BitDefender Free - General Impression

[Ray Redbad]

I just got around to noticing in a recently installed IS 2016 the Firewall Filter Driver, bdfwfpf.sys, is v7.0 and in Free it's v8.0 where it's used just for the HIPS User-Mode Module, fwlibrary.dll, for network IDS. (In IS with BD's multi-faceted firewall, there's a bit more going on.) Looks like Free got that update on October 1 according to the file properties.

 

[Pat MacKnife]

So guys are you trying to say that BD free being updated silently to be compatible with windows 10 ?

 

[jamescv7]

@Pat MacKnife: Cannot tell exactly, since Bitdefender developers are still on a long way for making it compatible to Windows 10 on Free version as mentioned on their announcement; but as assurance since they have different cycle development hence that priority will be cover soon.

 

[Ray Redbad]

Well, I'm not running Free on my Windows 7 desktop i7/Z77 system anymore - got an Internet Security 2016 trial running on it now. And on my Windows 10 test E8400/G35 system which could be uninstalled at any time and certainly by the end of the trial. But as it goes now, I'll be PayPal-ing for a license just before the 7 trial expires. Why waste another 17 days?

I won't be able to continue reporting on Free and I hope I've presented enough data and evidence to dismiss the clueless "three year old" commentary and even more clueless and unfortunate misinformation about this stellar product. I still marvel that BD rolls out at no cost their BDCore engine, network IDS, 100% access to their global cloud services AND their flagship Active Virus Control. None of which is included in any other "free Bitdefender engine" offering out there.

I can't wait to get my hands on a Windows 10 version IF it ever comes out. Well, hopefully the chips in my seven year old E8400 test box will retain their smoke until then...

 

[Pat MacKnife]

It seems that BD free got an update to 1.0.21.1109 ? On Bitdefender forum

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition - Bitdefender Forum

Perhaps they made it compatible with Windows 10 ?

 

[Petrovic]

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition 1.0.21.1109
- Improved: compatibility with Windows 8.1
- Fixed: PIMphony can not connect to the server

 

[Online_Sword]

It seems that BD free got an update to 1.0.21.1109

This is really an amazing news for me, because in the past I thought BD free has been abandoned...

 

[hjlbx]

This is really an amazing news for me, because in the past I thought BD free has been abandoned...

BD updates it every year or so - sometimes sooner, sometimes later. It is not abandoned. A W10 compatible version - perhaps 2017 or so...

It's free, they don't care, you take what they give...

EDIT: I shouldn't say they don't care. Updating BD free is just not a priority. Development has a whole slew of other problems to fix first. Besides, BD free is just another method for them to try to sell you their paid products via the MyBitdefender portal that one must use with BD free. When one uses BD free, one must be signed-in to MyBitdefender at all times... and there are various offers made through that portal.

 

[Pat MacKnife]

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition 1.0.21.1109
- Improved: compatibility with Windows 8.1
- Fixed: PIMphony can not connect to the server

How stupid, everyone is upgrading to Windows 10 and they make it more compatible with Win 8.1 [lol]

 

[safe1st]

How stupid, everyone is upgrading to Windows 10 and they make it more compatible with Win 8.1 [lol]

BD updates it every year or so - sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

hopefully... as soon as possible. because windows 10 user is more than 8.1 isnt it?

 

[hjlbx]

hopefully... as soon as possible. because windows 10 user is more than 8.1 isnt it?

Like I said, I wouldn't expect a W10 compatible version in 2016...

Minor updates every year or so... major updates - rarely.

 

[Online_Sword]

Download it and trying to install it.

In 2014, I ever tried BD Free. At that time, the free version supported Chinese, while the paid version did not. But now it seems that the Chinese version has been completely dropped.

 

[hjlbx]

How is BD going to update their free version to W10 when they are still slugging their way through bugs on their paid products ?

Once they get the paid products all sorted out, then they'll work on free.

 

[Azure]

BD updates it every year or so - sometimes sooner, sometimes later. It is not abandoned. A W10 compatible version - perhaps 2017 or so...

It's free, they don't care, you take what they give...

EDIT: I shouldn't say they don't care. Updating BD free is just not a priority. Development has a whole slew of other problems to fix first. Besides, BD free is just another method for them to try to sell you their paid products via the MyBitdefender portal that one must use with BD free. When one uses BD free, one must be signed-in to MyBitdefender at all times... and there are various offers made through that portal.

Yeah, it's understandable that the free version isn't top priority, no problem there. But isn't the free version just the paid version but stripped of some advanced features like AVC. Windows 10 already has been around for many months already, and during that time they couldn't bothered with removing features of their Windows 10-compatible paid antivirus products.

 

[hjlbx]

Yeah, it's understandable that the free version isn't top priority, no problem there. But isn't the free version just the paid version but stripped of some advanced features like AVC. Windows 10 already has been around for many months already, and during that time they couldn't bothered with removing features of their Windows 10-compatible paid antivirus products.

BD free is same as BD AV running in auto-pilot mode; all modules are identical - just a single, simple GUI. At least that is what BD has repeatedly stated on their forum.

It has always been like this with BD free - minor updates one in a while and major updates - rarely.

 

[Online_Sword]

1. It seems that the GUI of the free version has not been changed for two years...

- Still no setting options. In such case, how to whitelist/exclude a file/folder?
​

2. In the free version, the files related to AVC, such as avcore.dll and avchv.sys, are very old - they are signed in April, 2013... I do not know whether such old components would still be effective against popular malwares. (I have not tested it).

Edit:

- The Quarantine will appear only when something is really quarantined.

- We can restore files from the quarantine. In such case, that file will be automatically whitelisted from real-time scan.

 

[shmu26]

I tried BD free on win 10 a little while ago, and to my surprise, it installed smoothly, and all functions were working well, as far as appearances go.
It scanned, it updated, it quarantined, it let me remove from quarantine and exclude the file, etc.
low on system resources, no slow-downs.

But how can we know if it is actually protecting? that's what I would like to know.
officially it still doesn't have windows 10 support, but I wonder whether that is just to convince people to buy the suite, or whether it is true.

 

[JKozarac]

BitDefender Free has a big problem with Windows 10.
If you start cmd or PowerShell and than click on a red X to exit, you'll get BSoD

You have to exit cmd or PS with the command exit to exit without BSoD.

 

[Pat MacKnife]

In reality BD free is not compatible with Win10 , protection is poor and no webscanning protection (blocking of malicious sites).