The only feature that you can't reach from any other part of the interface except the menu bar is the Help menu - a little tweaking here could've made this more appealing. It doesn't look bad in Windows 7, although it is definitely archaic. On-off buttons make it easy to toggle features, although it's noteworthy that the free version is still quite restricted when compared with the free competition.Ī red banner with the program name serves as a wrapper to anchor the suite, with a Windows XP-style menu bar above it. This is perfectly acceptable, as the interface is simple and mimics that of many competitors.Ī left nav shows you your tools, while the center pane focuses on a deeper dive into your security.
It has been tweaked to include the new features, but it's the same look and feel as in the 2012 version. The interface is virtually unchanged from last year. On our test machine, it took about 1 minute, 43 seconds to complete, a completely reasonable wait to endure before the suite is ready to go. We discuss the toolbar and the changes to it in the 2013 version in the Features section below.Īt the end of the installation process, Avira will begin a quick scan. There's also an option to have Ask.com become your browser's default engine, although that's not checked by default. The toolbar screen itself is a bit unclear: it's actually Avira's WebGuard feature, powered by an Ask.com search engine that's part of the toolbar. Nobody wants to be faced with a BSOD when installing a program, and most people will blame the new software.Īnother click will take you past the Ask.com toolbar and search engine redirect, but at least Avira is polite: it's an opt-in, not opt-out, experience. At the end of the day, whether it's the fault of Avira or the previous security suite is irrelevant.
A conflict between Avira and a security suite previously installed on our test computer that left half a dozen registry keys behind caused the computer to crash and resulted in a "blue screen of death" on an otherwise stable computer. However, this is so aggressive that sometimes the program won't install properly. The two-click process will autodetect competing security components and remove them, so be warned if you think you're going to be more secure by running two overlapping AVs. Of course, that's a tacit acknowledgement of prior problems.Īnyway, the install is the simplest of the major free security suites. The company says that it developed the two-click installation as part of its "less is more" strategy, where it offers the same level of protection as before without the hassle.
Getting into Avira has never been easier, and it still has a two-click install. Last year's improved, zippy install has been changed slightly, and that may cause problems for some people. However, some aggressive components of those features gave us pause when using the suite. Whereas last year's overhaul focused on a breezy new installation and modernizing its interface, the 2013 version is all about offering competitive and forward-thinking security features.Īll that sounds well and good, and Avira has even killed off its obnoxious, interrupting pop-up in the free version. Avira returns to the security field with a second major revamp in as many years of its flagship free antivirus and paid upgrades.
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