Bitdefender Total Security 2012 Review and License key Giveaway

Avinash
By Avinash
AntiVirus

Bitdefender is one of the leading Antivirus and security solutions provider for PC users. Today we will be talking about Bitdefender Total Security 2012 which projected as a all in one solution for your PC which includes tools like File Shredder, File Encryption, Tune-up and Safebox – Online Backup & File Synchronization, in addition to features provided by the usual Internet security solutions.

PRE- INSTALLATION

The first thing that I expect while installing any Antivirus or security suite that it should detect any existing Antivirus or security suite on the system and ask you to uninstall it first. Bitdefender total security did found the existing Norton Antivirus 2012 on the system and asked to uninstall it first. After that it even detected the Malwarebytes AntiMalware too on the system, but I choose to ignore it.

INSTALLATION

The installation went smooth, but if you are using a web installer which is the default installer, you need a good working internet connection. The reason, it needs to download large number of files to finish the installation otherwise you should install it using the offline installer which is >250 MB in size. During the installation it scanned the system for possible infections and removed few infected files or viruses which is good, but it didn’t provided the details of what it removed or the location of infection which it should have. It didn’t ask for a reboot of the system after it finished with the installation which many Antivirus solutions ask for.

MEMORY FOOTPRINT

First thing that usually I check for while using any new Antivirus solution, is that how much memory the security suite or the Antivirus is consuming on the system on a normal run. The test system configuration was not too much i.e a Pentium D processor 2.4 GHz and just 1 GB RAM (the minimum requirement) running Windows XP SP3. Still, I didnt experienced any slowndown in the system performance. When I checked the memory usage in task Manager, two processes from Bitdefender were running and if we add up the memory consumed by both the processes, it was ~10 MB which is much lower than even what is consumed by a idle browser.

SYSTEM BOOT-UP TIME

Now it was time to test any effect on the boot-up time of the system due to Bitdefender Total Security. I didn’t noticed any noticeable change in the boot-up time of the system. It was almost same as what was before. Keep in mind, I hadn’t measured the boot-up time using any tool, the opinion here is just based on my own measurement without any tool which may not be accurate. The system booted quite fast.

ANTIVIRUS, FIREWALL, GUI ETC.

Just like any other internet security solution, it comes with a real-time Antivirus, Antimalware, Parental control and firewall protection. 2012 version comes with a new single interface instead of three interfaces which were in Bitdefender 2011. The graphical user interface or the GUI looks much better with each component being put into Blocks which can be dragged and moved from one place to other withing the GUI. Also, each block comes with drop-down menus which when clicked gives you the various options which can be performed. Even the options or configuration GUI is much better and organized with all options being categorized into different categories. Even a single category is divided into different horizontal tabs. All this makes it very easy for anyone to find a relevant option or configuration setting quickly.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

  • Rescue mode – Needed for cleanup or restoration of system by rebooting the computer in a trusted environment
  • Virtualized Browser – Its like the sandbox environment which isolates the browser from the operating system.
  • Scan Dispatcher – It triggers system scans when resource usage falls below a certain threshold.
  • Autopilot – If you want full silent operation of the Antivirus solution, it does everything on its own without interrupting you
  • Social Network Protection – It filters the links on Facebook and Twitter including monitoring of privacy settings
  • Search Advisor – Gives advance warning of risky websites right in your Google and Bing search results
  • Safebox – Automatically backs up files and folders to a secure remote server and allows file sync between your computers.

Safebox provides just 2 GB only storage capacity. Honestly, 2 GB is too low as we have many tools available like Dropbox which provide a better solution for backing up and syncing files provide 2 GB account for Free.

NO REBOOT AFTER UPDATE

One of the options which is enabled by default lets you avoid reboot of the system after Virus definition updates. This option is good as often we are in the middle of work but the Antivirus solution keeps asking us to reboot after a virus definition or program update.

VIRUS DETECTION

As I am not a expert on how to test Antivirus Software’s and  come out with a conclusion on how effective it is, hence I wont be commenting on how effective it is. You need to consult some of the Anti Virus comparative test sites on the web who do the testing on various Antivirus and Security suites.

Giveaway

Thanks to Bitdefender, we are giving away 15 license keys of Bitdefender Total Security to readers of Avinashtech. Just follow the simple rules below to enter in this draw.

  1. Subscribe to Avinashtech by entering your email address in the subscribe box on right sidebar of the blog or by clicking this link. Do remember to verify your email address when you get the verification email from Feedburner.
  2. Like the Facebook Fan Page of Avinashtech (If you don’t have a Facebook account you can skip this).
  3. Suggest what you would like to see on Bitdefender facebook page www.facebook.com/bitdefender.
  4. Share this on Twitter, Facebook. (If you have an account there).

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104 COMMENTS

  4. With nowadays continuous online threats, this good internet security is a must..just love it..thx for counting me in 🙂

  5. Another great giveaway. I need a good security program that will protect my PC from all the downloads I do. I test software’s all the time and this would help me keep peace of mind. Thanks for the giveaway avinashtech and Bitdefender. 

