14 DAY TRIAL // Checking for viruses, spyware and other threats to your computer's data can be a good way to start your day, and this is what I have chosen to do today. The tool I am going to use is called ETD Scanner and its latest version is 2.0. This program's price is 29.95$, but you can use the trial version that I also have here for 14 days. The installation package has 2.8MB in size and the program is very easy to prepare for a first launch. These being said, let's move on and check its interface and features, shall we?
This program's interface is really good, and I have nothing bad to say about it - the graphics are glassy and shiny, up to date, the tools are well organized so anybody can use the program easily. The main window has a menu bar with seven items available, and this is what we're going to check for discovering this program's features. The areas I am talking about are called Status, Scan Now, Monitor, Settings, Quarantine, Ignore and Advanced.
The Status zone lets you see if the active monitor is loaded and the details of your last scan. The panel to the right of the main window will be there in all the seven areas you can go, and you can also use the text links found there instead of the menu bar's buttons.
The Scan Now area allows you to select the scanning mode and then perform a system scan, and the good part is that you are guided along all the way by on screen information that doesn't leave place for mistakes. The scan modes available are smart, complete and custom.
The Monitor area is here to protect your system from attacks, and you can also use it as a basic process manager. After enabling it, my system began to behave at least strange, so if anything seems to go wrong after you enable this, unload it and move on.
The Settings screen was a pleasant surprise, because it includes a scheduler, hijack protection and Internet Explorer security settings (ads and popup blocker and ActiveX installation disable), all inside the same screen, only a click away.
The Quarantine and Ignore areas have obvious tasks and I had nothing to do with them today, but if you get to send objects into quarantine or want to ignore items that you know to be safe and the program thinks otherwise...nothing easier! Even my grandmother could use them...but unfortunately, she doesn't have any English language knowledge.
The Advanced area is a complex one, having four pages - Privacy Protector, Advanced Report, Hex Dumper and Active Shields. The last one can protect startup items and Internet Explorer Favorites, the Privact Protectoy can be used to clean all private data from your computer, while the Advanced Report and Repair Tool is the cherry on the top of the cake here, with a Process Manager and Hosts Manager included into it, adding a lot to the punch that this program can give to counter the threats.
In the end, I must say that this program is more than I expected, and this can only make me happy. Let's see the conclusions now, shall we?
The Good
ETD Scanner is an advanced tool to have at your side for fighting trojans, spyware, adware and I found it to be very easy to use and good looking. It seems that these days, the program sells with a 50$ discount, and that's great news for the ones who may consider buying it to continue use after the 14 days trial runs out!
The Bad
Once I enabled the Active Monitoring feature, the task manager and Windows shell gave me errors and I couldn't start them again without disabling it. Despite the good on screen information, some additional documentation won't harm anyone, I am sure!
The Truth
ETD Scanner is an interesting choice, and I recommend you to get it and check it out. I enjoyed using it, despite the problems I had, and I am sure they can fix the issues and get even better in the future.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
