BitDefender Internet Security 2011 Value Edition - 3 PC/2 year Review

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(More customer reviews)So here's the deal. I've been using computers since the TI-994a (actually had one called a Timex Sinclair before that)and have been "online" since the Prodigy days and 300 baud modems. So I've been around the block when it comes to computers, internet and security software. I know how to install, uninstall and tweak my way through most issues without having to contact support...until this security suite.
I was previously using Norton 2011 and when this came up on Vine, I'm always looking to try new security suites. I fully removed Norton and during the BitDefender installation, it confirmed that no other security software is installed that would conflict with it (nice feature).I'm running a Windows 7 64bit Toshiba laptop with 3 GB memory and pentium processor so this shouldn't be a problem I thought. The installation went fine and I did a full system scan (took upwards of 6 hours), the product updated, requested a reboot and I thought we were off...
Unfortunately, although it initially recognized registration key, it appears to have lost that or not worked correctly. I can't get the services to start and I'm supposed to contact BitDefender support directly from within the program...well that's great IF the program will run. So off to the website, go through my account I was required to establish with BitDefender and have already left a tech support ticket within 12 hours of installation. I can't say as though I've ever had to do that.
I'm keeping my review 'neutral" at 3 until I hear back from support and determine if this is fixable. I'll keep you updated on any resolution they find.
**UPDATE** 9/22/10
Support contacted me within 36 hours asking me manually run a support tool that was to capture information and then I was to send the file off to them. I did all of that and while I've been waiting, I uninstalled and reinstalled. This time all went as before, but it took my account information for good. Maybe it was something you need to do first, actually create your account online, then install...not sure but it has worked fine since the reinstall. It's doing a full system scan which it estimates will be done in 2 hours +
**UPDATE** 9/29/10
So I thought I would take advantage of the additional licenses and install on my laptop upstairs and then use the "network" feature. This feature allows you to create the server and client pc and run all updates, scans etc from the server to the client. Sounds nice doesn't it. So, I installed the product upstairs, rebooted and went to my server laptop to begin. I enabled the network with a password (the client also has a password) and if you choose the same password for both, the server pc is "supposed" to recognize it and add it automatically...didn't happen. So I thought I would add it manually. It shows up in the network space, has the pc icon with the bitdefender icon on top of that which lets you know this computer can be added. Click on it and select and..."Can't add computer as it is not running BitDefender or can't be added"...Really?? Even after your program is telling me it sees that it is running BitDefender? So off to technical support again. I have to give them props as I have gotten very timely responses. This go around however, the list of items they wanted me to do (including stopping certain services within the product) just wasn't worth the effort. Shouldn't antivirus/network control truly be set it and forget it? My Norton 2011 was that way, and I've had to fiddle way too much with this program already.
All in all, I've been disappointed in the product and happy with tech response time. Not many people are willing to go through support ticket after support ticket just to get their virus protection working.
UPDATE 10/1/10
Well, I've gone back to Norton. Too many issues with BitDefender even with a 2 year license key. Particularly annoying was the fact that my pc kept registering problems with security (bitdefender out of date and antivirus scans) I just wasn't going to put up with it anymore.

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BitDefender Internet Security 2011 Value Edition provides 3 PCs with two years of protection against viruses, hackers, spam, and identity theft… without the slowdown! Includes: Firewall; iPhone-friendly Parental Controls, to monitor and control what websites your kids visit and who they IM with, 24/7; IM Encryption, for private chatting; QuickScan, to detect viruses in just 60 seconds; Video Tutorials, to keep you in the know about your security; a customizable dashboard that lets you choose how much or how little you want to see; Home Network Management; Laptop Mode, to prolong battery life; Gamer Mode; automatic hourly updates; and more!
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Bitdefender Total Security 2009 2Yr/3Pc Review

