pctoolbox.co.uk

Our recently expired poll, Free or Subscription based Anti-Virus?, unsurprisingly resulted in subscription based anti-virus coming top.

However, we were worried to see that 41% of voters have either free anti-virus or no anti-virus whatsoever!  Whilst free virus protection is better than none it doesn’t provide your computer with the full protection that it requires to run successfully and safely.

Here at PCToolbox we recommend AVG Internet security.  Around June-July last year we ran an investigation, testing all the big name anti-virus protection programs against each other and concluded that in our opinion AVG Internet Security is by far the best.  Click to read the summary – ‘Antivirus Comparison – The Final Ratings and Rankings‘.

To find out more about AVG Internet Security watch the video in our recent post ‘Learn about AVG Internet Security 9.0 – Video‘.

Don’t forget to vote on our current poll…Do you get emails on your phone?

A fantastic video to explain how AVG Internet Security works and why you should purchase it!

It’s the time of year when we’re all trying to get all our Christmas presents for friends and family.  Last year we did our 12 Days of Christmas Shopping and we thought it would be good to remind you of some great places to purchase gifts online!

1. Apple
2. 123-Reg
3. Dell
4. Amazon
5. AVG
6. Misco
7. CD WOW
8. Dabs
9. HMV
10. PC World
11. The Carphone Warehouse
12. I Want One Of Those

We hope you find this helpful for ideas!

Here is a table comparing the latest AVG packages.  They are all currently available from Brandstar with a 15% Discount!

Free Anti-Virus software doesn’t protect you, your files or your identity while:

• Shopping online
• Banking online
• Chatting to friends
• Downloading music, files and films

Feature	AVG Free	AVG Anti-Virus	AVG Internet Security
RRP – 1 Year	Free*	£27.99	£39.99
RRP – 2 Years	Free*	£38.99	£59.99
Anti-Virus – Makes sure you can get or spread a virus, worm or Trojan horse
Anti-Spyware – Prevents unauthorized information access by spyware and adware
LinkScanner ® – Ensures every page you visit is safe – before you go there
Web Shield – Lets you download and exchange files without risking virus infections
Advanced Anti-Rootkit Protection – Ensures even the toughest and most sophisticated hidden threats are kept out
Game Mode – Keeps you safe without interrupting you while you’re playing
AVG Identity Protection – Keeps your private information safe from known and unknown threats.
Anti-Spam – Blocks spammers and scammers from clogging your system
Enhanced Firewall – Prevents hackers from seeing inside your computer
System Tools – Optionally customize how AVG Protection works with your system
Free Support – Free 24/7 support from AVG
Download	Free	30 Day Trial	30 Day Trial
Buy at Brandstar	N/A	Buy at Brandstar	Buy at Brandstar

Hoax-Slayer is a website we discovered a couple of weeks back and a member of our team literally fell in love with it straight away.  Graham described it as a ‘website after my own heart’!  Therefore, I’ve been set the task to let you know what it’s all about!  The description on the Hoax-Slayer website pretty much sums the site up in one paragraph:

“Hoax-Slayer is dedicated to debunking email hoaxes, thwarting Internet scammers, combating spam, and education web users about email and Internet security issues.  Hoax-Slayer allows Internet users to check the veracity of common email hoaxes and aims to counteract criminal activity by publishing information about common types of Internet scams.  Hoax-Slayer also includes anti-spam tips, computer and email security information, articles about true email forwards and much more.  New articles are added to the Hoax-Slayer website every week.”

So in other words, Hoax-Slayer is out with a mission to remove any scams and hoaxes around on the internet to make it a better and safer place for all!  The site has a variety of really helpful articles and guides to help you avoid any problems!

The site is really worth browsing over to prepare you for any potentially problematic emails/scams on the internet!

Anti-Virus Software for 2 Years on 3 Computers only £44.99!

Save your money in this credit crunching time by purchasing your AVG Antivirus and Security software from Brandstar!

With Brandstar’s offers you can save up to £38.99 on AVG Anti-Virus Software!!

Want to find out more? Click on the image below!

