AVAST! Reviewer's Comments

When you open AVAST 4 you'll find two different interfaces-one for the average user and one that is for the more advanced user. The simple interface has the look and feel similar to that of DVD player software. It is unfortunately difficult to use and navigate. The options are not labeled with the exception of a pop-up description when you hover over a button. The enhanced interface provides plenty of options to customize the program to fit your needs, however it also suffers from some simple tags for the buttons.

This software provides good protection with the on-demand scanner and the resident scanner though these slow down the system while performing file transfers or opening programs. The email protection is adequate for POP3, SMTP and IMAP accounts.

AVAST 4 didn't receive the West Coast Labs Checkmark level 1 or 2 or the VB100%. AVAST wasn't as effective as some of the other products reviewed. For better virus protection refer to some of our higher ranked products

The AVAST update feature checks for product and virus definition updates at either a user-defined interval or manually. When you do a manual check for updates, you decide which updates to install. When the software automatically checks for updates, it can update the files at that time or at a time previously specified during setup.

This product is very easy to install and we didn't encounter any problems.

The manufacturer offers online support with a knowledge base search and FAQs page. You can contact customer support through email-they responded to ours within 36 hours. The telephone support is only for commercial users.