When Integrity Matters - Nothing Beats A Panther!

Avast

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Category: Antivirus

Avast: 5.0 Doesn\'t quite fill the bill on replacing AVG.  It scans the full system more thoroughly and faster, but still misses viruses that AVG finds, and reacts slower when they both see one.  It  scans thousands of more files, including inside archives that AVG ignores or overlooks, but as soon as Avasts scans a file that is infected, AVG jumps on it, even if Avast thinks its clean.  Avast scans the thousands faster than AVG, but as indicated, is slower to react, and often misses files that AVG catches.

Clam Antivirus

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Details

Category: Antivirus

Free open-source, but an interface that makes butt ugly look plum pretty.  Few options, less control, slows your computer down as bad as full Internet suits with firewalls, and this is just antivirus.  Takes hours to do a full system scan, and has mediocre database that doesn\'t spot viruses well enough to put up with the scan time or the system drag.

AVG

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Category: Antivirus

AVG is still the best product for doing what it is supposed to do, catching viruses and spy-ware better than anyone else and faster.  I do however equate AVG with a security guard that catches and prevents more bad guys coming through the door than anyone else, but he wont brush his teeth or hair, doesn\'t shave, and needs a clean uniform.  I\'ll update this later with the details.

AVG in side by side testing continues to be the quickest "on the draw" to see, find, and react to a virus on a PC.  Our second choice of Avast, will scan a computer drive in more places (sheer number of files scanned)  and do it faster than AVG, but when a virus is found by Avast it is usually a few seconds after AVG and after AVG has isolated or deleted the virus.  This is ultimately what is important in computer protection.

AVG has transitioned from the European company of Grisoft to the Americanized AVG.  This means profit above all else to the venture capitalist and shareholders that invested in its transformation.  This has resulted in nonstop crap, yes I said crap of a toolbar that replicates the search bar already available in IE7/IE8, and is continuing to grow into a full fledged billboard on your desktop browser so they can sell you more stuff.

I can see this on the AVG Free, but for those who invest in the professional product, they should be treated professionally.  The Yahoo search bar and the other crap they add every few weeks has me looking for an alternative product.  In fact AVG and Panther Computers has lost some customers due to the Yahoo bar in their product.

Yes you have the option to not install it, at the expense of not having the browser security at its full potential.  But that\'s like buying a security system for your home and not having a sensor on the front door.

UPDATE:

Disabling or uninstalling the AVG Security Toolbar has no negative effect on the level of security provided by LinkScanner component. The only consequence of missing toolbar is an absence of some of the options, and less verbose information about the threats found by the LinkScanner component. The main settings of the LinkScanner component can be still configured in AVG User Interface.

 

Comodo Antivirus

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Category: Antivirus

Once only a firewall, now trying to be all things to all people and doing it badly

Avira Antivir

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Category: Antivirus

Initially impressed by the design, but every computer I\'ve seen it on has had a virus, so not so effective.

Computer Associates

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Category: Antivirus

You get what you pay for and since this comes free with Cox and other cable company\'s ISP service, that\'s what its worth.  Again not a bad user design, but slows the computer to a crawl and again is marginal at actually preventing even basic generic viruses and trojans.