LostInTechnology

Keeping Me Safe for Three Years: Avira Antivirus

Posted on 04. Jan, 2010 by Chinmoy Kanjilal in Software

Friends and family members walk in and are amazed at how smooth and virus free my computer has always been, and I can not help but smile back, proudly. It has all been made possible because of two simple and free security programs that I have been using for three years in a row now. Needless to say, I am satisfied with their performance.

The first piece of software is Avira Antivirus.  The second….well, you’re going to have to check back in a few days.

Avira Antivir

Avira Antivir is an antivirus product from a German company that comes in three versions: Antivirus Personal Edition, the Premium version and the Security Suite. Do not let people talk you into believing that there is some big difference between the Personal and the Premium version. There aren’t any differences that really matter, since we will also be using a firewall (that’s a hint about what the other piece of software is).

The Personal and Premium editions use the same engine, so you will see no reduced detection rates with the Personal version. Avira has continuously topped the charts for detection rates on the AV Comparatives reports. For more information on Avira Antivir’s performance, visit this post I wrote a while back.

Closest Competitors

If you aren’t completely sold on my free antivirus recommendation, here are a few of Avira Antivir’s closest competitors.

• MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials), which was rated #1 at the latest AV Comparative report, but their updates are bulky and the antivirus goes haywire when not updated. Also, there are missing options for common tasks like exceptions and incremental updates.  You can check out our previous MSE Review.
• Kaspersky, which is a good antivirus suite with a firewall, but it includes many annoyances like irrelevant warnings and occasional bloated memory usage. Crashing of Windows 7 installations have also been reported due to this antivirus. The latest report from AV Comparatives also reports a low detection rate when compared to earlier versions. The beta version of Kaspersky is always available for a test download for free.
• GData antivirus, which is also a German antivirus and has had the highest detection rate for a long time, but I do not prefer using this antivirus, primarily because of its huge download size of 250 MB.

You Picked Avira Antivir

If you want to use Avira, you can download it and start using it right away. The Avira download page is here, and the download is sized at around 30 MB.  Right after the download, you need to apply a definition update. The update which is also around 30 MB in size can be found at this page.  Now, there is a little something to do after installing Avira to get it to the perfect settings.

Avira has this option of adding files to exceptions, but apparently it doesn’t work properly.  So, if there is a file you are sure is harmless but Avira detects it as a virus, you have to add it to the exception list manually.

• Bring up the Avira interface.
• Press F8, to bring up the configuration menu.
• Check the expert mode to get extra options.
• Expand the scan and guard sections to a list of options.
• You will see the Exception option.
• Select a file and add it to exception to avoid moving it to quarantine during a scan.

Also, the free license is updated automatically. So, you can go on using the free version for as long as you want.

Conclusion

Avira is the best antivirus I have come across and I highly recommend trying it out. Come back in a few days to learn about the second part of my security setup that has protected me for three years.  What antivirus do you use?

(By) Chinmoy Kanjilal is a technology, web2.0 and Linux enthusiast and evangelist. He has an in depth knowledge of working of Softwares, Operating Systems, Hardwares and Computer Networks. Blogging is his favourite pasttime. He blogs primarily at Techarraz. You can find him on Twitter @chinmoykanjilal.

Image by Peter Kaminski

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Tags: antivirus, avira, avira antivir, best antivirus, computer security, free antivirus, high detection rates