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I've not seen this current offer in any newsletter, but a reader mentioned seeing it on SlickDeals.net. This offer looks reminiscent of the previous one as I see a reference to EZ Antivirus 2005, yet the installed program is EZAntivirus version 7.1.8. The offer is available once per household to new customer. The company also reserves the right to pull the offer at any time.

The process is pretty simple. The link in the Additional Resources section will take you to a page that outlines the offer. You can get the free antivirus software subscription for one year or pay $19.95 for a two year subscription. You need to provide your name and email address as Computer Associates will send you an email with download instructions.

You should get an email with a download link and a link to customer support. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder. That's where Google put mine. If you read the email you'll see a note that states by downloading this file, you agree to receive periodic follow up emails from Computer Associates. Every email we send you will contain unsubscribe information and you may opt-out of future emails at any time.

I wouldn't let that text scare you as CA is being up front about their marketing practices and they offer a way to unsubscribe. I don't recall if I had done the unsubscribe option several years back. All I can say is CA is not on my list of bad corporate email citizens unlike another anti-virus company that feels obliged to send me ads in English and Spanish several times a week.

Once you install the software, it will connect to the Internet and get the latest virus signature files. The software will also perform a full scan. This is a nice touch for those of you who don't have antivirus software. Like all full virus scans, they can take a while depending on how many files need to be scanned.

The hardest part in the whole process was entering the license key. It's one of those block keys where you can't do a one shot copy and paste, but have to paste in each chunk. Now that I've written this part, I assumed I couldn't paste the whole number in based on past experiences. I'm not going to uninstall and reinstall just to verify that part, but if anyone knows if you can copy the entire license key from the email into the box, I'll update this part.

The program has an improved interface since the last time I used it. I've not tested all the anti virus software packages, but I like the clean look of this software. I have two main criteria when it comes to antivirus and security packages usability and effectiveness. One side says that for people to be protected from software viruses, they have to know how to set up and run the anti virus scans. A tool is of little use if people can't figure it out. In this regard, I have to say CA has does a better job than most as they offer a simple tabbed layout.

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The second part relates to effectiveness. On this area, I'll defer to the experts. I'm willing to subject my machines to spam, but not viruses. I did note that eTrust EZAntivirus does have an ISCA labs certification and a West Coast Labs certification. These are independent groups that do testing on most antivirus software packages and other security software. I have posted links to ICSA and West Coast Labs.

During the first scan, don't be alarmed if you see the Installation Progress meter freeze. It should catch up once the full scan is finished. You'll then be asked to reboot your system. On reboot, you will see a Windows Security Alert saying that eTrust is not turned on. You can fix this situation by going to the Scan Settings tab on enabling Real-time Scanner.

On balance, this free antivirus program looks solid. It's not the fastest AV program I've used, but it isn't bogging down my system like others I've tried. I would give it a try before the offer ends.

Update: As so often happens, free offers tend to expire. The link below is still good, but contains two different offers. One is for a 90-day trial and another includes PC Pitstop . Feel free to browse our Sites We Like - Security section for alternate recommendations

Additional Resources