TotalAV Review 2021: TotalAV va bene?

La necessità di mantenere la sicurezza del proprio computer a livelli ottimali è fondamentale, visto l'aumento del numero di attacchi informatici, nonché la loro creatività, che sembra non conoscere confini.

Uno dei vettori più pericolosi che può destabilizzare il buon funzionamento dei sistemi informatici di tutto il mondo è il virus. Il termine è stato ampiamente utilizzato per descrivere qualsiasi pezzo di codice dannoso che, se eseguito, può danneggiarlo apportando alcune modifiche strutturali al sistema infettato.

Se facevi scherzi ai tuoi amici, potresti ricordare i semplici "virus" che potresti scrivere nel blocco note che eliminerebbero tutti i contenuti dall'unità C:\ del sistema di destinazione , eliminerebbero la sua cartella System32 , facendo scoppiare il suo lettore CD, o creare un numero illimitato di cartelle sul PC di destinazione.

Sebbene spesso si trattasse di scherzi non così innocui, i virus moderni hanno un approccio più furtivo e possono persino essere utilizzati per infiltrarsi nei sistemi, concedere all'attaccante alcuni diritti immeritati sul sistema infetto o persino rubare dati preziosi.

Questo è esattamente il motivo per cui le soluzioni software antivirus sono un must assoluto se si desidera mantenere l'integrità del sistema il più possibile intatta. Sebbene Windows abbia un antivirus integrato che a nostro avviso fa un ottimo lavoro, molti utenti preferiscono investire in soluzioni più complesse.

Cos'è TotalAV?

TotalAV è, come probabilmente puoi capire dal suo nome non così sottile, un antivirus che potrebbe aiutarti a proteggere il tuo PC da agenti dannosi come virus, malware, pubblicità e molte altre intrusioni simili.

Gli utenti spesso si affidano a soluzioni antivirus di terze parti per sostituire Windows Defender a causa degli strumenti aggiuntivi che forniscono loro. Al giorno d'oggi, le soluzioni antivirus come TotalAV non ti aiutano solo a cercare file dannosi sul tuo PC e rimuoverli, ma possono anche bloccare annunci pubblicitari, scansionare e-mail, bloccare siti Web loschi, filtrare richieste sospette sulla tua connessione e così via avanti e cosa hai.

Revisione totale AV

Secondo il sito Web ufficiale del prodotto, oltre alla sua soluzione software di protezione antivirus di base, TotalAV include un'estensione del browser in grado di scansionare i siti Web in un batter d'occhio e informarti se l'accesso è sicuro.

Inoltre, è possibile che tu possa installarlo su una vasta gamma di dispositivi, quindi il tuo PC Windows non sarà l'unico protetto contro vari tipi di attacchi informatici. Ma ci arriveremo presto e te ne parleremo di più.

I prezzi TotalAV vanno da € 29 a € 59 all'anno, a seconda di quanti dispositivi vuoi proteggere e del numero di opzioni aggiuntive che vuoi avere. I piani tariffari sono i seguenti:

• Antivirus Pro: 29€ all'anno – può proteggere fino a 3 dispositivi ; manca VPN, Ad Blocker, Secure Password Vault
• Internet Security: 39€ all'anno – può proteggere fino a 5 dispositivi ; manca di Ad Blocker, Secure Password Vault
• Sicurezza totale: 59 € all'anno – può proteggere fino a 6 dispositivi , ha la suite completa di funzionalità

Prova gratuita di TotalAV

Sebbene gli utenti che si preoccupano della sicurezza del proprio computer non esiteranno a spendere grandi somme di denaro verso gli sviluppatori di antivirus per i loro prodotti, ci sono ancora molti che sono scettici e preferiscono utilizzare i servizi gratuiti per il livello di protezione minimo assoluto o fare affidamento su Windows -in antivirus (che abbiamo già stabilito funziona alla grande).

Questo è esattamente il motivo per cui le prove gratuite sono fondamentali per dimostrare l'efficacia del tuo prodotto (dal punto di vista di uno sviluppatore di antivirus) e consentire agli utenti di testare le capacità del tuo prodotto prima di impegnarsi ad acquistare un piano di abbonamento (poiché i pagamenti una tantum sono molto datati).

