AVG Antivirus 8.5 Review
What we like: AVG Anti-Virus 8.5 is completely packed with adequate protection such as antivirus, antirootkit, antispyware, web shield, and the inclusion of Linkscanner. Although not the fastest, it is also quiet on system resource. And don’t forget that it’s easy on your wallet. What we don’t like: Uncomfortable and non inspiring interface, quite slow performance on full system scanning compare to Norton Antivirus 2009. AVG Anti-Virus 8.5 not only offers an adequate security protection but it also performs a solid effectiveness in finding, removing as well as blocking web threats. Not only that it included antivirus, antispyware and antirootkit preventions, it also got web shield and Linkscanner, a technology that actively blocks malicious content from Web sites as a drive-by download protection, combined. One thing to complain of is its somewhat slow performance in full system scanning compare to Norton Antivirus 2009 and Panda Antivirus Pro 2009. Luckily, real time scanning has low impact on system resource, making it unnoticeable when running in the background. Installation We didn’t find any difficulty when downloading and installing AVG Anti-Virus 8.5 on our Celeron 2Ghz with 1GB of RAM without ever needing a rebooting. But if you already use the previous version of AVG Antivirus, you must uninstall it first before installing version 8.5. And of course, if you currently use another antivirus program, you should also uninstalled it first, as most often the current installed antivirus will regard the new one as a threat. As the installation completed, AVG will guide you through some basic settings and let you download updates. The basic settings include how often you want AVG to update itself, whether you want to report compromised Web sites to AVG and whether you want to adopt the Yahoo search as your internet browser default. Interface and User Friendliness Although AVG has introduced the new GUI in its entire security suite starting at version 8, yet the interface in AVG Anti-Virus 8.5 is still rather uncomfortable. There are nine large icons on the right windowpane that makes it look too crowded. For some icons, as you click it you will access additional information about that tool. As for other icons, clicking it will run that specific scan. On the left windowpane, there are only three options. One of them is Computer Scanner that has only one option: scan all. For advanced feature options, look in the toolbar above these windows. There is also a removal option under All Programs should you wish to remove AVG Antivirus 8. Overall, AVG needs to look closely on their competitor for this one. Furthermore, the visual interface looks pale in comparison with the fluid and elegant style interface owned by Norton Antivirus 2009 or Panda Antivirus 2009 for instance. So this will be a homework for AVG to revamped the GUI and visual department in the AVG 9 series. Features AVG Antivirus 8.5 offers a complete standard protection against malicious software. The features are antivirus which protect you from viruses, worms and trojans; antispyware which protects you against spyware, adware, and possibly identity theft; anti rootkit which serve as a protection against hidden treats; and last but not least is Web Shield & LinkScanner, the dyamic duo which protects you against hidden treats that lurks beneath every deceptive website. For those of you who has desktop email client like Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook, AVG Antivirus 8.5 can scan incoming emails for you. The inclusion of Linkscanner technology is the most significant addition since it is first introduced in the AVG Antivirus 8. Linkscanner has the ability to block any treats lurking beneath any web sites you visit. In our real time test, we drive ourselves to several website known for its suspicious activities and lots of malicious content. AVG Antivirus 8.5 easily identifies all of them. The effect of Link Scanner and web shield can also be seen in the search engine queries. So when you googling yourself or searching queries in Yahoo, every website listed in the search engine result will be marked with a green checklist if it is safe and certain notification if it’s not, depending on the level threats it contains. With all of these protections, AVG Antivirus 8.5 are only priced at $34.99, it is $5 cheaper than most top-tier contenders. You can also add an additional firewall function for only $10. This is a great deal for those of you who don’t want to go to the full AVG Internet Security 8.5 suite which currently cost at $54.99. Performance In our performance test, we conduct small tests in measuring software effectiveness, speed, and how it handles false alarm. We used malware samples from within one year span. Not less than 50 samples we exposed to AVG Antivirus 8.5 and instantly it identifies and cleans all of them with the newest pattern file update. In our speed test, AVG Antivirus 8.5 takes a longer startup time by 3-4 seconds longer than our top performers in this field, Norton Antivirus 2009. But it unnoticeable though. While in real time scanning, there is no noticeable hiccup when running another application like office, web browser, email client, and multimedia application in our 2 GHz Intel Celeron with 1GB RAM. The process is smooth. For false alarm, we did not find anything wrong with the scanning capabilities of the software. Regarding our small scope of test result, you should also compare the result with the independence organization antivirus testing. AVG scanning engine surprisingly has been awarded with various organization certification including VB100100%, ICSA, West Coast Labs Checkmark, and CheckVir.com. In the last test result by CheckVir.com, AVG was awarded with CheckVir Advanced Certification and CheckVir Mailscanner certification. This is the highest certification in CheckVir certification. This result should make you feel tranquil when installing AVG Antivirus 8.5. But once more, we always recommended that when deciding to buy an antivirus product, you should try it for yourself. And although the on-the-wild virus scanning result might not be so different with those tested by the recommended organization, the speed test, user friendliness, and visual aspect are all most often very subjective and system dependable. So it is better for you to see for yourself. And fortunately, AVG provide you with full 30-days trial. Support AVG Anti-Virus 8 customers are provided with email technical support within the program. There are also useful FAQs searchable online and a downloadable PDF users’ manual. Unfortunately, AVG doesn’t provide telephone technical support. Conclusion AVG Anti-Virus gives outstanding effectiveness in finding, removing as well as blocking Web threats with its complete malware protection package. The fully functional 30-day trial is worth trying to have a feel of it yourself and find out if it fits you. You can test the program or buy it directly by clicking here. Special Offer from AVG and PC Software Adviser |
 AVG Internet Security 8.5 Review If you are frequently shop and bank online, visit various sites every times, communicate a lot via emails and instant messengers, then a standard antivirus protection is not enough for you. You need a complete package that offers firewall and identity protection module. Fortunately, AVG Internet Security 8.5 not only offers you these, but it also gives you a behavioral analysis againsts new and unknown threats. Find out the full review of the most complete package currently AVG has to offer. Make 2 Cents A good antivirus software is the one which can give the right balance between richness of features, scanning engine effectiveness, low impact system resource, and of course low price. No product can offer all of them, but you can always decide which one you would compromize. And at the end, testing is important. So focus with the ones that offers adequate time trial. |
