Labs

Computer Buyer readers will probably not be familiar with Computer Associates, which concentrates on making software for big businesses. As well as making business programs, though, Computer Associates also produce the EZ Antivirus program for home users.

At first glance you might dismiss EZ Antivirus as something out of the ark. It looks like an extra-grey version of a Windows Explorer window with a couple of additional buttons on the toolbar. You click on a folder in the top-left panel and its contents appear in the top-right panel. Click the green Go button and the scanner checks the files shown above. It's simple, but it found every infected file we threw at it.

The built-in e-mail scanner works well, scanning messages as they arrive from a standard POP3 mail server. It deals with infections without stopping your messages

There are plenty of useful features included, but you need to search the menus to find them. For example, you can create a bootable floppy that can help rescue a system rendered unbootable by a virus. However, to do so you need to visit the Tools menu and use options called Record Templates and Reference Disk. This is not everyday terminology, and in fact the program uses the floppy disk to back up the hard disk's boot sector. Most people would assume that a rescue disk allowed you to boot the PC and run a scanner.

There is a good Wizard for setting up the software, and the program can download updates automatically, so you won't need a degree in software engineering to use eTrust EZ Antivirus effectively. It's just that you won't necessarily enjoy it.

For the money, eTrust EZ Antivirus is an excellent deal. Non-technical users may find they need a program that's easier to get around. But if you're experienced enough to be able to navigate and set this software up, you'll find it a capable program at a cracking price.

Real bargain hunters can get their hands on Computer Associates' anti-virus software for less than a tenner if they buy ZoneAlarm with Antivirus. The standalone version here has more features, though, and is well worth the extra seven pounds.