Bitdefender 2010 1 year free license

[Inf0Byt3]

Just found this a few hours ago and I thought that maybe someone would need free antivirus for 1 year. It seems like the V3 Software Shop from UK is offering the full version of BitDefender Antivirus 2010 (with free upgrade to BitDefender Antivirus 2011) starting midday Friday 13 of August to midday Saturday 14 of August. Don't miss it .

Here's the promotion page:
http://store.v3.co.uk/?act=promo

Promotion is live here:
http://store.v3.co.uk/?act=details&id=12334

[IdeasVacuum]

If your PC is running Windows, I would recommend Microsoft's own freebie, Microsoft Security Essentials. It's completely unobtrusive, does not slow the system and has a simple GUI. I have previously used and been happy with Panda, Trend, Sophos and Nod32. MSE is the best I have used thus far and the price is very fair..........

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

[blueznl]

... does not slow the system ...

Yeah, right. But only if you don't turn it on!

It may work, and I do use it on some systems, but it's a serious slow down, especially when booting up on slower systems. I know it adds about 30 seconds boot time to an Amd XP2500, same thing on a P3-800, and slows down the work on an Eee PC netbook. (I do sense a little pattern here, they're all single core CPU's all running XP...)

Perhaps it runs nice on a multi core modern system, and perhaps it does its job well, and perhaps you won't notice the speed loss on vista, but saying that it does not slow down a system is, well, how should I put it... slightly not totally entirely completely correct...

[Inf0Byt3]

I used MSE for a month or two, but I wasnt' too impressed about it. True enough, it didn't slow down the PC as much as others (still did to an extent), however it made me a series of problems: After database updates were downloaded from the internet, MSE couldn't install them, it would error about connection problems. Another thing is that even if I have genuine XP installed on my PC, at startup MSE would complain that I may be a victim of software counterfeiting, etc.. I had to run a validation check each day... This ultimately made me uninstall it and go back to Comodo Internet Security (v5.0 Beta is great btw) which i used in the last year (with small pauses when i tried other AVs).

Perhaps it runs nice on a multi core modern system, and perhaps it does its job well, and perhaps you won't notice the speed loss on vista, but saying that it does not slow down a system is, well, how should I put it... slightly not totally entirely completely correct...

That's very true.

[thefool]

Running MSE at 3 computers at home and 7 at work, no problems at all
(All Vista or win7 machines, dual or quad cores).

I'm very impressed and have never had it easier than this. The most important thing is that it does not bother me with subscription updates (we were running Kaspersky before).

I did not notice any serious slowdown on the new win7 netbook we bought for bringing it on vacations (Was just in the Phillipines 3 weeks heh), although this is only single core, and I did a few basic tests before and after installing (nothing technical, just noted if it felt any less responsive or not).

Nevertheless, i've been running BitDefender before and was pretty happy with it. So its a nice deal for anyone who has trouble with MSE or otherwise can't use it.

[PB]

> [Microsoft Security Essentials] does not slow the system

Sorry, but I strongly disagree. I could barely use my PC with MSE running.
Uninstalled it pretty much 30 minutes after trying it. Back to Avira AntiVir
which leaves my PC running smoothly, and is 100% free.

Oh, and don't forget that Microsoft Security Essentials might accidentally
send your personal data to Microsoft via its SpyNet feature, which you
can't opt out of. But Microsoft promises not to identify you from your data.

[thefool]

> [Microsoft Security Essentials] does not slow the system

Sorry, but I strongly disagree. I could barely use my PC with MSE running.
Uninstalled it pretty much 30 minutes after trying it. Back to Avira AntiVir
which leaves my PC running smoothly, and is 100% free.

Oh, and don't forget that Microsoft Security Essentials might accidentally
send your personal data to Microsoft via its SpyNet feature, which you
can't opt out of. But Microsoft promises not to identify you from your data.

You know, if Microsoft actually received something they should not have received and used it in ANY way to identify you or so, they would get whipped their ***. All this conspiracy doesn't really bother me because they DO get checked in every possible way. I'm much more scared about some unauthorized person accessing the system, to be honest. Microsoft has no intention of making their system insecure.

I tried Avira AntiVir a week and it kept popping up with this annoying notice, as far as I recall. Quickly out and I bought a license of Nod32, which I must say have been delightfull to use. But now i'll go for MSE on the windows machines

Running XP btw? Maybe there is a pattern (all the people who complain seem to be running windows XP..)

[PB]

I'm not worried about Microsoft using my data to identify me,
I just don't want them seeing what I do on my PC, which can
be determined from such data. Example: do you want them
seeing your PureBasic source codes? Things like that are
priceless and private. I don't want their app to accidentally
send it out of my PC, even if they don't know who it came
from. It's my data and they have no right accessing it.

As for Avira, yes it pops up a reminder when you UPDATE,
but I only update manually when I'm ready, so it doesn't
bother me at all. By default it updates every time you
connect to the net, and every day, so I can see how it
would be bothersome. But just switch it to manual and
it's fine. Just like Windows Update.

