- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/NT
- Date added: September 23, 2008
- Total Downloads: 63,901,492
- Downloads last week: 741,971
- See full specifications
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 12078 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:
Publisher's description
From Alwil Software :Avast Home Edition 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.
Version 4.8.1229.80923 improves detection of Trojans, backdoors and rootkits.
Note: You'll have to register (free) on the publisher site to be able to continue using this program after 60 days.
What's new in this version:
Version 4.8.1229.80923 improves detection of Trojans, backdoors and rootkits.
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User reviews of avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 12078 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 1126 user reviewsSee all 1126 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
41 out of 53 people found this review helpful
Version: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
"it work better then other and no nag screen"
Pros: it was a lot of shields and light on the system ram
Cons: no proactive protection but it coming soon to it but now use threat fire for that part to help
Summary: it work all that is needed is proactive protection
new avast and one new feature urls blocking block the urls
Updated on Nov 14, 2008 -
33 out of 41 people found this review helpful
Version: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
Pros: Free
Many real-time shields
Good detection, with an unrestricted engineCons: No proactive detection
Many false positives -
15 out of 43 people found this review helpful
Version: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
"This product completely paralysed my computer!"
Pros: What is there to like about this?! It wouldn't let me do any work; it wasn't user-friendly; it paralysed my system.
Cons: Everything. The gui was unintuitive, and not clear about what parameters I was able to set.
Summary: I really don't want this product back on my computer -- it doesn't work as advertised, and takes far too much processor time. A number of times, my computer was unresponsive to anything I wanted to do. I finally uninstalled, and now my computer wo... read more >>
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12 out of 37 people found this review helpful
Version: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
Pros: free and nothing else
Cons: It screws up your computer and now I am trying to fix it
Summary: NEVER DOWNLOAD IT
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12 out of 31 people found this review helpful
Version: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923
"Good Protection but slows computer!"
Pros: Great protection with great options!
Cons: Slows computer and freezes "log-in" to many sites. "including email-msn"
Summary: The protection and options that it offers is great, "the best FREE out there" but it's not worth it, to put up with the "slow downs" and pauses.
Tried to remove it, It leaves trac... read more >>
Updated on Nov 29, 2008 - See all 1126 user reviews Write review
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