Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Final version of the all-new free antivirus

avast! Free Antivirus 7 is the latest offering from avast! and offers a chance to see how far this excellent anti-virus has come.

Visually appealing

Traditionally here at Softonic we have a lot of time for avast!, so we were really excited to get a look at the newest version. For starters, it looks really slick, with a slim-lined installation process (which looked good, but still took a while), and a very user-friendly and clear interface. While the interface is similar to avast! 6, it's got many more options, something you'll see as soon as you open it.

Good installation options

Another nice addition that you'll notice when setting up is the option to install as the second line of defense on your computer. There are also plenty of installation options, which allow you to get the most from your anti-virus before it's even installed. Of course, there's also a default installation if the nitty-gritty's not for you.


Security improvements

What else does version 7 add to avast! Free Antivirus? Well, in the first place the developer assures us that there have been considerable updates on a security front, which is obviously what you want from an anti-virus. It also offers a niceStatistics module, as well as a comprehensive Support function that allows you to general a support package to send to the avast! personnel who are trying to troubleshoot your problem.

New features

Two especially useful new functions are the AutoSandbox feature and the Remote Assistance. AutoSandbox allows avast! to automatically place any program it deems suspicious inside a sandbox, so it cannot do damage to your computer. You can edit the programs that are excluded from this behavior in the general settings.

Remote assistance

Remote Assistance is much as it sounds, but it's a great feature to have. This allows you to either connect to or be connected to by another user, so that you can help them with computer problems or so that they can help you (especially when tech support personnel are involved). Obviously, both of you will have to have avast! Free Antivirus 7 installed, but it's a feature we can see coming in really useful.

Recent changes

- Changes in the autosandbox module

- Improvements in Remote Assistance (support for UAC prompts etc.)

- Improvements in SafeZone (protection against kernel-mode keyloggers; Updated SafeZone Browser; clipboard sharing, etc.)

- Outlook plugin redesign

- Opera support in WebRep

- SiteCorrect module for the detection of unwanted websites

- Windows 8 compatibility updates

- Emergency Updater

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