Bit Defender - I don't believe it.

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by JerryM, Mar 8, 2006.

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  1. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    timcan,

    Thanks, I cannot find the read me txt. Where is it?

    Jerry
     
  2. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Interesting thread for me. Now I understand why I always had BSOD's using BitDefender.
    Lesson #2 for me : pay more attention to the install instructions.
     
  3. timcan

    timcan Registered Member

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    start>all programs>bitdefender>readme :)
     
  4. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    Thanks. I appreciate the help.

    Although I removed all except Ewido, and Spy Sweeper the BD team insist that those should be removed also. They state that, "The trojan protection is full in BitDefender Standard."

    I'll have to take a look at the latest AV test and see if that bears out. At this point in time I plan to keep my AT and AS unless I have another shutdown.
    Examination of the AV Comparatives indicates that BD has an 87.89 % detection rate for trojans compared to over 99% for KAV.

    They also said if I wanted a complete solution to uninstall all other anti-spyware, and antiadware programs and upgrading to their Internet Security product.

    While I think such a suite is good, I am not convinced it is as good as my own firewall and Ewido and SS.
    I guess I'll see as time goes by.

    Thanks for the help, and feel free to make other suggestions/observations.

    Jerry
     
  5. ronbo613

    ronbo613 Registered Member

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    Before I purchased BitDefender9, I emailed their support with my system setup and there was no mention of incompatibility except with the programs in the readme file. After purchasing BitDefender9, an email to their tech support about the same thing had a much different tone.
    If software has a compatibility problem, it should be made clear before to potential customers before purchase, not after.
    CCleaner, Spybot and SpywareBlaster are good programs, I've used them for a while and I am sure they work. That's more than I can say about BitDefender9 at this point.
    I thought I'd made a good decision to buy BitDefender9 AV program, but it's starting to look like a cheap price for their antivirus software is just a marketing ploy to force you to buy their security "suite".
     
  6. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    I agree that they are good programs, and maybe I have been fortunate that I have not had conflicts till now. I have had a couple of other shutdowns, but MS was unable to identify the specific program which caused it.
    I suspect, in light of what has happened with BD, that it was a conflict with the various programs.

    I had a lot of stuff on my system just to see how it worked, and to be a 2nd and 3rd opinion. I have now ditched all the programs they recommended except Ewido, and Spy Sweeper. It has been a good learning experience for me, and I think that today we do not need the long list of anti-malware apps that maybe were necessary a couple of years ago.

    I am not sure that Spy Sweeper adds anything to Ewido and Adaware and Spyware Guard. I would welcome opinions on this.

    In reviewing the latest AV Comparatives tests, while BD does pretty well with trojans, it does not do well compared to several others, and I am convinced that Ewido adds another layer that is worth it.

    If I have problems between BD and Ewido, I will remove BD and go to either KAV or NOD. I have not read of any conflicts with those.
    However, KAV has such a good detection rate with trojans that I think one does not need an AT with it.

    I am not convinced that I really needed CCleaner, and some do not think that the registry needs that cleaning. I do not know, but did not use it for 5 years on my first machine with W98, and I did not detect any problems or sluggishness with it.

    I may try NOD just to see how it performs on this machine. I have read that it is difficult to configure, but I am sure I can get plenty of help here on Wilders.

    Have a good day, and I guess we will see how the programs I have kept against the advice of the BD team run together.

    A year or so ago Firefighter ran some tests with various Av alone and combined with Ewido. If I recall correctly KAV did not improve much, but BD did as well as several others. I wonder if he has conducted another test lately?

