Bitdefender Antivirus Free - English GUI

ufakai75

Back to Bd free

 

I went the opposite direction. Based on this thread, I tried the latest BD Free (I stopped using it a long time ago because of bugs like the logs file button issue). As Windows indexed files (for its search function), BD Free would scan them, and BD was popping up positives on files other AV's had no issue with. Even BD's engine on VirusTotal was declaring these files clean. So I went back to a clean, ghosted system image and installed Panda Free.

Over the years I've had many more issues caused by false positives than by actual infections, and I am looking for a free AV that has good detection, very low false positives, and URL/web filtering. Right now for me it's between Forticlient and Panda. (If Panda starts popping up ads, I'm returning to Forticlient.) YMMV, as always.

 

Fwiw, logs kicked in with another product update this morning. Lacking settings to fiddle with aside, this app is relatively busy with sig updates and background "quick" or "deep sweep" scanning with absolutely no system impact. On a few occasions it's blocked passage to websites deemed malicious. Void of log, quarantine, and false positives issues so far. Yeah, I don't think I'll miss forking out the annual rent fee for AV/A-malware apps anytime soon.

 

I hate the fact it's CONSTANTLY grinding the HDD. Why the hell it has real-time protection if it grinds the drives non stop!? And the fact I have a 2TB drive almost full with data makes the whole thing even more painful to even know it's happening.

 

The logs prob occasionally returns & then gets solved.
But it can be solved by system restart or exit & restart Bd.
Atleast here, this have always solved the prob.

I never got FPs here.

Sprocket, what programs/files were detected as FPs?

RejZoR, what do you mean by constant grinding HDD?
Do you mean auto scan or realtime i.e virusshield that shows scan?

But no slowdowns here.

I have noticed that when system boots up, gzserv shows high memory on task manager around 150000-200000K for few secs but no slowdown.
After few secs memory settles down.

A user in Bd free forums reported that thousands of his files in external HDD were quarantined & couldn't be restored.
He contacted support & was not helpful but irritating.
Here is the link
http://forum.bitdefender.com/index.php?showtopic=58177
This is dangerous & worrisome.

 

Strange, I haven't noticed that on either of our PCs running BDAV-Free. Which version of Windows are you running?

 

That is worrisome! .....but what kind of file has a gzquar extension?

 

By constantly grinding HDD means doing daily quick scans an monthly full scans. In a modern antivirus that has real-time scanning. It's moronic. With avast! I only make a quick scan when I install it to populate the cache faster. And that's it. Same with AVG, AVIRA, Panda Cloud etc. But BD is doing this nonsense. It just makes zero sense. Why is there need for such idiocity if there is rea-time scanner? If anything will ever get accessed, real-time will warn me. Who cares if a daily scheduled scan detects it now or it gets detected 3 months later when I want to access it. It's just wearing the drive when there is no real need for it.

 

When Bd free detects files as malware, the file remains in the original location but changed to gzquar so that it cannot harm the system.

 

You can disable autoscan.

 

And then I have to watch that yellow warning all the time. No thank you.

 

Yellow warning on the icon or GUI?
I think GUI warning is ok as you see it only when you open it & Bd free you will hardly access the GUI.
No warning on the icon.

 

One I remember was IP Agent, a utility that Steve Gibson (of Shields Up! firewall testing fame) made available many years ago. According to Virustotal, a few AV's still find it suspicious (Trend included), but oddly not BD.

 

No yellow warning here.

 

Yes there is in the GUI. I hate that **** and it can't even be dismissed (ignored). I have an OCD for that, so what.

 

You're not alone, I have an OCD for that ~ Snipped as per TOS ~ too, I can't stand it.

 

Also, despite all the reassurances that free version has the same detection as full version, people don't seem to confirm that statement...

 

I say (with all due respect), if you don't like BD-Free, just don't use it. It's been working great on our PCs, and after running Panda-Free for a few months I find BD-Free runs 'quieter and lighter'.

 

I don't use it. It has too many issues/glitches/bugs and it's not being maintained much or developed. It's basically a dead-end.

 

I like it apart from the constant scans (and that yellow warning if you turn them off). Other than that I actually like it. Even the quarantining and exclusion system is pretty neatly designed.

 

I liked it generally speaking but I had issues with the Logs button not working randomly, which they never seemed to fix. Maybe it's fixed now, I don't know. I don't like the constant scans either, that's unnecessary. But if the logs button doesn't work, then you can't get to quarantined items either I guess.

 

The comparison table
http://www.bitdefender.com/media/html/freeav-upgrade/?et_cid=EMM_NA_FreeAV_Upsell
And the fact that Bd free is a paid product in some countries.
http://www.bitdefender.fr/solutions/antivirus-essential.html
The Bd support replies to my email.
The Bd free staff details of Bd free in Wilders forum here.
My personal tests & comparison of free/paid.
One expert tester on malwaretips also confirms that Bd free provides the same protection as paid.

I do think it provides the same protection as the paid.

 

So far I haven't experienced any such issues.

 

It could be that it has been fixed.. It's been a while since I tried it, but back last year, it seemed that there were issues that just never got fixed. I'll have to try it again and see. Thanks....

 

Please under no circumstances tack on firewall to this!! The day you do is when I guess I'll mosey on over to Panda. Why is a strictly and exclusively AV/A-Malware app (free or otherwise) becoming more so the elusive diamond in the rough? Mucking up this app with a firewall would be a major detraction from its appeal and its targeted audience. If I wanted a firewall, BD has other options in abundance.