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(More customer reviews)I do love BitDefender; the malware detection engine is top notch, and 2009 comes with a few useful new features in addition to the ones I liked in the 2008 version. The user interface has again been revamped, and can be alternated between advanced mode, which gives the user full access to all settings, and a more basic view that provides the layman with just the essentials.
Indeed, BitDefender 2009 is easily a four star piece of software, and maybe even a five ...when it works. Herein lies the problem. BitDefender has earned a reputation for releasing its new software versions when they ought to be, by most standards, still in beta. I had some issues with 2008 early on, and the company never quite worked out all the kinks. 2009 has taken these problems to a new level. Current bugs include certain settings reverting to defaults after every update, failed updates, interface display problems, and, perhaps most annoyingly, a tendency to deselect the window in which one is working, periodically causing the cursor to disappear from the text field when one is typing.
These problems may be more or less severe depending on the specific type and configuration of your computer, but the general fact is that though the underlying defense capabilities of BitDefender 2009 are excellent, the program itself is littered with bugs and can even become unstable. For advanced users it's a nuisance. For beginners it can be practically unmanagable. I have no doubt that matters will improve in the future, but at the time I write this review I cannot recommend BitDefender 2009.
If you want to take advantage of most of BitDefender 2009's capabilities and have a much more functional product, I suggest BitDefender 2008. Unfortunately, my trial period has expired, so I will not be able to update my review in the future to report on which problems are fixed and which persist, but if you'd like to see for yourself whether BitDefender 2009 is right for you, I encourage you to download the 30 day trial for free on the company's website before making a purchase.

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The Industry?s Best Value! BitDefender Total Security 2009 provides 3 PCs 2 full years of advanced protection against viruses spyware hackers and other e-threats? without slowing you down! Includes: online and local backup; firewall; IM Encryption; File Vault to secure and encrypt documents; Parental Control; system maintenance tools; and more!Small Box

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McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009 3-User Review

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(More customer reviews)Unethical billing for online purchases -- BEWARE!
Let me say right up front if you DO NOT USE the online download and payment process which McAfee offers, then you should not be subjected to their unethical practices (unless/until you renew online.)
I've used McAfee for several years now, and the product, once paid for and installed, in my experience, has been fine. Yes, it gets annoying at times, with its checks and confirmations, but that's what we want: software to protect us, and that comes with some caveats.
But McAfee has finally LOST me as a customer, with their insidious and unethical billing practices. These practices are so awful that the product absolutely deserves zero stars, regardless of its functionality.
My 1-year subscription to VirusScan ended a few days ago. This was a 3-user subscription, which I had obtained for free from a financial services company with whom I do business. It was a one-time deal, so now I need to pay to renew. This was my experience:
First, the renewal price was discounted through the financial services company, to around forty bucks, which was less than I saw online elsewhere. I proceeded to pay with PayPal. Just BEFORE I pressed the "return to McAfee" button, Paypal told me that I could review the "billing agreement" (what billing agreement?) by logging back into Paypal, going to "Profile," and kicking "Pay List" (what Pay List?) I did so, and found that McAfee, WITHOUT ANY NOTICE, AND WITHOUT MY PERMISSION had set up an automatic billing allowance on my PayPal account for one hundred twenty dollars per month! Here is the exact text: "Billing Limit: $119.97 USD (per month)" Needless to say, I immediately canceled that authorization, before "returning to McAfee." McAfee of course complained that there was an "error," but I simply proceeded to pay with credit card.
That's when I saw the very small type, in GRAY (hard-to-read) coloring, saying that my credit card would be billed automatically, upon expiration of the license, at the full renewal rate at that time.
That's enough, McAfee! You stop these unethical billing practices right now! You've lost another customer, and hopefully many more with this review.

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Panda Internet Security 2007 3-user Review

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(More customer reviews)Purchased this a while ago and recieved it yesterday.
Reason? My computer was moving much slower than it used to. Mcafee scans my computer everyday, and doesn't find anything, yet it was fully updated. I had a feeling it wasn't working.
When I installed this thing, I scanned it right away. This is what it found:
Viruses: 67
Spyware: 312
Adware: 51
After the scan, everything was deleted and my computer ran like new again. I am very pleased with Panda's software and will purchase again if needed.

