Free Software: AntiVir Personal Edition Classic

While not as dependable as a paid version, a free anti-virus program is always a good solution for individuals who don't have a lot of money to spend.  As free security software continues to experience growth, Avira is one company attempting to stamp its name in the market.  Their AntiVir Personal Edition Classic is a free version of the AntiVir Personal Edition Premium that does a solid job at keeping you protected.

Product Overview

Even though this is a free program, AntiVir is very capable of scanning and detecting more than 30 different types of compressed and archived infections, including malicious viruses and sneaky Trojan horses.  After these threats have been detected, users can then determine if the software should disinfect the files, completely delete them, or only delete them when the disinfection process fails. 

AntiVir comes with a full system scanner that generates reports which includes information about your computer, versions of the program, settings, and files that have been scanned.  These reports have been specifically designed for easy submission to the Avira tech support team which is available through the company's online help forums.  While these comprehensive reports are great for advanced users looking to track down every infection, they may appear somewhat overwhelming for beginners.  In this case, ignoring these reports and relying on the direct results displayed on the interface might be a more feasible option. 

Avira's free security software sports a traditional interface that makes way for simple navigation.  It enables you to pre-configure scan tasks that will thoroughly comb your local drives, hard disks, removable drives, the entire operating system or specific folders.  AntiVir Personal Edition Classic even has the ability to scan specific items under the "My Computer" folder.  In addition to this, the program allows you to drag and drop files into the AntiVir interface to run a quick scan.                         

AntiVir Personal Edition Classic also includes a Guard component that acts as an on-access scanner.  This feature gives you that much more protection and is easily configured within the program's user-friendly interface.  A full scan of your system is generally quick and effects little memory as the software installs four running processes. 

Unlike most free security solutions, AntiVir Personal Edition Classic has a very well constructed update system.  The software updates its database on a daily basis to assure that users have worthy protection against the latest threats. 

Pros

- small program that works well on older computers

- comprehensive reporting utility

- scan can run in safe mode to snuff out more stubborn infections

 

Cons

- no firewall

- no spam filter

- update process tends to prompt sluggish performance

- lack of technical support

 

Conclusion: Decent Free Version of Its Paid Antivirus Program 

Considering that this is a free program, it's expected that Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic would lack a few of the prominent features found in more sophisticated security suites.  Customer support leaves a bit to be desired, but this is common even in some of the leading brand products.  And while this program isn't very thorough at detecting and removing adware and spyware, the technology included from the on-access scanning component allows it to easily coexist with other malware scanners.   

 

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