NOD32 2.5

It won't win any beauty pageants, but Eset NOD32 antivirus will keep your computer free of almost all malware. Our problem is the interface. Although intuitive and improved from previous iterations, NOD32 remains very utilitarian, and the individual AMON and DMON scanners could be confusing to novices who have come expect some level of application hand-holding, such as that provided by Norton Anti-Virus 2007 and McAfee VirusScan Plus 2007. Yet it's what's under the hood is what really matters, and here NOD32 delivers with its collection of awards won over the years. So if you're looking for a powerful and customisable antivirus solution and you don't mind how it looks and feels, NOD32 is superior. But if you require more hand-holding with your routine antivirus protection, we recommend Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6 instead.

Setup
The download file for NOD32 is a mere 9.7MB, and installation is quick and straightforward. After installation, NOD32 occupies only 30MB of disk space, the least of any antivirus application we've seen, and spawns only a handful of processes and services -- far fewer than McAfee -- so it's also very light on system resources. NOD32 costs the same as Norton or McAfee.

But computer novices will miss the attention available with the brand-name applications. For example, after we installed it, NOD32 didn't prompt us to update our software with the latest antivirus signature files. We also knew to run a full system scan, but NOD32 did not prompt us to do so. If you're a seasoned antivirus pro, you'll instinctively know to perform these basic actions.

Should you ever want to uninstall NOD32, you're in for a bit of work. While Eset does provide a NOD32 uninstall icon, we found that even after a reboot, only our desktop access to the program had been removed, the underlying files and registry entries remained. Digging deeper, we discovered that installed files, along with several system registry entries, still resided in a program folder labelled Eset. Editing the system registry to remove these files should be done by advanced users only. McAfee also left many files and registry entries behind, Norton was a bit better, leaving only system folders, and only Kaspersky removed every trace of itself upon uninstall.

Interface
The overall design of Eset NOD32 is spartan, almost utilitarian, more for the system administrators among us than the average Joes. There are, in fact, two interfaces: the NOD32 On-Demand Scanner is for running manual scans, and the Control Center is for configuring specific aspects of the automated program. The On-Demand Scanner screen shows the drives available for scanning, with tabs linking off to additional settings for scan logs, actions, setup and individual profiles. The Control Center shows the five active monitors, with links to update your software and additional setting options. Both are clean and efficient.

Features
NOD32 doesn't include a firewall or even antispyware protection; it is simply an antivirus engine -- and one of the best. On the maker's Web site, you'll find considerable evidence showing that NOD32 outranks the brand-name antivirus protection (Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro) in test after test. Aside from a quality engine, there's also a high level of customisation offered. Out of the box, NOD32 delivers superior protection, and the customisation options allow you to turn on or off additional services, depending upon your needs. For a system admin or an advanced user, this is great; for novices these features will largely go unused.

Deep within NOD32 is its ThreatSense engine technology, which uses code analysis, emulation, and digital signatures to identify and stop online threats. Unlike other vendors that add antispyware and anti-phishing technologies on top of their antivirus engines, NOD32 includes these within its basic scan engine, allowing NOD32 to be lighter and faster than the competition.

To fully appreciate NOD32 you need to learn Eset's lexicon. Looking within the Control Center console, we found that AMON monitors changes made to the overall file system, and DMON monitors documents; EMON monitors e-mail transactions, and IMON monitors Internet port 80 traffic. Within each monitor there are various tabbed configuration options to tailor the various scanners to your specific needs. Most people will never touch these settings, but if you're an advanced user, these settings allow you to customise NOD32 to your own liking.

Performance
NOD32 did well in CNET Labs' performance tests and very well in third-party, independent antivirus testing using live viruses. On our iTunes test, NOD32 came in third, with a fast 194 seconds -- 32 seconds above our test system. On our Sorensen Squeeze test, NOD32 was again third, with 283 seconds -- 42 seconds more than our test system. For individual file scans, NOD32 came in the fastest at an amazing 101 seconds. And in boot speed, NOD32 again came in first at 60 seconds. To find out how we test, see CNET Labs' How we test: software: antivirus page.

In terms of protecting your PC, we refer readers to two leading independent antivirus testing organisations. In the latest test results from AV-Comparatives.org, NOD32 earned an Advanced + (highest) rating, catching 98 percent of all malware tested. And NOD32 was one of only four products to earn CheckVir.com's Advanced rating.

Support
NOD32 provides extensive, context sensitive help files. For example, if you are on the Actions tab and you click Help, NOD32 takes you to the Actions tab definition page within Help. It's a small touch, but other than in Kaspersky, we haven't seen it offered in other security software. Online, Eset provides a 52-page PDF-file manual for download, plus FAQs for NOD32, links to an active user forum dedicated to the software, and a Web form for contacting Eset customer support.

We like NOD32 because it's light, fast, and accurate at protecting your PC from dangerous malware. Unfortunately, the focus on its scanner engines has left the user interface as an afterthought. If you want a fast, flexible antivirus product that an advanced user can tweak to perfection, NOD32's an excellent choice, but if you're more of a set-it-and-forget-it novice, look elsewhere.