Top Pick for Free Antivirus of 2008: Avira AntiVir Personal Edition

The “Avira Antivir Personal Edition” is an antivirus software which offers one of the best protections for viruses and Trojans – all for free.

A standard computer’s main programs include an operating system or OS (Windows, Mac, or Linux), an Office suite (Microsoft Office or Open Office), an internet browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari), and an Antivirus software.

When it comes to choosing the first three main programs, it’s usually easy as we just use with what we are already comfortable with or used to. But when it comes to deciding which antivirus program to install in our computers, most of us don’t know what to really use.

The free Avira Antivir Personal Edition is an antivirus program that I can recommend then to all of you who still haven’t decided what antivirus program to use. I’ve been testing it and using it for almost a year now and I highly recommend it to all of you – especially to those who prefer not to buy paid antivirus software. Its detection and removal of viruses and Trojans is very good that it can even rival some of the paid antivirus programs in the market.

Why Avira Antivir?

1. For it’s very good detection and removal of viruses, Trojans, and Rootkits.

Avira Antivir has a good detection and removal rate for viruses, Trojans and Rootkits. For almost a year, it has never failed me on detecting Trojans and viruses when I browse a malicious site, or when I plug in a flash disk with a virus to my computer.

It has also been rated by PC Pro as being very reliable as it achieved a 92% detection rate in their tests. 92% reliability is very high for a free edition.

 

Although the free Avira Antivir doesn’t have an email scanner, it really isn’t a problem. It won’t scan your emails but once you open one containing a virus, Avira Antivir will be there to catch it.

2. It regularly and automatically updates to protect you from new viruses.

Part of the reason of the good detection rate of Avira Antivir is their regular update (almost everyday). Avira Antivir’s updates though are sometimes slow. Even if you have a fast connection, sometimes the download of their update would be a little time-consuming. What I also don’t like is that whenever it updates, a pop-up will appear trying to convince you to buy the paid version. Well, I guess that is to be expected for a free version.

 

3. It’s light on system resources

Avira Antivir doesn’t take up a lot of memory. It only needs to take a few seconds for it to load and once it’s done, it wouldn’t eat much of your computer’s resources.

4. It has all the advantages of the above – all for FREE!

Need I say more? And no, I do not have stocks or market shares on Avira.

 

Of course, a paid version is still your best bet in protecting your computer from viruses, Trojans and other computer threats. But the Avira Antivir Personal Edition would surely make you think twice if you ever need to buy one. If you still can’t decide which antivirus to install in your computer or you’re still searching for a good paid antivirus software, try Avira Antivir. It will help you assess if you still need a paid version, and would protect your computer from viruses if and until you decide to buy one.

 

UPDATE: I forgot to mention where you can download Avira Antivir. (Duh!) You can download it at the official site of Avira here