Pros

• Good built-in firewall which is easily configurable
• Installation is quick and easy and you can be up and running in as little as 4 minutes
• Low resource usage
• Cheaper than other packages we reviewed
• Good for Wi-Fi use

Cons

• No telephone or chat support
• Suffers from minor slowdown issues
• Anti-phishing feature poor

Effectiveness:
Ease of Installation:
Ease of Use:
New Features:
Updates:
Technical Support:
Overall:

Panda Antivirus Pro has improved dramatically with the 2012 version, after a disappointing spell of sluggish security. It is packed with features that will keep your PC safe and give you peace of mind.
Unlike other major antivirus packages, it includes a firewall with Smart auto-configuration, intrusion prevention and wireless monitoring. Another interesting inclusion is the Anti-phishing filter which identifies phishing content in websites and email. Phishing is one of the fastest growing threats on the internet and the anti-phishing filter contained in Panda Pro is one of the best in the industry.

Scope of Protection

A good antivirus program should be able to protect you from all angles and against viruses, spyware, malware, Trojans and other threats and Panda Antivirus does this effectively. Its real-time protection capabilities are second to none and it easily destroyed all the viruses we threw at it.
It also automatically scans any attachments you attempt to open or save to your PC, and it will warn you of any suspicious files.

Ease of Installation
Installing Panda antivirus is a doddle, and within a few minutes you will be up and running. The installation process is faster than most other programs and doesn’t take more than 4 minutes. As you install, a basic memory scan is performed to search for viruses, but a full system scan will have to be undertaken once it is fully installed.
The firewall is off by default, so you will have to turn it on after the PC has rebooted. Uninstallation too is straightforward and this is performed in the ADD/REMOVE program in Windows and ensures that all files are removed completely including those in the system registry.

Ease of Use

Panda’s green User Interface (UI) is one of the most basic in the industry and hasn’t changed from last year’s version. It has a straightforward interface which is easy to navigate and not as perplexing as some antivirus programs which go overboard with pop-ups and complicated interfaces.
It’s been designed for easy use by the novice, but not too simple to put off the experienced user. Each page has a help section packed with useful information, but most of it is superfluous because of the easy-to-understand interface.
Updates are set to run automatically, so not much interference is required as this is the default setting; however, its virus updates are only provided hourly and this cannot be adjusted and can render your PC vulnerable, as viruses are created so quickly.

Firewall
Panda is one of the very few antivirus programs with an in-built firewall, as most firewalls are features of internet security packages. You can either set the firewall with automatic permissions or you can manually set it to ask for permission every time a program tries to access your computer.
You can also configure it for public or home networks, and it can be great if you regularly travel with a laptop. Overall, it is a complete and very effective firewall and its default settings are sufficient to protect you from viruses and other malicious threats.

New Features/ Other interesting features

A new interesting feature is USB Vaccine which simply allows you to vaccinate your PC from threats that take advantage of the Autorun Technology and are able to infect your computer the instant an external USB drive is connected to a computer.
TruPrevent Technology 2.0 is a new feature which uses behavioural analysis of files to detect malware-like activity and stop files before they have the chance to infect your computer.

Help/Support
Panda is let down by its lack of phone and chat support which are regular features of other antivirus programs. These are crucial services and give customers confidence that their problems will be resolved promptly.
Their email support is good and response times are very good and you can also get support from a user forum, support blog and a product specific FAQ section.

Summary

Overall, Panda Antivirus Pro is a very good antivirus package which does the job in most situations. It is also boosted by its simple interface and simple controls. But it lags behind many other antivirus programs in anti-phishing protection, spyware/adware protection, virus removal and technical support.
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Panda Antivirus 2012 Review, 10.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating