Antivirus Security | Anti virus Software Review | Antivirus Products 2010 - Reviewcity » Best Free Antivirus Reviews 2010

Avast Home Edition – Free Antivirus

thereviewcity — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:14:19 +0000

Avast Home Edition Overview

Avast Home Edition – Free Antivirus 4.8.1367 features outstanding integration into your system. A scan can be started directly from Windows Explorer, by clicking a folder or a file with your right mouse button and selecting the corresponding choice from the menu. The all-new Avast brings important changes to the app’s visual appearance. The old metal-like interface and classic Windows XP configuration menus have been replaced by a much more modern and shiny design that resembles other popular antivirus tools. The new interface is way more informative than the previous one and lets you check the system’s security status at a glance. Also, all the program’s tools and options are neatly displayed on a left-side animated pane, instead of being buried in menus.
The latest version of Avast Home Edition features outstanding detection abilities, together with high performance. You can expect 100% detection of In-the-Wild viruses (viruses already spreading between users) and excellent detection of Trojan horses. The Virus Chest can be thought of as a folder on your disk drive, having special properties that make it a safe, isolated place suitable for storing certain files. User can work with the files in the Chest, though with some security restrictions. The main properties of the Virus Chest are complete isolation from the rest of the operating system. No outside process, such as a virus, may access the files inside, and the fact that the files inside the Chest may not be run (executable), there is no danger in storing viruses there.
Avast Home Edition – Free Antivirus 4.8.1367 features a module for the protection of IM (Instant Messaging, “chat”) programs, and a module for the protection of P2P (peer-to-peer) programs. The list of supported IM and P2P programs is extensive with more than 30 programs currently supported.The P2P protection module doesn’t need much explanation – on today’s P2P networks (such as Kazaa) there are thousands of infected files, and an effective protection is a must.

Main features

Antivirus kernel
Virus Chest
Automatic updates
Standard resident protection
Simple User Interface

New Features

Support for 64-bit Windows
Integrated Avast! Virus Cleaner
Web & Network Shield
P2P and IM Shields

What We Found

After a few years without major updates, the popular Avast Home Edition – Free Antivirus 4.8.1367 has gone under a complete overhaul. A special screen-saver is also provided, that, when running, performs virus scanning. It works together with your favorite screen-saver, so you don’t have to change your personal settings to use it.
The Avast engine also features outstanding unpacking support. It can scan inside the following archives: ARJ, ZIP, MIME (+ all associated formats), MAPI (Outlook pst files), DBX (Outlook Express archives), RAR, TAR, GZIP, CAB, BZIP2, ZOO, ACE, ARC, LHA/LHX, TNEF (winmail.dat), CPIO, CHM, RPM, ISO, 7ZIP and SIS. It also supports a number of executable packers (such as PKLite, Diet, UPX, ASPack, PeShield, FSG, MEW etc.)
But changes in Avast are not limited to the interface and the program’s layout. There are also interesting new tools such as highly detailed analysis stats, a silent mode that prevents the program from displaying desktop notifications and a few visual and performance tweaks. Another outstanding new utility is the so called Behavior shield, which monitors your system in real time and warns you in case any suspicious behavior is detected.
Avast Home Edition – Free Antivirus 4.8.1367 also includes other more common features in antivirus software, like the possibility to choose between different scanning modes, filters to exclude certain folders from scanning and support for scheduled updates.

Pros

Complete design overhaul
Silent mode
New behavior shield
Different scanning modes

Cons

Definitions are not totally up to date
Some components are not active yet
No documentation
No sound

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition

thereviewcity — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:46:50 +0000

PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition Overview

PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition is a powerful personal free firewall for Microsoft Windows that protects your computer from hackers and intruders. Firewalls control the network traffic in and out of your PC by monitoring applications that connect to the network. It can stop Trojans, backdoors, and keyloggers from damaging your computer and stealing your private information. PC Tools Firewall Plus is advanced technology designed specially for people, not for experts. Powerful prevention against attacks and known exploits that is activated by default and advanced users can also easily create their own packet filtering rules to customize the network defenses. The program is recommended for use alongside of AntiSpyware and Antivirus software like AVG or Spyware Doctor to protect PC against Spyware, hackers, worms, and viruses.
PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition is a personal firewall that monitors incoming and outgoing traffic on your computer and allows to to create rules to limit and control network connections. The program includes an application level firewall as well as a rule based TCP/IP firewall. The status window of the application displays the state of the firewall (“on” or “off”), the number of sent and received packets to and from the Internet. Applications window shows the user the active programs that are connected to the Internet – web browsers, FTP clients, messaging applications. In the right pane, there is the list of the applications that are blocked or authorized

