Customer Reviews

Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware - 2 Year Subscription

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

In this day and age, with constant connections to the Internet, anyone using a Windows based computer to browse the Internet, read email and chat that DOESN'T have some real time antivirus/antispyware software on their computer is asking for endless infections and the potential for data loss and even worse, identity theft. If you're relying on free scans initiated from a website (such as Kaspersky, House Call, etc), you're not as well protected as you should be and the price Amazon is charging, for 2 years of protection, makes this package an easy impulse purchase.

For those that don't want to spend money on antivirus/antispyware software, there are plenty of free versions available. AVG has it's own free antivirus/antispyware program, along with free products available from Microsoft, Avira, avast!, Comodo and more. Most lack features of their paid subscription siblings, but most people are as protected as they need to be with the free software.

So why pay for this version of the software? The answer is that it depends on what you're looking for. The free version of AVG, while adequate, does not offer everything this package does. Here is a list of what is included in the pay version of the software that is NOT included in the free product:

Technical Support (if you think you'll need it, ever, buy the software)
Download protection (called WebShield)
Advanced Root Kit protection
Game Mode (turns itself off while you play games so that performance of the game is not affected; you can also accomplish this by disabling the scanner before you play a game if you use the free version, just remember to turn it back on when you're done)


The thing to keep in mind is that AVG also offers a more expensive product that has features this software does not (Firewall, antispam, AVG identity protection). If you need those features, then look for AVG Internet Security edition.


One thing to remember when purchasing a real time virus/spyware package is the hit to performance your computer will take when installed. Every virus scanner, no matter how efficient, will ALWAYS affect performance negatively given that EVERY file must be scanned before being opened or used by the system. AVG's scanner is fast and performance degradation is minimal. Compare this product to the massive hit in performance when using McAfee or Norton and you'll wonder why people even use those scanners anymore. AVG is more efficient than either of those 2 big name products.

If you are looking for basic protection and think you need the extra protection this provides over the free AVG offering, this is one of the best prices you will find. If you purchase directly from AVG you are looking at $35 for a SINGLE year of protection. Even at the $40 MSRP, this 2 year subscription almost gives you a year for "free."

Some people have never heard of AVG Anti-Virus, but it's a product I've been using their free version for many years. ([...]) .

Let me start by saying I'm a Systems Administrator and we use other big names and those virus protection programs are bloated and put heavy processor loads on the systems they protect. Because of my experience with McAffe and Norton I chose not to run those at home and instead used the free version of AVG's product.

What I found was that AVG was a low demand scanner. In other words unlike most other virus programs you really don't know this one is there, and it has what I would say is a better anti virus engine then the big names.

So why buy this version rather then get the free version? This version is a 2 year subscription and while the free does antivirus scanning there are a lot of "features" that are well worth the cost, and with so much spyware/adware trying to sneak into your Windows PC's these days you really need a top notch program protecting your PC and your sensitive data.

AVE has done a great job in their anti-spyware scanner, and they have a linkscanner which is very useful. In fact they have this on their free version as the AVG Toolbar for your internet browser. It tells you which links are safe, which are known threats and which ones you should be cautious with.

So while a lot of the 'unique" features are in the free version, the paid has the added protection of adware/spyware which really these days its more likely you get spyware/adware over a virus so you really need the protection. And from my experience with the big name companies and AVG I have always opted to choose AVG. It's what I run at home and have total confidence in and love the fact you never even know it's there except for the icons running in the task bar. If you want to view the menu's you can pull them up, but with the autmated scans, updates and repair features you install it and can forget it if you aren't the type that wants to tweak it.

A++ product, highly recommended.

Over the years i have had many different anti-virus programs and without any question AVG is the best that i have had.. Uses very little resources, stays in the background and does not "Nag". Whereas Norton, McAfee, Trendnet and panda among others will nag you to tears. I had Bitdefender 2010 installed before i installed AVG and what a difference, AVG actually catches Trojans etc, whereas Bitdefender lets em dance around all day.I think the retail version is worth buying because of course you get the full version so you can schedule different tasks etc....... Hope this helps in your decision making.

When I tried installing the program from the CD-ROM, it told me the version was outdated and I should try downloading it from the AVG website instead. But I could find no option on the website to download an already-purchased program. After a valiant search, I gave up and installed the CD-ROM (a 2009 release). I first uninstalled the free AVG from my computer; there were no other anti-virus programs on there.

