AntiVirus Reviews

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 was developed by a Russian company Kaspersky Labs, a leading antivirus software provider in the world. The company was founded in 1997 by Natalia and Evgeny Kaspersky and has had an excellent reputation ever since.  After 12 years of testing and improvement, the new software version features protection from malware, identity theft and hijacking your PC; blocking of suspicious programs; scanning of files and web pages; disabling of links to malicious websites; as well as regular and emergency updates. One of the newest properties is color-coding of links to unsafe websites.

Previous versions of Kaspersky software are known for being somewhat difficult to use. We haven’t noticed this drawback with Anti-Virus 2010; it has, in fact, one of the easiest interfaces yet developed. The most distinctive attribute of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 is the possibility to manually configure and adjust nearly every software feature. Another impressive detail is simultaneous scanning for viruses and spyware, which makes it a lot more efficient and reliable than the programs that perform separate scans. However, operations are pretty slow, which is common for most leading antivirus products.

Installation and activation is very simple and fast; the file takes only 50MB of your disc space. The main flaw of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 is that it doesn’t automatically replace any existing antivirus software, so you’ll have to do it manually to avoid any contradiction between the two programs. 

Even though the software is easy to use and download, Kaspersky Labs provides excellent technical support with multiple contact options in case you have an issue. Anti-Virus 2010 comes with in-program help files, FAQs and online forums, not to mention phone support, email support and live chat.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 is definitely one of the most effective antivirus programs on the market today; it offers a great value for the price. The software is certified by all major testing organizations including ICSA.

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AVG Technologies has created one of the oldest existing virus scanning programs, whose free version has been a leader among downloaded security files for the past decade. After improving their virus detector recently, AVG has developed the Anti-Virus product along with AVG Anti-Spyware, Anti-Rootkit, Web Shield and Link Scanner.

The four integrated programs provide strong defense against viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, hidden threats (rootkits) and malicious websites for your PC. AVG scans all files including documents, pictures and applications, e-mails (all major email clients supported), file downloads and online transactions such as shopping and banking, search results and any other links you click on, and even instant messaging and P2P communications. Whether used for advanced system scan or continuous security, AVG Anti-Virus proved worthwhile.

Although still causing occasional slowdowns, it has become nearly the most complete Windows protection software on the market today. The antivirus program is compatible with 64 bit versions of Windows XP and Vista.

AVG Anti-Virus is pretty much self-supported and requires minimal human interference in case you wish to set up some advanced features. For instance, it automatically checks for updates every 4 hours, but you will be able to change this interval if you wish. Installation of the program takes about 10 minutes including all the additional options.

The support system has been recently improved, and current options besides general support section are FAQs, email support and phone technical support.

AVG Anti-Virus is an award-winning technology and is certified by VB100%, ICSA and West Coast Labs antivirus testing organizations. It can be purchased in a license pack for up to 10 computers. One or two year subscriptions are available.

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BitDefender antivirus software is developed by Romanian company SOFTWIN. Established in November 2001, it has released 11 versions by now. BitDefender normally offers older versions for free download after releasing a newer one. No need to say that the free version may be less effective for computers with constant internet connection since it only provides an on-demand virus scanning opposite to real time scanning.

Bit Defender Internet Security 2009 is designed to fight viruses, hackers and spam, at the same time providing parental control and firewall protection. It examines the web, e-mails and instant messages for viruses and spyware, denies access to improper websites, and secures personal or vulnerable information. BitDefender comes with two additional offers: GameSafe edition and SmallOfficeSecurity.

All SOFTWIN software is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Home Server and Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher). Minimum system requirements are: 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM Memory and 300 MB available hard disk space. BitDefender Internet Security 2009 uses about 60MB of hard disk space; installation time is about 30 min. It automatically removes any other antivirus software from your computer to avoid any interference between the programs. 

Customer and technical support is really good, it’s available 24/7 via phone, email or online chat at no additional cost. So no complaints here.

Bit Defender is known for its slower scanning speed and higher rate of false positives. In addition, it’s quite costly, since the company is based in Europe. 

Internet Security 2009 updates its virus signatures hourly unless you change the interval or set it to manual update. 

BitDefender was certified and awarded by most software testing companies including ICSA, West Coast Labs, VB100% and AV-Test.org.

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VIPRE Antivirus+Antispyware from Sunbelt Software is another great security solution against viruses, spyware, rootkits and malware for your PC. It also provides extensive protection against email and webmail viruses, and supports Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Mail. VIPRE (Virus Intrusion Protection Remediation Engine) is one of the few antivirus programs that actually doesn’t slow down your computer and downloads updates quickly. It uses minimal disc space and keeps pop-up notifications down.

The security software is pretty easy to use and download even for the beginners. It comes with three additional tools: the PC Explorer, a history cleaner and a secure file eraser. Besides the standard features and applications of any antivirus software, VIPRE is able to scan compressed files, perform heuristic scanning to identify new viruses, and provide secure peer-to-peer file sharing. It allows manual, on-demand or individually scheduled scans.

Vipre Antivirus + Antispyware users have multiple help options. Even though the software is very self-explanatory, it includes an online guide, the knowledgebase and FAQs section. Furthermore, Sunbelt provides phone, email and live chat support for their customers.

Another positive aspect of this product is the price. Annual subscription is $29.95 for a single user, which is very competitive, to say the least. In addition, VIPRE offers a so-called Home Site License. That means, you can get a single license for all computers in your house for $49.95 annually.

Overall, VIPRE Antivirus+Antispyware by Sunbelt Software is easy, effective and doesn’t slow your computer down. It has received a Checkmark certification from West Coast Labs anti-virus testing organization.

