Anti Virus Software

In the last 12 years, I have been through so many virus programs looking for that ideal one which would not only protect me, but also work in conjunction with other programs on my machine.I was never happy with Norton Anti Virus, which seemed to have a different agenda to me and my service provider, and actually caused me more problems than I care to think of and charged me for the privilege.

Trying out AVG, I wasn't really satisfied that I was in control. It was difficult to decipher what I was supposed to do and also which settings I should use to protect myself. I didn't want to fiddle around with settings and the most useful tool for someone like me who is computer illiterate was a program that did all the things it should do without involving me too much in the process.

After talking with my computer shop following a nasty Trojan which invaded my machine while using AVG, I decided to take their recommendation and to install a program called Avast which seems to put me in control of my computer contact with the outside world and kicks in whenever something suspicious happens.

The program is available for download free of charge, and all that the makers ask you to do is to register your use, which is reasonable. I really am happy about the way in which this works with my computer rather than against it, allowing me to do all those things I wish to without slowing the whole machine down like Norton used to.

Whenever it finds a suspect file, all I have to do is click a simply screen and send the item found to be suspect to a safe chest where it is not able to invade my space.

The program has won many awards over the years, and what I think gains the program worldwide popularity is the vast amount of languages available to download, plus the ease of updates which automatically run while you concentrate on the fun side of being on-line. No more headaches, nothing to worry me about my use, and the neat little balls in the tool bar go round and round showing me that I am protected, and giving me peace of mind that the system is working.

PC world acknowledged that this virus program was a winner, and it is also recommended by many companies, including winning a Five star rating for being one of the most downloaded programs for the protection of home computers.

*Downloading the program.

The download was relatively simple, and I kept my old virus program on the machine until Avast was installed, just in case there were problems. Of course, there were no problems at all and the old program was deleted from my program file in the Add/Delete programs section of the control panel as soon as I was registered. Registration was simple and I was told by email what my registration code was.

*System requirements.

Avast covers the whole range of Windows systems which is good news even for those who have not gone beyond the old Windows 98 years.

*Initial search of your system.

Compared with other virus protection, Avast does take a long time searching through your folders when first installed, though to me, that means it is thorough and that it wants to start as it means to go on, securing the user from anything on their machine which they consider as malicious.

*What the program does.

This is a program which really will protect the computer. It includes the full scope of what one would expect of a virus protection program in that regular updates keep it up to date with new viruses, free anti spy-ware is built in, as is P2P and IM shields meaning that if I download or talk on messenger, the virus checker is there with me, looking after my interests. The anti root kit is a great addition too since this helps a user protect against intrusion by unauthorized access to a personal computer, and corruption of root files.

Avast is also intelligent. When being hacked, did you know that many hackers try to disable virus protection making users vulnerable ? Avast has self protection and does not permit outside influence to disable the program, giving me a great sense of security. Email and news is covered by protection, as well as anything coming into the computer.

To add to the joy of using this system, there is a neat system of telling the user when updates are available. A simple press of the little square which appears on the left hand side of the screen, and which talks to you in a most pleasant voice, and you are swiftly in control of updates, though if ignored, the program is intelligent enough to update on its own.

The shield for Internet use is effective and warns you if you make mistakes which it considers a threat, and all in all, the program is perfect for those users who have little knowledge on virus protection and prefer to have other priorities to worry about, since it takes the work out of your hands, and provides the protection a consumer needs, without too much interaction from a busy user. The little blue "world" at the bottom of my screen gives me the security I need and in a period of five years, I really have no reason to complain or to search for a better alternative.

Free, efficient, simple to operate though intelligent enough to give users with more expertise than I have to make educated choices of the extra options they require, Avast is easy to customize and run and doesn't demand payments. They are so confident of their product that they are happy to spread the word by giving home owners and private users like you and I the use of their software free of charge, leaving the professionals paying for their use of the program. Now, that's real confidence, and speaks volumes