Fortunatamente, TotalAV comprende l'importanza di far testare il prodotto agli utenti finali e decidere se soddisfa le loro esigenze, quindi ecco, c'è una prova gratuita che puoi utilizzare per provare l'antivirus.

Come forse saprai, ci sono principalmente due forme di prove software:

• Prove limitate nel tempo, in cui puoi testare tutte le funzionalità del prodotto per un periodo di tempo limitato prima che scada
• Prove limitate alle funzionalità che ti consentono di utilizzare il prodotto per tutto il tempo che desideri, ma molte funzionalità critiche non sono accessibili

Vale la pena ricordare che TotalAV rientra nella seconda categoria, poiché puoi installarlo e utilizzarlo sul tuo dispositivo a tempo indeterminato, ma ha solo un paio di funzioni. Vale a dire, puoi eseguire solo scansioni manuali sul tuo dispositivo e rimuovere qualsiasi malware identificato dal prodotto.

Il resto delle funzionalità è nascosto, tentando di acquistare un piano premium, così puoi provare a esplorarle.

Requisiti di sistema TotalAV

Il punto dei sistemi antivirus è quello di fornirti un ombrello generoso (metaforico, ovviamente) in cui puoi proteggere il maggior numero possibile di dispositivi dagli effetti dannosi degli attacchi informatici.

Quindi ha senso dire che una soluzione antivirus dovrebbe essere in grado di funzionare su quanti più sistemi possibili, per quanto riguarda le prestazioni, l'architettura, il sistema operativo e il tipo di dispositivo.

Detto questo, diamo un'occhiata ai requisiti di sistema di TotalAV e vediamo quali condizioni deve soddisfare il tuo dispositivo per essere idoneo a eseguire TotalAV. Innanzitutto, vale la pena ricordare che è possibile installare TotalAV su dispositivi Windows, Android, macOS, iOS e Fire HD. Pertanto, controlliamo i requisiti per i sistemi sopra menzionati:

Requisiti di sistema di Windows:

• Sistema operativo:
  • Almeno Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 con tutti gli aggiornamenti, gli hotfix e i service pack installati
• Memoria:
  • Almeno 2 GB di RAM
• Spazio:
  • Almeno 1,5 GB di spazio libero su HDD/SSD per installazione e runtime
  • Spazio aggiuntivo necessario per l'archiviazione di file temporanei e in quarantena
• Processore:
  • Sono richieste almeno CPU Intel Pentium 4 o AMD Athlon 64
• Programma di navigazione in rete:
  • Internet Explorer 11 o successivo
• Varie:
  • Richiede i diritti di amministratore e una connessione Internet attiva per essere installato e per gli aggiornamenti automatici

Requisiti di sistema macOS:

• Sistema operativo:
  • macOS X 10.9 Mavericks o successivo
• Memoria:
  • Almeno 2 GB di RAM
• Spazio:
  • Almeno 1,5 GB di spazio su HDD/SSD per installazione e runtime;
  • Spazio aggiuntivo richiesto per la quarantena e i file temporanei
• Processore:
  • Almeno CPU Intel Core 2 Duo o superiore
• Programma di navigazione in rete:
  • Safari 6 o versioni successive
• Varie:
  • Sono richiesti i diritti di amministratore per il runtime e l'installazione
  • Connessione Internet necessaria per runtime e aggiornamenti automatici

Requisiti di sistema Android:

• Versione Android:
  • Almeno Android 5.0
• Autorizzazioni:
  • Elimina tutti i dati della cache dell'app
  • Cronologia dispositivo e app
  • Aggiorna le statistiche sull'utilizzo dei componenti
  • Controllo delle vibrazioni
  • Informazioni sulla connessione Wi-Fi
  • Leggi le statistiche della batteria
  • Chiudi altre app
  • Elimina le cache di altre app
  • Foto/Media/File
  • Conservazione
  • Associa a un servizio di accessibilità
  • Associa a dispositivi Bluetooth
  • Installa scorciatoie
  • ID dispositivo e informazioni sulla chiamata
  • Ricevi dati da Internet
  • Accesso completo alla rete
  • Visualizza le connessioni di rete
  • Eseguire all'avvio
  • Impedisci al dispositivo di dormire