    Jerry
     
  7. ronbo613

    ronbo613 Registered Member

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    There is nothing wrong with CCleaner. I'm one of those people who takes care of their computer and believes that a registry cleaner is a good thing, especially after installing or removing software. You can adjust the items you want CCleaner to remove as far as things you've picked up while cruising the internet. I've used it for some time now on a number of computers, never had any problems. If you ask me, it's one of the best free programs out there.
    What disturbs me most is the difference in information I got from BitDefender before and after buying it. I researched AV software extensively before buying BD9. I emailed them before I bought it with my system specs and security software that was installed and specifically asked them if there would be any issues, their response was there would be no problems. Apparently, their sales department and technical support have different information. Very convenient for them. If I ask them a specific question, they should answer truthfully.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2006
  8. timcan

    timcan Registered Member

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    Just my 2 cents on this. I have ewido free version (non resident),free adaware,ccleaner,spywareblaster along with Bitdefender 9 std,comodo pfw and netgear router,nothing else as far as security goes. Everything is ok so far.
     
  9. ronbo613

    ronbo613 Registered Member

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    I have many of those programs as well, no problems so far, but if BitDefender says that their program is compromised by other software, I guess you have to believe them.
    I feel kind of bad complaining about it. As a small business owner myself, I would like nothing more than to see a company like the one that makes BitDefender9 come out on top. The people who have responded to my emails seem nice enough. If they would come out and say something like "if you are using CCleaner and BitDefender9 and are having problems, look for this, this and this, etc.", let the user decide which software they need in conjunction with BD9.
     
  10. StevieO

    StevieO Registered Member

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    How can programs that are not running in real time interfere with BD's operations ? Or things like SpywareBlaster that only puts killbits in the registry ?


    StevieO
     
  11. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    I wonder also. Most of the programs they said to ditch were programs that did not run except when called up. For instance, I use the Kaspersky online scanner. I have not been aware that it was a problem. Same with Spyware Doctor free.

    If they are not running I do not understand how they caused the shutdown.

    Jerry
     
  12. ronbo613

    ronbo613 Registered Member

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    I would agree that you don't need a bunch of antivirus or antispyware programs, it seems that at least one of each would be a good idea. Not an expert here, but can these antispyware programs prevent the virus definitions from being installed in the the AV programs? Activity logs being deleted?
    Since switching to Firefox as the primary internet browser, malware and viruses are not nearly the problem they were with IE6, but viruses via email are a major concern. There is no visible evidence that having Spybot, CCleaner, SpywareBlaster and BitDefender installed all at once is causing a problem, but one situation can change that quickly.
    These are things I've asked BitDefender; what should I look for, what situations would reveal the supposed conflicts, is there any solution that would enable me to run these programs?
    I could live without Spybot. Ideally, I'd like to have BitDefender9 stop the viruses and trojans. SpywareBlaster seems to do a good job with a very low profile, I'd like to keep it as well. Adaware has done a good job on spyware. ZoneAlarm has worked for me. ZoneAlarm, BitDefender9 and Adaware would do the job for me. If I could have SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard as well, that would be icing on the security cake.
     
  13. dw2108

    dw2108 Registered Member

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    I agree. People are too paranoid. I use Opera and Solo AV, but I do love to collect AVs in order to try them.

    Dave
     
  14. Albinoni

    Albinoni Registered Member

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    Now has BD bought out a patch to resolve this problem and you also mentioned the following progs should also be uninstalled:

    CCleaner (remove only)
    ewido security suite
    Kaspersky On-line Scanner
    Panda ActiveScan
    Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.4 Spybot - Search & Destroy_is1
    Spyware Doctor 3.2
    SpywareBlaster v3.5.1
    X-Cleaner Freeware
    Microsoft AntiSpyware
    Spy Sweeper

    Now thats a hell of alot of progs.

    So what Antispyware and Malware etc do we use on our system if BD seems to have probs with these installed or any one install.

    If BD wants to be in the antivirus game and let me rest assure they are a very good AV next to NOD and KAV they can't afford to screw up like this, because before we know it they will be out of business.
     
  15. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    As for me, I never claimed that I needed all those programs. I had most to double check or to see how I liked them.
    I see lists all the time that are not necessary, but if they do not conflict and the system handles them so what?

    Of course, the point is that the programs they say to delete are programs that are used by many folks. I might wonder what programs will BD run with?

