I give this the nod(32) of approval! (NOD32)

Member Name: IzzyS

Product:	NOD32
Date:	26/11/08 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Does well in tests, doesn't drain system resources, useful scheduler, works well on Vista etc etc

Disadvantages: The trial nags you to purchase a longer license after only 2 weeks of the trial

Now I can be somewhat paranoid about the safety of my laptop and indeed I have had previous computers hit by pretty nast viruses, so having an anti-virus program that really works, that I trust can and will identify as many up and coming viruses as possible and that won't significantly slow down my computer is what matters to me.

I like to research on the internet, trawl through download.com and search on Google and wherever else, to find the best software around, whenever I'm on the lookout for something new and on this ocassion, a few weeks back, the months free trial of McAffee that my laptop had installed, ran out, so I started to research what the best antivirus solution would be. I had heard quite a few bad things said about McAffee (now obviously im no real antivirus expert and I can't say if those things are true or not) so I decided to look elsewhere.

I came to the conclusion that Esets Nod32 Antivirus (home edition) program appeared to be the most reliable and one of the best performing anti virus programs available, that runs on Windows Vista, as well as on all other Windows operating systems, according to the website.

Now its likely that your thinking Eset? Nod32? I've never heard of that before, unlike McAffee, which is much more of a well known brand. Fair enough, I'd never heard of Eset Nod32 or Eset at all before I looked into it but all the same, I'd say that the user reviews online pretty much say it all. You know what its like, with almost any product there will be a few negative reviews, as people who have had bad experiences will feel more keen to let others know about it and those who have had good experiences won't necessarily think to let others know about that but compared to a number of other (including well known brand name) anti virus programs, this one has significantly fewer bad reviews, so I thought that was a good sign.

I decided to give the general 30 day trial a go and see how good it was and I haven't been disappointed, indeed just this morning (as the trial was to run out tomorrow evening and I've got the time this morning) I decided to purchase a years license for the program.

So, onto more information about the program itself...


- What does Nod32 Antvirus provide (protection-wise) & how does it fare in tests or otherwise against competing programs? -

Nod32 Antivirus home edition provides protection from spyware, viruses, worms, and other malware.

Whats special about Nod32 is that it uses something called the ThreatSense engine which has advanced heuristics, which the website claims blocks approximately 60% more unknown threats than the competition. I'm no expert as I say but from what I've read, they claim that this program is written and run in a different way to some others which means that it runs quicker with less interference with processing speeds and its also quicker to detect new viruses and trojans.

Eset also claim that the scanning speeds (presumably during computer scans, or if you select a specific file to be scanned) are 3 to 34 times faster than that of competing programs, which sounds good to me. The scans I've experienced have certainly been quite quick and I have no worries that it missed anything, so it seems quite an efficient.

As far as tests go, Nod32 Antivirus apparently fares very well. As far as 'in-the-wild' virus tests are concerned, Nod32 has consistently come out well, being given awards from virusbulletin.com for the performance of its program. Apparently, according to virustotal.com Nod32 offers 88% real time protection against 16 zero-day viruses, compared to only 6% for Symantec and 31% for McAffee. My source for this is the Eset site, see:- http://www.eset.co.uk/products/compare-NOD32-vs-co mpetition.php

Of course that is only comparing it to two other competing programs, there may be others that offer similar protection but it certainly makes Nod32 seem very capable, if nothing else.


- What features does Nod32 offer? -

There are a number of benefits to Nod32 Antivirus, some of which I mentioned at the start of this review (ie what I was looking for, which this program delivers, or certainly appears to deliver). Just to make it clear, I feel the main benefits of the program are as follows:-

* Automatic update checks and downloads - It quickly and quietly downloads any new update and alerts you to that once its finished downloading, with a note of the new, updated virus signature database number.

* An in-built scheduler - this allows you to schedule it to automatically scan your whole computer on a regular basis, anything from once a day to once a week or after a particular event happens

* Little drain on system resources - The program runs in the background but I haven't noticed any real slowing down of my machine, the only time it seems to be a little slow is when its running a full computer scan, which is fair enough and should be expected, though even then its not so slow that you can't still browse the 'net in the background or anything.

This is a good program for novice to intermediate IT or home computer users I feel as its default setup appears about right and you can just install it and leave it to run, without it getting in your way and without having to worry that you'll need to do anything too advanced or fancy to give your machine proper protection.


