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- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: May 05, 2006
- Total Downloads: 37,065,053
- Downloads last week: 447,605
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A newer version of Avast Home Edition is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 11716 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
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:
Publisher's description
From Alwil Software :Avast 4 Home Edition is a free, complete ICSA certified and Secure Computing Magazine awarded antivirus software for home noncommercial use. 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 Kazza, BitTorrent; Web shield--monitors and filter all HTTPtraffic; 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. True automatic incremental updates are small and fast.
Version 4.7.827 improves detection, lower memory footprint, CPU load and adds new languages to 26 in total.
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User reviews of Avast Home Edition 4.7.827
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11716 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 442 user reviewsSee all 442 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
98 out of 106 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.827
"better than AVG free edition. easy to learn and efficient."
Pros: computer: PIV 2.6ghz 1G ram (xp) IE 6.0
to tell you honestly, i was caught between avg free ed. and avast 4 home-- both progs. are free, but there must be a winner.
1)unlike avg free edition, avast! is dial-up friendly. if you're using dial-up, I say this is for you. the updates are lightning fast--mostly 33~45 seconds just after you got connected to the i-net.
2)avast! just like avg free edition, can create a snapshot of your system setings/configurations. but avast! can also create a backup of your original system file--the original one that was installed during your windows installation and keep it safe from any change/damage. in case your system files got mangled, avast can replace it with the virgin system file. (VRDB--virus recovery database)
3)avast! just like avg, gives protection to:
internet mail
instant messaging
P2P apps.
network shield
outlook/messenger shield
web shield
standard shield
4)you can reconfigure the setting so it can adapt to your computer status.
5)just like avg, this one is also free of any charge and with frequent updates.
Cons: now, what I didn't like:
1)if you would click into that "i" icon in the system tray (this icon is for the VRDB function)you would notice your sytem tray arrow icon that looks like this < (enclosed in a circle). this arrow button/icon, the one that you use to show or hide any inactive icon/service, gets screwed in figure to something like a ladder so all the icons are literaly "showed up". you'll have a long pile of icons on your system tray. after sometime, the arrow button gets back to normal.
2)it has some incompatibility issues with Zonealarm firewalls/products. well, i think zonealarm doesn't want you to use **another** product--somekind of professional jealousy.
3)that comment about system resources is a valid one. I have observed a slight slow down during internet opening(opening only)and a slight RAM consumption.
that's all that I have noticed after a month long of use. before i write any review, i make sure they are sufficient and unbiased. those stories of system instability that are posted by some reviewers are quite *unseen* on my monthlong observation. i haven't had any headache with this software. to be fair, I also recommend AVG free edition. it works very well against viruses, a tough working dog. avast is just one point greater than AVG---an almost tie. good luck and happy downloading.
(my many thanks to grisoft-AVG and alwil-Avast for their kindness to give free progs)
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19 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.827
Pros: This program is really good! I have checked my PC with Symantec and BitDefender online scans and they did not find any viruses because of the fact that Avast! Home kept them out! Nice interface and a lot of skins to choose from. Not a dull anti-virus program like the competing ones. It is also free! Bjorn Lundahl, Gothenburg, Sweden
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8 out of 12 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.827
Pros: Works with Vista beta 2! I prefer and like AVG Antivirus a lot more because I'm familiar with it. I got Avast because I googled and found it was compatible with Windows Vista beta 2. Pretty impressive app. Free too.
Cons: Interface is a little different, isn't laid out as simple and neat as other apps.
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47 out of 64 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.827
Pros: I think there is no antivirus software to deserve 5 stars but there are some decent antivirus programs in this world and Avast is on that list.
In a few words this is what I like about Avast :
1. The way you can customize the graphic user interface (using skins). You also have a lot of options to customize the way this product works.
2. Light on resources if you turn some features off. Take a look in the box...
3. Good virus database.
4. The updates comes up fast.
5. The realtime scaning engine is prety fast even on a Duron 800 Mhz (the computer I am using this antivirus on).
6. It has an iteresting feature "VRDB". The aim of VRDB is to help when, despite all the security measures, a virus gets inside the computer and the files are infected. With the help of VRDB, it is possible to repair infected files (return them exactly to their original state).
Cons: The way the antivirus is configured by default. There are two many system tray icons (but you can setup the antivirus to merge all the icons in a single one wich should be the default option). You should also take a closer look to the instalation setup program. Do not install some modules since it is quite posible not to use them (email scaners and so on). Email scaners are not the best (some problems comes up for me).
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38 out of 54 people found this review helpful
Version: Avast Home Edition 4.7.827
"Very Good Anti Virus Software!"
Pros: Avast was brought to my attention after a review I submitted concerning AVG Anti Virus Free Edition. I gave AVG a 5 star rating, and in the category of viruses AVG still holds as a good challenger in the world of free software!
HOWEVER, Avast is so much more! I try to write my reviews as though everyone who reads them is a computer Newbie! With that in mind, I try to consider all of the unknown threats to see if the software in question can protect the less suspecting computer Newbie from having to take their machine to a repairman! After a quick and easy install of the Avast software I did the boot scan as it suggested.
To my amazement, it detected several Trojans, and even a malware that I was unaware of! I mentioned this because I DO NOT VIEW MYSELF AS A COMPUTER NEWBIE, and yet I had some trash in my machine.
So, for those of you who are looking for a good A.V. protection software, look no further.
Avast, gives you a wide array of protection
that your normal Anti Virus software does not!
Furthermore, if you visit the Avast homepage you can find really cool skins to
customize the interface too! It is user friendly and free for life!
And, the major plus in my book - Avast has a large community resource and their support team is extremely helpful for questions and/or problems!
Unlike some of the others!
Cons: The flip side!
To any pro's you will have con's!
If your machine doesn't have at least a 1 gig
processor and at least 512mb of ram, you may want to consider another software!
In that case - I suggest the use of AVG!
You can run Avast on a system with less then those specs, but I found it doesn't do very good without at least those requirements!
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