Main Feautres

Comprehensive Malware Protection
Constant Real-time Protection
Advanced Detection and Removal Technology
Protection against zero-day threats – Behavioral Heuristic Detection

New Feaautres

Advanced Rootkit Detection
Works silently in the background with low CPU usage
Automatic and silent Smart Updates
Most internationally awarded anti-spyware product

What We Found

PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition provides enhancements in protection, detection and scanning. This has been achieved through the introduction of next generation sliding signatures, specifically designed to better cater for the significant numbers of threat variants in the wild. PC Tools next-gen sliding signatures have also delivered performance improvements to scan time and system impact with a further reduced memory footprint and overall system impact during scanning.
This New version features new improved scan engine, smaller memory footprint, and much improved system performance. The default settings of the firewall will prevent several common attacks while allowing normal internet traffic. You can create your own rules using protocol, port and IP address – however it requires some experience with TCP/IP configuration, as no documentation is provided. The integrated application filtering engine will prompt you each time an unknown program is trying to connect to the Internet, giving you the option to block or allow current and future activities by the same program. Requires free registration after 30 days.

Pros:

Easy to use, even for beginners

Two user modes: Normal and Expert

Attractive design

Controls incoming and outgoing traffic

Cons:

No documentation

Application rules are not verified with file fingerprint

Default settings block LAN connectivity

Editor’s Pick of the Month

ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010 Read More

Panda Internet Security 2010 Read More

eScan Internet Security Suite Read More

ThreatFire AntiVirus Free

thereviewcity — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:06:57 +0000

ThreatFire AntiVirus Free Overview

Threat Fire was formerly known as Cyber Hawk, got his name under PC Tools. Threat Fire an ICSA and West Coast Labs certified product. Threat Fire is dramatically different to traditional antivirus software. Its not a Standalone AntiVirus in itself but a Complementary Catalyst to other antivirus software. But why do need such a software when you already have an antivirus ?? Existing antivirus software can detect a malacious program only if its data base has its signature. For this such programs first needs to have to be identified and antivirus should see it as a threat to the system. Accordingly a database of signatures is created. And then the software is able to detect and protect the system against such malacious programs by referring to the signatures of the malacious programs in the database. And what if such signatures are morphed ?? And this whole process creates a large void of time, where threats are undetected. Your system can be infected even when you have antivirus software installed. But Threat Fire constantly protects your PC against attacks by detecting suspicious Behavior of the malacious programs instead of only looking for known threats like normal antivirus software.

Threat Fire is not a substitute for a signature-based antivirus scanner. Threat Fire won’t detect a dormant threat its sole focus is on activity. And if the system is already infected, Threat Fire will quarantine only the active components leaving portions of the malware behind.

Threat Fire’s ActiveDefense automatically quarantines known bad apps and generates alerts for those deemed suspicious. Threat Fire’s ActiveDefense Technology has proven to provide up to 243% more protection when combined with traditional AntiVirus products.

Main Features

Anti Rootkit.
Anti Spyware.
Anti Phishing.
IntelliGuard.
Heuristic Scanning.
Realtime Scanning.
Identity protection
Firewall protection.
Antivirus protection.
Behavior-based protection.
Proactive Defense against Both Known and Unknown Threats.
Out-of-the-box protection pre-configured for optimum protection.
Well designed and intuitive interface suitable for novice and experts alike.
More Technical Details Provided on Alerts.
Technical Support.

Threat Fire’s interface presents a minimum amount of buttons to control the application. The menu offers options that allow for the configuration and scanning of files and folders allowing the user to manually scan on a regular basis. Memory requirements are average for this application. The virus database appears comprehensive. As in every antivirus software, Threat Fire too has automatic update capability. It’s trademarked IntelliGuard protects your computer against threats in real-time. The additional settings in this software enables to add networks to a Trusted Zone or a custom defined port list and customization allows to define custom ports for email servers and clients that use ports outside of the normal range.

What’s New

Behavior profiling.
In-the-cloud techniques.
Neural Network Technology that provides geater accuracy in detection.
Tracker Technology for improved threat quarantine and clean-up.
Enhanced Malaware Detection.
Enhanced RootKit Detection.
Focus on pure behavioral protection.
Additional update options.
Increased language support.

