Avast! Free Antivirus 2014 beta is a first look at avast!'s next generation of antivirus engine.
Installation is fast, perhaps due to a major reduction in product size (the installer is less than half the size of the current build). We found the package ran alongside Norton Internet Security without any conflicts, and avast! also says you should be able to install the beta over your existing avast! product, where it will preserve your settings.
Scans can apparently be much faster, for some file types at least; in terms of in-memory scan times, EXE files are now checked around twice as quickly, text contents (web pages, scripts) are up to 10x faster. (The program still needs to load this content in the first place, though, so final scan times won't change very much.)
There are several important improvements to avast's protection features. You get enhanced streaming updates for real-time detections; a new DeepScreen technology helps the program make smarter decisions about unknown files; extended cloud scanning again assists in detection; and if something does turn up, then improved cleaning will get rid of it more reliably.
And all this is presented in a vastly simplified and more configurable interface (there are now only three shields to worry about, for instance).
Please note, the beta will by default install Google Toolbar. If that's not what you want, pay attention during setup and clear the relevant checkbox when it appears.
Beta 2 includes these changes (since Beta 1):
- GUI glitches
- FW stability
- Network protection component tuning & compatibility (Win8 ) - no more Tdi technology
- Windows 8.1 compatibility
- Smooth updates of VPS & program
- Updated the SafeZone browser
