Bitdefender Total Security 2012 is Bitdefender’s top of the line security product that offers all the features of the two sister products Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012 and Bitdefender Internet Security 2012 plus several features of its own.
When you look at the product comparison chart on the Bitdefender website, you will notice the following differences between the three security products:
- Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012: Antivirus and Antispyware, Vulnerability Scanner, Social Networking Protection, Search Advisor, Personal Data Filter, Antiphishing and Scan Dispatcher
- Bitdefender Internet Security 2012: All of the above plus Antispam, Two-way Firewall and Parental Controls.
- Bitdefender Total Security 2012: All of the above plus File Shredder and Encryption. Tune-up and Online backup and file synchronization.
Bitdefender Total Security comes with all the security features one would expect from a top of the line product, as well as some features that have made their way in recent years into most security applications. This includes data backup, file synchronization or the system tune-up module.
Bitdefender Total Security 2012 Installation
Installation does not pose a problem to Windows users. It is pretty straightforward. Some files, signature updates for instance, are automatically downloaded during installation. Bitdefender asks the user to close all supported browser windows as it tries to install a root certificate. The software does not really explain why it is doing that, and users may be puzzled after installation when they notice that no extension or new feature seems to be installed in the browser. This may have something to do with the beta version of Firefox and the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer 9 installed on the test system but I’m not sure about that either. The installation dialog mentions only Firefox, Opera and Thunderbird.
Bitdefender Total Security 2012 requires no reboot after installation which is great. The program offers its full feature set immediately after the installation finishes.
The Total Security 2012 interface
The redesigned black interface looks professional. It displays critical issues and events at the top. The events are indicated with a red color to catch the user’s attention, and the various security modules below.
One element that I personally dislike is the horizontal scroll bar below the security modules. I accidentally stumbled upon it and discovered that it could be used to scroll to the left or right to display additional modules in the interface. It probably would be more intuitive if arrows would indicate the functionality.
Another option that is missing is the ability to display the interface in full screen which would be an excellent option to display more than just four of the modules on the screen at the same time.
The security notifications on the other hand are top notch. A number in the main interface indicates the number of notifications. A click loads the overview page where all security modules and their notifications are listed. Here it is possible to get detailed information about an event. An example event would be a detected malicious file on the system. The report not only lists the file location, but also the action taken, the date the action was performed and information about the virus that was discovered.
An option to access the quarantine right from that menu is missing however.
What I really like is the ability to click on a module in the main interface to load its settings straight away, or to use the menu buttons to run scans, manage spam or update the software right from the main interface. This speeds up the configuration of the program considerably.
One interesting option that needs to be mentioned is the ability to re-order the modules. This way, you could drag and drop the four modules that you use most often to the frontpage, and move those that you do not use regularly to the back.
Update for instance is not really necessary on the frontpage as Bitdefender is configured to update the program automatically.
Functionality
At first glance, users find all the security they need. It is however the little things that make a difference. The antivirus module for instance will not only scan for known malware, but also for critical system vulnerabilities with suggestions to update the system immediately to protect it from exploits.
Bitdefender Total Security 2012 checks for issues, Windows updates, application updates and weak passwords automatically which in itself is incredibly useful.
Users who are not that experienced when it comes to security related issues can enable Auto Pilot mode which is a silent mode. The program will basically make all decisions based on the current rule set and internal information. Automatic actions can always be displayed in the event log.
The configuration screen is mainly switch based, which means that users can press a button to enable or disable a particular feature or module. Some modules however link to advanced options. It is for instance possible to configure advanced rules in the advanced firewall settings, or file and process exclusions in the antivirus settings.
Advanced users find all the tools and configuration menus they need. Inexperienced users might dislike the fact that they need to activate the help overlays with a click on the help icon first, and that help is not available for all options in the program.
Besides the auto pilot mode, Bitdefender Total Security comes with two additional modes. First a game mode which surpresses all notifications on the screen to avoid interruptions while gaming, and a laptop mode which seems to help save battery power.
Interested users can download a trial version from the Bitdefender website.
Bitdefender Total Security 2012 Tests
I thought it would be handy to link and display test results from other magazines, websites and organizations. Lets start with a BitDefender Total Security 2012 Prevention Test I found on YouTube.
A PC Magazine test came to the following conlusion:
- Pros: Excellent lab test results. Best antiphishing. Facebook protection. Silent, intelligent firewall. Antispam blocked no valid mail. Decent parental controls. Online backup. File encryption and shredding. System tune-up.
- Cons: Low to average scores in PCMag malware blocking and removal tests. Some awkward elements in parental control system. Antispam let a quarter of undeniable spam into the Inbox.
Total Security 2012 Verdict
Bitdefender’s Total Security 2012 has a lot going for it. It comes with an impressive set of features and uses an intelligent interface that is both suitable for inexperienced and advanced users. A few things could be better, like the previously mentioned link to the quarantine from the event log or a full screen mode that is missing.
Giveaway
We have 12 licenses for Bitdefender Total Security 2012 that we would like to give away. Let us know what you think of Bitdefender, or their software, for a chance to win one of the licenses. The giveaway will run for seven days, and I will announce the winners here in this post.
