ESET Antivirus Overview

ESET specializes in delivering comprehensive protection against PC security threats with a proactive threat detection system. NOD32 Antivirus is the foundation product that everything else ESET produces is built on.

In addtion to NOD32, Smart Security (an additional product) integrates with this antivirus software to create a solid barrier against viruses, spyware, spam and other intrusions, all done with speed and very small footprint on the system to maintain resource usage.

Awarded several recognitions and merits for performance and accuracy of detection, ESET NOD32 Antivirus is a very good choice for PC protection.

Full list of features:

• Keeps PCs safe from viruses, spyware, trojans, key loggers and other malware
• Scans and cleans internet traffic and email
• Stops threats from removable devices
• Integrated SysInspector and SysRescue for diagnostics and recovery
• Detects malware other antivirus programs miss
• Discrete signature updates won't bog down your system
• Free Technical Support

ESET NOD32 Antivirus Test/Review

1. Installation - Simple as can be, fast with easy to follow dialog boxes and prompts. It does require a reboot but the program asks ahead of time. Also during installation the user is prompted to setup a password, it is recommended that a strong password is created and kept somewhere safe.

2. User Interface - The user interface is straight forward and perhaps one of the most simple, the main menu on the left side of the interface have only 5 items you can choose from.

"Protection Status" displays the current state of the system, in the case of the recently scanned test system the result is "Maximum Protection" for both antivirus and spyware.

The "Computer Scan" option is where the user has two scan options, "Smart Scan" which automatically scans local disks and the "Custom Scan" where the user has the option of scanning specific drives including network drives, cd/dvd drives and even "Operating Memory".

The "Update" option is where the user can manually update the virus signature database, however the program automatically does this and very quietly so not to cause the system to struggle for resources. Under this same option, the user can also reset the Username and Password.

The "Setup" area allows the user to temporarily disable the antivirus and spyware protection, use this feature with caution and always remember to re-enable the protection.

One important feature also exists under the Setup area, it's called "Toggle Advanced Mode", by clicking on this link the program will pop up a window warning the user that the program is about to go into advanced mode. Once in advanced mode a few more options become available under Setup.

Here the user can disable "Real-time file system protection", "Document protection", "Email client protection" and "Web access protection". There is also a feature to Configure Proxy Servers, Import and Export Settings and open up even more options with dozens of options each with specific settings. Definitely more than the average PC user needs to play with.

In the advanced mode another option appears on the left side of the interface called "Tools" under which there are log files, a Quarantine container, a scheduler and the all important "SysInspector".

3. The SysInspector A very handy tool, by creating a new profile of your system by simply clicking on the "Create" button, the system is thoroughly inspected to detect: "Running Processes", "Network Connections", "Important Registry Entries", "Services" and a number of options that can be very helpful for troubleshooting an unstable system.

By dragging the "Filtering" dial button on the top of the window, SysInspector will start showing the most critical entries first making it much easier to spot the infections or corrupted files.

 

System Requirements

• Intel or AMD x86/ x64
• Windows 2000, XP (32 and 64 bit), Vista (32 and 64 bit), 7 (32 and 64 bit)
• Memory 44MB
• Disk Space (download) 28 MB
• Disk Space (install) 35MB