Kaspersky Anti-Virus: reviews, descriptions and features

"Kaspersky Lab" in many ratings of antivirus software developers is in the top positions. This is not discussed. Among the many programs there are also free packages. Not so long ago a new free modification of Kaspersky Free was presented. Feedback from users and experts divided. We will try to evaluate the new program (Kaspersky Free 2016 Beta) according to the opinions of users and experts.

Kaspersky Free Antivirus: reviews and first impressions

So, the developer decided to present a new package to the users court. As claimed by its creators, the program has become very "easy" and reliable. In addition, the full free of the package Kaspersky Free is also approved. User reviews, however, indicate that the program appears to be conditionally-free, but more on that later.

As for the opinion of experts, they immediately drew attention to the fact that only two modifications were released for use in Russia and Ukraine. And the name speaks for itself. This is a real beta version, that is, a development created solely for testing. So bugs in the program is enough with a vengeance, despite all the assurances of developers about reliability.

Separately, it is worth paying attention to the main features of Kaspersky Anti-Virus. The responses of experts in the field of security software directly indicate that they are much less compared to the same Internet Security package. The main attention is paid only to protection from penetration of threats and automatic updating. About no security of the same Internet payments, anti-spyware module, parental control and even technical support of speech does not go at all (these characteristics can be seen on the official website of the developer).

There is one more problem related to Kaspersky Free. Feedback from the same system administrators indicates that there is no any means of monitoring networks, protection against network attacks, a firewall, Internet management, monitoring changes in the operating system, anti-spam and anti-banner, secure input, protection from data collection , Backup modules, virtual safe, password manager, etc. Enumerate shortcomings can be very long.

On the other hand, there are pluses. The Kaspersky Free package (expert reviews confirm this), there is a file, mail, web and IM antivirus, an anti-phishing module, and the ability to use the on-screen keyboard.

Finally, even though the package supports the latest update for Windows 10 Anniversary Update, there are limitations for the "dozens" regarding the suspension of protection.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus: reviews of system requirements

System requirements are not that high. For regular computers with Windows XP requires a processor with a clock speed of 1 GHz and above, plus 512 MB of RAM. For systems of higher rank, the same type of processor is needed, but for 32-bit systems, 1 GB of free RAM is required, for a 64-bit architecture, 2 GB.

For netbooks, the requirements are higher - a 1.66GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, a screen with a minimum diagonal of 10.1 inches and a resolution of at least 1024x600 pixels, and it's completely unclear what the use of the Intel GMA 950 chipset is for .

For tablets like Microsoft Tablet PC, a prerequisite is a 1.6 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM.

The characteristics of the equipment are modest by modern standards. But! If you take into account the requirement of free disk space of 920 MB, it is worth pondering. In addition, unlike some other similar programs, the antivirus is installed exclusively on the system disk, and it is simply impossible to change its location to a virtual partition.

Problems activating the package

As for the activation of users' opinions, it is said that after installation the program normally works only in Russia and Ukraine. The declared period is 365 days, but this can not yet be verified. After it expires, the application will lose functionality. But what will happen next? Will you have to buy an antivirus or activate again? Unknown.

It's interesting that Belarusian users found a way to work around the problem. Activation can be done if you use proxy servers. After that, everything works without problems.

Opinions about the load on the system

The software products of Kaspersky Lab, as you know, are quite "gluttonous". In the case of Kaspersky Free, the increased load on resources is noted only at the moment of system start. Not surprisingly, it is then that the executable files are scanned. But, judging by the posts on the Internet, the further load is practically not felt.

Side effect issues

Now, a few words about the negative consequences that entails the installation of Kaspersky Free.

User reviews indicate that the same browser Mozilla Firefox after the installation of the package does not start at all (the system gives a message like "Could not load XPCOM"), and Thunderbird is not installed at all (although after removing "Kaspersky" no problems were noticed).

Another problem, according to many, is that sometimes anti-virus databases are not updated the first time. It is necessary to start the update manually. And, most unpleasantly, many note that the antivirus sometimes deletes the russified startup files of some programs.

Opinions about the stability of the Internet connection

Finally, there is one other side of the coin that belongs to the Kaspersky Free package. Reviews (and users, and experts, and sysadmins) unequivocally state that after the installation of this package, problems with communication begin to be observed.

In particular, many people note the disconnection of the connection when using the MTS connection manager based on 4G. Among other things, there is a decrease in the speed of the Internet connection, as well as an unreasonably high consumption of traffic. And with what it is connected, plainly nobody understands.

Should I install this antivirus package?

Finally, it remains to reflect on the advisability of installing a new antivirus. Of course, unlike previous versions of Kaspersky Free 2016 on its head outperforms its predecessors, at least under a reduced load on the system. But here you need to take into account that it's still, whatever one may say, the beta version. And this speaks for itself: the program is at the testing stage, and is not a fully developed software product. Therefore, the conclusion suggests itself: while installing a new antivirus is not worth it. It is better to wait for the official release of a modified and fully operational version. And even after installation, just to assess the program's capabilities, you can get quite a lot of problems, which then can not be solved even by rolling back the system to the previous state. By the way, removing the package, as in the case with all the previous means of protection from Kaspersky Lab, is a very troublesome business. And without special knowledge, it's not easy to "demolish" an antivirus.