Top five antivirus software reviews 2008

Anti-virus software should be easy enough for a computer novice to both use and install. The software should effectively seek out and identify virus threats, as well as clean or isolate infected files. There should be understandable reporting available for each scan and plenty of help support available, so you can be well informed of the software’s activities and capabilities. You can see criteria used to evaluate anti-virus software here.

Listed in order of rating:
1. BitDefender

The best line of defense against computer viruses, spyware, hackers and spam is BitDefender 2008, our #1 ranked anti–virus software and winner of “TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award.” BitDefender 2008 is an outstanding product with a user–friendly interface that will scan all existing files on your computer, all incoming and outgoing emails, IM transfers and all other network traffic.

This latest version of BitDefender has a new Gamer Mode feature that minimizes impact on gaming performance so you can play safe. The software still has all of the reliable features for which Bitdefender is known such as “Privacy Protection” for outgoing personal information, “Web Scanning” while you’re using the Internet and “Rootkit Detection and Removal,” which detects then removes hidden virus programs.

BitDefender has also improved their existing B–HAVE feature that runs pieces of software on a virtual computer to detect code that could be an unknown virus. In addition, a setup wizard makes it easy to customize security settings.

2. Kaspersky

This software is perfect for the average home user and advanced users. For home users, who don't want to get too technical, there is recommended settings and an easy-to-find scan button that will instantly start to scan your computer based on these settings. More advanced users can go into the settings tab and completely customize what they would like the program to do.

Kaspersky comes with three types of scan levels: Maximum - thoroughly scans all files, self-extracting archives, startup objects, disk boot sectors, system memory and email format files. Normal - covers everything the maximum setting covers minus email format files. High Speed - scans everything minus the email format files, archives and startup objects.

3. ESET Nod32

of customization features. Nevertheless we wouldn't discourage the average home user from using this product-it just may take some time to learn everything.

Nod32 has two different ways to run the program. You can run a simple Nod32 scan or you can spend more time using the control center. Within the control center you can have access to tons of customiztion feature and differnet types of scans-DMON, IMON, EMON and more. Here is an overview of the different scans:

• AMON - the resident (running in operating memory at all times) or "on-access" antivirus monitor. This program is the most crucial antivirus defense tool.
• NOD32 (also referred to as the "on-demand" scanner) - this is the scanner executed manually by the user, or automatically by the scheduler.
• IMON - this scanner provides the first line of defense by monitoring Internet traffic (SMTP, ftp, http and other Winsock protocols).
• EMON - the Nod32 Mail Scanner provides protection from email-borne viruses.
• DMON - scans Microsoft office documents and files directly downloaded from Internet Explorer.

Nod32 is a first-rate antivirus program that offers several levels of superior protection. However, the product is somewhat hard to understand because of the technical jargon and wouldn't be our first choice for the average home user.

4. Trend Micro (PC-Cillin)

This security program has protocols for protecting PCs against viruses, worms and Trojan horses as well as spyware, rootkits and malware. It scans incoming files real–time, including emails, downloads and files from portable storage devices. You can also schedule scans, run customized scans or conduct a scan on demand. However, it does not offer P2P file sharing or registry start up protection, but this is not uncommon, of the products we reviewed only BitDefender offers both of these features.

this program performs about as well as its competitors but BitDefender is more affordably priced and Kaspersky, for the same price, scans faster and updates more often.

5. F-Secure Anti-Virus

F-Secure not only thoroughly scans for viruses, but also has a built-in anti-spyware scanner. You can run one or the other or both to cut down on scan times and best fit your needs.

Additionally, the program scans outgoing and incoming email in real-time, does a great job of protecting your registry against possible hijackers and controls which programs startup automatically.

F-Secure has a news section where you can sign up for virus alerts and updates of what's going on in the virus world.

The average person can install F-Secure and be worry free about viruses infecting their machine. With just a glance at this program, you can quickly tell if you are up to date on your virus definitions, and see if there is anything you should be concerned about.

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