Avast Antivirus 6 Beta Released for Testing

Avast will soon release a new avatar of their flagship antivirus and Internet Security suite: Avast Antivirus 6, Avast Antivirus Pro 6 and Avast Internet Security 6. They have released a beta version of the soon to be released stable version.

How to install and test the new Avast AV, AV Pro or IS 6 beta?

Simply download the setup executable (download links available at the forum) and install it.

Note: This version needs to be installed from scratch, i.e. updating from an earlier version of avast won’t work. So, the only option is to really uninstall the version you’re using (if any), reboot, and then install this beta. Also, if you have already used an earlier beta of the standalone WebRep, it’s better to uninstall it before installing avast 6.

On their forum, Avast has posted a release log for the beta version:

What’s new
Main changes/improvements:
– AutoSandbox — suspicious programs will be optionally run sandboxed
– avast! WebRep — browser plugin for website reputation rating; a combination of data from our virus lab and community voting
– Script Shield now even in the Free AV
– Site Blocking now even in the Free AV 
– SafeZone — a special virtualized area for sensitive transactions (e.g. secure online banking) (paid products only)
– Restore factory settings command (Settings -> Troubleshooting)
– Automatic actions in the boot-time scan
– New compression method in the installer makes the setup packages about 20% smaller.
– Script Shield now functional even with IE8/IE9 Protected Mode
– Sidebar gadget
– Improved stability/compatibility of the Behavior Shield
– Improvements in the avast! sandbox

Known issues
– Help files not updated yet
– Localizations incomplete yet
– SafeZone not yet accessible (Pro AV / IS only)
– WebRep only available for IE and Firefox (Chrome is coming soon)
– Firewall: per-application packet rules not yet accessible
– Firewall: uTorrent conflict not yet resolved

Note: This is a beta application, so use it at your own risk.

Update: Avast 6 Free edition will have Pro features.

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