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McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User Review

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(More customer reviews)When computer users were searching for a term to apply to computer programs that came loaded with viruses, harmful DRM (Digital Rights Management) or other insidious ways of slowing down the user's computer, they eventually settled on "Malware."
Its time to coin a new term for programs like McAfee Total Protection. My complaints against the program are only partially related to its ability to filter out viruses and keep a computer free of junk.
The real issue with this program, and many, many others is that it will constantly steal the users focus by popping up text boxes from the Taskbar in Windows. These can come at ANY time the computer is on. They alert the user to the fact that "McAfee has installed updates," or "It is time to restart the computer" to the neverendingly frustrating "Your subscription is about to expire." These boxes can and will pop up while immersed in a full screen computer game, at times causing it to crash. They will pop up when you are working on editing digital photos, or watching a movie, or anything else that requires your full attention.
The term "nagware," came to mind, and maybe it will stick. Feel free to put your suggestions in the comments section of this review.
I understand why they do this. It is intended for novice computer owners who need to be reminded of all of these things, and who don't consider having their 'focus' (the primary task the computer user is working on. For example, as I write this review, it is my primary focus) stolen as EXTREMELY frustrating. That wouldn't even be a big deal, except that McAfee in their infinite wisdom has provided no remedy for the power user. We cannot turn off these irritating messages. They come regardless of my desire to see them or not.
They are amazingly irritating, especially if they disrupt something immersive, like a computer game or movie. Imagine: you are watching your new blue-ray of "The Dark Knight," and just as Batman is about to dispense with the Joker, a text box pops up with the message "McAfee has finished installing updates" in a gray box in the corner of the screen. Unacceptable in the first place, and even more so because you CANNOT TURN THIS FEATURE OFF! This gets unbearable when your subscription is a few months from expiring, and alerts informing you of that pop up literally every time you use the computer. Also, they don't just leave after they pop up, the user is required to click 'ok.' You cannot permanently disable these messages.
As a virus scanner, McAfee works relatively well. It will scan your system for viruses, and if your definitions are up-to-date, find them some of the time. However, it is pretty strange that after making virus software for so many years, they still cannot provide a reasonably well working Spyware hunter that is anywhere near as good as the free version of "Ad-Aware" offered by Lavasoft, or the retail version of "Spybot Search and Destroy."
Another major complaint is the sheer size of the system resource footprint that McAfee total protection takes up. If you have an older computer, less than 2gb of ram (4gb with Vista), this program will create a very noticeable slowdown in your computer's performance. Comparing to how it runs on my wife's laptop with 4gb of ram vs. some of the computers at my work with only 1.5gb, the older work computers are drastically slowed down by McAfee, while my wife's laptop with its 4gb of ram is not really affected. (I do not use this program on my computer for the reasons that I've laid out above).
In concussion, if you don't care about 1. Annoying pop ups that steal your focus and cannot be disabled, 2. Very limited spyware removal and 3. Slow and poorly written code that uses a large portion of system resources, you MIGHT consider buying this software.
*****UPDATE 09-15-2009*****
Still have this program installed on my wife's laptop, and it's still popping up annoying and useless advertisements despite the fact that I've turned off all notifications in the options tab--you can see the most recent one that I took a screen shot of in the 'customer images' section of this Amazon page. When the license runs out in a few months I will be uninstalling this program and replacing it with AVAST home edition which is free. I can't recommend this program to anyone. Save yourself the money and get a free alternative like AVAST or AVG.
*****UPDATE 01-01-2010*****
Microsoft has recently released their excellent MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS for fee. It also recently won an award for being the best anti-virus program out there. Bests of all it's FREE to anyone with a valid copy of Windows (XP through Windows 7). I've been using it for a few months now and let me tell you, it's just about the best anti-virus I've encountered. Searches are wicked fast, the interface is slick, and best of all it has a tiny memory footprint! Updates are free FOREVER. Did I mention the program itself is completely free? Just Google search MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS, download, install, and you're good to go.

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