Anti-virus software takes much importance in information security. After posting article on Anti-virus software comparison I decided to test Active Virus Shield by AOL which is for free. Since the software engine is the same as Kaspersky anti-virus software, there is a strong trust brought in. I tested it on my laptop which had some mysterious virus (explorer.exe generating files like ?g51697234.dll?, ?g897543123.dll?) that Dr.Web didn`t detect at all, but AntiVir Personal edition detected though couldn`t cure. Active Virus Shield cleaned my PC from the virus and now it`s fine.

When you download the installation, you have to enter your e-mail in their website and you get a free serial key. It is nowhere said that it`s for personal use only, so I think you can use it for bigger companies` networks also (correct me if I`m wrong). During the installation, AVS also checks if you have another anti-virus software that could cause conflicts and gives the option to uninstall it. Without uninstalling other detected anti-virus software you cannot install Active Virus Shield. After install it sits in the tray, updates itself and doesn`t seem to slow down computer. It also can update, run active protection shield and run multiple scans at the same time, each in its own thread.

Edit: just noticed the bad side of the software - it seems to be for free for one year, as from CNET review.

This is the software publisher's description.

AOL's Active Virus Shield is free anti-virus for your PC that combines traditional antivirus programs, stopping them before they can infect your computer. Active Virus Shield is brought to you as a free service of AOL and is based on Kaspersky Lab's award winning Personal Anti-Virus.

Active Virus Shield seamlessly integrates with the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems and is compatible with other PC protection programs (firewalls, anti-spyware, etc.). Like other anti-virus programs, using Active Virus Shield may require that you uninstall other anti-virus programs to avoid product incompatibilities.

Active Virus Shield utilises the latest technology to do both traditional signature-based detection, as well as in-depth scanning of executables. This helps protect against a broader range of known and new viruses, reducing the chances of a virus infection on the user's computer.

All individual files, your emails and disks can be scanned for viruses or, to cut down on scan times, Active Virus Shield allows users to focus attention only on critical areas of the operating system. In either case, Active Virus Shield serves as a watch-dog, continuously monitoring and helping to protect files. Active Virus Shield can also scan faster by scanning only new and changed files.