- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (30-day trial); $34.99 to buy
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7
- Date added: October 05, 2009
- Total Downloads: 5,252,919
- Downloads last week: 42,455
- See full specifications
A newer version of AVG Anti-Virus is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 782 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on October 05, 2009
AVG's most popular product is its free antivirus, but the company also makes two enhanced security suites that are geared for users who don't mind paying for additional protection--as long as it's worthwhile. AVG Anti-Virus 9 introduces a few new features, claiming faster scan times, faster boot times, and other under-the-hood improvements.
Users who've used AVG 8 will find the interface nearly identical, 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, firewall protection, or updating. We'd like to see this streamlined, since there's no reason to click on any of them without wanting more details; it is a spare interface, otherwise. You'll find a full-blown scheduling utility for automating tasks and checking for new definitions as often as you'd like. Other perks include technical support and the ability to run on multiple operating systems. Should a virus create serious system problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode. The program doesn't obviously tax your system when scanning or when running in the background. There's also a new identity-theft assistance service, available for free and provided by a third party.
AVG Anti-Virus lacks the firewall, identity protection, antispam, and system tools that come in AVG Internet Security, although it's definitely more robust than AVG Free. In empirical testing, scan times were slower than expected, and the new firewall database proved to have autoapproval problems with some well-known programs. It 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 available security option, but it still gets the job done and you're better off with it.
Publisher's description
From AVG Technologies USA :AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 is faster, safer and easier to use. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner in AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 runs up to 50% faster than earlier versions. It is rock solid protection that doesn't get in your way. AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 also delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques, which can quickly and accurately determine whether or not a web page is hosting a phishing attack.
AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 has a secret weapon other anti-virus products don't have. It has AVG LinkScanner. LinkScanner takes over where your anti-virus doesn't go -- into the depths of web pages you haven't even visited yet. LinkScanner gives you a vital extra layer of protection you won't find in other anti-virus software. And you can use it in combination with firewalls and anti-spam products from other companies with no loss of protection or PC performance. Most web threats these days are literally here today, gone tomorrow. So the only way to protect yourself is to use software that checks the page behind every link at the only time that matters - right before you click on it.
Whenever you're on the web, the moment you go to click on a link, LinkScanner analyzes the page behind that link to tell you whether there's something nasty hiding there. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results.
Additionally, to improve ease of use AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 installation process has been shortened by 50 percent and comes with a new look & feel.
CNET Editor's Note: 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.More popular Antivirus Software downloads
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User reviews of AVG Anti-Virus 9.0.663
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 782 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 20 user reviewsSee all 20 user reviews
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus 9.0.663
"Didn't work for me. PC still had worms."
Pros: Price (free) is obviously the main pro. The product was easy to install and fast to use. It found a few tracking cookies in my temp files.
Cons: The cookies it did find were not removed properly by the program and were there still when I re-ran the program immediately after the first time. Also missed dog.exe, winlgoon.exe, and hid.exe worm files that another free program subsequently found.
Summary: I guess this is good for scanning general cookies and things, but I would not recommend for an infected computer. That said, its hard to complain about free things. I got exactly what I paid for and it caused NO damage to my system so you may try... read more >>
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0 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus 9.0.663
"Faster scan speed,still heavy on resources"
Pros: AVG is easy to configure and all modes of protection are set out on one neat interface.
Cons: AVG has gone downhill since v 7.5 despite adding not very effective extra features Linkscanner & antispyware.
AVG 9 lacks rootkit detection most other free AV suites now contain this important feature.Summary: AVG detection rates have dropped which i find strange despite adding anti-spyware from version 8 .
Stats: avcomparatives test results : AVG 7.5 Feb 2007 96.37% AVG 8.5 Feb 2009 93% . -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus 9.0.663
"Slowed my PC right down after ugrading from 8.5 to 9.0."
Pros: Its free, which is the only good thing about version 9.0.
Cons: Slowed PC down to a crawl after upgrading from 8.5 to 9.0.
Summary: AVG slowed my PC down to a crawl after upgrading. Took ages to do anything - and I am running 4gb RAM with Intel Quad Core 2.6 so my machine is normally fast (I use music software so need a powerful machine). Something was working in background maki... read more >>
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus 9.0.663
"avg was frustratiig to say the lease mike"
Pros: never even got to install it hope i can get my money back
Cons: the service i recieved from avg
Summary: not very helpful
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: AVG Anti-Virus 9.0.663
"Cannot install due to software conflict"
Pros: 8.5 was great. Can't install 9.0 to evaluate.
Cons: Can't install due to software conflict (OLE). Can't find what OLE is to uninstall
Summary: I still have AVG 8.5 running on my XP and Vista computers but can't get 9.0 to install on either one of them. Software issue is preventing installation on the XP and a MSVC redistributables installation failed error is preventing installation on th... read more >>
- See all 20 user reviews Write review
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