Features
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Popularity:
#2 in Antivirus Software (out of 674 products)
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License:
Free
- Editor's Rating:
- Average User Rating:
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Downloads:
19,025,206
- Requirements:
Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Limitations:
No limitations
- Date Added:
October 31, 2008
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Previous Versions:
Publisher's description of Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus
Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users only. Avira offers: Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms, etc. Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software. Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring. Install and configuration in just a couple of steps. Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system. Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system. Forum and phone support, Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on Web site. Rootkit Detection and Removal. Version 8.2.0.334 includes new Virus Engine update.
Editor's review of Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus
5.0 stars
- "Get all-the-time protection with AntiVir"
For a free antimalware and antivirus app that also runs in your system's background, AntiVir works surprisingly well. Its scans are flexible, allowing the user to fully scan all hard drives, choose a preloaded scan--for rootkits, for example--or customize a scan. Combining the antimalware with the antivirus is a luxury in a free scanner. After testing on several machines no viruses turned up, although several malicious hidden files did rear their heads. The heuristic scan can be turned on or off completely or partially, with three different intensity levels.
The quarantine is extensively thorough, too. The spreadsheet layout displays all relevant information about the quarantined file, and gives you options to scan it again, restore, delete, and more. The scheduler is fully customizable. Definition files are available at Avira's Web site if needed, and the help features are excellent, as well, with a description box relaying mouse-over information on each feature. Version 8.0 has introduced a faster engine and a faster definition file update, both of which are instantly noticeable improvements and yet still a bit slow.
Initial concerns about the real-time Guard protection hamstringing system performance proved groundless. Although we could shut off AntiVir and its Guard, there was no way to remove the icon from the system tray or stop the occasional ad placement by Avira. The Complete Scan is no longer numbingly slow, but it will pauses midscan to let you know when it's found a threat. That's good for killing nasties, but it also means that the scans needs baby-sitting.
Despite these hang-ups and the nag screen that follows updates, we found AntiVir to offer such effective protection with such a well-rounded set of features that as long as the definitions file updates keep coming, this app is our first line of defense.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.9 stars out of 1782 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 72 user reviewsSee all 72 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.334
"Very effective, but irritating nag screens"
Pros: I found it picked up some stuff that AVG free missed, I consider it a very effective anti-virus program
Cons: Nag screen every time it's used, is irritating.
I can not figure out what the "warnings" are, or how to read them.
Maybe it's just me.Summary: Recommended, despite the nag screens.
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.334
Pros: High detection.
That's all.Cons: False positives is high, too
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.334
"A very good program with frequent updates."
Pros: Frequent updates with exacting results.
Cons: none at present.
Summary: I would recommend this security program to novice like myself or a pro.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.334
Pros: Probably one of the best anti-virus programs around.
Cons: See explanation below
Summary: Very good program, lousy support. I used Avira for several years and was satisfied with it (although I could live without the popups. However, I uninstalled in several months ago and started using Avast. The reason... I get daily news alerts from... read more >>
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.334
"Better than expected, for being free"
Pros: When I started to use Windows Vista Home Edition, doesn't had an antivirus. I look for some, but I decided to try this, and it's the best for be for free. It's faster, it catch bad archives, I totally recommended. TRY IT
Cons: I just could say, it have some ad. But is vg.
GOD BLESS YOU! - See all 72 user reviews Write review
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