AVG Antivirus Free

AVG Anti-Virus Free needs no introduction, being one of the most popular and respected antivirus programs in the world.

This program serves as a tool for you to keep your computer protected against the action of the most varied types of virtual pests - including viruses, spyware, worms and trojans.

Nowadays, our routine in front of the computer is almost all the time online, leaving us very susceptible to malware attacks. Thus, the central idea of this application is to prevent your machine from becoming contaminated by performing this prevention through real-time protections.

AVG Anti-Virus Free also treats infections that are already installed on your hard disk, eliminating the invading malicious content. The program is completely free to use, so you have no excuse not to try it.

At the time of installation

At the very beginning of the installation process you are asked whether you want to do the "Express installation" or the "Custom installation". If you select the second option, you can choose the basic protection components to be installed. These are "Computer protection" and "Internet and email protection".

The first element acts on real-time machine security by blocking known threats instantly. The other prevents the action of potential malware shared through malicious links, downloads and email attachments.

Once installed, AVG Anti-Virus Free displays a screen that brings together, in addition to the virus-hunting tool, other products from the company. These include PC TuneUp (a feature for improving PC performance), Secure VPN (a feature that allows anonymous surfing), and Web TuneUp (for safer web surfing).

Machine Overview

As soon as you start AVG Anti-Virus Free, it automatically begins a database update. Although the procedure may take a few moments, it is essential that it is completed to ensure the safety of your computer.

When you enter the application, the main screen opens, showing modules available in both the antivirus and the company's integrated security tool. Therefore, you notice that some of them, such as the hacker attack protection mechanism, are disabled.

Among the available and functional features, you find menus that allow you to configure the email protection (checking both incoming and outgoing messages), the mechanism that prevents identity theft and privacy violation, and the function that checks for vulnerable websites.

Malware Hunting

Virus scanning can be performed from the start screen by clicking the "Scan computer" button. Once this is done, the full scan starts immediately and you can follow the progress in real time. However, if you want to choose the type of scan to be performed, click on the button with the cog icon next to the aforementioned alternative.

AVG Anti-Virus Free offers three scan types for the system. In addition to the mode already mentioned, you can choose an option for a deep scan of the machine. This procedure usually takes a bit longer, but it is worth running it from time to time to ensure the safety of your hard disk.

Another alternative is to scan portable devices connected to the computer. It is also possible to scan only specific directories and to determine that a scan always takes place before the operating system starts.

At the end of any of these procedures, the program displays a report with the results. If there are any occurrences, you can select them and request that the program take the necessary action to resolve the problem, such as quarantining the threat.

Permanent deletion

As a complement to the malware protection functionality, AVG Anti-Virus Free offers a feature called "File Shredder". This tool is used to permanently delete files or entire folders from your storage disk.

This feature is interesting in order to prevent sensitive information, including photos, videos, and documents, from falling into the wrong hands. It is worth mentioning the fact that once deleted, these contents cannot be recovered. Therefore, be careful when selecting what you want to delete from your PC.

Latest news

In its latest update, AVG Anti-Virus Free brought, as usual, a number of improvements. Among the new features is a redesigned interface that allows easy monitoring of all available protection layers.

The malware scanning function is even faster and can investigate the existence of unwanted toolbars, vulnerable browser extensions, and PC performance problems. All this with just one click.

In addition, the antivirus now allows potentially malicious downloads to be blocked before they are even transferred to the computer - a feature that was only present in paid versions of the software, as well as sending database updates in real time.

What's new

• Hello, menu, my new friend - Check out all the useful shortcuts we've added to our top right menu;
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• Goodbye double-clicking - You no longer have to double-click on our pop-ups to open or close them ;
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• Smarter intelligent scan - The virus scan now handles threats automatically, so you don't have to worry about scans;
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• "Reboot" has been started - A redundant reboot message has been fixed;
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• Firewall fix - Change firewall settings now! Actually, you can now change the firewall settings.