AVG free antivirus has metamorphosed over the years, but it still remains one of the best free antivirus software available for personal use. Though it is free, it is almost as good as the paid version for individual users.
AVG free antivirus provides real-time protection from the latest threats to your computer. It is very fast to use and rarely misses its targets. It offers 4 separate types of scan modes – user sensitive, low priority, medium priority and high priority. The “user sensitive” mode changes the resource consumption depending on your usage. It automatically slows down if you are using a resource intensive application and automatically speeds up when you close the application.
The antivirus is very effective. It offers excellent protection while staying silent and gulping very minimal system resources. Also AVG virus database is updated daily, so you can stay secured from the latest threats.
Installing AVG Anti-Virus 2012 Free Edition
AVG Anti-Virus 2012 Free Edition can be installed using an offline or online installer. The online installer is 52MB, and you have to update with 64MB of data; and the offline installer is 150MB, and you have to update with about 18MB of data.
When the program is installed, it provides two windows. The major window shows the Antivirus, LinkScanner, E-mail Protection, Anti-Rootkit, PC analyzer and Identity Protection; and indicates if they are active or not. The other window on the left allows you to scan, update or configure scan options.
Features of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012 has 8 modules, which include Anti-Virus, LinkScanner, E-mail Protection, Anti-Rootkit, PC Analyzer and Identity Protection. The last two modules (Family Safety and LiveKive) are only indicated, but not active until they are paid for.
The different modules handle different functions:
1. Anti-Virus Module
Viruses can infect and destroy very important documents if not taken care of; and they can be transferred to your computer from other devices or the Internet. AVG antivirus protects your system from viruses, worms, spyware and Trojans that can make your computer unstable and cause it to misbehave.
2. LinkScanner
LinkScanner protects your computer from web-based attacks and network traffic on the Internet. It scans the links you open for viruses and so on. The tool even watches out for dynamic code, because threats mutate very rapidly.
3. Email protection:
AVG free anti-virus monitors and ensures outgoing and incoming mails are clean. It even filters spam.
4. PC Analyzer
This feature offers only basic functionality in the free version of AVG antivirus, but the paid version offers full functionality. It analyzes your PC for junk files, registry errors and disc errors. The analyzer also comes with a disc defragmenter and broken shortcut cleaner.
Lastly, AVG Anti-Virus 2012 Free Edition has a module called AVG Advisor. It constantly monitors your computer and advises you on how to tackle regular problems that constrain the performance of your computer.
Conclusion
AVG Free antivirus remains one of the most trusted antivirus software available today; and the 2012 Free Edition is highly recommended for personal use.