    There is always a discussion and advice to layer your security. While I know that I had more than necessary and most were not active, I now notice that some who are very knowledgeable are indicating that their layering is pretty well non-existent. So what is the deal?
    This does not look like layering to me,
    "BitDefender + Mozilla/Opera browser and Spybot/Ad-aware are way over the head, seriously."

    So where is the layering? I don't question the high level of expertise of the poster, but it is not consistent with layering. There is no AT, and if Spybot and Ad-aware are sufficient then why do the AS folks stay in business?

    I am of the opinion that with the detection rate of apps like KAV that one does not need and AT, and I also have not noticed that any of the paid AS apps that I have used have ever found anything significant.

    So I wonder if we really need anything but a real good AV such as KAV and the free anti-spyware apps as was stated?

    I like BD a lot, and plan to keep it on my laptop, and maybe this one after I trial NOD and KAV, but if it will not run well with Ewido I will ditch BD. I don't think BD at ths time has a high enough detection rate for trojans as I examine the latest AV Comparatives test. So if I get another shutdown attributed to BD off it goes.

    Jerry
     
  16. aka:snowman

    aka:snowman Former Poster

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    Have spent the past two weeks testing how well Bit Defender works with other programs as well as "in-general"

    Much to my surprise Bit Defender 9 was nearly a complete flop......constantly freezing the OS leading to "pull-the-plug" shut-downs......this on operarting systems nearly stripped of security programs.

    Bit Defender 8 has faired just a little better...but very little ! The constant freezing continued......(this is on newly formatted computers that otherwish run very well) Being curious.., one at a time security programs were entirely removed.........an finally discovered that a Bit Defender 8 would not work with a Script Detector thats installed (it could also have caused problems with Bit D 9...possible..)

    All in all....Bit Defender has been one serious disappointment......its amasing what programs WONT get along with Bit Defender.................furthermore. after installing Bit Defender on a friends computer connected by dial-up......we watched as Bit Defender's auto update kicked in the dial up modem and tryed dialing out....now that is a serious error for any program............behavior expect from a trojan but not from an anti virus....................plus.., vsserv exe was constantly being reported as performing illegal operation..................

    Bit Defender has good detection rate......that is known.....however, its not the Holy Grail.....an no program should need to be dis-abled in order for Bit Defender to properly work.....thats outragous behavior !
    Constant freezing of the operating system can never be tolarated no matter what the program.......

    For many years my computers have survived the internet.......under very stressful circumstances on occassion.....................an has done so without Bit Defender............to be faced with the choice of Bit Defender or "other" security programs.......Bit Defender will bite the dust.......QUICK!!!! Subject Closed...No Further Comments By Me
     
  17. aka:snowman

    aka:snowman Former Poster

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    NOTE:

    In all fairness to Bit Defender.......my computers all have extensive Registry Tweaks........its possible that Bit Defender was not comfortable with such tweaking although other anti virus programs have never objected to such tweaking...............Bit Defender Remains a very good program...its just not compatable with everyone........hey that ok...no doubt there are other programs that have such problems as well.....so..it remains the Users' choice.
     
  18. ronbo613

    ronbo613 Registered Member

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    I haven't had any problems since I installed BD9, but if there is even a minor hiccup, it's gone. I know the programs they want me to uninstall work.
    Glad I only paid $20 for it.
    Now, it's down to NOD32 and Kapersky. I'll get the software I need eventually, hope nothing happens in the meantime.
     
  19. hemkop

    hemkop Registered Member

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    JerryM yeah yeah we see that u wrote everywhere that bd is compatible with them, but maybe it will be fixed, and i saw now that u also wrote this everywhere even in their forum the bitdefender´s here <snip>


    link removed - Detox
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2006
  20. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    So What? If BD is not compatible with many programs that are commonly used then we should know about it. I have no desire to badmouth BD for the purpose of doing that, but the information needs to be out there.

    I do notice that on some forums the favorite is so sacred that it should not ever be criticized. That does not lead to honest information that folks are looking for.
    Maybe BD will fix it and maybe not. If they do then fine, but if they do not then they must compete with other AV that are more compatible.

    I note that the forum did not mind praising the ratings of the publications or test that made BD the tops, but ignore others that do not rate it so highly.

