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F-Secure Internet Security 2012
by boredindunoon
Hopefully if your reading this then you are running (in one form or another) Internet Security Software, an essential part to modern computing with a wide range of packages to choose from.
One of those packages comes in the form of "F-Secure Internet Security 2012" which offers the ability to protect up to three ... PC's for one year. F-Secure describes itself as "a security solution offering complete protection for Windows computer" and while it usually ranks pretty high in online tests as well as independent reviews such as those found in computer magazines, I'm not convinced.
It's worth noting at this point that this 2012 version can still be purchased at a (now) very low price from a number of retailers, and a lot of buyers have commented that there is very little difference in the 2013 version, so it is great value.
As you would expect product features include protection against viruses, spyware and identity theft, a firewall to stop hackers, a spam and phishing e-mails blocker and safesure which can notify you of dangerous websites before you enter them.
Installation of the software was easy, quick and straightforward and thankfully actually using and configuring the software remained easy. The program integrates perfectly with Windows, and is easily controlled. Once installation is complete it is necessary to validate your subscription online before you have receive program and definitions updates. This was again quick and easy, consuming only a few minutes to complete. The entire package is very user friendly and also comes with a six language electronic manual to ensure ease.
The only disadvantage to the software is the fact that it does consume a lot of system resources when conducting a full network scan, slowing down everything to a snails pace, but this is a relativity small price to pay to ensure a virus and spyware free environment. It's also worth pointing out that while running in the back ground the program has very little impact on system resources.
While there isn't a great deal wrong with the software, I don't feel it offers any truly unique and useful tools or utilities to make it standout from the crowd. Other similar software offers virtual keyboards or sandbox mode to name a few.
The protection is offers is without a doubt excellent - there are plenty of alternatives - some cheaper, some more expensive, I personally prefer software that offers more however if your looking for a cheap and effective solution to Internet security you've found it.
(I'm a reviewer on Amazon, and some my reviews are copied from there to dooyoo. Please feel free to check out my Amazon profile under my real name of Mr Andrew M Kerr.)
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AVG AntiVirus Free Edition
by thejarofdirt882
I got fed up of paying for antivirus software that was bombarding me with adverts to upgrade to pay for something else that I just didn't need. A couple of friends had been recommending that I switch to AVG for ages and I decided to take their advice (and then kill them if it didn't work out well for my PC). I decided to opt for AVG's ... free service, partly to test it out to see how good it was, and well why pay for something when I can get most of it for free? I've stuck with the Free Edition for three years and I've never had a problem.
AVG Free doesn't skimp out on features, protecting against all kinds of viruses and malware and it also has features to protect your identity and scan your emails. It automatically checks for updates and installs any so you don't have to worry about remembering to do it. When the program is open it looks sleek & professional, showing you all of the protection you have available and if they're turned on and up to date or not, and it is very easy to navigate to what you want to do. A full system scan takes about 30 minutes, which will slow down your PC if you're using it while the scan takes place, but it's not the end of the world slow unlike some anti-virus software I've used. You can also scan specific folders or files to check if they're clean and schedule a daily scan for when exactly you'd like it to happen.
I'm pretty careful with what I download off the internet, but there's always something that can slip past you and AVG's always caught it for me; sometimes it can be a little picky and picks up things that aren't malware, but it's once in a blue moon and you can always continue with the execution.
It features a Virus Vault where AVG has "stored" the viruses it has removed, allowing you to see where it was on your PC, what kind of threat it was and when it put it there. You can then purge these from the vault and from your PC.
The only disadvantage I've found is that AVG sometimes stops Steam (Valve's gaming software for buying & playing games) from working properly. Adding Steam as an exception solved most of the problems, but whenever I want to use it for a long time I turn AVG off and turn on an alternative free software (Microsoft Security Essentials).
AVG have done themselves out of a fair bit of money by making the free edition so good that people just won't see the point in upgrading to a pay version - they also don't advertise it in my face.
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AVG AntiVirus Free Edition
by Thebaker50
AVG antivirus is a antivirus which has a secret, its completely free! For everyone who can actually find it i should hasten to add, it does take some looking around on their site. I must confess though i have no idea how they make money out of the free version unless its just an advert for the more expensive versions, although my gut ... tells me advertism might play into it.
Anyway, the good new is that its a pretty effective antivirus, and has scan and virus vault feature. Last time i checked it cost money to get the firewall and email protection, which is partly why i moved to avast free antivirus for the firewall (if i can i will do a separate review on this).
The antivirus does have an issue with it constantly trying to sell you the version above. I get that at the end of the day they want to get some money, but it does ruin the feeling a bit. Furthermore this program is a bit labour intensive, and i really don't like the way you HAVE to install the avg toolbar into whatever internet browser you are using. I have a gut feeling its so they can run cookies and sell browsing history to advertisers for adverts that come up on google ads, but i have no evidence to back this up (again, this is another reason why i moved to avast).
But, i would say that on balance you get a good deal. When people like McAffee and norton try to sell you protection at what 25 pounds or so a year at least, for free its pretty dang good virus protection. provided you don't often download videos, or do dodgey stuff on the net, or lots of internet shopping, this should be enough for you, it certainly is for me, i just mvoed to avast for a few extra features and the better layout, as the layout of the user interface on AVG, although completely functional, seems very outdated, and a bit irresponsive at times, amd dare i say it, boring. Also i got fed up of it telling me how much better it would be if only i paid that little amount for the pro version, also the avast version lets you alter how much CPU you dedicate to the virus scan, AVG didn't when i had it.
Overall i give this 4/5. I know i have highlighted some poor areas, but overall its a very good package, and you can't really complain at the price of 0p. If these problems were with norton or something like that, they would be big issues, but not for a free program.
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