AntiVir and AVG Free: An End to the Elusive Search for Free Virus Protection The Elusive 'Holy Grail' of Virus Scanners Forrest Stroud
Cost in one form or another has always been a formidable setback for many users when it comes to securing sufficient protection from computer viruses, although in many cases the cost of not protecting yourself ends up being far more expensive than paying for total virus protection. Still, when you combine the purchase price of the scanner itself, the continual cost of virus definition subscriptions, and the per incident pricing of support, virus scanners don't come cheap, a considerable drawback for the cheapskate — make that 'cost conscious consumer' — in all of us.
We've personally been on a long and frustrating search for the 'Holy Grail' of virus scanners — one that offers free advanced real-time scanning, free regularly updated virus definitions, and even free technical support, even if it's limited to just e-mail or Web forums support. Computer Associates' InoculateIT Personal Edition arrived in the mid-to-late-90s, teasing us with its promises of delivering a completely free service for computer users in order to significantly limit the total amount of damage caused by viruses to PCs. Unfortunately, InoculateIT PE was too good to last, and since its demise in 2001, we've struggled to find an adequate replacement to fill in the gaps.
Fast forward to today and we have not just one but two contenders for the Holy Grail of virus scanning. The German-based AntiVir satisfies all three
criteria, but what about extras? And AVG Anti-Virus System Free Edition meets the criteria as well (although just barely in the support department), but does it come up short in other areas? Read on to find out.