On The Lower Side

The major setback with Threat Fire is that it is designed to be used with other antivirus software. It’s not an antivrus software on its own, it works as a patch or addon. It detects only programs that attempt to run. So you still need a standard antivirus program to perform regular scans before the culprits gets a chance to execute. There are certain types of malacious programs that just cannot be caught by Threat Fire behavior-based system. Some threats lie dormant for days. Threat Fire cannot catch such programs until they take action.

Our Experience

The installation was satisfactory. The menu was relatively easy to navigate and offered additional settings for each of the areas of protection. Threat Fire was not able to detect viruses in zipped format. But this is not a major issue. Its detection was okay. Threat Fire also failed to block commercial keyloggers that used rootkit technology. Threat Fire’s removal was annoying. Threat Fire cannot be removed from start up routine with out uninstalling it. Threat Fire scored 4/12 on our scoring parameters.

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition

thereviewcity — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:50:25 +0000

PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition Overview

PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition comes in two free editions one without registration and other that needs to be registered. The difference,the later boasts of high-speed updates and support. It’s interface presents a minimum amount of buttons to control the application. PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition looks relatively good. It provides protection, with rapid database updates, Intelli Guard real-time file, Internet & e-mail protection and comprehensive system scanning to ensure your system remains safe and virus free. Latest version features new improved scan engine, smaller memory footprint, and much improved system performance. PC Tools Antivirus monitors your computer in real-time for any threat.

Main Features

Anti Virus protection
Scan and Remove
Smart Updates
Intelli Guard Protection
File Guard
Email Guard
High-speed updates
Dedicated 24×7 support

What’s New

New improved scan engine.
Smaller memory footprint.
Much improved system performance.
Improved worm detection.
Improved malware-infection cleanup.

On The Lower Side

Novice users will find it tough to navigate the basic Help Function. Intermediate users will wish for better information before tackling any configuration changes. Pausing the scan is not possible. It does not come with Spyware protection. By default the software prompts you once a day for any available update but you have to turn on the updating manually. It misses the Auto update feature. It also lacks Scan-Schedule feature.

Our Experience

PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition’s installation was smooth and easy. It slows the system a bit. Its detection rate was poor at 85%. It really bad at catching Trojans. Clean-up was good but its of no use when there’s such low percentage of detection. Uninstalltion did not create much of a problem.

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

Avira AntiVir Personal – Free Antivirus

thereviewcity — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:20:47 +0000

Avira Antivir Personal Overview

With over 50 million users, faster and hassle free installations and an advanced heuristic systemAvira is one of the best free antivirus software. Avira Antivir’s interface is very easy to use. The Local Protection and Administration navigation options reveal the Scanner, Guard, Quarantine, and Scheduler features. It has a on-demand scanner wherein you can schedule your pc scan as per your convenience. Flexibility in scanning gives user to scan fully both internal and external hard drives. The rebuilt Heuristic Engine retains the same choices from the previous version’s, and can be turned on or off in part or in full and offers three intensity levels. Avira Antivir Personal updates automatically for new databases of virus and program contents. Infections are quarantined with options for a re-scan, restore, delete or to email the infected files to Avira.

Main Features

AntiVir protection against viruses, worms and Trojans
AntiRootkit protection against hidden rootkits
AntiPhishing protection against phishing
AntiSpyware protection against spyware and adware
AntiDialer protection against expensive dialers
Real Time Scanning
Parental Control
Advanced Heuristic scanning
Faster Scanning up to 20% faster
On-Demand Scanner with profile-controlled and configurable search for all known types of virus and malware
The resident Virus Guard serves to monitor file movements automatically
QuickRemoval eliminates viruses at the push of a button
Central configuration with user-friendly standard and advanced options and context sensitive help
Integrated quarantine management to isolate and process suspicious files
High-performance multithreading function
Netbook Support for laptops with low resolution

The new version of Avira has made a few interface changes in version 9, but users are not likely to notice any difference in the interface besides a refreshed banner logo. The main window offers a left side navigation with drop-down menus and a central pane for more detailed information. Avira AntiVir opens to the Status menu, informing you of the last scan, last definition file update, whether the real-time guard is active or not. Events logs changes to the program and the Reports tab keeps a history of threats. Core users will notice the removal of the on-demand e-mail scan, and Avira AntiVir is still bad at uninstallation. But Avira Antivir still has most of the must have features that an antivirus software should have with $ 00.00 price tag on.

