Introduction
With the release of Vista and the new version of AVG (
from Grisoft) in the last couple of months, I thought it would be a good idea to give a quick up on the
first review done on AVG to give you an date on the changes of AVG . As we have reviewed AVG previously, we won’t redo that here. I just wanted to point out some of the cooler features of an already cool product.
Works with Vista
One of the biggest disappointments in version 7.1 was the incompatibility with
Vista. Some versions would not even install and others just plain did not work well. AVG 7.5 is completely compatible with Vista. I have been running it the last three months and have had no issues at all.
Anti Spyware/Spam/Malware
AVG seemed to get a little bit of a bad reputation from many security vendors specifying that it did not come with anti spam and spyware protection. Grisoft has released AVG Internet Security, which is a full featured security suite. The product includes a firewall, Antivirus, Anti Spyware and Anti Spam utilities. The product still has a minimal footprint which appeals greatly to me in the world of bloatware. You should also be aware that if you are running Vista you have Anti spyware and a fully fledged firewall built in (Defender and Windows Firewall). As of this writing the AVG Internet Security is not fully compatible with Vista, so be careful when deciding to purchase.
Heuristics
Although I have never had any issues with AVG failing to catch a virus, it can happen. Grisoft decided to overhaul the heuristics engine with version 7.5. Heuristic detection is the mechanism by which the product decides whether or not a program is a virus by observing the characteristics of the program and comparing it to known viruses. Grisoft now uses a better algorithm and NTFS data stream scanning. NTFS Alternate data streams (ADS) were a sneaky way for ne’er do gooders to hide code in a legitimate programs right under the operating systems nose. ADS allow a hacker to hide executable code in a text file for instance. It literally takes 2 lines of code to enable it. AVG now scans for these ADS and attempts to detect exactly what is in each. The process may make the scan a little longer, but it is giving a much deeper level of protection.
Still Free
When January was rolling around, many users of the free version were disappointed as the nag message they received from version 7.1 made it seem that you had to pay for the new 7.5 version. A bit of creative advertising and a desire to be paid for their product prompted Grisoft to make it look like the
free version would be discontinued. It is in fact up and running and fully functional. You just have to hunt a bit for it.
Free version this way :).
Conclusion
AVG is still a superb product. The user reviews seem to speak for themselves. AVG recently attained the West Coast Labs certification also. If you are looking for a reliable product, then version 7.5 is it.
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