages: none yet
...Grisoft are the publishers of AVG and free and easily downloaded anti -virus program that protects your PC very well indeed. The Executable installer file can be found at www. grisoft.com and takes but a few minutes of your valuable time to protect your even more valuable PC and the info it contains. Once installed the program is very easy to use and has a quite extensive help library to assist anyone wishing to delve deeper into the virus database, ... ...database
Every so often AVG will connect to the internet and update the virus detection files, this can be done automatically or manually depending on the users preferences. The internal database will store this file and use it to further protect your system against attack.
4. Scheduler
This module allows you to schedule virus scans of you PC at a chosen time, best selected for a time when use of the PC is at a minimal. 5. Update manager
The ...
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Advantages: It's free, it works well, it's easy to install Disadvantages: No technical support for the free version
...* Where to find AVG *
The main site is http://www.grisoft.com which has a simple layout - news in the middle describing recent updates, links to descriptions of the latest viruses on the right, and the main links down the left-hand-side. AVG has a professional version as well as the free one, and the links to the paying version are - not surprisingly - a little more prominent. The free version is linked immediately above the search box on the left. ... ...informs the reader that the AVG Free Edition is available for all single-use non-commercial home users. It also explains that there is no technical support available for the Free Edition and that the interface is basic. Don't be put off by this. We wondered if we would find it too limiting and need to upgrade to the commercial software, but it's been fine. It also tells you that it cannot be installed in a networked environment. What this means is ...
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Advantages: Complete protection for your system Disadvantages: None
...FREE ------------------------------------------------------------------- AVG is a free anti virus program that can be downloaded from http://www.grisoft.com the programs allows you to scan your computer for virus's or any suspicious files. It gives round the clock protection, with it's auto protect feature, its email enabled protection and its auto updates, keeping it problem free or significantly reduced in virus related problems. The program is ... ...and launched anti virus software AVG that also handles heuristics whilst the program is running. So much so that they boast their AVG software available is an effective, simple and reliable program, which over the years has been developed and perfected by some of the best computer security experts in Europe. About The AVG Software: ---------------------------- The software was first developed in 1991, and over the 11 years of its development has ...
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Advantages: FREE Disadvantages: few minor problems
AVG = Anti Virus Guard
A free Anti Virus Guard for your computer or laptop
I have used AVG for a few years now. I have downloaded the newest AVG as they come out. Basics
The AVG Free Edition is freeware for your computer that makes it safe from all the basic internet viruses e.g. Trojan. The AVG Free Edition is provided free-of-charge, and its functionality is limited. All functions provided within the AVG Free Edition respond to the AVG Professional ... ...AVG, you will see the AVG Test Center allowing you to run tests, update your AVG and edit some basic configurations. The AVG Control Center launches automatically upon Windows startup, and you can see its icon in the system tray - double-click the icon to open the interface. Updates
You can update your free AVG everyday to get the latest updates for you to keep your computer safe from the latest virus. When you turn on your computer the update will ...
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Advantages: Dependable, uptodate and FREE Disadvantages: no pretty animations
AVG Anti-virus free edition gives you all meets all your basic protection requirements. The free version is for stand-alone computers only. It can still be installed on computers that are networked but stand-alone versions will need to be installed on all workstations to protect the whole network.
Bootscan
When the computer is switched on the memory is scanned so that no viruses get into the memory before Windows is loaded.
Resident shield
The ... ...itself while AVG is not disabled.
E-mail Scanner
All incoming and outgoing mail from Outlook and Outlook express are scanned for viruses automatically. This protects you and also anyone you are sending mail to.
Complete scan
Complete scan will scan all program files not only for known viruses but also for programs producing virus like activity. The scan can be set to scan all files on the computer including non-program files. Scans can be scheduled ...
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Advantages: Frequent Scans and Updates, Easy to Use, Finds lots of Threats Disadvantages: Can use a lot of your PC's memory, doesn't Autorun when you Install
...apart from a small icon on the taskbar. This could prove to be a problem on older computers as it also requires a large amount of memory to perform the scans.
There is also very regular updates. Software I have used in the past updates about once every 2 weeks, but AVG updates every day and you don't have to tell it. Again this has similar ups and downs to the scanning, it keeps your PC safe but will probably slow down some older computers.
The professional version comes with the Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Spam (An Email protection thing, where you tell the program what is Spam and it will delete it), Scheduler (lets you choose when and how often to scan), Resident Shield (Which will scan .exe files and documents for viruses before you open them. This is very useful as it prevents you from opening the viruses in the first place. It...
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Advantages: Easy to use Disadvantages: None as yet
...I have recently purchased and installed AVG antivirus professional edition by Grisoft on my pc and have to say it is the best antivirus i have used up to date. I purchased it because i read on reviews that during scans it will pick up on things that other top antivirus software misses.
It was easy to install and basically looks after itself, it will automatically update when you switch on your machine. Updates and later versions are free as long as you have your license. So is the technical support.
The antivirus detects worms, trojans and other viruses. You get resident shield that scan every file you save or open. It also checks all you emails, sent or recieved.
You can customize it to automatically scan every day, week or month or whatever suits you. It can automatically remove or heal all your infected files.
This...
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Advantages: Free, versatile, suits home networks, not just a firewall Disadvantages: Slightly more hands-on than some would like
...a combination of Zone Alarm and AVGanti-virus I went.
I'd still have been there were it not for the week commencing 6th July 2008, when I woke to find I'd lost my internet connection, amongst thousands of others, I might add. After much to-ing and fro-ing, I established that without Zone Alarm, my access came back. The problem had been created by the issue of yet another Windows security update, which some reason made Zone Alarm treat everything as a threat, adding destinations to its error log at the rate of several a minute.
ENTER THE (COMODO) DRAGON
The solution arrived later in the day with a hurried fix to Zone Alarm, but the damage was done, seeds of dissent were sown, and off to the forums (fora?) I went, where the name 'Comodo' kept cropping up.
Comodo Firewall Pro, despite the name, is free with a lifetime licence. It comes as...
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In my opinion, AVG IS8 is the most searched protection software for in ease of use and a high level of security. It has an interesting user interface and simple installation. The software has 12 main components/features, there are anti-virus,... more
27.02.2007
