Dr.Web v4.32b - Testing & Evaluaton
Let me start off by saying this is a unbias and objective evalution of Dr. Web Antivirus. As we know there are numerous antivirus softwares on the web and the choice is yours. This is a testing and opinion on my part to inform our members and views on this product. I hope this will help.
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Installation:
Installation went very smoothed with no problems, Dr Webs wizard guides you thru the installation process with ease. As installation is progressing you have the option to enter your reg key at this time. Dr Web has a trial period of 14 days.
Resources:
After reboot my resources when holding at 94% which is excellent compared to other antivirus softwares. I find this very much a plus for older computers that do not hve much memory. Dr Web does not hog up memory and is very easy on your system.
After installation 3 icons will appear in your system tray and they are:
"Monitor" (Spiderguard)
This component scans files on the fly and will block instantly any attempts to infect your computer.
"Spidermail"
"This component monitors in-coming and out-going mail from your computer protecting your systems from virus infection.
"Clock Face Module"
This is your Scheduler for Dr. Web. I noticed by default it is set to receive updates every hour and the last task you can activate to launch the scanner at 3pm everyday.
Once again Dr Web does not consume a lot of resource even with these 3 components running on your system. I find this very important especially with numerous antivirus softwares today which are resource hogs.
"Main Interface"
Dr. Webs main interface is not fancy or colorful compared to other antivirus softwares but is constructed to get the job done, it is user friendly for the novice and for the advanced user. There are no frills and bells to bloat this software just the bare essentials to scan and protect your computer.
"Virus Database"
This is a interesting approach by Dr. Web as one can click on the about from the tray icon and this will show how many files are loaded. As I type this evaluation there are 75,035 files loaded. Now to clarify ....this is not the total virus defintions that are detected but the total files loaded.... Each file may contain 10...15...20..or more virus defeintions that can be detected. The bottom line Dr. Web has one of the largest database's on the web today, Comparable to BitDefender..Norton , McAfee and such.
This leaves one for peace of mind knowing Dr.Web can detect and protect your computer against known virus's.
"Scanning Process"
I had Dr. Web scan my C Drive here are the results:
Scan Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
Files Scanned: 46,765 files
Scan Speed: 528 Kb/s
Results:
Found 8 infections...now these 8 were Eicar Test files which I placed in various sections of my test pc.......I expected this no less that Dr.Web would dectect.
Now as a interesting note Dr. Web did detect the W32 SQL Slammer in memory and eradicated it........
Conclusion:
Over the next couple of months I will be running Dr. Web and observing how its detection campability will stand up to virus applications in the wild along with those that have been incorporated within its database.
PROS:
Dr. Web in my opinion is a excellent virus software, .....easy on resources......user friendly...... contains a large database for detection and gets the job done.
CONS:
At this time..... the main interface could use a touch up.....however that is a minor issue only.
