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.
