The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
Entered CNET Catalog: 04/24/2007
SKU: CNETAVASTAV4.7PROEDITION
Manufacturer: ALWIL Software a.s.
Manufacturer description
avast! 4 Professional Edition is a collection of award winning, high-end technologies that work in perfect synergy, having one common goal: to protect your system and valuable data against computer viruses. It represents a best-in-class solution for any Windows-based workstation.Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/03/2007
Setup
We downloaded the 14.27MB file and installed the product in a matter of minutes. The 60-day trial is full function, which is good. After 60 days, you'll have to pay the $39.95 for a one-year subscription. There is a free version available, Avast Antivirus Home Edition.
After installation you must reboot. Before Windows reloads, Avast performs a boot-level antivirus scan, looking for malware that might load with the operating system. The program then uses pop-up balloons to explain the new icons on your task tray.
Should you decide to uninstall Avast, there is no uninstall icon. You will need to use All Programs > Controls Panel > Add or Remove Programs within Windows to remove it from your system. After a reboot, we found that several empty file folders under Program Files as well as several registry entries remained behind.
Interface
Upon launch, Avast initiates a memory and start-up scan of your system. You will also encounter a rather garish but nonetheless helpful screen explaining the Simplified User Interface. In the professional edition there are two interfaces. The simplified interface is stylish and designed for the end-user who just wants the PC to be protected; this interface is the only interface available in the free home edition. The second interface is more advanced with virtually no creative design; it is available only in the professional edition. Ultimately, though, we think having the two interfaces is clunky and would prefer a better design in future releases.
Features
What's included in the Professional edition that you won't find in the free Home version are push updates (meaning that Alwil will deploy high-priority changes to your program rather than you requesting them or waiting for the next automatic update), a script blocker (a heuristic to analyze javascript and Active X), custom tasks (such as setting Avast to run whenever your screensaver kicks in), a scheduler, and a command-line scanner (for initiating scans at a C: prompt, for example). Whether these features are worth the extra cash is up to you.
Most useful within the paid edition is a second, more advanced user interface. The Enhanced User Interface features include on-demand virus updates, program and virus updates, and Go To Background, which throttles back to low priority the resources used by Avast Antivirus so you can work in Excel or any other application without latency.
Included in both the Home and Professional editions are the basic antivirus kernel, automatic updates, and P2P and IM shields for blocking viruses transmitted other than via infected Web sites and e-mail.
Included in both is the Virus Recovery Database (VRDB), which captures information about the current state of a given file and saves that information for as many as three versions back. That way, if your system gets infected with a virus, Avast can roll back the infected file to a previous, uninfected version. In general, we found when VRDB was running that it zapped our system resources from time to time, so we turned it off.
What's missing in both editions is explicit protection from rootkits, a major security concern these days. Also, most antivirus products include some antispyware protection, but not Avast. Next, though it would be optional, it would be good to have antiphishing tools included as McAfee and others are doing with their antivirus products. And, of course, a firewall would also be nice.
Performance
Although we have not scheduled Avast Antivirus for formal benchmark testing through CNET Labs, we did find in informal testing that Avast Antivirus used no more than 10 percent of our system resources during a number of different scans--a fairly light performance hit. However, we did find that when generating the VRDB, Avast soared into the 40 percent system resources territory.
To determine how well a product will protect your PC, we refer to test results from two leading independent antivirus testing organizations. In the latest test results from AV-Comparatives.org, Avast Antivirus 4.7 earned an Advanced rating (the second highest), catching 93 percent of all malware tested. The other source, Checkvir.com, did not evaluate Avast Antivirus 4.7 2006.
Support
Alwil is located in the Czech Republic. There is a comprehensive in-program help menu. There are also robust technical support forums, free e-mail support, and international telephone support, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central European Time.
Conclusion
We were pleasantly surprised by the Home edition and less so by the Professional edition. We hope that future releases of Avast include protection against rootkits, spyware, and possibly, phishing.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4out of 4 user reviews
Recommended
Pros: Takes less system resources, very advanced user interface, willl install with no problem.
Cons: No rootkits, spyware, and possibly, phishing.
out of 4 user reviews
I Love AVAST!
Pros: You don't need a 'cheque' to cash in on this superb Czech software. Doesn't slow your computer yet keeps a constant vigil around. Thank you avast.
Cons: Can't find any yet
out of 4 user reviews
The free edition is mint, easy to install and works straight away
Pros: Its unobtrusive and works, it has not got bells and whistles but does the job and finds obscure nasties
Cons: Have not found any other than putting the registration into the required box foxes some people.
out of 4 user reviews
Best free version out there
Pros: CNET is wrong -- it DOES have a firewall. And it's a decent one
Cons: Firewall is not compatible with Zonealarm, and must be disabled
Avast is a great free program. Having to renew it yearly (and after the first two months) is a pain if you just want to put it on a novice's computer and allow them to forget about it.