Product	RRP	Brandstar Price	Saving
AVG Internet Security 2 Year 3 User	£83.98	£44.99	£38.99!!

Want AVG Internet Security for 2 years for 10 computers instead? RRP is £225.99! Why not purchase 4 copies of the ‘AVG Internet Security 2 Year 3 User’ package at £179.96 saving you £46.03 and leaving you with 2 copies of AVG Internet Security left over should you need them for other machines!

Want to find out more? Click on the product image!

People are forever asking us ‘What’s new about Windows 7 Professional?’  Here’s a few of our favourite Windows 7 Professional features!

We’ve now come to the end of our Antivirus Comparison Series.  To finish everything off we’re going to give each software a rating and a rank….

Software	Rating	Rank
		6
		7
		3
		4
		2
		5
		1

From all our investigations over the past few weeks we can conclude in our opinion AVG Internet Security is the best software around!  We were really pleased and excited to see that Avira and Kaspersky have so much potential and are on the verge of being world class products.  Norton 360 and McAfee, for us, were the biggest let downs.  The quality of product and service just isn’t as good as you expect.  In many cases you’re better off going for a smaller brand or AVG!  All software used in the comparisons were the best available home software from the brand at the time of writing.

I think the interesting and most important thing to take from the investigation is that the two biggest household names are rated as last.  Consequently this whole survey really asks this question…’do the big name brands always provide  the best service and product?’

Want to find out more?  Check out the original comparison articles:

• Norton 360 vs AVG Internet Security
• McAfee Total Protection vs AVG Internet Security
• Trend Micro Internet Security Pro vs AVG Internet Security
• Avira Premium Security Suite vs AVG Internet Security
• avast! Professional Edition vs AVG Internet Security
• Kaspersky Internet Security vs AVG Internet Security

Over the past month we have been comparing antivirus software.  Below is a table which summaries our findings!  We’ve put all the results into percentages to make everything fair!

	Alternative Software %	AVG % in Comparison
	64%	86%
	63%	88%
	75%	94%
	69%	88%
	77%	82%
	67%	90%

As you can see from the table, AVG is by far the superior antivirus software when compared to the others.  Throughout the entire comparison process we were very impressed with the potential of some of the lesser known software like Avira and Kaspersky.  In a few years time they could really be battling with the rest!  Look out for our ratings table in coming weeks!

Today we’re comparing Trend Micro Internet Security Pro and the Award Winning AVG Internet Security!  Many of you wouldn’t have heard of Trend Micro.  They’re one of the less known Anti-Virus Software providers.  For more information on Trend Micro visit their website!  The comparison will involve an overview of the features each package has and then at the end we’ll tell you which we think is better through our rating system. Our ratings are worked out by the amount of ticks the product has. Further points are awarded for faster download, simpler/better installation and cheaper price.

Feature
Download Time	Very Long	Fast
Installation	Installation is of average length and is simple.  However, it doesn’t take you through any setup.	Takes an average length of time.  Quite extensive and helps you set up the basic features of the software.
Anti-Virus
Anti-Spyware
Anti-Spam
Blocks unauthorized programs
Web Shield
Toolbar
Authenticates wireless hotspots and Wi-Fi Networks
Child Protection (inc time, length and content)
Personal Information Protection (Encryption)
Link Scanner
Snapshot of security features
Clean up PC for faster performance
Anti-Malware
Anti-Phishing
Anti-Rootkit
Identity Protection(Advanced)
Firewall
Available to buy from Brandstar
RRP (3 PC’s for 1 year)	£54.95	£58.71
Overall Rating	14 out of 21	19 out of 21

Overall I haven’t been that impressed with Trend Micro Internet Security Pro.  It has a long way to go before it will compete with the liks of AVG.  It may be cheaper but you have to buy the 3 PC package which is pretty pointless if you only have 1 PC.  The features that the software offers aren’t as capable and advanced as that of AVG Internet Security.  Trend Micro is however easy to use and have a very user friendly layout!  However, to fight for a place in the top 3 they’ll need to bring something unique and some quality to the table neither of which they provide now.  So my advice, if you’re stuck between the two go for AVG!