Avast Pro Antivirus is the security product sold by AVAST Software a.s. (formerly ALWIL Software a.s.). The product provides complete virus protection for customer computers, thanks to an antivirus engine that is working in parallel with a comprehensive anti-spyware detection system. Avast Pro Antivirus is considered an overall better security solution, compared to the free version of Avast Antivirus, with a fully customizable set of features and overall increased protection for web surfing.
Avast Pro Antivirus Features
This antivirus software is equipped with industry leading technologies developed with the purpose of ensuring proper security of the protected computers. For this reason, Avast Pro Antivirus has always been considered one of the most feature-rich antivirus products available on the market.
What is included in Avast Pro Antivirus
Antivirus and anti-spyware engine
Avast! Sandbox
Code emulator
Heuristics engine
Boot-time scanner
Command-line scanner
Wake-up for scan
Scheduled scanning
Behavior Shield
Silent/Gaming Mode
For the list of features and protection mechanisms not included in Avast Pro Antivirus, it is recommended you purchase a security suite, such as Avast Internet Security or a specialized PC cleaning and tune-up software product.
Avast Pro Antivirus Effectiveness
According to some of the world’s leading 3rd party software quality and antivirus efficiency certification providers, Avast Pro Antivirus has managed to obtain the following rankings:
Virus Bulletin – Avast Antivirus, the main antivirus engine of Avast Pro Antivirus, has earned the VB100 award by demonstrating that it is able to detect all in the Wild viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning, while generating no false positives when scanning a set of clean files.
AV Comparatives – Avast Antivirus, the main antivirus engine of Avast Pro Antivirus, according to the on-demand detection test dating from August 2010, has earned the Advanced+ AV Comparatives ranking.
West Coast Labs –Avast Software a.s. has been awarded with the Westcoast Labs Checkmark Certification & Platinum Product Award.
Avast Pro Antivirus Ease of Installation
According to user experience, Avast Pro Antivirus is easy to setup and install, especially when, prior to a complete installation, the software creates a restore point to which users can rollback, in case something went wrong during the setup time. After the setup has been completed, it is recommended you run a preemptive scan with the purpose of detecting any malicious software that may be already present in the system, prior to when the antivirus software had been installed.
Avast Pro Antivirus Amount of System Resources
This antivirus product is one of the most light-weight security solutions when it comes to the amount of system resources required. For this reason, Avast Pro Antivirus only requires an average of 256 MB of RAM and occupies only 250 MB of hard disk space when installed with the full amount of features.
Avast Pro Antivirus Ease of Use
The software is designed to do most of the tasks without user interaction, however, when it comes to choosing one or several options that can affect its functionality, the user will find that the product’s interface is intuitive and easy to use. Even if the product offers a high level of customization, all options and settings are well organized and easy to access.
Avast Pro Antivirus Compatibility System Requirements
Avast Pro Antivirus is compatible with the following Operating Systems:
Windows 7 (Any Edition, excluding Starter Edition)
Windows Vista (Any Edition, excluding Starter Edition)
Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher
Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 4
Avast Pro Antivirus minimum hardware requirements:
Processor Pentium 3
256 MB RAM
250 MB of free hard disk space
On top of the basic system requirements, it is important to know that Avast! Antivirus Pro will not run properly if there are additional antivirus solutions installed on the same PC.
Avast Pro Antivirus can be purchased for $39.95 per year and the license offers protection for 1 household PC.