Requisiti di sistema iOS:

• Versione iOS:
  • Almeno iOS versione 8.0
• Dispositivi supportati:
  • iPad, iPhone e iPod Touch
• Spazio:
  • Sono richiesti almeno 131 MB

Installazione di TotalAV

Ora che abbiamo chiarito i requisiti di sistema, dovresti sapere se il tuo sistema è in grado di gestire TotalAV ed essere pronto per installarlo se lo fa. Il processo di installazione non è affatto complicato, indipendentemente dal dispositivo su cui lo stai distribuendo.

Ti guideremo attraverso il processo di installazione su Windows e ti offriremo anche brevi descrizioni delle procedure di installazione di Android, Mac e iOS.

1. (Facoltativo) Acquista un piano di abbonamento TotalAV premium
2. Scarica l'eseguibile del programma di installazione sul tuo computer
3. Fare clic con il pulsante destro del mouse sull'eseguibile del programma di installazione di TotalAV
4. Seleziona Esegui come amministratore
5. Conferma la tua azione facendo clic sul pulsante Sì
6. Fare clic sul pulsante Installa
7. Attendi che il processo di installazione giunga al termine

Come puoi vedere, non è necessario eseguire alcuna configurazione aggiuntiva, poiché TotalAV distribuisce già il pacchetto completo sul tuo PC e utilizza una delle seguenti due destinazioni come percorso di destinazione predefinito:

• C:\Program Files\TotalAV
• C:\Program Files (x86)\TotalAV

Una volta completata l'installazione, TotalAV si avvierà automaticamente sul tuo PC e tenterà di eseguire una scansione. Se hai acquistato un piano premium, puoi utilizzare le tue credenziali per accedere all'app e rimuovere le limitazioni di prova.

Installing the app on Android and iOS is even simpler since you don’t need to download an installation package. You just visit TotalAV’s product page on Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store, depending on which device you’re setting it up on, and tap the installation button.

After a short while, the TotalAV app should be ready to use on your device, and you can access it either through the Play/App Store button or by tapping the app’s icon in your app drawer/home screen.

For Mac computers, you’ll have to visit TotalAV’s Mac download page to initiate the setup process. The link will attempt to download an installation package on your Mac, which you’ll have to locate and open to begin TotalAV’s installation.

The Mac setup is quite similar to the Windows one, as it’s quite intuitive. The only notable difference is that at some point you’ll be asked to type your Administrator password so that TotalAV can proceed with the setup (remember that Administrator rights were one of the system requirements for Mac).

Last, but not least, if you plan to install TotalAV on your Fire HD tablet, you’ll need to perform a bunch of additional steps, since TotalAV is not included as an official app on the Amazon App store. Thus, you’ll need to sideload it by downloading an APK file and going on from there.

1. Access the quick action panel by dragging it down from the top of the screen
2. Tap the gear-shaped button at the top-right corner of the quick action panel
3. Select the Security & Privacy category
4. Toggle the Apps from Unknown Sources switch to the On position (it should turn orange)
5. Visit the Fire HD TotalAV download link to retrieve the APK on your device
6. Open the APK to begin the installation process
7. Follow the on-screen instructions

Here’s a little trick: on Windows PCs, if you’re using the trial version of TotalAV and attempt to uninstall it, you’ll be prompted with a promotional message where you could either proceed with uninstalling TotalAV or receiving all PRO features for free for 7 days.

Clicking the Get Protected button will automatically enable all of TotalAV’s premium features for 7 days, and the best part is that you don’t have to create an account or give your credit card information to benefit from this offer.

Runs automatic initial scan

Although we’ve included the system requirements for all supported systems in our review and offered some details regarding the installation of TotalAV on additional devices, from this point on we’re going to focus on the Windows version of the product.

After the installation process comes to an end, you won’t need to launch TotalAV, as it will be already running at this point, asking you to either log in to your account or proceed with an initial scan.

