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- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: September 25, 2009
- Total Downloads: 63,370,030
- Downloads last week: 775,743
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 11799 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on September 23, 2008
This impressive software provides the same steadfast protection of well-known antivirus programs, yet it's surprisingly free.
Avast Home Edition guards your PC and the network with multiple shields that scan executables and files. You can select parameters for scanning, and even choose wildcards to exclude specific file types. You can adjust the sensitivity level for the program's detectors when it comes to scanning downloaded files, instant messages, e-mails, and a host of P2Ps. Its efficient interface opens up window after window to tweak its settings to your liking, for novice to advanced level protection.
Though it took quite some time to run, we're impressed with this application's boot-time antivirus scan. Fortunately, if you're in a pinch you can bypass it. If malicious contents are detected, Avast comes to the rescue with handy virus cleanup tools. Some decent PC controls are even handed out here. You can block certain URLs and file operations, such as writing to files or even renaming, deleting or formatting them.
With immediate real-time protection, clockwork updates, and much more, this free software is highly regarded in our book.
Watch the CNET video review of Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus:
Publisher's description
From Alwil Software :Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus is a complete ICSA & Checkmark certified antivirus, Checkmark certified anti-spyware & anti-rootkit package. Avast includes the following components: On demand scanner with skinnable simple interface, just select what do you want to scan in which way and press the Play button; On access scanner, special providers to protect the most of available e-mail clients; Instant messaging--ICQ, Miranda; Network traffic--intrusion detection, lightweight firewall; P2P protection for Kazaa, BitTorrent; Web shield--monitors and filters all HTTP traffic; NNTP scanner--scans all Usenet Newsgroup traffic and all operations with files on PC; Boot time scanner--scans disks in the same way and in the same time as Windows CHKDSK does.
What's new in this version:
Version 4.8.1356 has solved a memory leak in the GZIP unpacker and solved vulnerabilities in AavmKer4.sys, aswMon2.sys and ashWsFtr.dll.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11799 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 431 user reviewsSee all 431 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
"Why pay for what you can get for free?"
Pros: It works great! I've tried ZoneAlarm Extreme Security, and this works just as well for free!
Cons: The only things I would change are the cheap looking ui, the lack of a firewall, and the annoying sound it makes when it detects a virus.
Summary: Why dish out your hard earned cash every year for some new anti-virus when you can get this for free? It works just as well as even the so called best.
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
"i think it is the better ever free AV i used,"
Pros: i think it is the better ever free AV i used, at least i have no virus attacks for a loooong period right now, more over, it is not too heavy on my machine.
Cons: i like everything as far as they are updating my VdBase for free
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
"light, easy to use and highly efficient"
Pros: i almost had forgotten there was an anti-virus programme running in my computer, i did nothing and my laptop is absolutely virus-free
Cons: no cons at all. it is the lightest and higly efficient programme i've tried so far
Summary: 1.no fuss about it (no time to wait, no time to spend on uploads etc.)
2. very light, it did not affect the performance of my laptop
3. efficient -
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
"more than a year and I have been using Avast home users"
Pros: Avast home users Antivirus gave me the protect I needed , it's an easy going antivirus , I like the continuous virus update of this software , almost never had a problem with it .
Cons: There is nothing I didn't like about this product it's just fine for me
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 4.8.1356
Pros: Does the trick without any hassles.
Cons: Not much. Maybe the pop-up screens could be less disturbing.
Summary: Works. Free. Nothing else matters.
- See all 431 user reviews Write review
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