Five of the Top Free Antivirus Programs - AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
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AVG certainly has a history of antivirus protection to boast about; it has been around since 1991. Obviously, the product has been improved since then. The result is a fairly robust and dependable virus detection suite. While the features of the free AVG version are fairly extensive and not nearly as limited as AntiVir’s, you will miss out on the detection of rootkits. Despite that, you still retain the features of virus detection, spyware detection, and phishing and scam e-mail protection.
One of the advantages of using such an established piece of software is that you can be moderately assured that there will be continued support from the company. Updates will stay regular and there will be a new version from time to time. Also, the graphical layout of the program is aesthetic, and is quite similar to the native Windows Vista look.
Automatic updates will keep you well protected even after you download the free AVG version. Despite rumors, none of the features expire over time; you will retain all of the capabilities that you had when you downloaded the software. Unfortunately, AVG leaves a relatively large footprint on your computer, and you will definitely notice your computer slow down as the software is running. Also, scans run almost painfully slowly.
One annoyance of the software is that by default it installs the AVG security toolbar along with Yahoo search in your web browser. Another downside is that there is no official form of technical support for the free version of AVG, although there is a free online user forum that you might find helpful if you do experience any issues. The only other downside of AVG Free Edition is that it includes “Linkscanner Lite” instead of the full version that you can get for some money.
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