What’s New

The number of columns in the quarantine manager is reduced.
Configuration wizard after setup.
Process protection for GUI processes.
File and folder protection for AntiVir files and folders.
Registry protection for AntiVir keys.
Scanning of locked files.
Combined display of malware detections and one-click removal.
New installation folder and registry keys.
Improved system disinfection.
Configuration panel: new button “Default Values”.
Process protection for GUI processes.
Scheduling on multiple days of the week.
NetbookSupport for laptops (screen resolution).
Redesigned visual appearance.

On The Lower Side

The new version of Avira comes with less of its on-demand email scan feature. It also lacks Firewall protection against hackers. It doesn’t have Identity Protection. It also lacks Anti Spam feature that filters out unwanted e-mails. Its daily pop-up ads for Avira’s paid ID-Theft protection software can be annoying to many users, and at times its interface seems better suited to advanced users. Its detection pop-ups offer too many choices and don’t suggest the option most appropriate for the average user. And it has no 24×7 support. All the support you want is only through forum.And its cleanup leaves behind tons of nonactive file and Registry traces.

Our Experience

Avira Antivir detected about 99% of malacious programs. And that’s impressive. Its real time scanning worked at super speeds. Its user interface seemed very user friendly and easy to use. We received False Positive more than what we expected. It used less RAM,less than 30MB. And so it doesn’t slowed the pc much. Scheduler is impressive. We had difficulties in uninstalling Avira. Avira scored 4/12 on our scoring parameters.

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

AVG Antivirus Free Edition

thereviewcity — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:42:29 +0000

AVG Antivirus Free Edition Overview

AVG Antivirus, another of Free Antivirus Software which are widely used. The application is set to search for new virus definitions daily by default. AVG is easy to use with user friendly interface. The new interface is much easier to navigate than in previous version, with tabbed navigation on the left assisting users in finding the tools they need. AVG Free Edition doesn’t slow down your system (low system resource requirements). A unique feature that a few software provide is that AVG allows user to pause the scanning process and to resume it later. Another noticeable feature is its LinkScanner [which can be downloaded separately]. It works with Internet Explorer and Firefox to check links found in Google, Yahoo and MSN searches in order to make sure that there is no risk when clicking on these links. It also provide safety ratings for search results. Yet another good feature is that AVG scans your computer in MS-DOS mode by creating a rescue disk if a virus creates serious system problems.

Main Features

AVG Antivirus protection.
AVG Anti-Spyware.
AVG Anti-Rootkit.
Realtime Scanning.
Automatic update.
AVG LinkScanner Active Surf-Shield.
AVG Security Toolbar [provides Easy access to LinkScanner tools, built-in search capability]
AVG Web Shield.
AVG Browser Protection.
AVG Resident Shield.
AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files.
AVG E-mail Scanner.
AVG Heuristic Scanning.
AVG On-Demand Scanner.
Compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

What’s New

Improved user interface.
Improvements in installation process.
Improved Resident Shield scanning.
Improved update process when restart is necessary.
New Toolbar implemented.

On The Lower Side

Scheduling options in the AVG Home Edition are very limited for ex. only one scheduled update per day. The pop-up advertisement for buying the pro version can sometimes be annoying. There’s no firewall protection against hackers. AVG Home Edition also lacks Anti Spam filters that checks out for unwanted e-mails. AVG also misses Anti-Phishing property which is a must have feature. AVG does not protect your identity. It does not have tech support. You have to rely on forum for needed help.

The AVG LinkScanner Technology

Safe Search : LinkScanner Search-Shield checks Google, Yahoo! And MSN search results as you search and places safety rating next to each line.

Safe Web-Surf : LinkScanner Active Surf-Shield scans each and every web site and link within a web site before opening to ensure they are safe.

Safe Link Navigation : AVG analyzes each Web link is found, whether in emails, documents, or instant messages, no matter the source, before opening to ensure they are protected in advance 100% of the time.

Safe URL Scan : If you write the address of its website (URL) in your browser, AVG will scan the contents of the page before opening to ensure it is safe.

Safe Downloads : AVG will scan all new applications to install and all of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other documents, music, videos and photos to ensure they are safe before you download.

Safety Ratings : Specific details of site security appear simply hovering the safety icons.

