NOD32 Antivirus - part I

by Andrew Cooper

You read the term 'computer security'. What's the first thing that popped into your mind? I'll bet it had something to do with viruses.

Antivirus software was the first application to protect computers and, until firewalls and other protective tools evolved, was the only way users had to safeguard their computers and data against theft or damage from viruses, Trojans and other malicious-ware.

Year after year malware programs were getting more sophisticated and flexible; they evolved new ways to spread, hide themselves, and destroy your data. Explosive Internet usage gave the world new classes of malware specifically designed to take advantage of network-enabled systems, email and other communication services. With the growing danger level, antivirus software also had to improve and extend their functionality and abilities. Now antivirus software not only scans and cures files of viruses, but they can also remove viruses from email, monitor computer system health in real time, analyze executable code to discover entirely new viruses and do many other things to protect you and your data in this modern world of dangers that were completely unimagined only a decade ago.

With all this in mind I decided to write something about antivirus software along with my personal firewall reviews because antivirus and a personal firewall definitely have something in common, as together they are a solution that provides the user with protection against hackers and malware.

I've been using various antivirus (AV) tools for years and I've studied a lot of antivirus software pages, read many forums and participated in various communities. From all the resources I know, I find the Top AV List to be the ultimate reference if you are looking for superior AV protection. The researchers test AV software against various viruses and then publish its results and statistics. It can be of great help if you don't know which AV software you need.

From all the AV software on that list I was drawn to NOD32 from eSet Software. NOD32 has been winning the top spot on the list for the past two years, definitely a testament of its AV abilities. I decided to see what NOD32 could do for the user besides detecting viruses as well as general ease of use, interface intuitiveness, flexibility and other things that affect the user every time she uses the program.

Getting ready

The installation procedure is very well organized. The first step is to select the installation mode: simple, advanced or expert. The installation mode determines how many of the program settings will have to be configured manually or are set by the wizard. This lets you optimize the time you spend installing and configuring the software and also lets users of various skill levels appropriately install NOD32 on their systems.



After the software is installed, it's ready to go without any further adjustments - everything is configured at the setup phase.

Looking Around

First thing I thought after installing and first running NOD32 is "what crazy, cool green". It's probably the most well organized antivirus interface of any I've seen. Like many modern applications, it's designed to look and operate like a Web page, with custom buttons, arrows, tips and tick marks. The overall design creates the impression that everything you need is at your fingertips and you have everything in one place. Not surprisingly, the name of the window is NOD32 Control Center.



The screen is organized into two panels: the left one contains the NOD32 components you can view and manage and the right panel pops up whenever you need to adjust specific module settings or view details. You can configure the panel layout so that it will appear in the convenient desktop area and will not overlap other windows and you'll be able to manage NOD32 without having to disturb your normal operations. Then, if you need to take an action such as a system scan or to update the virus lists or view the logs, you don't have to open dozens of dialog boxes. The program usability is at a level that lets you reach for what you want in just a few mouse clicks. I also want to pinpoint that those who find modern interface designs inappropriate for whatever reason, may freely switch to classic Windows interface layout; this also might be useful to those who want to conserve system resources, but I can say that even when all graphical features are enabled NOD32 doesn't use a lot of system resources.

Continue to Part II