    Shared Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1576331841

  6. Thanks Avinash for this great pooprtunity, BitDefender is a good Internet Security, and in last years had mproved his features.

  7. Nice giveaway. I would like to see on Bitdefender facebook page more news & articles on current threats, viruses and malware & how to protect against them.

  8. Thank for this giveaway please count me in I am currently using their Internet Security 2012 which the license I got from a promotion last month. Its quite impressive and much better than my previous security suite which consume too much ram. So far so good and no did not encounter any problem or  sign of slowing down my machine. Hope to get to upgrade to a more advance version of it. Thank for this giveaway again!

    https://twitter.com/#!/coolng1990/status/148140056136269824

  14. Bitdefender is a very good security suite with many advance features. Total security is some how heavy on your system. still a good security suite. Please count me on.

  15. Great giveaway. I would like to see latest   tests results conducted by various  independent comparatives of Anti-Virus software in the Bitdefender facebook page.
    Isd

  18. Thanks so much for this Great GiveAway.
    I can’t go to facebook & Twitter,because these social sites has been blocked in my country.
    i Hope win a license.
    Best Regards,

  19. BitDefender is currently at the top. BDTS is one of the best security product on the market. I want a license for this excellent software because my license is expiring soon. I would like to see on Bitdefender facebook page more news on current threats. Thanks for the giveaway contest. Good luck to everyone.

  29. Már régi vágyam kipróbálni,használni Bitdefender. Sok jót olvastam ,hallottam róla.Reménykedem 1 kulcs elnyerésében.Tisztelettel,köszönettel: Józsi

  31. Régi vágyam kipróbálni.Talán most sikerül.Nagyon örülnék 1 Bitdefender licens kulcsnak

  32. I test this software, with trial license. it’s makes me impressed with NEW GUI and Great detection rates. I love it. and ,this version (2012) is more low RAM usage, than 2011 version. Thanks for great review Avinash. and for giveaway also.
    Please count me in.

  33. I have tried the IS but never the total security. I would like to win a license for at;; possible. Please count me .

  37. I  need this program to protect the computer from the dangers of viruses and spyware nice software! thanks for the giveaway! count me in plese
    I Subscribe  this   to my email and Share this on my Twitter,my Facebook

  39. BitDefender is the best. I`m using it on my main comp, & it genuinely doesnt slow down the system. The only (slight ) problem is that they have 4 to 5 updates everyday,so while automatically installing those updates, other functions on the computer are slightly slow. Therefore, I`ve disabled auto-updates & do it manually,so: problem solved! 
    But, I would like a copy for my 2nd comp, if possible. Thanx.

  41. I need the security program to secure my internet access and enable me to download other program with worry. This is best total security out and favorite out of all the security companies. I hope to win a license. 

  43. hey

    Hope to win 1 license from this giveaway:)

    Thanks

    بالعربى متشكرين

  49. Hi, Bitdefender Total Security one of the best program for computer safety. I am in very much need of this program as my present Avast Internet Security will expire soon.
    Regards

  50. well, another great giveaway, I trust BitDefender so much, it did’nt let me down, the first antivirus i use when i started using laptops, with this new version it’s so comprehensive it will really provide me the best protection i need, hope to win one license, thanks alot…….

  53. Would love to win this. I posted the giveaway on twitter. I do not have a fb account so I skipped that step. 

  57. i tried 2 year ago. and now using other security systems. Ä° want to use more time bitdefender because it’s good program. thanks for giveaway i hope i win.

  59. I have read many articles (good and bad) about Bitdefender, but I have never tried it.
    Please include me in this giveaway

  63. I believe I have hear about bit defender’s effectiveness long before I seen it on a friend’s computer. It would be a great enhancement for my computer.

  70. Bitdefender is ranked no. 1 amongst all antivirus..and you are giving away total security license..I want to win one copy.

  83. great giveaway, my pc was detected some viruses that i cant remove them, hope bitdefender can resolve this problem
    pls count me in

  85. I’m on the look out for an anti-virus program as my KIS licence has expired recently, if I can get a license from this that would be a great christmas gift for me. I never used Bitdefender before though.

  86. BitDefender 2012 was supposed to be a technological “tour-de-force” and a proof that BitDefender can optimize their products and speed them up to the level of F-Secure, for example. The protection has always been excellent –  it’s no coincidence that the AV module is being licensed to other, also top performing products, such as F-Secure and TrustPort, and BitDefender performed extremely well in the latest AV-Comparatives and AV-Test editions. Compared with the intrinsic cohesiveness of Norton and Avast, for example, previous BitDefender editions required a bit more of a dedicated effort, but it’s getting really close to the industry benchmarks, both in terms of protection and performance. The granularity and fine control options lost, the focus for this release seem to have been on improving the ease-of-use and overall dependability. 