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Anti-Virus PLUS is a reliable product from ParetoLogic software provider. It is highly effective at locating a threat, scanning and cleaning your computer and certified to remove spyware, viruses, malware and Trojans. When you are using the Internet, Anti-Virus PLUS will block malware-related sites and warn you of the threat level for your PC, including the threats in compressed files and recently developed threats targeting social networking site users. 

The interface for Anti-Virus PLUS is quite straightforward and user friendly, the application is supported by regular updates. Database definition updates and program updates are free. As well you may download the software for free and scan the system, but you won’t be able to clean your computer until you purchase the program.

Although Anti-Virus PLUS doesn’t offer all the advanced features that can be found in some antivirus software, there is one unique feature that ParetoLogic has come up with. This so-called cyclic detection feature identifies repeated popup alerts from the same malware and disables the block option temporarily. 

There is a detailed help file in the program along with a number of online tools. You can also register for support free of charge, if you have an issue not covered in the help section. However, ParetoLogic doesn’t offer phone support.

Minimum System Requirements for ParetoLogic Anti-Virus PLUS are Intel Pentium III or compatible processor, at least 256MB of RAM, 100 MB of hard disk space, Internet connection and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0. 

Anti-Virus PLUS has received a checkmark certification from West Coast Labs in 4 categories: anti-malware, anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-Trojan. It is certainly a complete and competent antivirus program.

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CA Anti-Virus 2009 provides extensive defense against viruses, worms and Trojans. It automatically scans all web pages, emails, instant messages and downloads to prevent any damages to your computer’s hard drive, files and documents. Each file is being checked when opened, closed or saved.

CA software is known for its ease of use and installation. It has a limited number of advanced features, so you won’t have any difficulty to find and change any of them. On the other hand, the lack of features makes this software less developed or complete. It doesn’t offer any extra benefits like parental control, WebMail scan, Spyware protection, etc.

Another flaw of CA Anti-Virus 2009 is slowing down your computer quite a bit, which doesn’t match with the level of the program.

Among the key features are advanced heuristic scanning and file quarantine. Fundamental features include daily automatic updates (unless you change the frequency), scheduled and on-demand scanning and file exclusion list (list of files you wish to exclude from scanning). CA Anti-Virus 2009 also checks compressed files for viruses, but that’s not something extraordinary.   

Help and support options are pretty standard at CA. There is help file, FAQs and support website with email and online chat. You can also use phone support, but there is extra charge for each call.  

Although CA Anti-Virus 2009 offers only basic antivirus protection, it supports up to 3 PCs for the same price. You will be able to find a better deal if you only have one computer, but for two or three computers it could be a good option. This software is certified by West Coast Labs, ICSA and VB100%.

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Established in 1990, Panda Security Corporation is one of the pioneers in anti-virus software development. It repeatedly claims each new version to be faster than the previous one. We have tested Panda Internet Security 2010, and it was pretty fast, yet slower than some of the market leaders. A key to a quick scanning is file whitelisting (preventing from re-scanning clean files), which Panda doesn’t have.

Installation is very easy and takes olny 6-7 min, unlike navigation and configurations. With Panda’s multi-layer menu, even our expert team faced difficulty finding some of the options, not to mention average users. The good thing is that default features are pretty abundant, so configurations are mostly necessary if you use P2P or online gambling websites. Another  challenge is going to be uninstalling Panda software. 

The strongest features of this antivirus are its Firewall protection and Parental control. Panda Internet Security is very efficient in identifying malicious websites and preventing them from loading. The program protects your PC from viruses and spyware, including Trojans, hijackers and key loggers. It allows you perform a full system scan, disk scan or email scan. Note that the only email service it scans is Outlook.

None of the existing antivirus products are able to provide 100% security, and Panda is not an exception. Its estimated protection level is about 90-95%, which is a little above average. We have noticed that most of the viruses and spyware, undetected during the first scan, were detected within the following scans.

In case you need additional assistance, there is a help section in the menu, as well as FAQs on 31 topics. You can also contact Panda tech department via email. There is no live chat option, and phone service is only available for sales and marketing departments.  

Panda Security software is certified by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs.

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Norman antivirus solution is well known for two reasons: it’s one of the oldest on the market, and it comes with most computers’ default software. The program provides adequate virus, spyware, malware and rootkit detection, but misses out on Trojans and archived files. In addition, it really slows down the computer.

Norman Security Suite is very easy to use and install. A menu doesn’t have many configuration options, so there is not much to navigate there. The installation takes only a few minutes and doesn’t require to restart your computer. However, this software is impossible to uninstall completely.    

Among the major features of Norman Antivirus are scheduled and on demand updates, quarantines, network management support and email protection. Neither P2P nor Web Mail scans are offered. Standard system updates are performed daily, which is a bit below the average frequency provided by other antivirus programs.  

Norman offers decent customer service and technical support. There is FAQs section, knowledge base and webcasts. But if you need to contact them for additional assistance, it might be frustrating. There is no live help available, only phone and email support, but note that phone support is not free. It’s $20 per incident, which will be charged on your credit card.   

Norman software used to be the best, and still lives on its name. Although it might seems outdated and lacking advancement in recent years, Norman Antivirus and Antispyware satisfies basic requirements and is certified by ICSA, VB100% and West Coast Labs.  

In conclusion, Norman Security Suite provides fair internet security. It has remarkable virus scanning and detection abilities, but the overall effectiveness is not the best for the price. In addition, this software slows down the system considerably.

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