LinkScanner Pro Renewal

I just got a notice from LinkScanner Pro that it will expire in 30 days.

Should I renew LinkScanner Pro?

I also have McAfee SiteAdvisor Free. I saw in a recent Wilders Forum thread that the new LinkScanner Pro should be out in early April and there is a possibility that it may be free.

Thank you.

 

For what I know, yes, the newer version of LinkScanner Pro, under the brand AVG, is scheduled to be release on April 2.

I have no idea if it will be provided for free, but, considering that LinkScanner Pro is now included in the free version of AVG 8, then, I wondered if it was going to be provided free.

This is something I forgot to ask to AVG!

It's what would make most sense to me, anyway. Why would anyone want to pay for it, when they can get it for free with AVG 8 Free, by only installing the LinkScanner module and disabling the antivirus resident protection?

Anyway, it's just my supposition. Not the reality of facts. We shall see it soon.

Either way, I'd wait for the new version to come out.

Regards

 

Kind of makes sense to wait and see, don't you think? Meanwhile if you want to try something else have you looked at WOT (Web Of Trust)? I prefer it to McAfee SiteAdvisor. Plugins are available for Firefox and IE.

 

But is the free version really the same?

 

You are making confusion, or I'm the one confusing myself.

I didn't say that the free and paid versions of LinkScanner were the same. They aren't. The free version is crippled.
Actually, there aren't any stand-alone versions, for a while. If you go to http://www.explabs.com/products/lspro_trial.asp, you'll see there are no downloads available.

That's due to a licenses problem when it moved to AVG. LinkScanner, stand-alone, only after or exactly on April 2.

But, after AVG acquired Exploit Prevention Labs, the free version was integrated into AVG 8 Free and the paid version into the paid version of their antivirus and internet security solutions.

But, quite recently, AVG integrated the full power of LinkScanner (as in LinkScanner Pro) into the free version of their antivirus.

I hope this clarifies some confusion I could have started. Unless, again, I'm the one who got confused.


Regards

 

+1

I am not aware of any tests that show any of these "realtime" link scanners are any more effective at detection than the "historical" scanners such as WOT. I am not including McAfee in this argument because they take the term "historical" and tweaked it to "antiquity".

 

m00nbl00d, it's a case of mutual confusion perhaps. You only needed to say

Thank you, from the whole confusion mist came enlightenment.

 

This is what you told me earlier and also got this awsner from avg but it is my believe that this is incorrect, the paid version is def not included in the free avg av - the paid version is integrated in their webscanner, what they prob. mean is that that sigs for exploits r included in the free av scanner

 

There's an easy way to find out.

Disable the web scanner, and test this - http://www.explabs.com/test/

That's just a test to show whether or not LinkScanner is set to automatically block exploits and other threats.

By the way, I'm running the paid version in a system, but only for LinkScanner (I still have a valid license, and my license of the stand-alone version ended, so ), and I have the webscanner disabled. LinkScanner works.

I don't think that LinkScanner is implemented in the webscanner, in the paid version.

 

This is true for AVG 8.0 Free

http://www.avg.com/home-and-office-security-comparison

The full LinkScanner is included in AVG 8.5 Free

 

I wonder if the new version is going to be out tomorrow (April 3)? First, it was scheduled for beginning of March, then April.

I hope there won't be more delays.

 

Do you mean the standalone LinkScanner Pro?

 

The beta program is now open and if yo are interested you can join in by clibcking on the link in the News section on the Quck Scan tab in the LinkScanner Pro main GUI...or at least I can and I will.

 

Yes. (bla bla bla bla - Sorry but I got a message saying "Yes." was too short for an answer. )

 

I wasn't aware it was going to be a beta version. I was told that the release, and I assumed final release, was first going to be out on March, and then delayed for April 2.

Thanks for the info.

Edit: I just entered the beta section on AVG site, and the beta version came out on March 5. So, I believe that I was told about the final release date, April 2. Something is delaying them.

 

Do you know yet if LinkScanner Pro will be freeware?

 

No idea, but, I will ask... I'll also ask what's this delay all about...

For what I could see in the forum, there aren't that many changes in the LinkScanner 8.5 Beta, when compared to LinkScanner Pro. So, I don't understand why all this delay.

Also, it seems that people running AVG 8.x products, won't be able to run AVG LinkScanner 8.5. That means that if I wish to run AVG 8 Free, just as on-demand scanner, and without web scanner and linkscanner, I can't install the stand-alone version.

I enjoyed much more using the stand-alone version. The information was detailed. Now, I can't even tell if it's the linkscanner or web scanner module giving the alerts. And, no detailed info is provided.

 

Doubt it as under XPL the Pro version was paid and the plain LinkScanner version was free. I think AVG will do the Pro version paid and the free version will disppear...but I have not yet seen anything to indicate which way it will go.

 

If that's what will happen, then it'll be a useless release, because people already can get it (LinkScanner Pro) for free, with AVG 8 Free.

All people have to do is to install AVG 8 Free without e-mail and web scanner, and then disable real-time protection. That's it.

 

If I chose to install AVG Free 8.5, then I would:

1. Uninstall LinkScanner Pro

2. Restart the PC

3. Install AVG Free 8.5 with the Custom Installtion options of E-Mail and Web Scanner unchecked. Would I also uncheck the additional languages that I do not need and uncheck plugin for Microsoft Office? I did not see the Web Scanner option on Page 14 of the AVG Free 8.5 manual (The screenshot given in the manual shows AVG Free 8.0.).

4. After installation, open the Resident Shield Interface (as shown on Page 44 of the AVG Free 8.5 manual) and uncheck the "Resident Shield Active" box and then click on "Save changes".

Are the above steps correct? Any other Tips for minimizing "bloat" and system resource usage?

Will the brief time that the Resident Shield is on before I disable it cause a problem with my existing AV program (NOD32 3.x) or should I disable my existing AV program during the installation?

AVG Free 8.5 Manual:

http://download.avg.com/filedir/doc/FREE_PRODUCTS/AVG_Free/avg_afe_uma_en_85_2.pdf

 

Those are the right steps. I'd also disable scheduled scanning, if present in the free version of the antivirus. You may later on check your system only on-demand.

Just to be safe, I'd disable Eset's resident protection before turning off AVG's protection. Just in case.

 

But it would be nice to have a standalone LinkScanner Pro, why? I don't want to install 2 AV, I don't want problems with windows security center, I don't want to download full AVG databases just for LinkScanner and so on ...

 

Installing AVG 8 Free, without web and e-mail scanners, additional languages, and then disabling AVG's real-time protection causes no problems.

And, people would have a second opinion on whether or not the system is clean.

Bottom line is, why would people pay for a product, when they can get it for free, and get one other anti-virus, and have it has an on-demand scanner? It doesn't hurt. And, more important, doesn't hurt to the wallet.

So, I don't see how AVG will make any profit out of LinkScanner 8.5, if kept paid. I might be wrong, but, I honestly don't see it happening.

P.S: I'd also like to use LinkScanner 8.5 as a stand-alone tool, since I liked the way the old stand-alone gave detailed information on exploit attacks, but, if they decide to make it a paid product, why should I pay if I still can get it's full power with AVG 8 Free? Makes no sense, in my way of seeing it, and would be insane to waste money on the same security technology, I can get for free, bundled with their free AV.

 

Does Linkscanner work similar to the Finjan forefox add-on?