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- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: November 11, 2009
- Total Downloads: 235,615,443
- Downloads last week: 2,307,743
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 19886 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on October 15, 2009
AVG Free provides the bare necessities when it comes to security, but that should be enough for savvy Windows users. You'll get a combined antivirus and antimalware engine, LinkScanner, and e-mail scanning. AVG Free 9 introduces a few new features, with improvements focused on performance, including claims of faster scan and boot times. One new feature is the Identity Theft Recovery Unit. Only for users in the United States, ITRU is a business partnership with Identity Guard which provides "consumer identity theft solutions," accessible only from the AVG toolbar in Firefox and Internet Explorer.
The interface is nearly unchanged from the last version, and generally it's easy to use. From the main window, though, you must double-click to get further information on any feature, whether virus scanning, LinkScanner settings, or updating. Streamlining this to one click would be helpful. A scheduling utility automates both scans and updates, while the upgrade ad at the screen's bottom can be easily hidden using the Hide Notification button. When starting a scan, a slider makes it easy to jump between Slow, Automatic, and Fast scans: the faster the scan, the less comprehensive it is, so users should take advantage of the scan optimization that is recommended during installation to speed up that first scan. A progress meter for regular scans would've been useful, though. Should a virus create serious problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode.
The LinkScanner feature protects you from third-party code exploits before they load in your browser and for ranking search results. Annoyingly, when you install its optional toolbar, it commandeers your new-tab page, decidedly inappropriate behavior. The program doesn't obviously tax your system when scanning or when running in the background, although CNET Labs determined that it will significantly slow down your system's boot time, and slightly delay shutting down. AVG also detected some image files as threats, when two other scans decided they weren't--we decided these were false positives. AVG might not be the fastest or the most effective free security option, but it still gets the job done and you're better off with it.
Watch the CNET video review of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition:
Publisher's description
From AVG Technologies USA :AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is an anti-virus protection tool available free of charge to home users. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability.
The new 9.0 edition is faster, safer and easier to use. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition gives you free rock solid protection for your basic security needs. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner in AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition runs up to 50% faster than earlier versions and doesn't get in your way. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition also delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques, which can quickly and accurately determine whether or not a web page is hosting a phishing attack. Additionally, version 9.0 comes with basic anti-rootkit protection to ensure protection against sophisticated hidden threats.
CNET Editor's Note:
The Download Now link will download a small installer file to your desktop. Remain online and double-click the installer to proceed with the actual download.
To learn more about AVG products and to ask questions and receive answers from AVG company representatives, please visit CNET's dedicated AVG Forum.
What's new in this version:
Version 9.0 runs and installs faster, delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques and introduces the AVG LinkScanner to proactively screen the Web pages you haven't even visited yet. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 19886 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 129 user reviewsSee all 129 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.704
"Easy to use but can't find all viruses."
Pros: Comparing to others AVG consumes less memory while running on background.
Link Scanner and Email Scanner are pros I like on this software.Cons: Not strong enough to find most of viruses, I update AVG at least 3 times a day and I get updates very often from the database but not all Viruses or Trojans.
ID Protection feature consumes lots of memory and is not easy to use.Summary: I find it useful for average Internet users, comparing to other similar programs AVG has more pros and less cons.
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Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.704
"Latest version crashed my computer"
Pros: Nothing IMHO
Cons: Memory Intensive, Slow Updating, Computer Freezes
Summary: I had been having problems with the previous two releases and was under the impression that this would make it better. After installation of version 9, my child's computer began running so poorly that we were unable to use the computer anymore. We... read more >>
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.704
Pros: For basic, clean internet browsing, this app is not bad.
Cons: I would not use this for corporate applications as it has binary protocols that will clash with newer operating systems
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.704
Pros: It's free and I used it for many years.
Cons: But then, since I bought my new computer (4 years ago), the warning message kept popping up telling me the virus protection is turned off. Couldn't resolve by my self so I asked CNET forum and was told to uninstall the programme and DL again.
Summary: It worked fine again for a while but this is happening again! SoI decided to use another free anti virus programme instead of uninstall and DL AVG free version. :P
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.704
"AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.707 not stable"
Pros: It is free and provide a complete anti virus solution.
Even it is not the best but still an average product.Cons: AVG 9.0.707 version the optimization process is not stable and have bug in it.
Summary: After installation you have a choice to do it now or after next schedule scan. I pick optimization at next schedule scan 5 out of 7 PC will be hang within an hour. Hang mean not response while execute any application (CPU usage are under 5% and not ... read more >>
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