[thefool]

I'm not worried about Microsoft using my data to identify me,
I just don't want them seeing what I do on my PC, which can
be determined from such data. Example: do you want them
seeing your PureBasic source codes? Things like that are
priceless and private. I don't want their app to accidentally
send it out of my PC, even if they don't know who it came
from. It's my data and they have no right accessing it.

As for Avira, yes it pops up a reminder when you UPDATE,
but I only update manually when I'm ready, so it doesn't
bother me at all. By default it updates every time you
connect to the net, and every day, so I can see how it
would be bothersome. But just switch it to manual and
it's fine. Just like Windows Update.

I've read through the privacy statement at their website, and it will NOT send full files. It CAN send file-names of files which are detected, and it can also include a cryptographic hash. That is for a BASIC membership, which is default.

The Advanced membership has this additional option:

Occasionally, Microsoft might request a Sample Submission report. This report contains specific files from your computer that Microsoft suspects might be potentially unwanted software. The report is used for further analysis. You will be asked each time if you want to send this Sample Submission report to Microsoft.

NOTE: this is NOT the default setting. AND you will be asked each time.

The APP don't accidentally send out files. It won't send any files at all with the basic membership, and IF it sends out files(and it should not send source code at all, unless it is by fault detected as being harmfull, which I haven't seen in all my years as a programmer), it will ask for permission first.

And if sending statistics and hashes of potentionally infected programs helps detecting new vira faster, I don't mind it at all.

When I tried Avira, it popped up with reminders that this was a free version and that they had better paid versions. On EVERY system start. And it was not optional. But perhaps they've changed this behaviour

[PB]

> This report contains specific files from your computer

Well the above quote makes it sound like it sends full files.
They obviously need to write in a clearer language to stop
any confusion with potential customers.

> When I tried Avira, it popped up with reminders that this
> was a free version and that they had better paid versions
> On EVERY system start. And it was not optional.

My experience is different. Never had a prompt, EVER. Only
see an ad when I manually update the signatures. Not after
a system restart, or logoff, or any other time. Don't know why
it happened to you. I've used Avira for about 5 years now, too.

BTW, here's my license window from Avira. It says I'm running
a full version, but I assure you I've never paid a cent for it and
it's not pirated (it says Free). I think it asks you if you want a
license when you install it. Maybe you clicked No, thinking you
had to pay? Also, it auto-renews the license when it expires.

[thefool]

Could be I messed up in something, its a long time ago
But apart from the message at startup it didn't annoy me at all. And it was certainly more lightweight than Avast and AVG at the time

[IdeasVacuum]

> I could barely use my PC with MSE running.
Uninstalled it pretty much 30 minutes after trying it.

When you run it for the very first time, MSE performs a scan of your entire system, which you can (should?) leave unattended. Once MSE "knows" your system (depending on your hardware, that will take time - I have 5 big HDs, took over an hour), it's plain sailing. I have only used it on duel core Intel platforms, on those you really would not know it is there which is critical for me as I am using huge apps like CAD-CAM most of the time.

We are talking about a Microsoft product designed to protect a Microsoft based system - I think they have the credentials to produce a half-decent solution. Concerning Privacy Policy, I am inclined to trust Microsoft more than lesser operations that might suddenly find they need to raise some quick bucks by hook or by crook. So many people are happy to knock MS on this subject - if they are worried about MS apps spying on them, then surely they should worry about the OS? Too much hype and not enough substance, at least MS tell you what they will and will not do, unlike Google - they have recently got themselves into trouble with the UK government by collecting people's data via wi-fi interception during their Google Street Maps surveying. Naughty!

Back to the subject of Anti-Virus, nothing is perfect of course. A BitDefender update crashed customers systems not long ago, and their customer database got hacked too! I think McAffee had a similar update issue and Kaspersky had a similar db hacking issue......it's a wonderful world.

[blueznl]

At one stage there were different versions of Avira floating around. Some nagging, some nagging on every start, some not at all. All very fast though

I also had a free version that did not nag, but it refused to update anymore, so I had to replace it.

[thefool]

At one stage there were different versions of Avira floating around. Some nagging, some nagging on every start, some not at all.

It was actually your fault i tried it in the first place as far as i remember heheh. But it sadly nagged me too much with the start screen, so I went ahead and bought Nod32

[Baldrick]

I got so disillusioned with all the AV apps out there & they way they slow my systems down, false trigger with so called 'heuristics' on apps that I write myself, etc that I have been running without anything but script / ad blockers for several years with the attitude that if things go wrong it is just easier to completely reformat & restore data from regular backups.
I have just installed this MSE app on my older 1.6Ghz IBM notebook & am quite impressed with just how well it works.
Also scans from this app tell me I have a clean system even though I have not been running any AV on that machine since I bought it years ago