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The security suite by Avira runs on 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7, Vista and XP. It will run also in the
unsupported Windows 2000 operating system but
until July 13, 2011 only. 64-bit users of Windows will not be able to enjoy AntiVir ProActiv due to kernel integration that 64-bit edition is known not to allow.
Installing Avira's security suite is a quick process and a system reboot is required which is strange because other security suite software does not require a system restart to start protecting the computer. Even their standalone AntiVir 10 don't require a system reboot. Nothing wrong in rebooting but with the technology nowadays and if others can start protecting the computer without a reboot after the install, there is no reason for Avira to not implement the same in its security suite software.
The total hard-disk space that Avira uses after the install is 125MB but it will also install Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable v9.0.30729.4148 which is not a vulnerable version. Spyware Doctor, for example, installs a vulnerable version of Visual C++ Redistributable.
The program will add the following services and start-up item in Windows:
- Start-up item: AVGNT.EXE, the Antivirus system tray tool of Avira.
- Services: AVFWSVC.EXE, AVMAILC.EXE, SCHED.EXE, AVGUARD.EXE and AVWEBGRD.EXE. These are the services by Avira Firewall, AntiVir Mail Guard, Scheduler, AntiVir Guard and AntiVir WebGuard, respectively.
The good news is that there's no add-on in the browser to guard web browsing but AntiVir WebGuard service will monitor any browser the user chooses. This means you don't have to be a Firefox or Internet Explorer user only but with any web browser you will be protected while you surf the net.
When you install the security suite of Avira, you have the option to customize the install process by enabling secure start mode that will protect the computer before getting to the Windows logon. An optional quick system scan after the install is available and the program checks for updates before scanning.
