I've been running the free versions of AVG anti-virus and anti-spyware for over a year on my laptop and recently switched to the free trial version of AVG 7.5 Internet Security. So far I've been happy with all of these products, but before I buy the paid version of AVG 7.5 Internet Security, I'd appreciate some feedback about the pros and cons of this product from users who have more experience than me with AVG and/or with a wider variety of AS and AV programs.

Specifics of my situation are:

1) The free version is installed on a Toshiba Satellite laptop, 2.3 GHz, 1 GB RAM, running Windows XP Home Version.

2) The paid version will be installed on that laptop, and on two HP Pavillion PC's, about a year old, running Windows XP Media Center.

3) One of the Pavillions is owned by a family member who is not computer savvy and I don't live close to them, so it's important that the software run with minimal user interaction on a day to day basis.

4) Given all the claims and counter claims of different security software makers, I'm totally confused as to how good AVG 7.5 Internet Security is compared to it's competitors.

Any feedback or advice on this purchasing decision will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe Walden

I cannot personally comment because I do not use this product, but here are some reviews listed on Google.

http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/AVG-Internet-Security-Review-37682.shtml
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=554
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/software/s509.htm
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/100190/avg-internet-security-75.html
http://www.crn.com/security/193105706

Good luck!

Hi,
I will not comment on the quality as I am obviously biased But if you intend to install on a computer that is used by someone who is not that computer savvy, I think that AVG is really easy to use for daily tasks. You install it and you can forget about it - does not slow down you system etc. (again, please note that I am biased!).
If you buy in the US then you have either the 24/7 e-mail support available or, if you go e.g. through one of the biggest resellers, they even provide free phone support to registered users. Feel free to contact me directly if you want more details - I do not want to make this an advertisement
AVG has all the certifications and good results in different tests. But you should be aware that no product can really detect everything and that 'safe behavior' on the net is also one of the important aspects, so that your relatives do not fall into the trap of the false sense of security.

Thank you both for your replies.

I read the reviews suggested by mrsugg and found them informative.

Hi Joe,

I can give you some insight as to my personal expereience. I've been using the Pro Version for about 6 months now. I used Nortons Internet Security prior to this but removed it because it was slowing my system down.

Here are a couple of points (please keep in mind I am just a simple user and not that knowledgeable as others about the inner workings of this application).

1. It improved my system performance as opposed to using Norton AV

2. I use it on all my systems in my office (including my Dell laptop) and have not had any issues with the rpoduct since installing.

3. Automatic updates and setting scan times for early AM makes it a no-brainer to use. My business partner (who is also my wife) is not computer savvy but this thing runs fine without her need to monitor it.

4. I followed some suggestions on this forum and added a few other goodies as a backup against malware and spyware (such as SpyBot) and all seems well.

5. It took a little bit of time to get it to play nice with my Outlook 2007 but after tweaking the settings all is fine on that end.

Overall I am glad I made the purchase and haven't looked back since. I'm working on the Internet about 8-10 hours per day and it is nice to know it is sitting back there working for me.

Jeff Hoffman
The Gilman Group

If I wanted to upgrade from the free version, I would go with AVG Anti-malware. It includes the AVG Anti-spyware module which increases the detection capabilities. That is according to AV Comparatives tests.
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

To see the difference in the free version and the AVGAM you will have to go back a year or so. It will show the Pro version, but the free version has the same detection rates. The AVGAM increases the detection rate by several percentage points.

As always, try before buy.
I have not personally used AVG, but the folks I know who do are well pleased. All of them use the free version.

Best,
Jerry

Hi everyone,

After running the free-trial version of AVG Internet Security for 30 days and reading the replies in this thread I've decided to buy it. To me, having the AV, AS, and firewall programs in an integrated package, having an outbound firewall, and not having to run anti-spyware scans manually is worth the relatively small cost per year of the 2-year license. But as Jerry said, most people can get by quite well using just the free versions of AVG and/or other AV and AS programs.

It will be interesting to see what the http://www.av-comparatives.org/comparison in December 2007 says about AVG, since their comments about AVG in Dec 2006 were sort of lukewarm but hopeful. FWIW: a few months back AVG Anti-Spyware free version detected the registry entries for Alexa trackware (installed by Windows as the "search for website" function in IE) on my laptop, which it had not done previously. So it's capabilities apparently have been increased this year.

Thank you all for your help,

Joe Walden

You're welcome and thanks for letting us know what you decided to do.

You should still have a couple of antimalware scanners on the side for doing on demand scanning. No one application if going to catch everything and a second opinion is always a good idea.