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Avira Free AntiVirus is a reliable antivirus engine which does a great job of keeping your PC malware-free.
Installation is simple and straightforward. Unlike the competition, there are no demands to remove competing products: we had Norton Internet Security installed on the test PC, and were able to run both packages alongside each other without problems.
Once the program is running it provides all the features you'd expect: files you access are checked for threats in real time, you can carry out on-demand antivirus scans on any part of your system whenever you like, and a capable scheduler allows you to set up regular scans to run automatically and unattended.
This elease adds new installation options. Avira Browser Safety keeps you safe online, Avira SafeSearch prevents you from reaching malicious sites, and there's a chance to install Dropbox, too (all can be bypassed if you're not interested).
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Avira Free A/V 2012
Posted by: AJ Averett, 11 October 2011 19:29
Though incremental to the previous Avira AntiVir Personal (free), the improvements to to the new Avira Free A/V 2012 are useful enhancements to what was already an excellent security application.
On an ancient laptop (P-4M; 1 GB DDR; 100 GB ATA-100 HDD), there is one less running process and ~ 30% less RAM occupied in quiescence. Installation has been streamlined; for users upgrading from the previous version, existing settings are retained. Boot time is shorter and the machine has greater responsiveness (including during signature updates, which are faster).
Though the Ask.com Toolbar can be declined during installation, three components remain in the program's folder, two of which attempt to phone home; they can be prevented from connecting to the Internet using a firewall with that that functionality (such as Comodo Firewall). Rating: 5/5
Neil J. Rubenking, Senior Analyst for Security at PC Magazine is currently testing v2012, report forthcoming.