avast! v.5.0.594 Released

avast! antivirus software provides complete virus protection for your computer. Antivirus engine is complemented by anti-spyware, firewall and antispam modules to protect you against phishing schemes, identity theft and internet-distributed web viruses. Automatic updates for greater user convenience and safety. Top user ratings among free antivirus software. The new avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 includes a spyware detection engine. To protect you from identity theft as well as viruses.

avast! v.5.0.594 Released
06.28.2010

What's new
• Improved interaction with Windows System Restore; namely,
avast now auto-repairs itself when it detects a corrupted VPS due to a System Restore (or other reasons)
• aswSP.sys: solved a minor stability issue
• Solved a problem related to inserting of the license files
• Added the activation code feature
• Solved a problem when avast was progressively slowing down (especially in conjunction with the screensaver)
• Performance improvements in the Behavior Shield
• avast Screen saver now accessible even in 64-bit Windows Vista
• Stability improvement in aswTdi.sys (solved a compatibility problem with AVG)
• IS firewall: solved a potential BSOD condition
• Various improvements in the avast! sandbox module
• Minor fixes in the GUI
• Added Catalan and Belarusian language packs

Download: avast!

 

I updated via the program update. All went well and no problems encountered. Now running a full scan.

Regards,
Jerry

 

Thanks for the tip. Program update was flawless.

 

Update went smooth. Anxious to see how the improvements to the behavior shield affect test results.

 

No problems updating as well, thanks for posting.

 

As usual behavior shield didn't show any action when i throw at it like 15 malware samples 5 got passed and 3 are in the memory process

 

Languy99 just made himself a **** again on the test of Avast!. See his youtube.

He says: these links are fairly new!. Yes sure, look at how many were blocked by SmartScreen-filter of IE8 . The only conclusion which I can take after watching his videos is that Microsoft and Hitman Pro are the bomb .

 

yes i think that avast not very good in detection because too many link passed..

 

Also one link doesn't count, from the ones that get through, he has one link double..

 

He always has.

Also he said once: These "so-called" testers from MRG
He really think he is doing a great job. He has zero knowledge about malware, doesn't pay any attention to the trojan downloader rootkit which is found (Hitman Pro), so that means he just doesn't know what that rootkit is .
If MBAM finds a few infections he says a product does bad, he doesn't even think about the fact MBAM counts all traces caused by one piece of malware as a seperate infection. Not to mention he clearly doesn't see a difference between malware and leftover.

 

yeah I would have to agree. Matt was ten times better at explaining and knowledge.

 

All these "tests" are load of nonsense. Sure they are sometimes fun to watch but other than that, they don't reflect the actual performance of anything.
Sure if it detects them all, that's good. But even if it misses half of them i don't consider that as bad.

 

OT:

I notice that under every predifined scans almost every settings are grey out.

 

Yeah i see that too.. Well never touch it anyways

Anyways, we can configure our own custom scan no worries

 

Turns out to be that in past those settings didn't show up in the GUI. I good had sworn that I saw those options before, looks like my mind is playing' tricks on me

 

Currently using XP Pro Sp3 with a router and firewall. My question about avast is that, I'm using Behavior shield, File shield (as per Kee's setup) and Web Shield, do I need the "Network shield" since I am using a router ? Browser is FF with wot, no script and key scrambler.

 

I'm glad you mentioned this. I think the upgrade changed this. But not all fields are greyed out for me, in fact it's just the first three (Scan, Sensitivity and Packers) that will not allow user input. The other parameters (Actions, Performance, Report File, Exclusions and Scheduling) all accept user input.

I don't think your mind is playing tricks on you. I specifically recall setting the Sensitivity on High, and selecting All Packers to be extracted.

I followed eugene91's advice and created a Custon Scan using my parameters.

 

Network shield checks for malicious URL's and intrusions I think. If you want to make it lighter I would disable web shield instead of network shield.

 

According to avast!, the Network Shield "monitors all network activity and stops any viruses that try to infect your system via the network. It also blocks traffic to known malicious websites".

Stopping viruses and blocking traffic to known malicious websites are not router functions.

I run XP, SP3 with a NAT router and OA firewall. I run all avast! shields.

 

It is recommended to use Network Shield as it's also blocking malicious URL's along with specific packets. So even if you use router, this will be useful.

 

Thanks for the replies all. Forgot to mention that I am also running ff with "Drop My Rights".......Guess I will add " Network Shield" and drop the " Web Shield"and see how that works. Also I wanted to mention that I was using "Private firewall" and avast wouldn't automatically update. I had to manual update each time. I did disable the the "Splash Screen" in Pfw, don't know if that had something to do with not showing the update screen in avast. Anyways, am out of private firewall and using PC tools fw and everything is working fine with the updates now.

 

Why is it that you will be disabling the Web Shield?
Is it a performance-based issue?
I missed why you would be doing that.

 

Web Shield makes your web browser a bit slower. Also takes up quite a bit of memory when browsing.
It basically scans anything with potentially malicious extensions going through port 80.

 

Yes, I've heard that said, and thought it was the case on my machines, too, until I uninstalled some other security apps and avast! no longer seemed to be any trouble at all.
But I'm curious why member lws said he is going to drop the Web Shield.
He had not mentioned performance issues.
Do you run avast!, JL?

 

There was a lag when loading ff and browsing so I am just experimenting with different shield combinations and right now I am using Behavior, File and Network shields. Firefox loads and browses snappy fast now. I think I'm pretty much protected with the addons I have in ff especially with "dropmyrights" without using the webshield. So I think I'll keep this combo.