Panda Antivirus 2007

Panda Antivirus (PAV) 2007 seems like quite a bargain $29.95 to protect two computers from viruses and spyware. The designers went for small and fast, creating a product that has a lightweight install and produces no noticeable drag on system performance. But you get what you pay for: The app’s protection doesn’t come up to that of higher priced products even Panda’s own.

The utility scans for viruses on demand and on access. It scans both inbound and outbound e-mail attachments but lacks other expected features. You’ll find no scheduled scan and no ability to quarantine malware, for example. Search for Panda’s TruPrevent technology, which blocks zeroday attacks, and you’ll also come up empty-handed. Yet despite the dearth of features, you still need to explore complex configuration options, because PAV turns off some useful features by default.

PAV took about 20 minutes to run a full scan on a clean system on a par with McAfee’s combined virus and spyware scan but quite a bit slower than
Spyware Doctor or Spy Sweeper. On one test system the scan hung every time, incurably. PAV did a poor job of removing keyloggers but fared better against actual spyware. Running on a clean system, it did a good job of blocking spyware installation but again, it didn’t block most keyloggers.

Yes, Panda Antivirus 2007 is lightweight and inexpensive. But the same holds for gauze versus steel, and I know which I’d pick for battle armor. Pay a little more for better protection.