For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I am going to be taking a look into Avast! 4.6. Avast is a security suite with antivirus and firewall protection. For home users, they offer a free version with some helpful features. With spyware and virii a constant threat, it never hurts to have an extra protection program in your arsenal.
Installation was quick, after a 9.5MB download. Avast integrates with your system easily, as it prompted me to turn off part of Webshield after it noticed I had Zone Alarm firewall already active.
After installation completed, I had to reboot. As I booted back up, Avast ran a quick scan before entering Windows. If it had found anything, I could have neutralized it before a virus had a chance to open in the OS. That was a great touch.
The program will work for 60 days before requiring registration. After a free registration, you’re product key will give you a full year of use and updates. So after installing and registering, the grand reveal is nothing but a tray icon. So I opened it up and explored.
Once Avast is setup, you won’t need to look at it anymore then the system tray icon. However, when you first install, it is smart to look around and see what its doing. Avast uses what it calls a Simple User Interface, and it even opens a box to explain how to use it. First and foremost, Avast is an anti-virus program. So it was the first thing I tried out. Avast lets you scan your whole drive, removable media, or certain folders. When you are browsing in Windows Explorer, you can scan individual files from a right click. I chose to do a Normal and Thorough scans. The normal scan took about 25 minutes, while the Thorough took a whopping 58 minutes to scan 45.7GB. Luckily, my system came up clean. Avast does guarantee a 100% detection rate. With so many different variants of virii on the net, I don’t see how that’s possible, but since I haven’t had any problems recently, I’ll have to give them the benefit of the doubt. If Avast had found anything, I have the option of moving infections to the “Virus Chest” and then removing them. One plus of Avast is that it keeps itself automatically updated. My cable connection allows Avast to unobtrusively look for updates. Avast will wait for an active connection for dial-up users.
I appreciated how easily Avast was ready to go after installation. Web protection is automatic with major browsers like IE, Firefox and Opera. E-Mail scanning is automatically added for Outlook, and you can configure others. Avast also monitors internet sites with Webshield, and prevents hijackers from entering your network with Network Shield. It even checks P2P programs, if I had them. Finally, it monitors Instant Messaging, with support for all the big names: AIM, IRC, ICQ, MSN and others. These are the kind of additional perks that make freeware great.
Finally, as I always look into, the Help and Customization were well done. Avast settings allow you to change appearances, customize log files, alerts, and updates. The Help file is also well made, with explanations of each part of the Avast program. Avast’s website also has active forums for anyone with a question or concern.
So in conclusion, Avast is a well made anti-virus and security program. With today’s internet, only staying unplugged will keep you completely safe. But since that is not an option for us, we need multiple layers of protection. Anti-Virus, Firewalls, Routers, Anti-Spyware, etc are all useful. Avast is a great addition to my line up of protection, and for anyone who needs something extra without paying extra, take a look at Avast at www.avast.com
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