Avira AntiVir Premium Version 10 Download:

VERSION:  Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2000, Single User PRICE:  $26.95 [Buy Download] Other Versions:  Avira Premium Security Suite v10 - $53.95

Review of Avira AntiVir Premium Version 10.0: Avira is a German company that offers one of the more popular free Antivirus programs with over 100 million users worldwide. But how does it stack up against the other major commercial Antivirus programs on the market? Let's take a closer look... 1) Installation:   Avira AntiVir Premium Version 10 was the fastest installing Antivirus program that we tested this year - installing in a mere 33 seconds and requiring no system reboots. Also, after the installation Avira performs a quick scan to make sure your computer is virus free. (See Installation Time Comparison Graph) 2) Features & Ease of Use:   Despite a few minor tweaks to Avira Version 10, such as a drop-down menu display, the user-interface remains relatively unchanged. After years of little change, Avira now looks like one of the most outdated Antivirus programs on the market. Its main menu screen provides little information besides a few green "check marks" - letting you know everything is okay. An Antivirus program probably doesn't need all the bells & whistles that some have these days, but Avira's user-interface is plain and not very user-friendly. We hope a major overhaul is in the works for next year's version. Besides the usual features, other Avira technologies include: AHeADTechnology (detects unknown viruses by their profiles), WebGuard (protects against malicious websites), RescueSystem (creates a bootable rescue CD), and MailGuard (email protection). New Features:     • AntiVir ProActiv - detects new, unknown viruses by their behavior patterns     • GenericRepair - repairs damage caused by viruses & malware Features Checklist: Anti-Spyware Anti-Rootkit Bot Protection Email Scanning IM Protection Trojan Protection Worm Protection Anti-Phishing 3) Virus Scanner:   Avira has 10 scanning options including: Quick system scan, Complete system scan, Active Processes, Rootkits and active Malware, and Manual Selection. Avira's scanning engine, appropriately named Luke Filewalker, is a little confusing to use with its poorly labelled buttons, plus the 10 different scanning options could definitely be trimmed down to a more manageable level - isn't that what Custom scan is all about after all? Our testing found Avira's Virus Scanner to scan at a pace of 16.6 MB/s, which translates into scanning 50GB of used hard-drive space in just over 51 minutes. This was an average scan speed when compared to the other 10 Antivirus programs we tested this year - finishing 6th overall - well behind leaders Norton and Avast. Also, the Quick Scan feature took over 23 minutes to scan our computer - which is the slowest "Quick Scan" we tested. (See Scan Time Comparison Graph) Updates: Avira updates are performed 5 times per day on average, placing it 4th overall in our testing, but well behind Norton's 200+ updates per day. (See Updates Per Day Comparison Graph) 4) Performance Testing:   A good Antivirus program should not only protect your computer from Viruses but also not slow down the Performance of your computer too much by using up your computer's resources. We run each Antivirus program through a set of Performance Tests to see the impact it has on the computer. View the results below of our Antivirus testing for Avira Version 10: • Memory Use: Avira Version 10 uses 22.9 MB of system memory. #6 rated of the 10 Antivirus programs we tested. • Reboot Time: Avira added 12.2 seconds to our test computer's reboot time. #8 rated of the 10 Antivirus programs we tested. • Installation Size: Avira AntiVir Premium takes 196 MB of hard-drive space for installation. #4 rated program we tested. • Application Launch Time: Avira added only 0.076s on average to launch a web browser. #1 rated program we tested - it was also the top program in this test last year. • File Conversion Time: Avira added 0.62s on average to convert a MP3 file to four other file types. #4 rated program we tested. • System Impact Score: The "System Impact Score" is a comparative score tallied from the above 5 Antivirus tests. Avira Version 10 scored a total of 32 out of 50 points when compared to the other Antivirus programs. This placed Avira as the 4th best Antivirus program we tested this year in our Performance testing. Last year, Avira ranked slightly better, finishing 3rd overall, so this is a slight step backwards for Avira. • View graphs of the above Antivirus Performance Tests. 5) Effectiveness: (Virus/Malware Detection) The most important function of an Antivirus program is to keep your computer free from Viruses and other Malware. Below we'll take a look at some of the industry's top Virus/Malware Detection testing and certification. a) AV Comparatives has 2 major Virus/Malware tests each year. In the most recent test in May, the Proactive Test, Avira received 3 out of 3 Stars and was one of the top programs in Malware detection. In the 2nd test, the On Demand Detection Test, Avira again received top marks with a 3-Star rating. Overall, Avira performed very well in these critical Virus/Malware tests, and it has been among the top Antivirus programs for several years now, and was infact the "Product of the Year" for 2008. (*AV Comparatives is an independent Antivirus testing lab in Austria providing some of the most trusted Virus detection tests in the industry.) b) ICSA Labs Certified. ICSA is an independent organization that sets standards for security products and certifies anti-virus software. c) Virus Bulletin's VB 100% Certified. Avira passed the most recent VB100 test (June, 2010), and has passed all 4 tests this year so far. The VB 100% award is given to antivirus software that detects all viruses "in the wild." d) NOT West Coast Labs' certified. Avira was not tested this year. WCL specializes in functionality testing, performance validation and Checkmark Certification of security products. 6) Help & Support:   New this year Avira finally offers its North American users toll-free support. Although, it does seem Avira is trying to hide this toll-free support phone number, requiring you to click several links and enter your billing email/or activation code before the number is revealed. But with millions of free users, one can't blame them for not making their premium support too obvious. Other support options for Avira include its Knowledge Base which addresses many common problems, and an Online Forum which has over 400,000 posts. Email support is offered for billing and order issues, but technical support is pushed towards Avira's Forum, Knowledgebase, or Toll-Free Support. Better in-program Help Files, as well as Email Support for technical issues would be welcome additions to Avira's support system. CONCLUSION: Avira AntiVir has been one of the most effective Antivirus programs over the last few years at keeping viruses and malware from infecting computer systems - it was even ranked "best" by AV-Comparatives.org in their effectiveness testing in 2008. However, Avira's user-interface has not significantly changed in 3 years now leaving it badly outdated, as well as not very user-friendly. If Avira can redesign their program next year, and make it perform better, then Avira could be one of the best Antivirus programs on the market. Until then there are probably better alternatives. Overall Rating: Good Misc Info:     • Version Tested: 10.0.0.603     • Program Manual: Avira Version 10 Manual [pdf]     • Release Date:     • Review Date:     • Last Updated:     • Previous Version: Avira AntiVir Premium Version 9 Top 5 Antivirus Software Reviews:   1) Norton AntiVirus 2010 Review  - Rating:   Excellent   2) NOD32 AntiVirus 4 Review  - Rating:   Very Good   3) Kaspersky AntiVirus 2010 Review  - Rating:   Very Good   4) Avast AntiVirus Pro 5 Review  - Rating:   Good   5) BitDefender AntiVirus 2010 Review  - Rating:   Good << Top of Page

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Avira System Requirements:

• Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit editions), Windows Vista SP1 (32 and 64-bit), Windows XP SP2 (32 and 64-bit), Windows 2000 (SP4 and Update Rollup 1)
• Memory: Minimum 1024 MB RAM for Windows 7 & Windows Vista, or 256 MB RAM for Windows XP & 2000
• Hard-Drive Space: Minimum 150MB + quarantine space