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Today we’re comparing McAfee’s Total Protection package with AVG’s Award Winning Internet Security Package.  The comparison will involve an overview of each packages features and then at the end we’ll tell you which we think is better through our rating system.  Our ratings are worked out by the amount of ticks the product has.  Further points are awarded for faster download, simpler/better installation and cheaper price.

Feature
Download Time	Average	Fast
Installation	Installation time is long but happens automatically which discards any confusion.  However, unlike AVG you still have to configure all the software features after the installation/setup process.	Takes an average length of time.  Quite extensive and helps you set up the basic features of the software.
Antivirus
Anti-Spyware
Anti-Spam
Anti-Phishing
Firewall
Identity Protection
Web Shield (Browse the web safely)
Link Scanner
Free 24 Hour Support
Anti-Rootkit
Data Backup
Parental Controls
RRP	1 Year: £58.69 (up to 3 PC’s)	1 Year: £48.93 (for 3 computers)
Available to download from Brandstar?
Overal Rating	10/16	14/16

So after playing around with the two programs I can conclude that we think AVG Internet Security is better than McAfee Total Protection.  It has a wider range of tools and equipment to give an overall better performance.  McAfee looks nicer than AVG but we all know looks can be deceiving and AVG turns out to be far easier to use.  A huge advantage of AVG is that you can buy it for 1 computer if you only have 1 computer, whereas you dont have the option to do that with McAfee Total Protection.  Although the installation of AVG involves you having to make some choices it saves you having to do them in the long run and it helps provide you with an even better performance.  Whereas with McAfee you spend ages doing the Automatic installation to find out you still have to configure all the features yourself!!

Next time we will be comparing AVG Internet Security with Kaspersky Internet Security.

Last week AVG released the Free version of their new award winning Virus Protection software. It is still an entry level protection package and their full Internet Security software still offers much more protection but for those home users who really can’t afford it then this is the next best thing!

Along with the Anti-Virus module, this version of AVG Free includes AVG Spyware protection and AVG’s new ‘Safe Search’ feature to help protect you online.

Compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. Download it now for Free!

This blog will show you how to use AVG Free Edition efficiently and effectively. AVG is a free (for personal use) virus scanning software download which we have found to be an excellent virus scanner.

AVG Will automatically update each day if the computer is connected to the Internet. The update will take roughly one minute on a Broadband connection but may take longer if you are on a dial-up connection. The AVG icon is the square on the left-hand side of the picture below.

To manually update you simply right-click on the AVG icon and select check for updates. However, you must be connected to the internet to do this. Again the update will take roughly one minute, on a broadband connection but may take longer if you are on a dial-up connection. If the AVG icon becomes slightly grey it means that AVG is in need of updating.

How to run a Scan:

To run a virus scan you must firstly double click on the AVG icon located on the bottom right-hand side of your screen.

Secondly click on ‘Test Centre’ situated on the left-hand side of the AVG window.

Then a second AVG window will appear. Simply select ‘Scan Computer’ and your computer will begin to search for viruses. AVG will then deal with the virus. The scan will take approximately 1 hour.

How to change the time of a Scheduled Scan:

AVG automatically is set to do a system scan at 8.00 am each day. If the computer is switched on after 8.00 am, AVG will automatically run a system scan as soon as the computer is switched on. The scan should take roughly 1 hour depending on the speed of the computer and the amount of files there are on it. To change the time of a scan follow the instructions below:

Firstly double-click on the AVG icon located on the bottom right-hand side of your screen.

This will open up the window below. Click once on ‘Scheduler’ and then select ‘Scheduled Tasks’.

By doing this a new window will open. Click once on ‘Test Plan In Basic Mode’ to highlight it and then select ‘Edit Schedule’.

Then the window below will appear. All you need to do is simply change the date and time in the bar, either using the arrows or keyboard. Once you have made your changes click ‘OK’ or to delete changes click ‘Cancel’.

How to cancel todays scan:

When a virus scan is happening the computer will slow down a fair amount. If you wish to cancel the scan for that day, follow the instructions below:

Firstly right click on the AVG sign with a white triangle in the middle, which is placed on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The white triangle simply means that AVG is running a Scan.

Then simply select ‘Cancel Scanning’.

How to stop all daily scan:

To stop the computer scanning daily double click on the AVG icon.

This will open the window below. Click once on the ‘Scheduler’ and then select ‘Schedule Tasks’.

By doing this a new window will open. Click once on ‘Test Plan In Basic Mode’ to highlight it and then select ‘Edit Schedule’.

Then simply un-check the box which says ‘Periodically Start Scheduled Anti-Virus Test’. This will mean that you will have to manually run a test, we recommend a scan once a week for most machines.

If this helps please let us know!