Is Avast a worthy AV?

I can't post malware links, so what remains is www.eicar.com

 

Ok, thank you

 

i tried & tried all of the antiviruses out there (including avast) & my conclusion is this: avast is a good av with high detection rate but if somethin gets in, is very difficult for avast to get it out...heuristics none!!! it detects only what it already knows...i have a 2.4 Ghz proc and when i open a folder with lots of .exe my proc freezes...this is not happening with nod32, avira, kaspersky, bitdefender. hope this helps you

 

Well, tipo, your experience may well be in the minority.
There was an interesting test report (Russian) conducted on an AV's ability to remove infections, discussed here, and Avast did rather well.
My own experience with Avast is that it does a very good job of protection, but I'm not a tester, nor do I go to the "dark side", and that system freexes do not happen. (I have a few folders filled with execs, too.)
Avast is rather intolerant of the presence of another AV, either installed, or recently installed but not completely removed, so I wonder, since you've tried a lot, if that was the case on your PC.

 

In fact avast! is one of few AVs that offer thorough cleaning through boot-scan.

Heuristics. Ppl just have to see loads of checkboxes with Heuristics string on it and they're happy. Even if AV doesn't have any what so ever.
avast! has plenty of proactive mechanisms. Emulator, generic detection, Network Shield, Web Shield, heuristics in Internet mail provider.

As for the lockups on EXE files, i recommend you turn to avast! forums or their tech support. Been running it on different lower end configurations with no such problems.

 

In looking at AV Comparatives tests Avast was one of the better ones. I think that the detection rates of the free and paid are the same. Correct me if I am wrong here.

Avast has always been the AV I go to when I want a free one, or do not know what to put on my computer. It has always been satisfactory, and I have never had an infection.
I have put the free version on several friend's computers and they have seen no reason to change.

When my subscriptions run out in 2010 I may just go back to Avast Free.

Regards,
Jerry

 

Pro version offers scheduling, faster updating, predefined actions on malware detection and much more control over each provider.
There is also script blocker provider which should give yous ome edge if you're using Internet Explorer. But yeah, in general detection rate by the engine itself is identical for both.

 

avast! is just a very solid package without any clear weaknesses, though it doesn't have a reputation for being the best in some specific area. Excellent choise for those who want something well functioning and free. I might even concider buying the pro version if something unexpected happens with Dr.Web, avast! is definently the second choise.

 

Does it work with Opera?

 

why wouldnt it? i dont think it works dependent on a browser, but scans web traffic.

 

Yes it works with Opera, I've had one or two alerts to something when browsing with Opera, one on this site a while back in a thread where folks were discussing some sort of virus threat, obviously that particular one was a FP, can't remember what someone had posted that avast didn't like, think it was to do with Killdisk.

 

On-demand scan is quite slow though, compared to, for instance, Avira or NOD32.

 

I'd say avast! and Avira scan times are quite comparable. I might check them both and post back.

Edit In: I concur. The avast! scan, at 17 minutes, took about 3 minutes longer than the Avira scan. One note, however... avast! is my on-access, resident AV and as such, it has all sensitivity levels set to high and it scans for spyware whereas Avira scanner on my machines are on-demand only and without the Guard component running, there is no anti-spyware capability. Not sure if that in anyway accounts for the quicker Avira scan time.

 

Avast! is a very well rounded security application.

 

What would you highlight in Avast? What is Avast's strongest side in your opinion (I ask all those who discuss the topic)?

Edit: bad English as usual.

 

I'm not sure what you are asking.
Its strong points are:
-Stability
-Fairly low resource usage (except sometimes for a minute or so during some updates)
-Good all round protection
-The forum
-Boot scan
-Removal capability.
"What would you specifically opt-out" I don't understand.

 

Add to that:
-Affordability (free)
-Very few false positives
-Frequent updates

 

What about script blocking? is it a big loss in the free or something not really necessary

 

Yep, I think it rates especially high on stability and reliability. Few bugs, etc. Performs well, continues to improve with age. Good feature set, well rounded in all respects. Just overall very good.

 

It is my understanding from reading their forum that the Standard Shield and Web Shield provide this kind of protection as well.

 

Script blocking is an exclusive feature of the Pro version....

 

Avast is definantly a fine AV.
And a 60-day trial period of their pro version is pretty much unheard of anywhere else.

 

except for Twister's 90 day trial

 

someone please answer my question

 

I stand corrected.
But 60 days is still very generus.