McAfee Internet Security (2011)

McAfee Internet Security (2011)

Exclusive McAfee Active Protection technology; anti-virus/anti-spyware; improved 2-way firewall

Home screen with easy-to-understand security bar and status area; faster scan time Less intrusive alert system; better protection against dangerous websites; parental controls Improved Microsoft Outlook 2010 integration; online file backup; easy *** management settingscomprehensive, award-winning PC security to freely explore onlineWith thousands of new viruses created every day, relying on traditional security updates isnt enough anymore. McAfee Internet Security instantly detects and blocks viruses--and stops web threats before they are downloaded to your PC. Reengineered to be faster than ever before, the softwares innovative design simplifies your Internet security experience while offering comprehensive protection.

AVG LinkScanner 2011

AVG LinkScanner 2011

AVG LinkScanner 2011 10.0.1204 x64 | 85 MB

AVG LinkScanner provides an advanced layer of security against fast-moving, invisible web threats, and hacked web sites. It verifies the safety of web pages you visit, and of links returned from web searches (Google, Yahoo! and MSN), so you know how safe/unsafe a page is at the time you attempt to click on it

BitDefender Client Security 3.0

BitDefender Client Security 3.0

BitDefender Client Security 3.0 | 641 MB

BitDefender Client Security is an easy to use business security and management solution, which delivers superior proactive protection from viruses, spyware, rootkits, spam, phishing and other malware.

Avast Internet Security 5

Avast Internet Security 5

Active internet users need greater protection for themselves as they shop and bank on-line. To secure against threats from infected web sites and the growing risk of identity theft, avast Internet security provides you with continuous protection from its layers of antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-rootkit protection, firewall and antispam.

Free Software: Privatefirewall 7

Privatefirewall multi-layered endpoint security software protects Windows desktops and servers from malware and unauthorized use. Personal firewall, packet inspection, URL filtering, process monitor, and application/system behavior modeling and anomaly detection components stop hackers, spyware, viruses and other forms of malware

before they can cause damage.

USB Disk Security 5.4.0.12

USB Disk Security provides 100% protection against any malicious programs trying to attack via USB drive. Compare USB Disk Security against other antivirus solutions, you will find out its highlights: USB Disk Security is the best antivirus software to permanently protect offline computer without the need for signature updates, but other antivirus software should update signature database regularly, and they cannot effectively protect offline computer. This light and easy to use solution is compatible with other antivirus software and doesn't slow down your computer at all. You pay USB Disk Security once and get it all; however, other antivirus products should be paid for updates every year.

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Comodo System Cleaner

Even though we could have done without the nag screen, this free disk cleaning utility performed very well during our tests. Even beginners will appreciate how easy it is to use.

When you first install Comodo System Cleaner, you're taken to the publisher's Web site for more information about the program. Each time we accessed Comodo System Cleaner, we received a nag screen asking if we wanted to upgrade to the paid professional version. It was easily bypassed, but became something of a nuisance. A helpful wizard appeared at start-up, and walked us through the disk cleaning process. First, you choose from a long list of file extensions to include in the cleanup. The next step is to select the drives or folders you want to clean, and choose from a list of cleaning options, such as deleting cookies and temporary files. The last step is to choose to run the program in either auto-run or manual mode, and whether you want the files permanently deleted or sent to your recycle bin. Once we went through the wizard, we were sent to the main user interface to click the Scan button. Considering the task at hand, the program worked extremely fast to pull up all of the junk files according to our specifications. It took a little time for the program to delete and send the files to the Recycle Bin, but we were able to continue working during the process.

Our test computer's performance noticeably improved after running the program. Users of all levels will find Comodo System Cleaner easy to use and effective, and the nag screen was a small price to pay for this freeware utility.

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Comodo Internet Security 5.0.163562.1142

Comodo has merged its antivirus program with Firewall Pro, creating a free security program that aims to be more to more people. Although this may frustrate some users who want only one program or the other, the installer does let you opt out of either of the components. Users are also asked to install the Comodo SafeSearch and Ask.com toolbars, so be careful if you tend to install on autopilot. CIS requires a reboot.

Resource management is better than before, with hogging all but eliminated. It provides a smorgasbord of information and options for advanced users, but it's simple enough for beginners, and runs smoothly and silently in the background. The version 3 interface utilizes a plain white color scheme and replaces old terminology with more intuitive terms such as Summary, Firewall, Defense, and Miscellaneous. In each, there are links to relevant security issues so users can drill down to learn more about how the firewall is performing. The firewall rears its head most often when Security Alerts ask about new Internet connections as the program "learns" your computer's behavior.