Favorite security and Safe favorites exploration : AVG scans all your favorite sites before opening to ensure they are safe.

Our experience

AVG detected 96%. AVG Free is easy to use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements. There is a slight delay as the pages are checked by its linkscanner feature.but its worth waiting few moments for your pc security. On-access scan speed, which comes into play when you open or save a file,was slow. Its on-demand scan was also not very impressive. Cleanup leaves behind loads of nonactive file and Registry traces. On our scoring parameters AVG scored 2/12.

Note

If you already have AVG running on your PC, it is highly advisable to click on the upgrade option if available, as updates will be stopped for the previous version 7.5. On the other hand, if you are going to install it for the first time, we recommend that you disconnect your machine from the Internet as a non protection gap will occur.

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

BitDefender Free Edition

thereviewcity — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:36:54 +0000

BitDefender Free Edition Overview

BitDefender Free Edition is a free anti-virus software developed by the SOFTWIN, a Bucharest-based company. BitDefender Free Edition was designed with a centralized management console, which allows protection options configuration for all BitDefender modules. Its Live Update module ensures hourly updates of the program and virus database. Automatic and manual update are available. Intelligent update of antivirus protection, without your intervention. The update can be done from the network over the Internet, directly or through a Proxy Server. This function also repairs the software by automatically downloading and replacing the damaged program files and other components.

BitDefender Free Edition has over 90,000 Virus Definitions. It uses the same ICSA Labs certified scanning engines found in other paid BitDefender products, allowing you to enjoy basic virus protection for free. Its OnDemand Scanning option gives option for scheduling pc scanning as per user convince. It also provides real-time scanning.

Main Features

Antivirus : Protects against viruses and other malware.
Antispyware : Blocks concealed programs that track your online activities.
Antiphishing : Blocks webpages that attempt to steal your credit card data.
On demand scanning : Powerful scan engines ensure detection and removal of all viruses .
Scheduled scanning : The Scheduler lets you plan ahead, and schedule full system/drive scans in the off hours.
Immediate scanning : With just a right click you can check your files and folders.
Quarantine : By isolating the infected files in quarantine, the risk of getting infected diminishes.
IM Encryption : Keeps your conversations private on Yahoo! and MSN Messenger
Home Network : Manages the security of your entire network from a single location
Reports : When launching a scan you may choose to create a report file where you can see statistics.
Skinable interface : You can express yourself, designing new interfaces, or you can use those drawn by others.
Special operating : Game Mode reduces system load & postpones scans,Laptop Mode prolongs battery life.

What’s New

Improved Proactive detection.
Improved Deployment and use.
Improved User Experience.
New Privacy protection.

On Lower Side

BitDefender Free Edition lacks Anti Rootkit capability that protects your passwords. BitDefender does not protect you from ID Theft. It doesn’t have Firewall to stop the hackers from drilling in to your system. BitDefender cannot relieve you from that annoying unwanted e-mails, as it misses Anti Spam Filters. It has only forum support. BitDefender Antivirus 10. It causes more system drag than most antivirus programs.

Our Experience

Our experience with BitDefender Free Edition was a disappointment comparing to other free antivirus software. It detected 98% of the malacious programs. Bitdefnder’s disinfection prowess is not upto the mark. It slowed down our Pc to a considerable level. It identified more False Positives. Bit Defender Free Version scored a mere 2/12 on our scoring parameters.

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

COMODO Internet Security – Free Antivirus

thereviewcity — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:57:46 +0000

Try Comodo Internet Security Pro for 30 Days, FREE

COMODO Internet Security Free Version Overview

COMODO Internet Security Free Version is the only Free Antivirus Software that can be used both for personal and business use. And it’s the only free version that boasts of providing E-mail support. After downloading the Comodo Internet Security package, you are given the option either to install the antivirus , the firewall, a 30-day trial of Comodo’s Live PC Support or any combination of the three.
COMODO Internet Security’s user interface is user friendly. Uncluttered interface provides quick navigation through the various parts of Firewall protection without getting lost. And there’s a Security wizards’ function wherein you can Preset security settings for simple point-and-click setup. And there’s also an unique slider to easily change your current security level where by you can switch between presets to reflect your security preference.