During the installation, two error messages popped up along the way. One said that it suggested I not continue installation without a particular component that it couldn't install. So I tried three more times and it failed every time at that spot. Eventually I overrode the suggestion and told it to continue. Then, despite that I checked/unchecked every possible box to make sure there wouldn't be any unnecessary add-ons, it put a toolbar on my browser and wouldn't let me get rid of the Yahoo search box. I already have two toolbars on my browser and surely have no need for a third, so I had to figure out how to get rid of it.

The scans seem to be going fine, and of course that's the most important part. But considering the error messages during the install, I'm still uneasy that it's functioning as it's supposed to.

This anti-virus & anti-spyware software was a solid purchase at first. I was able to get real-time protection for all my internet activity. Where this shines is that you can use the serial number from this purchase and upgrade to the new AVG 2011 suite. This makes this deal an incredible value and saves a lot of money. Make sure you take the time to learn the settings and select for your needs. The time is well spent and you only have to do it once. I don't think there is another reputable anti-virus and anti-spyware suite that can be bought for $8/yr. If you value your data and identity then this is a solid purchase!

While I am a huge fan of the many free anti-spyware/virus suites that are available for download all over the Internet, I have to say that I was impressed with this product from AVG. It installed quickly and efficiently, and I was able to get the program up and running within a few minutes. The user interface is very easy to navigate and starting the scans takes no time at all. As others mentioned, there is no magical way for virus scanners to not take up some resources. Your computer will slow down, but I will say that this scanner took much less time than other virus scanners that I have used before. It has great online protection against phishing and bad websites, and even marks trusted sites as "safe". It also has a scheduler, which is a great way to make sure that your scanning gets done, even if you don't remember to do it.

While I am comfortable around computers I am a person that always seems to have a glitch when installing hardware and software. Re-booting my DSL system took 2 LOOOONG phone calls to India. Synching my wireless to the new lap top? Two weeks of on again/off again effort.

So, when I installed this on my new lap top I seriously considered just renewing the pre-loaded anti-virus program and calling it a day. But, I already had this AVG anti-virus program and ultimately I decided to be cheap and install what I already owned thanks to Amazon Vine.

So, how did it install?

Beautifully.

I was done in 20 minutes. I didnlt believe it and neither did my wife.

That was about a month ago and the AVAG program has been dutifully monitoring and ocassionally stopping me from clicking on virus-laden websites.

I've been using this software for less than 1 month and love it. Programs open up much, much faster. Email downloads faster. Updates are invisible. Even the computer boots up faster. I am very, very pleased.

Previously, I used McAfee and before that Norton's. McAfee was a huge resource hog .. updates really slowed down other operations running during the download, programs took a long time to open, the computer took at least twice as long to boot up .. the list goes on. McAfee's customer service was horrible . . they provided bad information . . as if they had never even used the software. I am sooo glad I switched. I wouldn't go back to either Norton's or McAfee.

I guess I am naive when it comes to anti-virus software. I bought this for a computer which used to have Norton Antivirus. I wanted something that was a little less obtrusive. I thought AVG was doing it's job (it's been almost a year) but a week ago, the computer got what I believe is called a Trojan Horse --one that acted like anti-virus software - it totally got rid of AVG and would not let me in reinstall it. I had to buy another software to get rid of the Trojan Horse. One would have hoped that AVG would have gotten rid of it altogether or would not allow it to even be on the computer - any kind of warning would be nice - but it didn't do anything. There was no real-time protection at all. I can no longer trust AVG to keep my computer safe and will not be using it again. I would not recommend this software -there are better free ones out there.

AVG 2010 was reviewed by many different sources and later found to be one of the most comprehensive and easy to use utility softwares available. I purchased in May of 2010 after Norton let me down with a trojan associated with the Adobe program in January of 2010, and they failed to aid me in support. Not that they didn't try, but their services were offered to me on a paid basis to aid in recovery. I use Win 7 Ultimate and after install I haven't had any problems. Some of the other users report difficulty in setting up a firewall on their system, after using it myself I would have to question their level of knowledge in computers at all... as for the cracks about the India support, truthfully Microsoft has many of their offices setup there, along with Iraq, Afghanistan, etc so Where the support comes from really isn't that much of an issue but whether or not they can help at all.