The antivirus solution from developer AVAST Software comes in many
flavors and most users opt for the free edition for obvious reasons.
This does not make it any less reliable, however. The program features
intuitive, advanced and customizable scanning methods along with other
modules dedicated to computer safety.
Complete and customizable installation package
The installer is completely configurable when it comes to shields (for files, emails and web), security tools and preferred languages. Since it is ad-supported, the utility offers to install unnecessary third-party components but they can be skipped.
The security tools include browser protection and cleanup (e.g. Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox), software updater for other programs installed, remote assistance for access on other computers, SecureLine for connection encryption agsinst spyware via VPN, GrimeFighter for system cleanup and maintenance, Rescue Disk for worst case scenarios with malware-crippled PCs, and a simple management connector that reports the Avast status to COM monitoring software.
Modern and attractive interface
Avast is
wrapped in a pleasant and easy-to-use interface which provides fast
access to the av status, scanning methods, tools, portable devices with
Avast installed for remote control (smartphones, tablets), statistics
(real-time and historical data, component status), as well as the rich
configuration area.
Various scan modes with user-defined settings
It
is possible to perform a quick scan in areas where malware is known to
hide, complete by taking into account the entire computer, in removable
drives only, custom directories, or at every Windows boot in autostart
processes and services.
It is not necessary to change any
settings, since Avast has a pretty decent default configuration. But
advanced users have the possibility to fiddle with options regarding
rootkits, file types, the exact scan areas, heuristics, PUP and
suspicious files, archive formats, action on malware detection, scan
priority, reports, exclusions, and scan scheduling.
Unconfirmed
suspected infections sent to the quarantine may be investigated to
decide whether to keep or eliminate them, while reports with scan
activities may be examined in logs.
Other security tools
The software updater
automatically finds updates available for other programs, SecureLine
must be purchased before it can be used, the browser cleanup component
removes toolbars and resets browser settings to default if necessary,
AccessAnywhere requires an Avast account (free) to control the PC from
remote locations, and Rescue Disk creates a bootable USB or CD drive
with the latest virus definitions to use for offline scanning and
cleaning.
Performance and conclusion
System resources
can be hogged or spared, depending on how fast users want the scans to
finish. It is possible to disable the file system, mail or web shield
with one click and customize settings for each one of them. As far as
virus detection ratio is concerned, Avast Free Antivirus delivers very
good results, which places it among the top-rated antivirus solutions on
the current market.
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