Shield-shaped buttons at the top facilitate switching between the antivirus and firewall modules, as well as a summary tab that provides a general overview. Users can toggle automatic scans of archives or downloads, scans on start-up, manage the quarantine, and schedule scans and definition file updates through a clean and comprehensible list of links. The definition file update crashed during its first use, but was stable thereafter. Scans completed at a reasonable speed, but were not blazingly fast.

A third pane, Defense+, provides more-advanced security options including locking down specific files from modification, perusing an active processes list, and protecting specific Registry keys. Comodo Internet Security's wide range of free services are generally good, but the firewall is clearly the strongest of the bunch.

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Microsoft Security Essentials

Why should I download Microsoft Security Essentials?

• Comprehensive protection—Microsoft Security Essentials helps defend your computer against spyware, viruses, worms, Trojans, and other malicious software.
• Easy to get, easy to use—Because Microsoft Security Essentials is available at no cost, there's no registration process that requires billing or personal information collection. It installs after a quick download and Genuine Windows validation and then stays automatically up-to-date with the latest protection technology and signature updates.
• Quiet Protection—Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't get in your way. It runs quietly in the background and schedules a scan when your computer is most likely idle. You only see alerts when you need to take action.

Microsoft Security Essentials security status

Microsoft Security Essentials has a clean, simple home page that shows the security state of your computer.

A green icon means that the security status of your computer is good. Microsoft Security Essentials is up -to- date and is running in the background to help protect your computer against malware and other malicious threats. When your computer has an issue that requires your attention, the look of the Microsoft Security Essentials home page changes based on the issue. The status pane turns either yellow or red depending on the situation, and an action button appears in a prominent location on the page with the suggested action.

A yellow icon means that status is fair or potentially unprotected and that you should take some action, such as turning on real-time protection, running a system scan, or addressing a medium-severity or low-severity threat.

A red icon means that your computer is at risk and that you must address a severe threat to protect it. Click the button to take the recommended action and Microsoft Security Essentials will clean the detected file and then do a quick scan for additional malicious software.

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CCleaner 3.01.1327

The freeware CCleaner hasn't seen many major revisions since Piriform launched it in 2004, so when you do see a major update, you can be assured that it's going to come with impressive new tools. CCleaner 3 doesn't disappoint on that front, introducing two major new features that make it worth the upgrade.

One is a drive wiping tool that can wipe all the data from your hard drive, but can also scrub only the available free space. As with many of the tools in CCleaner, it's fairly nuanced and allows for a simple one-pass overwrite, a Department of Defense-level three-pass option, a National Security Administration-level seven-pass cleaning, and a 35-pass Gutmann-level deep scrub. The more passes you select, the slower the deletion process.

Other changes in version 3 include improvements to the internal scanning tech that powers CCleaner, and the interface received some minor tweaks to make icons more visible. If you're familiar with previous versions of the program, though, you'll be hard-pressed to find any differences between older CCleaners and the new one. Additional minor changes include a new native installer for 64-bit computers, and environment variables have been added for %SystemDirectory%, %SystemDirectory32%, and %SystemDirectory64%.Another key improvement to CCleaner 3 has been adding more options to pre-existing features. You can now select specific Internet cookies to keep, across all your browsers, while CCleaner deletes the rest in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari. The benefit of this is to keep cookies for specific sites that you know to be safe, such as webmail, while getting rid of the rest that you don't want tracking you. Note that your browser must be closed for the cookie-deleting feature to work.

Version 3 supports more Windows programs than before, including added support for Microsoft Silverlight Isolated Storage, AVG 2011, Audacity, LogMeIn Hamachi, BitTorrent, and Windows Game Explorer. Pre-existing support has been improved for Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 beta, and the torrent managing client Vuze.

For users who are new to the program, in addition to browser tracks cleaning it will clean tracks from other programs, empty your recycle bin, delete temporary files, and clean your Registry, quickly scanning for invalid entries before removing them. CCleaner will also back up your Registry before you hit delete, in case it accidentally removes a crucial component. There's also a basic, somewhat rudimentary uninstaller for removing any program on your machine. What Registry entries it doesn't catch, the main Registry checker will, but it's a two-step process that dedicated uninstallers handle nicely on their own.

In empirical testing, CCleaner 3 appeared to be marginally faster than previous versions. This is probably system dependent, so users with older computers could likely see significantly faster scan and cleaning times than in previous versions.

Problems with CCleaner are minor at best, and it remains a highly-recommended, must-have weapon against system slowdowns, tracking cookies, and the multitudinous debris that can clutter your computer.