The initial scan doesn’t go on for long, but it will definitely annoy you with all of its intrusions. During the scan, TotalAV will throw all sorts of pop-ups your way; some of them may only serve to let you know about the program’s findings, while others may flaunt features you’re not able to use in the free trial.

If you’ve already purchased a premium subscription, you shouldn’t get these interruptions. However, if you’ve used our little trick to get the 7-day full trial, you’ll still get the occasional reminder that your PRO features will expire soon, which shouldn’t take long to get on your nerves.

Well, if you’ve been curious about TotalAV’s full range of features, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t activate the 7-day full trial. In the following sections, we’ll analyze and discuss them all.

Malware Protection

The Malware Protection section is the most important part of TotalAV, as it comprises all its malware protection and detection features of the antivirus software solution. From this section, you can view your protection status, run scans on your PC, and manage quarantined files.

Protection Status

Quite self-explanatory, you can use this feature to check if there’s something wrong with your PC, since the full version of TotalAV offers real-time malware protection. Note that if you didn’t activate the 7-day full trial or bought a premium license, you won’t be able to use real-time protection.

Here you can also check scan results and start a new scan. Note that you won’t be able to customize any parameters, as pressing the Start new scan button will automatically initiate a Smart scan. More so, you won’t be able to interrupt the process, so you’ll have to wait until the scan is completed.

Malware Scan

This feature does exactly what it says, as you can use it to perform various scans on your system, depending on your needs. There are two pre-defined scanning options on the main screen: Quick Scan and System Scan. Think of them as surface and deep scans: the former will take less time to complete but will detect fewer items, while the latter will handle items that are more difficult to detect, but it will take longer.

There’s a third option you can use called Custom Scan, but we recommend using this one only if you’re an advanced user and know what you’re doing. The TotalAV Custom Scan lets you add specific files and folders to the process, define files and folders you want to exclude, as well as toggle archive scanning and exclude subfolders from being analyzed.

If you decide to use the third option, you’ll have to customize its parameters in order to launch it. Once you’re happy with the parameter customization, you can hit the Start Custom Scan button and wait for it to finish.

Quarantine

Once again we’re facing an intuitive TotalAV feature. If you’ve never used an antivirus software solution before, the quarantine is where “sick” or suspicious files are sent to prevent them from infecting healthy ones on your PC.

Some antivirus solutions simply choose to delete or shred (beyond deletion) suspicious files from your PC, leaving nothing to chance. However, you may know that some files are wrongfully detected as being malicious on your PC, and you might want your antivirus to spare them.

This is where quarantine comes into play; you can manage quarantined files by either restoring them back to their original destination, or you can delete them from your PC, thus making sure that there’s no way they can harm any healthy files on your system.

Internet Security

So far, we’ve only discussed the part of TotalAV that was designed to protect your PC’s internal structure from attacks, such as files, folders, and subfolders that may hide malicious code fragments.

You’ll be glad to know that this antivirus also has a series of additional features that can protect your PC against external malware sources, such as emails, malicious websites, ads, and other similar cyber threats.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at TotalAV’s Internet protection suite of tools.

VPN

A VPN is currently one of the best ways to go unnoticed on the Internet. Considering that your ISP can know all of your online whereabouts at the press of a button, encrypting your traffic, re-routing your connection, and hiding your online identity doesn’t seem a bad idea.

Normally we would recommend you to use a standalone VPN solution, such as NordVPN, but we’ve tested TotalAV’s VPN for a while and it seems to do a pretty good job. We’ve noticed no IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks, our location remained hidden, and there were no interruptions in connectivity while we used it.

Sure enough, stress-testing may reveal more about this service, but if you’re looking for basic privacy protection with none of the headaches associated with VPN configuration, TotalAV may be more than enough to satisfy your needs.

Just make sure to activate the built-in VPN firewall if you want to avoid IP & DNS leaks, select the country you want to route your traffic through, and click the large Connect button.

WebShield

As its name highly suggests, this TotalAV component can help you protect against malicious websites by preventing you from accessing them. You probably know how sometimes navigating on sketchy websites could lead to numerous pop-ups and redirects.

