ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARES

Name and Publisher of Antivirus Software / Web site for Package / Critics’ Recommendations
Name: Bitdefender Antivirus
Publisher: Bitdefender / www.bitdefender.com / ·  It is easy to use.
·  It provides both antivirus and antispyware in one product.
·  It is better than its competition in antivirus protection, great antispyware, and also has improvements in anitphishing and IM encryption.
·  Unfortunately it is slower than even the one of the slower antivirus application tested.
·  Once installed it uses up twice the space as ESET NOD32.
Name: Kaspersky Anti-virus
Publisher: Kaspersky Lab / www.kaspersky.com / ·  Like so many of the other antivirus packages Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a complete antivirus solution with real-time protection from a number of threats, including viruses, Trojans, bots, worms, and even spyware.
·  Kaspersky also offers a 3-user license option (for 1 year), so it’s actually a very cost-effective way to protect all of your home computers.
Name: Webroot Antivirus with Spysweeper
Publisher: Webroot / www.webroot.com / ·  Antivirus protection is certified by independent labs. Multiple layers of protection prevent installation of most malware. Does a good job of cleaning up malware-infested systems.
·  Better at finding malware and stopping it dead than at preventing it from installing in the first place. Key logger protection lacking.
Name: ESET Nod32
Publisher: ESET / www.eset.com / ·  Excellent detection of known viruses
·  Cleans files that are locked for writing (e.g. DLLs being used)
·  99% of updates don't require a reboot
·  Supports proxy servers (Basic and NTLM authentication).
·  Places three different icons in the system tray
·  Doesn't scan outgoing email messages
·  Doesn't automatically delete viruses in email messages, you have to do it manually.

All the antivirus software is highly effective in detecting and neutralizing new threats. They all provide spyware. All of them can be easily downloaded and installed.NOD32 doesn’t scan incoming mails, others do. If you use more than one e mail account then in the case of NOD32 u have to manually configure.NOD32 Doesn’t scan outgoing email messages. Rebooting is not necessary after updating NOD32 whereas the others do require rebooting. All of them provide protection against malware.

The best antivirus software to install and use would be Kaspersky. Currently has the best detection record of all antivirus programs. Easy to install, works right out of the box. Daily updates ensure full protection at all times. Small program, uses only 11 MB disk space, requires minimal resources. It scans all types of archives, not only ZIP-files. It supports all types of media: disk, floppy, cd, network drives etc. It runs as system service on Windows NT/2000/XP. DOS scanner included. It has very good user manual (250 pages) included. Phone and email support included for free.