G Data AntiVirus 2011's stable of antivirus protection features is crippled by its outdated interface and slow installation process. While G Data supports a fast and reliable virus scanner, its lack of more modern features, such as Gamer Mode, indicates it's fallen behind the times.


1) Installation:  ²/₅

The G Data AntiVirus 2011 installation process was onerous. On our reference computer*, the application took 1 minute and 55 seconds to install (excluding time needed for rebooting). The installer presents seven screens of options and confirmations before installation formally begins. Once it finishes installing, G Data requires you to reboot. After the reboot, G Data informed us that it was out of date, so we installed the latest version. This required a second reboot. To date, G Data is the only antivirus program we've reviewed that requires a double reboot to be brought current.

After the second reboot, G Data requires that you update its virus definition files, and perform an initial system scan. Even after we performed these steps, G Data deemed our computer insecure because it was using a wireless network with a simple passphrase. Which raises the question of what's worse: using a simple passphrase for your home wireless network, or installing a program that reads your wireless passphrase without your permission?

*Reference Computer: Windows 7 Home Premium running on a Toshiba Pentium Dual-Core T4200, with 3GB of RAM and a 210GB hard drive. 2) Features & Ease of Use:  6/10 The G Data Dashboard can be confusing at times. The left hand sidebar contains a License widget, but neglects to include a prompt to input your license information. As it turns out, G Data will prompt you for your license username and password when you attempt to update the program. The rest of the interface is hit or miss. On the plus side, G Data makes it easy to find basic features. A Virus Scan drop-down enables manually launching one of several types of scan (see Section 3 for more information). On the minus side, the program fails to explain some of its basic concepts. For example, several dialogues allude to the existence of two separate virus engines, named (not so helpfully) A and B. Users must dig into the help to discover that G Data uses two separate virus databases and algorithms to achieve a higher degree of accuracy. This seems like a technical detail that will confuse more users than it will enlighten. Note: Further research revealed that Engine A belongs to Avast AntiVirus, while Engine B is that of BitDefender AntiVirus. G Data 2011 Dashboard: G Data's feature set is solid, even though the program feels a bit antiquated. Anti-virus features include boot CD creation, Web/Phishing/Email protection, removable drive scanning, and a real-time monitor that examines both file modifications and program behavior. Each feature contains an Options dialog that enables users to configure the antivirus engine's behavior. All of it comes wrapped in an interface that's a few years out of date. It's telling that the Options menu for the Internet security features references only two Instant Messaging Programs - Trillian and Microsoft Messenger 4.7. Even though the program declares it was made in 2011, some parts haven't been updated since 2005! G Data's most glaring omission is the lack of a Full Screen Mode, also known as Gamer Mode. This suspends virus scans when an application is running full screen, and is standard in most commercial antivirus platforms now. 3) Virus Scanner:  4/5 G Data AntiVirus 2011 supports five types of scans: Computer (full scan), Memory and Startup, Directories/Files, Removable Media, and Rootkits. G Data Virus Scanner: Speed: Even with two antivirus engines running, G Data AntiVirus 2011 is fairly fast. On our reference machine (see above), G Data scanned hard drive data at a rate of 27.1MB per second, and processed our 1GB matrix of test files in 37.8 seconds. The Memory and Start-Up Scan finished in a respectable 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Updates: By default, G Data checks for new virus definitions every hour. On average, the platform downloads 20 virus definition updates daily. While that doesn't touch industry leader Norton AntiVirus, it's an impressive number compared to the rest of the field. 