BitDefender Antivirus '10

- Star Review

Last Updated: 10/30/2009

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BitDefender Antivirus '10 Star Rating

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Wow, talk about simplifying a product. BitDefender Antivirus has made this the most "comfortable" looking product for the average computer user an option. Couple that with the an already top of the line security product, and BitDefender may have released their best product ever. All of the functionality is there as it has been in the past, but this is a nice simple looking product. Of course, we need to take if for a test drive.

BitDefender Antivirus 2010 has all the antivirus effectiveness certifications from WestCoast and Virus Bulletins and historically BitDefender Antivirus has been among the most effective antivirus software engines in the market. As I write this review, I am running a full system scan on my machine and with the system scan running we are using less than 18MB of Ram and less than 10MB in normal operations. This is close to the lightest antivirus software product I have seen on the market and tested.

The installation process is where things get tricky but unknown to the average user, the installation process of antivirus software is very important and sometimes very complicated. First of all, antivirus software has a very difficult time running if there were other antivirus engines on the computer. So during the installation process BitDefender Antivirus 2010 needs to detect other products that were on the machine and remove the offending components. This can take a little extra time and in my case it did but I do not see this as a negative on this antivirus software product. I view this as a time consuming necessity for long term security.

There are a few options for BitDefender Antivirus 2010 which are similar to past versions. The normal mode is what most of us will install on and there are options for Laptops (lower battery usage) and gamers (less performance interference) and then of course Custom which is for the advanced user to customize setting. You need to create an account on the install which will create an account for you on the BitDefender website. This will allow you access to antivirus product management and also access to customer support information.

BitDefender Antivirus 2010 Features

Simple interface
Virus and malware protection
Anti-phishing engine
Instant Messaging Encryption

What's New With BitDefender Antivirus 2010

The antivirus scanning process is the main improvement in the 2010 version of BitDefender Antivirus. There are three different types of antivirus scanning, Signature based (the updates that you get), Heuristic (looks for characteristics of viruses) and the new and improved part of BitDefender Antivirus, Active Virus Control which constantly monitors processes that occur on your computer for suspicious activity. Of course, all three of these work better together and they take system resources to accomplish. BitDefender has addessed that by using Optimized Scanning which avoids the scanning of known safe files thus speeding up your computer and taking less system resources.

BitDefender Antivirus 2010 Pricing

BitDefender has always been among the most competitively prices antivirus software products. The main product that they sell is the 3 users antivirus product for 1 year (includes 1 year of antivirus updates) and this is $29.95 but you can select the 1 user version and that is just $24.95. 5 users is $49.95. When it comes to renewals, BitDefender does not give any discount on the antivirus renewal so next year it will cost you another $24.95 but if you select to purchase the product for 2 years, you save $5.00 as it only adds $20 to your order. Overall, you cannot complain about the price of BitDefender Antivirus as it is among the lowest cost product available.

BitDefender Customer Service

When you install BitDefender Antivirus 2010 you must create an account which then gets you access to all sorts of support on the main site. You get access to the standard FAQ information and their top issues. There is a Live Chat option and a Phone Support option. Live Chat was quick and helpful and Phone Support was slow and helpful. The support was good, probably outsourced to India from what I could tell from the 2 people I spoke with, and they were knowledgeable but we were on hold for in excess of 12 minutes each time. Not bad for live support and it is available 24/7 although I am going to be quite honest, I did not check the 3AM EST availability.

Support Phone Numbers
US 954-928-2780
Canada: 888-527-9405 (this works in the US too)

BitDefender Antivirus 2010 Summary

Overall, this is just a wonderful product and even more so for the average user. The installation process was smooth although long, the product is effective and easy to use. The price is great and includes free support. I guess when you have a better product, you are not as concerned about offering free support.

Again, BitDefender Antivirus products are going to be near the top of our list of antivirus software products.

Pros:

Easy to use
Low cost
Free support

Cons - None if significance for the average user

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