- What if I need a firewall? -

If your using a home network and you don't have a firewall (I mean apart from your Windows firewall), then you should look into Esets other program, called Security Suite, which also offers a full firewall program, which the antivirus program doesn't include.

I've asked about installing and using a freeware firewall while also using the antivirus program and that doesn't cause a problem, so im personally doing that at the moment as there are a few decent firewalls that are free and its saved me having to pay extra for the firewall provided with the Security Suite program, though im not entirely convinced I really need a firewall anyway, since we have a proper firewall controlling the wireless network router plus I have my built in Windows Vista firewall too but now I should be even more protected, so its not a problem.


- Useful links -

You can read all about it on the official company website here:-

http://www.eset.co.uk

and if your looking to read some of the reviews I've mentioned, then check out the reviews of it on download.com, at reviewcentre.com, pcadvisor.co.uk, pcmag.com and reviewboard.com


- How much does it cost? -

That depends on a) how many years you want to have cover for and b) how many computers you want the program installed on. To view the full range of current prices, check the Eset website here:- https://secure.eset.co.uk/order/category.asp?intCa tegoryId=24

The prices aren't the cheapest but to me, its worth it because your getting what I believe to be very good protection that doesn't get in your way, thus prolonging the life of your computer in a sense and its worth paying a little more for that, or in my mind it is anyway.


- Can I try it before I buy it? How easy is it to install? -

Yes. Eset offer a 30 day trial of the program, so you can try it out for a month and see how it goes before purchasing it or uninstalling it.

If you'd like to apply for a trial of the program, go here:- https://secure.eset.co.uk/CustomerPortal/Pages/Tri al/Request.aspx

About the only downside I can say about the trial or the program at all is that during the trial, the icon in the taskbar turned orange and I got a warning from Windows claiming the program required my attention after only a couple of weeks into the trial, whereby if you load the program, it claims that it can no longer guarantee continued protection as your trial is due to end in 14 days, which is basically just a nag screen to 'encourage' you to purchase a full year or longer license. Now thats fair enough when you've only a few days to go before your trial runs out but with 2 weeks left? hmmm... I thought that was a bit cheeky, especially if its making Windows claim that the program isn't running properly, when its not that at all (as far as I could figure out), its just nagging you to purchase a longer term license, so it knows it can continue to update itself...


- So is it worth purchasing? -

In a word, yes. I haven't had any problems with viruses since I've used it, it uses minimal system resources and it automatically updates itself without me having to manual check for updates plus I was able to schedule a full computer scan to happen at a time that suits me, which is always nice. It lets me scan individual files or external devices connected to my laptop, it also, from what I've read, fares anything from good to very well in regular virus tests and is a decent competitor to the more well known anti-virus/security program names like Symantec and McAffee.

To me what really made the difference was the number of good things I've read others post about this program online. As I've said already, almost any and every program will have a few unhappy customers who will happily complain any and everywhere online about their bad experiences but in this case, I've only found, at the most, probably about 2 or maybe 3 slightly negative reviews and this includes from unbiased customer/consumer reviews and reviews by experts, by computing websites, IT websites, magazines and so on.

Again I'd say that this program could be a good choice for novice computer users as there is minimal configuration required really, its easy to download and install for the trial and if you choose to purchase it, its very easy to simply enter your new license details into your already installed trial program and that unlocks it so thats it, its all ready to keep on protecting you for however long you've paid for.

I took days to research other anti virus programs and from the hours of research I put in, this program appeared to be the best solution, so I wanted to let people know, perhaps I'll save people some valuable time but trust me I searched quite a few places, I like to think im fairly thorough when it come sto researching for the best items/products to purchase.

The program is simple to install and use, it hasn't caused any problems being run on Vista Home Premium (which, trust me, is a relief!) and it fares well in tests plus consumers and experts alike very much for the most part regard it highly, so I give it the two thumbs up and say if you haven't heard of the company or this program, I'd gladly recommend you have a look into it and give it a try.

I hope this review has been useful to you, thank you for all r/r/c's. This will also be posted over on Ciao under my username which is the same name, IzzyS.

Summary: A decent antivirus program that gets mainly very good reviews by consumers & experts

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