AOL Active virus Shield(KAV 6.0) FREE!!!!!

Yeah, in my opinion, even this free package comes without proactive defense module and some features, but when it comes to detection technology/overall protections, this free package with its basic feature is still better than many paid/free antivirus out there, don't forget that it's Kaspersky.

Many people have been survived by a very very basic/stripped AV such as AVG Free, F-Prot 3, eTrust EZ, so then why not with this stripped-down Kaspersky.

 

Downloaded and received 2 licenses (within a couple of minutes). Installed on both my notebook and desktop.

So far I'm very impressed with this free AV. I'd go so far as to say that AOL (& Kaspersky) have raised the bar for free AVs (I'm curious to see how other companies respond).

Memory use is reasonable (the 2 running processes stay between 8 and 22Mb -- depending upon what is running, etc.) and the memory is released properly when not needed.

I'm not worried about the proactive defenses because I'm running the paid version of SSM (which is awesome, BTW, and one of the better pieces of security software I've ever purchased).

For the next year, anyway, and assuming the program and definitions are updated, this will be my AV. I just hope they continue to update it and more importantly, keep it free.

 

its a cool Kav lite .

 

I installed it with no problems on a snapshot of a virtual machine on XP. But that was just to see what it was like.

I got another copy downloaded on my 98SE box and I can't install it. It gets to the point where it asks for the activation code which I copied from my email and I paste it in and it sends it to the server and the server rejects it as being the wrong key. UGH. I know is the right key as it is not the email that came for the one I installed on XP virtual machine. This is the right key. I wanted this so badly for my 98SE box.

 

Can someone comment (who has it installed) whether theres any substance to the cnet news review which says it collects data etc?and recieves ads?...
http://news.com.com/AOL offers free antivirus software/2100-7355_3-6102917.html?tag=nefd.top

ellison

 

seeing as how it is from AOL you can bet it phones home. They even admit it.

 

Hm, program itself is completelly made under Kaspersky Lab team, only thing thats different and possibly made by AOL is program skin. So i really doubt it does phone home or anything like it. However taht toolbar might do that.
I personally did not install it as i'm not using IE6 and i also don't need any toolbars anyway. Haven't really bothered much about this...

 

I wonder how they would do that? through the services option (in the av screenshot)or through the optional install of the toolbar?
ellison

 

It wants me to uninstall NOD....so that's a 'no chance' then.

 

There is no place for ads. It is the KAV GUI. I think it is supported by the emails we will get from AOL business partners. But the EULA says we can decline further emails after the first one. Or maybe the toolbar has ads. Yes, it phones home with aggregate data. That is in the privacy statement and EULA so AOL is not hiding anything. It is still a great deal (that is if I can get it to install on my 98SE box).

 

Hi mele..
Do you know by what method (if at all it does) it might phone home with aggregate data?.Has the engine been altered or something?.I think having emails containing ads from AOL might be worth it ,but i wouldnt like something that has been altered at a code level in the AV to phone home.Do you know if this is the case?.I just read the EULA but its "mays" and "mights" ,and could just be a general eula for all thier products really.
ellison

 

ellison64, read this

 

Hi bigc..
Ive read that but still am a little confused ,as to whether its the optional install of the toolbar that does this or whether the actual KAV (cloned) AV,has been altered somehow ,to send/recieve data and influence browser activity.I hope a kav expert can maybe shed some more light.
ellison

 

It wouldn't take much code to have the active shield do it by it self. and the tool bar is optional you don't have to install it so it points back to the av again.

 

Mmm... if that is indeed the case then its not as good as i first thought it might be.
ellison

 

Why? Just don't install the toolbar during the install.

 

You would think it would be the Toolbar only that does any of that wouldn't it? Doesn't for instance, Google pay to have their Google Toolbar available as an option in certain software?

 

It asks me to uninstall NOD, is there any way around this?

 

I didn't install the toolbar but I noticed two processes in the MSCONFIG's startup screen. One is related to KAV. Need to investigate the other.

 

There are two processes in Kaspersky 6.0, both are called avp.exe, system + GUI.

 

yes as don pointed out,you will see two avp

 

The 1st one is AVP. The 2nd one is NOT labeled.

Also found a small issue with this AV and my rig. Currently, the shut down time for my rig is 3.5 sec (hit shut down key to PC in OFF state). With this version of KAV and ZA Pro 4.5.594.000, I will occasionally come across some *.XDB files in ZA's Internet Logs folder. Further investigation revealed that the ZA module could crash during shut down possibly due to some sort of delay in terminating KAV. I believe extending the shut down time in the registry will fix this problem.

BTW, no shut down issue with Mc Afee 8.0i Corporate and ZA Pro 4.5.594.000.

 

It hasnt been ascertained (at least clearly in my view) whether its the toolbar or the AOL branded kav that phones home and that can deliver ads.Are you saying that the EULA just describes the toolbar function?
ellison

 

Try to use this one http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&displaylang=en instead.

 

I'm sorry ellison64, i haven't got the foggiest what's in the AOL eula, but it would seem a very likely scenario, the AV only accesses the signature servers, that much i can tell you, not much left after that than this toolbar which definitely could be made to phone home, but you can deselect it.