TrustPort Antivirus is interesting antivirus software because it uses two scanning engines: Bitdefender and AVG. It is good at detecting threats. However, while the antivirus scanning engines are a crucial component, there is more to antivirus software than just the base-level protection. TrustPort Antivirus is missing some of the features that the best antivirus software applications have.

Scope of Protection:
TrustPort Antivirus is equipped to protect your PC from all the essential threats, including viruses and spyware. The antivirus software is designed to detect and defend from just about every kind of malware, including Trojans, worms, deeply entrenched rootkits and other forms of malware. Whether they’re technically dialers, keyloggers or other malware: TrustPort blocks them.

TrustPort Antivirus is capable of locating existing malware on your PC and eliminating it, as well as protecting from threats as they try to infiltrate your system. The antivirus software utilizes on-access and on-demand scanning. On-access scans are performed on every file as it is opened and every program when it starts. You can also run manual on-demand scans of specific files or folders to locate any malware on your system.

But more than just signature-matching and protecting from existing known threats, TrustPort also includes heuristic analysis. Advanced heuristic detection means that this antivirus software analyzes file composition and behavior to uncover hidden threats and new malware variants. With today’s threats only showing up for a short time, heuristic detection protects from new threats that traditional signature-matching just can’t keep up with.

Effectiveness:
TrustPort Antivirus is certainly effective antivirus software, honing the strength of two separate scanning engines. Both the BitDefender and AVG scanners consistently perform well, but if one misses something it’s nice to have a second opinion. You can even designate which scanning engine is the first line of defense, and specify whether to use one or both for each type of scan (on-access and on-demand). And while it is normally not ok to run two real-time antivirus scanners at the same time, it’s perfectly fine to use both from TrustPort because they’re configured to not interfere with each other.

TrustPort is at the top of their game with detection, but they could still use some work on malware removal. TrustPort Antivirus is pretty good at locating and identifying existing threats on your PC, but it's not perfect when it comes to actually removing them. For now the cleanup is competent, but not complete.

Ease of Installation:
TrustPort Antivirus is simple and direct to download. The software is available as a digital download, but you can also order a backup CD if you want. The installation and setup is straightforward and will have you up and ready to go with little trouble.

One thing you’ll want to do after installing the software is to create a bootable recovery disk. This rescue disk can be used to boot and fix a PC so infected with malware that it won’t even load the OS properly. To burn the bootable recovery disk you use the TrustPort Antivirus BART (bootable antivirus recovery tool) plugin.

Ease of Use:
Security software can make some users a bit uneasy, but luckily TrustPort Antivirus software is pretty easy to use. The software has self-explanatory navigation, simple organization and a good user interface. Of course the interface could be a bit more aesthetic, but it is definitely functional. Users should have no trouble getting around the software, and advanced users can find some very flexible controls under the hood.

Even better than a program that is easy to use is one that basically runs itself. Because TrustPort Antivirus scans files as they are accessed in real time, you don’t have to constantly run scans and monitor your system. Furthermore, the antivirus software includes a scheduler utility, so you can schedule specific scans to run on a routine basis whenever you want (ideally at a time when you won’t be using the computer).

Features:
TrustPort Antivirus has a number of features that improve overall security and usability. For starters, the antivirus software can scan removable drives (USB flash drives), and it can scan your computer memory as soon as the computer starts up.

The security software includes the flexibility to control what happens when a threat is detected. You can preset the software to try and repair the infected file (if possible), send it to the quarantine, delete it, or even always ask you for your input. The secure quarantine is an inoculated storage space where infected files can be stored but can’t pose any real threat to the system. This gives you time to assess the risk and ultimately decide what to do with the detected file.

Updates:
With new viruses and malware variants being created every hour, it’s important to get antivirus software updates as soon as they’re available. TrustPort Antivirus 2011 includes automatic updates that can be set to run as often as you’d like. And because the updates are delivered often, they are small and quick to download.

Help & Support:
If you have any problems with TrustPort Antivirus software you can get help with the issue. You can refer to the in-program help or visit the TrustPort support center. Online they have the full manual available, a FAQs sections, a glossary and tutorial videos. More personal help is available via phone or email. And subscribing customers cancontact the TrustPort help desk.