Features
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License:
Free
- Editor's Rating:
- Average User Rating:
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Downloads:
24,020,691
- Requirements:
Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Limitations:
No limitations
- Date Added:
December 08, 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; 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, setup to protect your PC in minutes; 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; A modularized AV-search engine for improved scan performance.
Version 8.2.0.337 may include engine updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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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 1914 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 54 user reviewsSee all 54 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.337
"The Best Anti-Virus Program I Have Had in 10 years!"
Pros: Before I downloaded Avira I ran 2 different Anti-virus scans and they both found and deleted only 3 Trojans. I then downloaded Avira and it found 106 Trojan Viruses. My computer runs just like the 1st week i bought it. You must try this program !
Cons: I wish I'd heard of it 5 years ago.
Summary: This program is almost to good to be true. I have been searching for a anti-virus program that works this good for almost 10 years. It has so many features I'm surprised that it does not take up a lot of memory. This is the best free anti-virus pro... read more >>
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.337
"top scorer in 2008, and slightly much better than avg."
Pros: very low memory usage, higher detection rate than other popular av, less false positives, plus rootkit scanner, fast program performance.
Cons: nag start up screen, and sometimes their ad pop up, slow updating. these cons will go off if you buy the premium. but it doesn't bother me since the free program is smooth running.
Summary: recommended by most professional worldwide, it has surpassed in a range of independent av tests with outstanding results in 2008. check their websites to find out more, or just visit any av test labs to see which av stands on the crowd in 2009.
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.337
"BETTER THAN AVG 8 (to many memory usage!!!!)"
Pros: GREAT!!! LOW MEMORY USAGE & FREE!! MUST HAVE!!
Cons: UPDATE database takes a bit longger but its ok
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.337
"If it doesn't slow down your computer, get this."
Pros: It found a lot of hidden trojans that AVG couldn't find after like 10 scans.
Cons: It slowed down my computer by A LOT!
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Version: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 8.2.0.337
"Very helpful with destroying my trojans but..."
Pros: It's Intense scan mode makes it invaluable considering there are many anti-virus programs that are very weak. Works in the background so I can still download files from the internet
Cons: Pop-ups on what it has found gets very annoying especially when it keeps showing the same thing that it scanned and means that you cannot scan while you are away from the computer. It doesn't have a delete function which was disappointing.
Summary: It's a good product as its scan is very through and can be customized to an extent but it needs a delete function instead of just sending it to the quarantine file.
- See all 54 user reviews Write review
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