Labs

Virus scanning for free? Surely there's a catch.

Prevention

AVG Anti-Virus missed two of the newer viruses installed on our test system, and didn't recognise a well-known Trojan running and accepting connections from the Internet. This is due to the fact that, unlike the other antivirus scanners, which offer frequent updates, AVG's updates monthly.

AVG picked up the older Trojans and backdoors, placing them into quarantine. It didn't, however, detect our custom backdoor, and failed to identify changes made to boot sector files. Even though boot sector viruses are rare,

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they're still an major threat that antivirus software should look out for. Another trick virus writers use is to double-infect files - sadly, AVG only found the first virus in our double-infected file.

Ease of use

AVG's main control screen is user-friendly, but looks a bit dated next to some of its rivals. A Windows XP-style makeover wouldn't go amiss. One surprise was the fact that it integrates so well within Windows - AVG allows you to right-click on any file to scan it. Not bad for freeware! Another useful feature is AVG's Virus Vault, in which viruses are quarantined to prevent further infection. More advanced features are available if you purchase a £30 licence.

AVG's only notable shortcoming is the lack of an icon in the Windows Taskbar. Without this, there's nothing to tell you if the software is running.

Overall

AVG does remarkably well for a free product - although we were a bit concerned by the infrequency of the updates, given the rate at which new viruses are unleashed. Still, if you don't go in for high-risk activities, such as downloading vast numbers of files from the Internet, AVG offers reasonable protection for free.