Main Features

User-friendly interface : Easy navigation through various functions.
One-click virus scanning : Make sure your PC is clean with one simple button click.
Prevention-based protection : Firewall and Antivirus combine to stop viruses and malware.
Default Deny Protection (DDP) : Only known and listed PC-safe files and applications are able to access your PC.
Personalized protection alerts : Firewall quickly learns the rules you set for downloading software, and adjusts its alerts accordingly to fit your needs.
Real-time updates : Automatic updates mean greatest possible protection possible against zero-day threats
Access to Comodo’s Safe List : List of over two million known PC-friendly files and applications so safe files and apps are allowed to run.

Shield-shaped buttons at the top facilitate switching between the antivirus and firewall modules, as well as a summary tab that provides a general overview. Users can toggle automatic scans of archives or downloads, scans on start-up, manage the quarantine, and schedule scans and definition file updates through a clean and comprehensible list of links.
Comodo boasts of defending your PC against 1 billion executable including Viruses, Root Kits, Trojans, and Zero-Day attacks.

Live PC Support is like having your very own Technical Support Expert 24-7. Try it for free.

What’s New

Comodo Secure DNS.
Comodo HopSurf.
Ability to specify alternative URLs for program and virus updates.

On The Lower Side

COMODO Internet Security Free Version’s firewall slows the system to a great extend. The scan speed is not upto the desired level. It detects too of much false positives.
Comodo’s Defense+ layer of security is annoying,prompting to decide to take certain actions for programs, like changing registry. User have to deal with countless interruptions and risk making a bad decision.

Our Experience

Our experience with Comodo Internet Security Free Version was a disaster. The installation itself is annoying. By default Comodo installs Hopsurf.com’s toolbar, a networking site and asks for changing systems default search engine and your home page. Its so called unique Defense+ security layer is quite annoying too. Its AntSpyware also failed in our tests. Malaware detection was a disaster. The overall detection was too bad on percentage to be listed. It scored 2/12 on our scoring parameters.

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More

Microsoft Security Essential – Free Antivirus

thereviewcity — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:57:16 +0000

Microsoft Security Essential Overview

Microsoft Security Essential is Microsoft’s first attempt at a standalone security application for home use. It is the name of Microsoft’s latest Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware software for Windows operating system.

Microsoft Security Essential 1.0.1611.0 is able to give you a good chance to get high-quality protection against viruses and spyware, including Trojans, worms and other malicious software. And best of all, there are no costs or annoying subscriptions to keep track of.

Microsoft Security Essential 1.0.1611.0 includes three types of scan which are quick, full and customizable. They can be scheduled to run at a give time or particular location, and can be modified to work when the computer is not actually in use. Handily, the program automatically updates its database, and is fully integrated with Windows Explorer. It also boasts a system restore point, in case you need to undo any over-enthusiastic cleaning.

Microsoft Security Essential 1.0.1611.0 is a free download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple. Once installed it will automatically update to new versions as they come out, and then regularly download updated signature files as they become available from Microsoft Update.

Main Features

Easy to install and easy to use
Comprehensive malware protection
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software
Simple, free download
Updates and upgrades are automatic
It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that user are free to use Windows-based PC the way one want—without interruptions or long computer wait times

Interface Guidance

What We Found

Microsoft Security Essential is a gentle introduction to the sometimes complicated world of home computer security.
With Microsoft Security Essential Beta, we got high-quality protection against viruses and spyware, including Trojans, worms and other malicious software.
While busy using the PC, there is no need to be bothered by needless alerts. Security Essentials runs quietly in the background, only alerts if there’s something need to do. And it doesn’t use a lot of system resources.

Microsoft’s long promised free anti-virus tool has finally arrived, and there’s no longer any excuse for not protecting the PC. Microsoft Security Essentials is free, unobtrusive, and it works.

Pros:

Good virus, malware and spyware protection
Clutter-free interface
Lightweight and unobtrusive
Fast and uses minimal resources
Microsoft Security Essential does what it says on the tin, raising the bar for all the other anti-malware vendors out there
Automatic updates
Several scan types
Simplest and Easiest to use anti-malware tools around
Quick, Unobtrusive and Works without slowing your PC down
It’s Free with no need to register or re-register

Cons:

Not as many features as some other packages
Virus writers might be more tempted to target Security Essentials because it’s from Microsoft
No firewall included
Too basic for expert users
One big caveat is the default time for scheduled complete system scans
Once a week at a time a PC is likely to be off is not good enough, by a long way

Editor’s Pick of the Month
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010	Read More
Panda Internet Security 2010	Read More
eScan Internet Security Suite	Read More