    I have used BD for over a year and have renewed my license. However, with the recent problems of compatibility I am not so happy with it. Everything I have said is true, and while I do not want to harm BD as such, if they cannot get their act together then that is their problem. There are some excellent AVs there.

    I make no apology for my posts. If it is too hot for BD then shape up.

    Jerry


    edited to remove quoted link - Detox.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2006
  21. hemkop

    hemkop Registered Member

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    well all people seem to like that forum and get help or help other´s exept u..

    ops sorry u also like it , because u are register on the bitdefender forum the right.

    i will also register there soon,


    //Sim
     
  22. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    You misunderstand my motives for posting there. It is to give information. Go there and read my latest posts, and maybe you will understand. I inadvertently posted a couple of posts without signing in. I have subsequently corrected that, as I had no intention of hiding who I am.

    I attempt to both get help and give as I am able. Any business needs to know and consider the good and the bad of their product and how it is received. I reported it to BD before I made any posts and the results have been discussed here and at BD forum.

    I am not angry or intend harm to BD, but they need to at least inform users and potential users of possible incompatibilities with other commonly used programs.
    BD either did not know or did not make it public information even on their read me txt.

    Other than that, I have neither the time nor inclination to argue the point. Believe as you will and do as you will.

    Have a good evening.
    Jerry
     
  23. Albinoni

    Albinoni Registered Member

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    Can somone pls show me here in writing/proof that BD is not compatible with this and that. I mean the amount of programs that it conflicts with is just incredible and in some ways hard to beleive. BD are in the AV game and compete with all other AV vendors or software companies out there now lets face it BD can't afford to be in this situation knowing that this and that is not compatible with their software otherwise people will STOP buying their software, but that doesn't seem so.

    Like I said I am using BD Pro 9 on an old PII 266/256MB RAM/Win2000 SP4 and have never had any issues with it neither with Spybot. Its one of the best AV products out there when it comes to regular updates and virtually updates every hr providing there is updates available. It's interface is excellent and easy to navigate, its detection and heuristics is very good.

    The only small issue I have had is sometimes the update button will be disabled and also the auto update tick box, so I have to re-boot the PC to fix the problem. I dont know what causes this but it only happens once in a blue moon.

    Also re Spybot's Tea Timer I have never had any issues with that re BD Pro 9 either.

    And lets say assume these assumptions are true sure Softwin will know about it and address or fix the problem.

    I mean can you imagine if tomorrow Ferrari built a car that would not accept Michellin tires.
     
  24. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    Hi Albinoni,

    My first post included the email that BD sent me. It is a policy here that emails not be posted. I have no quarrel with that, and would comply anyway.

    However, at my post 21, I listed the specific programs that BD recommended I remove. I queried them again about Ewido and Spysweeper, and they replied that I must remove them.

    Their readme txt does list Spybot, and A squared. It does not list the programs they told me to remove, except Spybot.

    I would recommend that you ask them if you desire more proof or information. It came as a surprise to me. I still am unable to understand why the online scanner stuff that is dormant at the time or those that are on-demand only can interfere.
    However, I removed most of them anyway.

    I have been a fan of BD, and they are nice folks. BD has served me well in protection. I am not competent to discuss or argue, with any expertise, the whys of their decision.

    That is all the information I can give. I hope they straighten it out, as there are several programs that are useful.

    Best,
    Jerry
     
  25. ronbo613

    ronbo613 Registered Member

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    I've only been using BitDefender9 for a couple weeks, so I'm just getting used to it.
    I have not noticed any major conflicts so far with the software I intend to use with BD9; CCleaner, Adaware, SpywareBlaster and ZoneAlarm. I am paying attention to possible problems, so perhaps we can figure out a way to use all these programs, since it appears to me that BitDefender has no interest in doing so.
    So far, the only issue I've found is that CCleaner deletes a BitDefender log file named "Logsvscan". BD9 asks to create a new file when the old one is deleted, maybe an update from BD9 would create a new log file that is missing as well.
     
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