Customer Reviews

Bitdefender Antivirus 2009 - 2 Yr/3Pc [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Based on the reviews/rankings of antivirus software at sites such as toptenreviews.com, etc, I bought, downloaded, and installed Antivirus 2009, replacing McAfee antivirus.

No matter which antivirus scan I try to run (Deep, Full, My Documents), it always hangs while scanning a file (i.e. the little dots keep circling) for 20+ minutes and finally the whole system freezes. At that point, I can't even, for example, start Task Manager. I have to do a hard shutdown.

Assuming the possibility that there is, indeed, something wrong with a given file on my system, I wouldn't expect a viable antivirus program to simply hang on it until the system freezes. I bought BitDefender to be an improvement over McAfee!

So now I'm the proud owner of an antivirus program that won't let me scan for viruses.

If you want to get a real feel for typical experience with this product, visit the forums on BitDefender's own web site.

I have had Bit Defender Anti-Virus for three years. When I upgraded to version 10, the real time shield wouldn't always load so I would be on the Internet unprotected until I realized the icon wasn't in the system tray. Bit Defender support didn't have a fix for that. Earlier this year, I got a really annoying malware that Bit Defender not only did not detect but couldn't clear up. It slowed down my computer and kept making an irritating ticking noise. After two days of silence from the BD support team, I found a free anti-malware program on the Web that cleared it up in five minutes. I renewed it again for 2009 because I was too busy to evaluate other virus programs and felt I needed something. Other than the two previous mentioned problems, the software seemed to work ok. So now I downloaded the 2009 version and went to install it. Normally any upgrade will tell you that an older version was detected and it should be uninstalled or the upgrade offers to remove it. Nothing. I executed the install and without any messages it deleted three quarters of the old install but did not install the new version. But it gave me a message saying to restart to complete installation and when I booted up-no antivirus! I had to manually delete the old directory and re-initiate the installation.
I have a low threshold for poorly written software and this one is really really stupid! The BD support is lacking and good luck calling in. Next year I won't be so lazy; I'll do my homework and find a professional AV software.

I used the Bitdefender V10 for two years and it was excellent. I just installed the 2009 Antivirus and despite myriad attempts to schedule a daily system scan according to the directives of the Bitdefender help team, the software refuses to run a daily scan at any hour. The V10 did so flawlessly. Looks like it's manual scans for me. I do NOT recommend the Bitdefender 2009 Antivirus software at all, and will definitely NOT continue to use their products.

You will have to hunt to find the Live Chat option on their site, and then be prepared for little help--perhaps a reference to a document, which, if you don't write it down quickly, you will lose when the tech cuts you off. That was my experience. I then tried phone help, and gave up after a 30-minute wait. It turns out that my problem (the bdrsdrv.sys file) is a common one, and leads to the famous blue screen. I removed the program (v. 10) this morning and installed a very-highly rated freebie: Avast. Based on reviews, I am sure that if you are lucky, the Bit Defender program may work fine, but if you have a problem, particularly one that results in your computer freezing with the blue screen, good luck. Many have complained about Bit Defender's support, but they obviously have not been listening.

I've been a BitDefender customer for several years. I recently bought and installed this product and it ran fine on two of my PCs. On the other PC, antivirus scans hang up (forever) on a certain directory. Searches with Google indicate many others have this problem. BitDefender customer support insisted the problem was due to two other programs I have on the PC. I removed them per their request and still have the problem. They never responded to me after that. If you're one who doesn't have a problem, you'll like the software. If you have a problem, it's a throw-away. I've since installed a competitive product on the system and it has no problems with scans. There were other minor Bitdefender drawbacks that I learned to live with, but this one was a showstopper.

I had bit defender V10, and it worked great. Not so for its latest incarnation, anti virus 2009. Every night it refuses to scan because it claims my subscription has run out (I have 318 days left). I then have to re-start the computer and manually tell it to scan. Another issue is that I had to set the shield to "permissive" in order for the real-time stock quotes from Yahoo to work. Also, no matter how many times I tell it to allow cookies from TV Guide, bit defender deletes those pertaining to my settings and preferences. Customer service is useless. I have never been able to get anyone on the phone and the people running the so called "live chat" (when it works) are no help either. As for emailing them, I have never gotten anything but an automated response (no follow-up). I will never buy this company's products again.

I used Bit Defender v10 for 2 years and was very happy with the results. Just purchased 2009 version and have spent countless hours trying to resolve problems with it. The tech support is now the worst. Emails for help are never answered and phone support is a joke. Pay a toll charge and you are on hold for so long that you finally hang up in disgust. The really bad news is that 2 weeks after install my PC went into a semi crash mode. Could not access any system functions or the Internet. Paid a pro tech to repair my system. He found a VirtuaMundo TrojanHorse and numerous other infected files on my PC and was amazed that BD had not caught them. Another quirk is that BD periodically just turns off and I get a system warning that my PC is unprotected. I have tried contacting them about these issues and they just do not respond. Find another product. Some free products like PC Tools Spyware Doctor and a purchased product WinOptimizer 6 will do a superior job for you compared to the new Bit Defender 2009.

I tried 3 times to ask for information on this product. Never got past the verification code to contact sales or the webmaster. Not a good sign of things to come. I was looking for a new product in the top 10, but this may not be it. I like Amazon because they are one of my MOST TRUSTED SITES, but I think I will look for another product to buy. If I can't submit a qustion, how could I possibly get to customer support.

I have an intermediate level of computer user skills. I just recently purchased 2 new PC's and wanted antivirus software beyond the standard 30 day Norton product to protect my wonderful desktop and laptop. I researched what was out there extensively before making this purchase. The product was rated #1 in all categories and I read everything I could find from numerous sources. Here is my opinion relative to the rating by the "experts". Installation was relatively easy. Had to uninstall existing protection and reinstall BitDefender. So far, so good. Price was excellent for the product, coverage, and number of PC's for what it claimed to do. That's when the fun started. My expectation is for antivirus software to run seamlessly in the background. Not so with BitDefender. Everyday when opening my computer, I had the little red warning triangle alerting me to the fact that there was some kind of problem. So I would have to manually go into the software and find out what the issue of the day was. You would then think that the "Fix This Issue" button once clicked would resolve the issue. Once again, not so!!! Clicking on it has done absolutely nothing. I have been on the phone with the "excellent" support service that was advertised. I have never waited less than 45 minutes to speak with someone, only to be told I will be sent an email on what to do next. They will not talk further with you. I have used their website also to no avail. At present, the current email prompt is to uninstall the whole program again, complete 4 more steps, and then reinstall. Thank goodness I am an intermediate user and understand how to do all of this. They are getting one more chance and if this nonsense doesn't work....I'm looking for my money back. Buyer beware....I would not recommend under any circumstances! Say what you will about Norton, but I've never had these types of problems or the insecurity whether my PC's have been adequately protected in the past.

I purchased Bitdefender AV 2009 for 2yr/3 PC thinking I was doing a good thing. I'm glad my husband's laptop still has Norton or I wouldn't be writing this. A few of the problems are as follows: Delayed keystrokes while typing email, incorrect phishing alerts while visiting websites, extremely long deep scans (think 6-8 hours), delayed access to the internet, constant requests to reboot because product is not working, etc. If I could get my money back, I would. After all the great reviews (from my peers here at Amazon as well as CNET), I thought I was making a great choice. I'm wrong. The reason for two stars and not one? The support staff does respond, most of the time. They are responsive, just not always helpful.