4) Performance Testing:  5.5/10 A good antivirus program should not only protect your computer from viruses but also not slow down the Performance of your computer too much by using up your computer's resources. We run each antivirus program through a set of Performance Tests to see the impact it has on the computer. View the results below of our antivirus testing for G Data 2011... • Memory Use: G Data 2011 uses 17.0 MB of system memory. #6 rated of the 15 antivirus programs we tested. • Reboot Time: G Data added 22.0 seconds to our test computer's reboot time. #11 rated program we tested this year. • Installation Size: G Data AntiVirus 2011 requires 443 MB of hard-drive space for installation. #10 rated program we tested. • Initial Scan Speed: G Data scans files the first time at a speed of 27.1 MB/s. #8 rated program we tested. • Subsequent Scan Speed: G Data performs subsequent scans at a speed of 426.7 MB/s. #1 rated program we tested. • Initial Application Launch: G Data 2011 added 0.900s to launch a web browser for the first time after a reboot. #11 rated program we tested. • Subsequent Application Launch: G Data added 0.283s on average for subsequent web browser launches. This was the #8 rated program we tested. • File Conversion Time: G Data added 0.56s on average to convert a MP3 file to four other file types. #10 rated program we tested. • System Impact Score: The "System Impact Score" is a comparative score tallied from the above 8 Antivirus tests. G Data 2011 scored a total of 63 out of 120 points when compared to the other antivirus programs tested. This ranked G Data 2011 as the #8 rated antivirus program we tested this year - right in the middle of the pack of 15 antivirus programs we tested. Not overly surprising that G Data wasn't near the top of these Performance tests results, since it utilizes two virus scanning engines. 5) Effectiveness: (Virus/Malware Detection)  14/15 The most important function of an antivirus program is to keep your computer free from Viruses and other Malware. Below we'll take a look at some of the industry's top Virus/Malware Detection testing and certification. a) AV Comparatives is an independent antivirus testing lab in Austria providing some of the most trusted virus detection tests in the industry. They have 2 major virus/malware tests that they perform. In the most recent test in November, the Proactive Test, G Data was rated 3 out of 3 Stars. In the 2nd test last August, the On Demand Detection Test, G Data also received a 3-Star rating. G Data not only received a 3-star rating in both tests, but it was also the highest rated in each test. G Data's 2 virus scanners prove the old adage right - two is definitely better than one!     b) AV-Test is another major antivirus testing lab which is located in Germany. In their recent antivirus testing in 2010, G Data received a 14.5 / 18 score on the Windows 7 platform. In the 2nd set of tests run on Windows XP, G Data received a 15 / 18 score. While on the 3rd test run on Windows Vista, G Data received a 13.5 / 18 score. All 3 of these scores were good enough to receive AV-Test's Certification level (12 points needed on each test for Certification). Overall, G Data was one of the top programs tested in these 3 tests. Despite these tests being run on G Data's Internet Security software, they are useful when evaluating G Data's more basic antivirus program since they test the software's Protection and Repair capabilities against Viruses and Malware. Win 7: Win XP: Win Vista:         c) ICSA Labs Desktop Anti-Virus Certified. ICSA is an independent organization that sets standards for security products and certifies anti-virus software. d) Virus Bulletin's VB 100% Certified. G Data passed the most recent VB100 test (Dec./10), and has only failed one VB100 test out of the last 14 (going back to June, 2007). The VB 100% award is given to antivirus software that detects all viruses "in the wild." e) West Coast Labs has not certified G Data this year. WCL specializes in functionality testing, performance validation and Checkmark Certification of security products. 6) Help & Support:  2/5 While G Data offers a good local help manual, its on-screen and online help offerings are scant to non-existent. »On-Screen Assistance: G Data doesn't provide much in the way of inline explanatory text, and leaves some basic concepts (such as the dual virus engines) unexplained. »Local Help: The Help file is available from the Help menu on the upper right corner of the screen, and is both highly detailed and well organized. »Online Support: The only link G Data provides to its Web site is in a help topic in the documentation; users must click that link, or go directly to www.gdata-software.com, to obtain online support. The G Data Support Center doesn't provide much except a couple of phone numbers, a contact form, and a page of support tools. G Data offers none of the perks you expect from a commercial antivirus vendor, including Online Tech Support Chat and a User Forum. »Quick Support Links:      • G Data Support Center      • Support Tools CONCLUSION: If you can get past G Data's average Performance / System Impact, and its dismal Help & Support, then G Data is truly a great antivirus program where it counts - Effectiveness against Viruses and Malware! In fact, G Data could arguably be considered the best antivirus program at keeping your computer system virus-free. Too bad G Data's Performance and Support weren't better - then it could be jockeying to be one of the best programs on the market, instead of settling for a still-respectable Good rating. Overall Rating: Good    (Total Score: 33.5 / 50 = 3.5 Stars)