~ Tips for making your life easier and less expensive ~

Friday, February 02, 2007

Freeware Feature: Avast! Antivirus

Avast! Antivirus
Purpose: Computer security (antivirus)
Web site: http://www.avast.com/
Skill level required: Intermediate

I don't love Avast! Antivirus, but I still recommend it. Here's why:

For one thing, I'm not a fan of Norton Antivirus. No, I'm not one of those people that hates all successful companies for no good reason (I am a fan of Microsoft and WalMart, for instance); I've just seen Norton products cause problems on my own computer and others' computers. This is 6+ years in the I.T. industry talking.

Secondly, I suspect that many people don't stay up-to-date on their antivirus software because it costs money to do so. Do you whip out your credit card every time your antivirus software asks you to do so?

Given those points, Avast! is a decent choice. It doesn't seem to cause as many problems as Norton, and there's no cost hurdle every 12 months. What I don't love about Avast! is its interface. I don't find it very intuitive. Perhaps you will though. If you're looking for a free antivirus program, this one is worth a try--and won't set you back a penny.

3 comments:

MadMup said...

The problem I have with Avast! is that I feel I need to say "Yarrrr!" when talking about it.

BNick said...

Yeah, the name isn't its strong point. For one thing, I hate names with exclamation points in them. Top of the muffin....TO YOU!

MadMup said...

I love when life and Seinfeld coincide :)