AVG, internet proctection for free!!! (AVG AntiVirus Free Edition)

Member Name: fpsninja

Product:	AVG AntiVirus Free Edition
Date:	17/07/09 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: free, and reliable, works good

Disadvantages: the whole product thing, but no proof, and not 100% sure

AVG antivirus is a free anti virus software. It is almost like a demo to the whole AVG package, the only difference between this demo and the demo of say Norton, is that this demo does not have any time constraint, and you do not need to buy the AVG at any point. Personally, I just use this as my anti virus software, as it is good enough to keep me safe, and is free!

So, what is the program like?
The free program includes a firewall, a virus scan feature, an "anti spyware feature" and email scanner, an update manager (updates are automatic) and a web shield. More on that later. I personally use the scanner the most, and it really is very good, you can change its "speed" by changing the scan type, obviously making it faster will mean some viruses may go un-detected.

Now onto the web shield. What this does, is that whenever you search a word of something like that into google, you get a little green tick with the words AVG in a certain symbol for every if you like "safe" site. This means that you can help prevent getting viruses in the first place. I am not sure if any warning message or anything like that comes up for any dodgy site, as i do not go on dodgy sites, if anyone has this software and knows what happens, please do feel free to comment.

The layout of the program is easy to understand, and it does not feel like they have tried to cram everything in, it really is well spaced out. I would have thought with a free anti virus, they would put a few adverts up, but they do no such thing. If anything on the AVG software does not work for whatever reason, the little AVG "flag" starts flashing at you in the bottom right hand corner, and it is normally easy to sort out. This has only happened once, when the internet router cut out during an update, so it was though no fault of the program itself.

I am not 100% about this, but i think the way that AVG get the money out of what they do, is that they record what products you looked at, say on amazon, and use it to advertise other products in browser advertising bits. I am not 100% about this, it may have just been chance, but since i got avg, i was looking at BMX bikes on amazon, went to my email, and there sure enough was an advert about some BMX bikes. This may not be AVG, i think the likely hood of it was it was just down to chance, but i am just not sure... I have tried scanning, and even scanned on a online viral scan called mirco tech, and i think its the avg software, because when i deleted the infected file, i had to do some crazy stuff with AVG. As I have said, that is just my "gut feeling" no proof of this what so ever, but even so, it does not record say bank details or web pages, only products, so there is no problem even if it was true.

The program does not take up a lot of room on the computer hard drive, I looked in control panel, and its only 47 mb, tiny! For those of you who are not sure how big that is, an average game is around 400 mb, sometimes as large as 1000! The smallest usb key you can get these days is 256 mb to put things into perspective.

So, my summary?
Honestly, AVG is the only anti virus i use, as there is not point in spending a load of money on another program, that is just as good. You can update the AVG to a pay version, which is better, but as i have never used it, i could not tell you how it is better. I think you just get better scans, and more options and what not, rather than anything critical.

If you have a pc, and you use the internet, the get AVG. Even if its not for the scanner, then get it for the firewall, it could help stop all of your personal details being taken and used.

Summary: really highly recommended

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