Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have been using Bit Defender Total Security 2009 for the past year and it has served me well, so I was very eager to try the 2010 edition when it became available. Overall I am happy with the new version and can recommend it but there are some surprises that merit mention.
First, the installation was not smooth. Rather than uninstall the old version I simply popped in the CD and let it go. Bit Defender recognized that the old version was present and uninstalled it before proceeding with the new install, which would have been nice had it been successful. After it installed itself my system did not work quite right, though basic protection was there. I did a complete uninstall, wiped directories and even did a defrag (one application complained of no disk space, though I had 50GB free) and installed fresh. This time, Bit Defender identified 5 applications that it did not like and wanted to uninstall, yet it would not list which applications and telling it to uninstall them did nothing. From this point, installation was actually smooth and uneventful.
Once installation was finished, everything was clean and ready to go. The first noticeable change is the boot time at initialization. Bit Defender 2010 is definitely faster to load than the 2009 edition and as a result the system comes up to a ready state faster.
A lot of changes have been made to the user interface, making the dashboard look much more up to date and organized. I run the dashboard in expert mode, which gives access to everything that can be set, and my overall impression is that, while most settings remain and are available as they were, more thought went into the interface to make it more intuitive. Though predominantly cosmetic, the updated interface is welcome.
I threw some tests at the firewall and was unable to get it to fail. It leaves no ports open, and it does not allow two-way traffic without checking or at least notifying the user. The operation of the firewall has not changed - it is solid.
One feature of the firewall I have grown to really appreciate is the activity monitor and process list. I like being able to look at the network traffic and see what processes are "calling home", eating up bandwidth (though the firewall notifies the user when initially allowing access to an application). It does not allow you to directly terminate a connection, but it at least shows what is happening so that you can take some action if necessary.
The initial scan done by the antivirus took a couple of hours and it scanned over 600,000 files. Overall this is not the fastest antivirus I have ever used but it is not the slowest either. In testing it seems to do an acceptable job. With the 2009 edition I got an occasional false positive, but so far I have not seen any with this new version.
There is one setting that caused me some grief and required some research to identify and correct. By default, Privacy Control is turned on, and for most that may be fine. In my case it interferes with my connectivity for some reason, breaking my connection to my POP3 server. After turning this off, my connectivity was fine. I am not sure why this is so, but it was frustrating until I figured it out.
Parental controls seem to work better now, though I think they are perhaps a little too aggressive (better that than being too permissive). When I turned them on for my account, it identified me as a teenager and blocked me from news sites. I switched my profile to adult and it corrected the issue. It seems a bit odd that news sites would be blocked for anyone, but it demonstrated that parental controls work. There is also a new option for specifying time frames in which applications can be run, which is a nice-to-have feature when there are kids in the house.
The Total Security edition includes a few extras not found in the other editions that may or may not be of use. The tune-up section of the interface provides an easy-to-find connection to some of the system tools like the defragger and a file shredder. Also provided is an online backup feature that offers 2GB of free storage (2GB is not a lot of space but it is sufficient for documents and most data files).
Bit Defender Total Security is a nice package and has been my solution of choice for the past year. The 2010 edition offers some improvements over the 2009 edition that make it even better. There are some rough spots in it that should be taken into account when installing and using, but there is nothing that cannot either be worked around or turned off. My experience with Bit Defender has been a good one and I can in good conscience recommend their security suites.
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The Industry's Best Value! Provides 3 PCs 2 full years of protection against viruses, spyware, hackers, and other e-threats, without slowing them down. Includes: online backup; firewall; IM Encryption; File Vault (encrypts sensitive documents); File Shredder (eliminates all traces of deleted files); Parental Control; system maintenance tools; and more.
BitDefender Total Security 2010 Features
Securely download music, movies, and files from the Web, friends, and family.
Scans and removes viruses and spyware
New--Advanced protection that continually monitors your system to catch threats that lay dormant, before they attack
Scans all Web, e-mail and instant messaging traffic in real-time
Proactively protects against new virus outbreaks using advanced heuristics
Protect your identity: shop, bank, listen, and watch, privately and securely.
Blocks attempted identity theft (phishing)
Prevents personal information from leaking via e-mail, Web or Instant Messaging
File Vault encrypts and stores personal information or sensitive files
File Shredder permanently erases all traces of deleted sensitive files
Maximum security that doesn't sacrifice performance.
New--Scans 30% faster than even last year's lightning-fast edition!
Uses minimal system resources
Laptop Mode prolongs battery life
Removes unnecessary duplicates of files and registry entries
Automatic Online Backup! (2GB)
Backs up your important files to a secure website
Safeguards against data loss in the event of hardware failure or PC theft
Allows you to share your online files with family and friends
Guard your conversations with top-of-the-line encryption.
Instant Messaging Encryption (Yahoo! and MSN Messenger)
Connect securely to any network at home, in the office, or on the road.
Automatically modifies firewall protection settings to suit location
Wi-Fi monitor helps prevent unauthorized access to your Wi-Fi network
Parental Control
Blocks access to inappropriate websites and e-mail
Schedules and limits kids' access to Internet and to applications, such as games
Gamer Mode
Reduces the system load and postpones scans/updates, allowing for secure gaming at top speed
Be in control, stay in control.
Manages the security of your entire home network from one PC
Use the dashboard to fix security issues with just one click
Automatically decides best security actions to take
Designed for ease of use.
New--User Profiles (Typical, Parent, Gamer, Custom)--set up your security to best match your computing activities
New--See only what you need! Select from Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced views
New and Improved in BitDefender 2010
More Protection Many of today's stealth viruses are designed to avoid antivirus detection by initially laying dormant only to attack your PC when it is most vulnerable. BitDefender 2010 features a cutting-edge security system, Active Virus Control, which constantly monitors all of the processes on your PC, 24/7, blocking any malicious behavior before it can cause any damage.
More Speed The abundance of new viruses calls for faster ways to detect them. BitDefender's Optimized Scanning avoids the scanning of files that are known to be safe. The result? BitDefender 2010 scans your PC in half the time needed by previous versions, while using less resources.
Easier to Use Whether you're a security expert or a novice, with the new BitDefenderUser Profiles you can easily manage your PC's security. The product interface adapts to the chosen profile and provides quick access to the main security functionalities you are most likely to need (Parental Controls for parents, or Gamer Mode for gamers). BitDefender 2010 also features three dashboard views--Novice, Intermediate, and Expert--to better accommodate users with different levels of PC knowledge.
Improved Parental Control The Parental Control module features a newly added reporting system allowing parents to view what websites their children visit. Moreover, parents can set specific time intervals in which their children are allowed to access the Internet or use certain applications.
Improved Intrusion Detection BitDefender detects and blocks attempts to change critical system files or registry entries on your PC and warns you about attacks performed by code injection (DLL injection).
Improved In-Product Technical Support You can get answers to the most common product-related questions or contact technical support directly from the product using its easy-to-use self-service module.
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