F-secure Anti-Virus 2003 is a fast anti-virus guard, but given its somewhat narrow scope is rather expensive. Although its price range of 53 U.S. Dollar for the Home / Small Office version (F-Secure AV 2003) up to 80 U.S. dollars for the Enterprise version goes, provides F-Secure Anti-Virus fewer amenities than, for example McAfee VirusScan 7.0. If unattended, for example, virus scans using a scheduler to perform, you have a free add-on F-Secure download, and install it. The same also applies to the firewall. And the review of incoming and outgoing e-mails in real time is a function of the competing offers to F-Secure, however, has not integrated.
Positive to mention is the dominant user interface easy to F-Secure Anti-Virus and the minimal impact of its scanning engine on system resources. With regard to its stress on the system, this is one of the easiest so far tested virus scanners. Who just a quick scan antivirus needs is with F-Secure Anti-Virus well advised. Otherwise, offer programs like PC-cillin or VirusScan better and more complete offer.
Setup & interface
The installation of F-Secure Anti-Virus on a download is easy, for modem users but time consuming. The setup requires two larger downloads (6.1 MB and 13.6 MB), the installation process considerably slower. So only the needed 13 MB download on the large 56-KB modem-one hours. For broadband users, this is obviously not an issue, and if once the download is complete, the setup is a breeze. Instead, you can download a CD version.
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2003 provides a tidy, easy to use interface, without the typical clutter of icons and menus altogether, the other anti-virus programs which are often.
After a few obligatory clicks is the completed installation. F-Secure Anti-Virus after installation requires only a few (if any) fine. With its default settings, the program is capable of malicious code throughout the system to automatically remove what is good, but it can also configure it so that instead all the suspicious files renames or deletes.
The designers of the program interface deserve praise that they have succeeded in the surface easy to keep. A similar website homepage replaced the usual icons and drop-down menus, making the surface and clear up confusion. The virus signatures are automatically updated by the user - a refreshing change compared to the constant annoying prompts some other antivirus programs.
Features
F-Secure provides a good, simple scanning engine available, but not much more, unless one is prepared, additional components such as a scheduler and a firewall separately download and install it. The lack of an integrated firewall is certainly understandable, but not even include the market-leading Norton AntiVirus 2003 product such. A scheduler should be standard equipment and are not an optional extra, even if F-Secure believes that its real-time scanner, which examines all files when the operating system is accessing the traditional, pre-planned virus scans unnecessary. Maybe even the true, the test team but prefers the safety and redundancy scheduled scans and wishes to their integration into the program.
F-Secure Antivirus provides basic functions, such as the ability to perform manual scans , for automated scans you have to install a separate utility.
Performance
F-Secure Anti-Virus produced in the tests only a small slowing of system performance, and this point was in par with McAfee VirusScan 7.0 and EZ Antivirus, but uses less system resources than the somewhat slow or Norton AntiVirus 2003, Panda Antivirus Platinum 7.0. Indeed, F-Secure Anti-Virus in this category is only one percentage point below the top PC-cillin.
To test the effects of F-Secure on the system performance ZDNet Labs used SysMark 2002 by BAPCO, a benchmark program that is recognized as the industry standard is. The category of Internet Content Creation SysMark measures the performance of a desktop, on the ready-to-use applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder, and Macromedia Dreamweaver running. (In the test, the category Office Productivity not performed, because the program includes McAfee VirusScan 5:13.)
In a test of the overall scan speed needed F-Secure, however, 2.2 minutes for a 1 GB big list to be reviewed. In comparison, EZ Antivirus stood with an average of 1.1 minutes for the review of a 1 GB big list at the top. McAfee VirusScan 7.0 required an average of 1.7 minutes, while Panda and Norton each required 3.1 minutes slow. With an average load time of 65.1 seconds reached F-Secure, however, only the worst possible time for the start of the program is needed
Service and Support
For its customers, the categories of home users and small businesses are assigned, provides F-Secure no phone service. (The only other anti-virus program with a similar policy without telephone support is Panda Antivirus Platinum.) Positive to mention is that of F-Secure offer free support via e-mail. The company promises to e-mail inquiries within two to eight hours to respond - quickly, compared with its competitors - and in the tests was also observed that promise. The website of the company also offers an adequate supply of software patches, troubleshooting tips and other useful anti-virus info
