F-Secure AntiVirus 2010 Download:

VERSION:  Windows 7 / Vista / XP, 1-3 Users PRICE:  $39.99 [Buy Download] Other Versions:  F-Secure Internet Security 2010 - $59.95

Review of F-Secure AntiVirus 2010: Last year, F-Secure was a disappointment - finishing last in our Performance testing, and faring just as bad in Effectiveness tests against Viruses & Malware. Let's hope the 2010 edition performs better. 1) Installation:   F-Secure AntiVirus 2010 installs in 2 minutes and 20 seconds and requires 1 system reboot after installation. After rebooting, F-Secure downloads all the available updates which can be quite a long process - it took almost 15 minutes to do so (we tested it 3 times to make sure this wasn't a one-time problem). So, definitely the longest installation of the programs we tested this year. Plus, our major complaint with the installation process is that it doesn't set up Scheduled Scanning - which is a shame since most users will never enable this option. (See Installation Time Comparison Graph) 2) Features & Ease of Use:   F-Secure gave its user-interface a makeover this year. Although it was in need of some modernization, the new interface only seems to bury information deeper within the program - requiring you to click around to find any sort of useful information (see screenshots). New this year, F-Secure offers a Statistics display, which shows you what the program has done since it was installed (ex. Scanned files, Cleaned files, etc). New Features:     • Statistics Center - shows you what actions F-Secure has taken Features Checklist: Anti-Spyware Anti-Rootkit Bot Protection Email Scanning IM Protection Trojan Protection Worm Protection Anti-Phishing 3) Virus Scanner:   F-Secure has 3 scanning options: Quick Scan (referred to as Virus and Spyware Scan), Full Computer Scan, and Custom Scan (referred to as Choose What to Scan). Our testing found F-Secure's virus scanner to scan at a pace of 17.2 MB/s, which translates into scanning 50GB of used hard-drive space in just over 49 minutes. This was the 5th fastest Antivirus scanner we tested - placing it right in the middle of the pack. Also, the Quick Scan feature scanned our test computer in 1 minute and 54 seconds. (See Scan Time Comparison Graph) One thing we didn't like about F-Secure's virus scanner was the way it was laid out - there was no dedicated Scan Screen, merely a set of drop-down menus. One would think the most important aspect of an Antivirus program would be given more than a drop-down menu within the user-interface. Updates: F-Secure 2010 updates on average 4 times per day - making it the 5th most updated Antivirus program we tested (again this was average), but well behind industry leader Norton Antivirus with its 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. The results of our Antivirus testing for F-Secure 2010 are below: • Memory Use: F-Secure 2010 uses 58.7 MB of system memory. #9 rated of the 10 Antivirus programs we tested. • Reboot Time: F-Secure added 13.1 seconds to our test computer's reboot time. Once again, F-Secure was the #9 rated program we tested. • Installation Size: F-Secure AntiVirus 2010 takes 227 MB of hard-drive space for installation. This was the #7 rated program we tested. • Application Launch Time: F-Secure added 0.406s on average to launch a web browser. #9 rated program we tested. • File Conversion Time: F-Secure added 8.83s on average to convert a MP3 file to four other file types. This was by far the Worst-rated program we tested. • System Impact Score: The "System Impact Score" is a comparative score tallied from the above 5 Antivirus tests. F-Secure 2010 scored a total of 11 out of 50 points when compared to the other Antivirus programs. This ranked F-Secure 2010 as the Worst program in our Performance testing, a slight step down from last year when it finished 9th overall. • 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, F-Secure received 3 out of 3 Stars. In the 2nd test, the On Demand Detection Test, F-Secure also received a 3-Star rating. Overall, F-Secure performed extremely well in these important tests - much better than last year, and much better than expected! (*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. F-Secure passed the most recent VB100 test (June, 2010), and it has passed the last 10 tests dating back to December, 2008. The VB 100% award is given to antivirus software that detects all viruses "in the wild." d) West Coast Labs' - NOT certified. WCL specializes in functionality testing, performance validation and Checkmark Certification of security products. 6) Help & Support:   F-Secure offers several support options including Email Support, a limited Knowledgebase, a mid-sized online Forum with 17000 posts, Online Chat, as well as Toll-Free Phone Support. Although their toll-free Phone Support is only offered if you purchased the software through their website (and not a reseller, etc). CONCLUSION: F-Secure AntiVirus 2010 shows some definite signs of improvement over a year ago. Especially in key Effectiveness tests against Viruses & Malware, F-Secure is now right up there at the top of the industry. This is quite an improvement over just a year ago when it showed only average test results. However, there are still several problems with F-Secure - most notably its impact on a computer system is still very noticeable - ranking last in our Performance Testing. If F-Secure fixes these Performance problems, as well as some usability issues with their program, then F-Secure could be a very good program in the years to come. But until then see our other Antivirus Reviews and downloads, since F-Secure 2010 is still the worst program we tested this year. Overall Rating: Average Misc Info:     • Version Tested: 10.00 (Build 246)     • Release Date:     • Review Date:     • Last Updated:     • Previous Version: F-Secure AntiVirus 2009 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

F-Secure AntiVirus 2010 Screenshots (Click to view larger image) (Click to view larger image) (Click to view larger image) (Click to view larger image) (Click to view larger image)

F-Secure AntiVirus 2010 System Requirements:

• Operating Systems: Windows 7 (all editions), Windows Vista (64 & 32-bit versions), Windows XP (Home/Pro/Media Center)
  
  
• Memory: 512 MB needed for Windows 7/Vista (1 GB recommended), 256 MB RAM available for Windows XP (512 MB recommended)
  
  
• Disk Space: 600 MB free hard drive space needed for installation
  
  
• Misc: Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, CD-ROM, High-speed internet connection