WebShield could help you avoid these websites, to begin with so that you won’t have to deal with the potential consequences later. In WebShield’s main screen you can either access the settings of this feature (where you can also turn it off if you want) or submit a suspicious website.

Ad-Block Pro

If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, chances are you already own an ad-blocker of some sort. Most likely you’ve installed an extension on your current browser and you’re using it with its default settings, which we all know is not exactly effective, as some ads still manage to slip through the cracks.

Although you may think that TotalAV comes with its own ad blocker, or at least provides us with a system-wide solution, what its Ad-Block Pro section does is offer you quick ways to install a proprietary ad blocker extension on your browsers.

Furthermore, this feature is only available as an add-on that you need to purchase in addition to a premium package. Our advice? Find a free ad-blocking browser extension or system-wide solution and stick with it.

As a side note, NordVPN, the VPN solution we mentioned above, has a built-in ad-blocker that also prevents you from accessing malware-ridden domains called CyberSec.

Data Breach Check

This is quite a useful tool that will check if your email address has ever been in a breach. You just have to type your email address in the designated field and click the Check Now button.

TotalAV will then open a new tab in your default web browser where you’ll see which breaches was your email address a part of, if any. Furthermore, you could learn more about the breaches, such as additional details that attackers may have on you.

However, note that TotalAV didn’t come up with this breach checking system. As a matter of fact, we believe that TotalAV uses the Have I Been Pwned API to provide you with the data breach information. We’ve tested and the Have I Been Pwned website returns the same breach results as TotalAV’s Data Breach Check tool does.

System Tune Up

Feeling like your system has lost its shine and may need a bit of help to return to its former glory? Although you could get your hands a bit dirty and perform some manual maintenance work, using automated tools for the job may definitely be faster.

Fortunately, TotalAV also features a few such tools that can help you breathe new life into your old PC without spending too much time or effort.

Junk Cleaner

TotalAV’s junk cleaner can help you get rid of unnecessary files from your computer, thus increasing the amount of space you can fill up with truly important documents.

Windows does keep a lot of logs and temporary files that are only useful for a short period of time, after which they can be safely discarded. However, Windows doesn’t get rid of these files by itself, so you’ll have to take out the trash for yourself.

A junk cleaner such as TotalAV’s can help you speed up the process. Accessing this tool will let you see a list of files sorted by category (i.e. cached Windows updates, recycle bin, temporary files), perform a scan for newly-available junk items, and remove selected items.

If you want to see specifically which files are about to be deleted, all you have to do is click the Files number next to each category. Once you’re sure you want to remove them, just click the Clean Selected button to proceed.

Duplicate File Finder

Using your PC for prolonged periods of time could lead to mishandling documents and creating duplicates. If you just backed up some files without changing their names, that’s alright, you’ll probably need them later, but there’s no need for duplicate files to just lie around your PC if they’re not for backup & restore purposes.

TotalAV’s duplicate file finder can easily perform a scan on your PC and present you a list with all duplicate documents it’s capable to find. We recommend you check the list as many times as needed, to make sure you won’t get rid of files you may need shortly after. Once you’re certain, click the Delete Selected button.

Application Uninstaller

This tool lets you perform a scan of all the apps you’ve installed on your PC and remove them without significant effort. If you’re familiar with Windows’ program manager, you probably know that you must wait for several seconds between multiple uninstallation attempts.

TotalAV made it easier for you by letting you select several applications at once and uninstalling them altogether. Since each program has its own removal wizard, you’ll probably need to stick around for confirmation, but at least the tool will automatically begin uninstalling the following program once the current one has been dealt with.

Startup Manager

As you may know, certain programs on your computer can be set to run at startup, to save you the headache of launching them manually. Usually, these programs are either system tools that need to perform some automated checks or they’re agents that can help you save some loading time while using with their associated applications.

However, with each new program, you add to your startup list, your PC’s boot time will increase by just a smidge. A couple of programs won’t do much damage, but if you’re reckless you may inadvertently slow down your PC just by adding startup items to the mix.

TotalAV’s Startup Manager lets you perform a scan for startup items and easily toggle them on or off.

