Win32 Virus Removal

Based on user feedback the company has toned down the user interface. The main window used to bristle with full-color icons representing different security components. Now it includes just a handful of icons—simple one-color silhouettes. I like the new look.

On the "Protection Center" tab you find panels for different types of protection. Expanding a panel lets you easily enable, disable, or configure the individual components. Kaspersky offers the now-expected red/yellow/green status indicator with a button to fix any problems. A savvy user can get more details about any pending actions by clicking the Status tab of the Reports window. Overall, the UI is attractive and easy to follow.

Praise from the Labs
The independent testing labs have nothing but praise for Kaspersky antivirus technology. West Coast Labs and ICSA Labs both certify it for virus detection and cleanup; West Coast gives it additional checkmark certifications including detection of Trojans and general malware. The most up-to-date Kaspersky technology has passed all of the last ten VB100 tests by Virus Bulletin, though an older product tested earlier this year didn't quite make the grade.

When AV-Test.org ran a special two-month dynamic protection test last year Kaspersky ranked in the top three for both malware detection and malware blocking. The other two top slots in each case went to Norton Internet Security 2010 ($69.99 direct, ), which took the top score for detection, and PC Tools Internet Security 2010 ($49.95 direct, ), which demonstrated the best removal.

AV-Comparatives.org regularly tests antivirus products, alternating between on-demand tests and proactive non-signature tests. In both the latest on-demand test and the latest proactive test, Kaspersky scored ADVANCED+, the top score possible, and in both cases it registered few false positives. AV-Comparatives ran their own dynamic protection test last year; Norton and Kaspersky were the only products to achieve ADVANCED+ in that test. Kaspersky also scored ADVANCED+ in a performance test, less impressive considering over 60 percent of the products tested achieved this top score.

Easy Installation, Helpful Support
Kaspersky's antivirus is specifically designed to install even on malware-infested systems. Installation was no trouble on 11 of my 13 test systems, but a devious malware trick derailed its installer on the other two. I simply burned a Rescue Disk on one of the successful systems and used that to clean up the holdouts. I could also have downloaded the Rescue Disk directly from Kaspersky or tried the no-installation Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.

I did run into one situation where Kaspersky deadlocked with a pesky malware sample. Kaspersky detected it and offered to run a special disinfection scan followed by a reboot. However, on reboot it made the same offer again and again, ad nauseam. The Rescue CD didn't help, scanning in Safe Mode didn't help, and this clash of the Titans rendered the test system almost unusable.

Kaspersky's impressive built-in support came to the rescue. On advice from a support tech, I turned on tracing and generated a log file. I then used a built-in tool to create a system state report, and I ran a Kaspersky-supplied tool called GetSystemInfo. After analyzing the resulting data the tech supplied a cleanup script. When I fed the script into the built-in support tool, it wiped out the malware, breaking the deadlock. Hooray! Note that U.S.-based phone and live chat support is free for all Kaspersky users.—Next: Scan and Scan Again