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Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 10.0.0.607

Avira's AntiVir has been a player in the security world for some time; however, in 2008 its status boomed because of its remarkably strong detection rates. It still remains near the top of independent antivirus efficacy tests, but while the 2009 version more or less kept pace with the competition, the 2010 edition isn't quite as good as it could be.

Both longtime and new users alike will note the pop-up ad that appears whenever a program update is downloading; it has been the unaddressed focus of critical and user dislike for several years. While the occasional ad that interferes with a user's work flow used to be considered tolerable for effective free security, that's no longer the case. Avira's lack of a silent-running entertainment-gaming mode is also noticeable, since so many free and paid competitors now offer the mode.

Except for the most cosmetic of changes, the app's interface is unchanged from version 8. There are new icons on the program's toolbar, a new static image background, and that's about it. The main window offers a left-side navigation menu with drop-down menus and a central pane to see more detailed information. AntiVir opens to the Status menu, informing you of your last scan, your last definition file update, whether the real-time guard is active; however, Avira removed the premium upgrade link in this version. The Events screen logs changes to the program and the Reports tab keeps a history of threats--information from both sections can be exported.

New features are a bit thin in the free version of Avira 10, too. A new generic-repair mode really just takes the choice out of how Avira tells you about the threats it has discovered. In version 9, you could be informed about them in the middle of a scan or at the end; however, now only the latter is available. Windows 7 users now have the capability to run a scan as an administrator directly from the interface, which is a smart, but minor improvement. Avira's installation sequence has been revamped, and now only takes users through five windows. Theoretically, this means it's a five-click installation, but new users will have to complete the registration form. However, its installation file unpacking process appears faster, and you no longer have to reboot after the install.

This isn't to say that AntiVir Free 10 isn't stuffed with robust features. The program offers a wide selection of scan customization, letting users fully scan both internal and external hard drives, run a preloaded scan--for rootkits, for example--or customize a scan. On a real-world computer, the full scan took about 1 hour and 12 minutes, which is average. Avira includes antispyware protections, scanning tech that can crack open "locked" files, improved internal security to prevent AntiVir's files from being maliciously altered, and one-click threat removal--baby-sitting was taken out in the last version.

The Local Protection and Administration navigation options reveal the Scanner, Guard, Quarantine, and Scheduler features. Combined with the Configuration button located at the top of the central pane, users can customize scans as necessary. When Avira quarantines a file, its information is on display along with options to scan it again, restore, delete, and e-mail the file to Avira. The apps rebuilt heuristic engine retains the same choices from the previous version had, and it can be turned on or off in part or in full and offers three intensity levels. Not counting the lively user forums, Avira's included help features are good for a free antivirus app, with mouse-over information on each feature. The scheduler, once a major Avira selling point because it was light-years ahead of other free security suites, has now been caught up to by its competitors.

AntiVir 10 doesn't require a special uninstallation tool, unlike many competitors do. In the end, Avira's free suite makes for an excellent backup suite, but its competitors have since caught up with or surpassed what it can do.

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Avast Free Antivirus 5.0.677

Avast Free 5, an A-list freeware antivirus app, provides the same steadfast protection of well-known, pricier antivirus programs. Avast is remarkable for both its effectiveness and arguably providing the most complete free antivirus on the market.

Avast Free 5, formerly known as the Home Edition, protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer, and Web shields. The behavioral shield is a common-sense feature, as security software publishers leverage their large user bases to detect threats early and warn others. Other new features include a silent-gaming mode and an "intelligent scanner" that only looks at changed files after establishing a baseline. The biggest change in Avast 5, though, is the interface. Gone is the music player default look, which was skinnable but confusing. In its place is a sleek UI that new users should find far more manageable. It's also Aero-friendly, with Explorer-style navigation buttons in case you can't remember where you tweaked a particular setting.

Avast's recent independent third-party testing has been notably solid, able to hold its own against better-known programs from Symantec and Microsoft. Avast 5 Free lacks features in the paid upgrade including antispam measures, a testing sandbox, a Script shield, and a firewall. Even without those, Avast Free 5 is probably the strongest, free antivirus currently available.

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AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 10.0.1170

The bottom line: Although AVG has flagged a little in the past few years, AVG Anti-Virus Free 2011 breathes some new life into one of the most popular security programs around with a shorter install, better usability, and faster scans.

Review:
The never-ending mantra chanted by security suite vendors sounds a lot like "faster scans, easier to use, better performance," and AVG has released a new version that it says accomplishes all three. Certainly, the scans are faster, it does install more quickly, and some tweaks to the interface have made it easier to use. However, changes to the engine that powers the detection and removal of threats has made it hard to come to a conclusion until independent labs return their efficacy results later this year.

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