March 12, 1997 2:00 PM ET

Dr Solomon's rolls out Anti-Virus for consumers
By Christy Walker

Dr Solomon's Software has rolled out its first anti-virus software for consumers and small office users. The British company's Anti-Virus, which is shipping now, detects and removes viruses from Internet downloads, shared files, E-mail messages or floppies. Features include NetGuard, which detects and removes viruses downloaded from the Internet; an SOS disk that checks for viruses before software is downloaded; and an option to automatically remove detected viruses. Anti-Virus offers the full functionality of Dr Solomon's flagship product, Anti-Virus Toolkit, but with some network components removed, according to company officials. "It's the same as the Toolkit, but with a few less features," said Steve Orenberg, senior vice president and general manager for Dr Solomon's Software. "Anti-Virus doesn't have the bells and whistles that are in the Toolkit, but I think that it's better [for the end user], as we've already taken out most of those extras from the Toolkit for our users," said Bruce Shaffer, network technician for Keyport Life, in Boston. Unlike Toolkit, which is aimed at the corporate user, the new product is aimed at the Windows 3.x and Windows 95 home and small-office user. Monthly software updates of Anti-Virus, which include new detection and repair engines, are available for $29.95 per year online and $99 per year by disk. A Windows NT version of Anti-Virus is expected by year's end, officials said. Dr Solomon's also announced on Tuesday an agreement to provide America Online Inc. customers with free access to FindVirus, an on-demand scanner included in the Anti-Virus product. Dr Solomon's U.S. headquarters are in Burlington, Mass. The company can be reached at www.drsolomon.com. Copyright(c) 1997 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company is prohibited. PC Week and the PC Week logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. PC Week Online and the PC Week Online logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Send mail to PC Week