    The good intentions for even more protection layers [Virtualized Browser, etc.] and unobtrusive, silent protection [Auto Pilot] were affected initially by performance and usability issues, with a lot of options now encapsulated in intricate and complex logic that took a bit too much of the control out of my hands and made me question the protection quality with the initial BitDefender 2012 builds.
     
    The Browsing Security was the biggest issue for me – an ambitious departure from the security toolbars as we know them. Using a handle is a welcome way to release real estate in the browser window. Wrapping pages after scrupulously scanning HTTP traffic [and throwing lots of CSS in the mix – web developers beware], utilizing host and cloud signatures for safer browsing experience, but at the cost of performance. While search results were displayed almost instantly, the link/page validation would take a long time – Search Results Analyzer was initially very slow, compared with Avast and Norton and their minimalistic and efficient approach to page ranking [both are blazingly fast]. I suppose BD has a way to go to fully start relying on its cloud services and need time to rollout the required infrastructure and generate the repositories of their competitors.

    But kudos to BitDefender for managing to relentlessly tackle these issues and turn the product around – it’s running a lot smoother and faster now, the most serious problems have been fixed, and the user experience got better. And my perception has definitely improved – I appreciate and enjoy BitDefender a lot more, instead of just suspiciously looking at its sleek GUI. 

    Idiosyncratic experience or not, this is an excellent product from a company with vision and dedication. Thank you for the opportunity to be included in this great giveaway and good luck to all participating!

  89. i h’ve seen bitdefender while my friend is using, he told its the best security solution.

    hope i can get 1 to use it on my pc.

  96. Bit defender is best antivirus with great firewall and detection rate.I would love to win its license.Thanks for contest.Please count me in.

  99. BitDefender is a very good security software.   My NOD 32 AV
    license expires soon and I ‘d like to use this software.
    Thanks for the giveaway.

  101. Amazing freebie mate!!

    This is actually the best SECURITY SUITE on the market right now along with Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security 2012.

    I used the TRIAL version of this amazing suite a few weeks ago and I can tell you that I was impressed by its performance.

    The best part of it it’s definitely its top notch ANTIVIRUS module, which gained the best score on the last Av Comparatives Certification, thanks to its impressive malware detection, low false positives rates, and its outstanding Social Networking Protection (Bitdefender Safego program) and  Antiphishing module, absolutely the best in the market right now (even better than the one provided by NORTON).

    Please note that Bitdefender Antivirus not only scans your system deeply against known and unknown malicious codes, but also analyzes any possible critical Windows system vulnerability, such as Windows patches, infected browsers, weak passwords etc…, giving you even the most appropriate suggestions to update your PC so as to have a machine less vulnerable to hackers’ attacks.
     
    And of course, if you take also into account its ANTISPAM component, its Two-way effective FIREWALL, its CHAT ENCRYPTION and  PARENTAL CONTROLS module etc…, we can conclude that any snoopers will no longer manage to gain access to your sensitive data out there through web forms, email and social networks accounts. 
    As far as the Bitdefender Facebook page is concerned, well maybe they could add a section for supporting their customers, should somenthing go wrong with their program.

    And of course they could add more contests and then pick the winners of them on the basis of their smartest comments rather than chosing them randomly through random.org website.
    Please count me in your stunning contest!!!
    http://www.facebook.com/Avtechblog#!/Avtechblog/posts/191128660984999
    https://twitter.com/#!/Mario77999/status/156829116644069378

  102. Amazing freebie mate!!
    This is actually the best SECURITY SUITE on the market right now along with Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security 2012.
    I used the TRIAL version of this amazing suite a few weeks ago and I can tell you that I was impressed by its performance.
    The best part of it it’s definitely its top notch ANTIVIRUS module, which gained the best score on the last Av Comparatives Certification, thanks to its impressive malware detection, low false positives rates, and its outstanding Social Networking Protection (Bitdefender Safego program) and  Antiphishing module, absolutely the best in the market right now (even better than the one provided by NORTON).
    Please note that Bitdefender Antivirus not only scans your system deeply against known and unknown malicious codes, but also analyzes any possible critical Windows system vulnerability, such as Windows patches, infected browsers, weak passwords etc…, giving you even the most appropriate suggestions to update your PC so as to have a machine less vulnerable to hackers’ attacks.
     And of course, if you take also into account its ANTISPAM component, its Two-way effective FIREWALL, its CHAT ENCRYPTION and  PARENTAL CONTROLS module etc…, we can conclude that any snoopers will no longer manage to gain access to your sensitive data out there through web forms, email and social networks accounts. 
    As far as the Bitdefender Facebook page is concerned, well maybe they could add a section for supporting their customers, should somenthing go wrong with their program.
    And of course they could add more contests and then pick the winners of them on the basis of their smartest comments rather than chosing them randomly through random.org website.
    Please count me in your stunning contest!!!
    http://www.facebook.com/Avtechblog#!/Avtechblog/posts/191128660984999
    https://twitter.com/#!/Mario77999/status/156829116644069378

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