Browser Cleanup

Cleaning up your browser’s cookies and browsing history could help you dodge various connectivity issues. We’re sure you’ve been advised to “clear your cookies” before you could access a specific feature on a website or access a certain online service.

Well, that’s specifically what TotalAV’s Browser Cleanup tool can do for you. After accessing it, this tool will detect available browsers on your system, and let you clean their history items and cookies with one swift motion. You can check which data gets deleted in the process by clicking the number buttons for each browser.

More so, you can make the tool exclude a certain browser. For instance, if you want to clean only Edge cookies and history items, just uncheck all other browsers and click the Clean Selected button.

Password Vault and Family Sharing

Last, but not least, TotalAV packs two valuable features that are not included in either one of the categories above. The Password Vault allows you to create a safe space where you can safekeep all of your passwords and access them by using one single master key, even if your device is stolen or lost.

Furthermore, TotalAV’s Password Vault offers seamless integration with Firefox and Chrome by using proprietary browser extensions. Unfortunately, this feature is not accessible in the Pro version of TotalAV, as you’ll need to purchase an add-on to use it.

If you need a password manager, you’ll be thrilled to find out that there are several free options that offer the same (if not better) protection. TotalAV’s password manager had the advantage of bundling it all up and letting you access all these features directly from the antivirus’ side menu.

The Family Sharing option lets you offer your family members the same level of protection you’re getting from TotalAV. This feature is only available for the Pro version and lets all family members you invite create individual login credentials at no additional cost.

Extensive configuration menu

As you’d expect from such a versatile tool, TotalAV comes with an extensive configuration menu that lets you customize various parameters for most of the tools’ built-in components, as follows:

General:

• Check your subscription plan and upgrade it
• Change the interface language
• Log in to your account
• Switch to the free edition of TotalAV
• Change the update release channel

Antivirus Scans:

• Toggle removable drive scanning
• Enable scanning inside archives
• Choose file types to include in scans
• Change scheduled antivirus scanning frequency
• Choose the scheduled scan type
• Toggle scheduled scan active hours
• Set scheduled scan start and end time
• Add files and folders to be excluded from scanning

Real-time Protection:

• Toggle real-time protection on and off
• Enable real-time protection at system start automatically
• Toggle real-time scanning inside archives
• Enable verbose logging (more details about scan results)
• Choose file types to scan
• Select the default action to take when a virus is detected
• Change the virus definition update frequency
• Add files, folders, and processes to be excluded from real-time scanning

WebShield:

• Enable or disable TotalAV’s WebShield
• Toggle TotalAV’s automatic enabling of WebShield at system startup
• Block ‘Low Trust’ websites and/or cryptomining URLs
• Whitelist domains (exclude them from WebShield blocking)
• Submit suspicious websites

Password Vault:

• Set how long you can be idle before Password Vault gets locked automatically
• Change the default action to take if there are unsaved changes when Auto-Lock kicks in
• Install Chrome, Firefox, and Edge extensions

VPN:

• Toggle automatic VPN enabling when connected to an insecure WiFi network
• Choose the default VPN protocol
• Select the default firewall mode

Duplicate Scans:

• Specify files and folders to be excluded from duplicate scans

Notification Options:

• Activate scan start/finish notifications
• Toggle WebShield web page blocking notifications
• Enable Password Vault Auto-Lock notifications
• Toggle VPN connection/disconnection notifications
• Activate unsecure WiFi network connection notifications
• Enable marketing notifications
• Toggle silent mode (no notifications) while you’re running an app in fullscreen mode

TotalAV Review – Conclusion

Tutto sommato, se stavi cercando una soluzione antivirus che includa anche VPN, un ad-blocker, un archivio di password e utilità di ottimizzazione del sistema, allora TotalAV è "totalmente" da provare.

Offre una miriade di opzioni a un prezzo accessibile e ti consente di utilizzare quasi tutte le sue funzionalità per un massimo di 7 giorni senza pagare un centesimo. TotalAV offre anche un servizio di livello gratuito, ma puoi utilizzarlo solo per eseguire scansioni manuali sul tuo sistema e rimuovere il malware identificato.