Update: The winners of a Bitdefender Total Security 2012 license are: Nathan, Azmi, Aleksandar, Try, Rodken, Swapnil, Zac, Rahul Jain, Anson, SRally, malkhaz and Rover 3500
Related Articles:
BitDefender Total Security 2011 Review, GiveawayPanda Internet Security 2012 Review [Giveaway]
Ghacks Christmas Giveaway: BitDefender Software
Bitdefender Promotion
Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 Review
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ using the icons below.
bitdefender is a good antivirus program. i have used it before but the time period was finished and now i have no antivirus installed on my computer. so i want to get one license key of it… thanks
Please, count me in. Thanks
I had virus in my computer which Eset antivirus had unfortunately not detected virus so i used Bitdefender Total Security free 2012 key 90 days and guess what it cleaned my computer in one go . it’s such Bitdefender a great product strongly recommend real-time protection for every PC. I need licenses key Bitdefender Total Security 2012. Thanks for this giveaway.
http://twitter.com/#!/fafabba/status/104432367602642944
For now I use Security Essentials, as my license of BitDefender expired.
BitDefender is good software.
I have BD Antivirus Plus 2012 and I could really use the Total Security because the AV is not compatible with any Firewall that I have tried, besides using Windows Firewall and who want’s to use that. So if I can’t find a firewall compatible with BD AV 2012 it’s going to have to go, which will be a shame.
BitDefender AV Plus is one of the best (always has been), so I know Total Security will be better.
Awesome contest, Thanks for the chance!
Looks good. I don’t have a good experience with the 2011 version. It slowed down my PC incredibly and after trying to get the best out of it, and failing, uninstalled it within a week. May be it’s time to test the suite afresh.
Please count me in.
thanks admin,
i share on my blog
12 License of Bitdefender Internet Security 2012(Contest)
http://www.softwarezone.co.in/2011/07/10-license-of-bitdefender-internet.html
well, really a great security software, did’nt let me down using the previous version,review says it all, nice to win one license, really a great giveaway, thanks alot …….hope to win one…….
I am recently using BitDefender Internet Security 2011 & it is really awesome to protect my Windows Laptop. So it is really great for me to have the latest version of BitDefender Internet Security.
I want to try it’s new features & the most I interest in is it’s SandBoxing Feature. I want to try this feature & hope it can work at least just like The Way SandBoxie works!
THX, LJBU!
Martin Brinkmann, I would like to thank you for the giveaway.
BitDefender 2012 products look very promising. It’s a great competitor to Symantec’s Norton and Avast! Internet Security. Let’s see if I could testdrive BitDefender for 1 year.
BitDefender have great security programs. I have not tried the latest 2012 but older versions. It would be really nice to win a license and see how latest 2012 performs :)
i think its the best antivirus i had ever come across;
i surfed web day& night to find out wich is the best antivirus & the answer was BITDEFENDER :D
i also tried it for 30 days & impressed with its performance
i’m very much interested so
please count me for this giveaway
Bitdefender is always at the top, i think it is a great sofware.
It seems that Bitdefender climbed up quite high up the ladder recently. And since I’m using a free anti-virus software, this would be a cool chance to try something new.
Thanks for the giveaway. :)
I’ve used Bitdefender years back and it’s a piece of software. It’s detection rate it’s impressive.
This license is good for six monts ? nine months ? one year ?
It is a 12 month license.
WooooooooW BitDefender
BitDefender is good software.
Please count me in.
Wow, thanks Martin. I have used the trial version of bitdefender and was quite impressed by it.
Please count me in for this giveaway
I have used Eset, Norton 360, McAfee, Kapersky, Webroot, AVG, AND Trend Micro…but after using BitDef Antivirus in 2009, I’m hooked. The application ran perfectly the moment it was installed. Any and all problems with my security were patched and fixed and my computing ran like new. My only problem was the memory being a tad large. As a college student, winning this would not only save me a fortune in overall computer protection costs, but bring a unity to my laptop that I had previously never had before.
Sign me in :) Cheers
Two things appealed to me the most.
One is a clean interface, with red for attention-worthy events.
Seconds has to be the updates notification feature..
good to see the security suite softwares helping users in other trivial but vital pc management tasks..
Consider me for the licences
Thanks for this Giveaway.Please count me in.
Bitdefender is the best antivirus i have ever used.Its new features like rescue scan and safebox is very good.although some people says it is a resource hogger but i haven’t felt any problem with it.Hope i win one of the license key.
this is nice antivirus software . the virus which norton can’t detect this software detect and also and also remove…easy to use…….if possible plz provide me one …thax
Hi, great to hear about this great giveaway. I tried Bitdefender IS 2011 before, and now is looking forward to try the new “Autopilot” features covered by the BTS 2012. BIS 2011 is quick in detection rate and less resource consuming compared to the other Antivirus security product.
Love the Bitdefender product and hope to win 1 license of BTS 2012. Thank you.
Regards.
Hello Everyone:
First of all thanks for this giveaway.
I would like to win a license because Bitdefender is one of the best antivirus software ever.
Good luck for everyone and thanks again.
BitDefender is the best !
I need great BD software for my PC.
Please count me in…
My license for BitDefender 2011 is about to expired, this license will be a blessing !
I hope I am lucky enough to get it.
Good luck to all.
Thank You Ghacks.
I’m using Avast IS 6 and I also want to try Bitdefender TS 2012 to compare!
I think this version of BitDefender is a must-have for all PC users
bitdefender is one of the best antiviruses whose detection equals kaspersky. ITs support is also very goood. I hope i win a key.
thnx