SillyDog701

[James]

Like most here, I have always been a stand-alone versus suite user. The only experience I had with suites was with Norton Internet Security Suite 2003. So, now after all these years of using independent programs (i.e. NOD32, Kerio, CounterSpy) I've gone and purchased BitDefender Internet Security Suite. Don't ask why. I really don't know.

Anyway, I'm in the market for some advice (strictly opinions) on which way to go. The options are relatively simple. I have two viable paths. Either I keep BitDefender which essentially means I will have to uninstall CounterSpy and Ad-aware and run it by itself according to their tech support OR I can use the highspeed internet security suite that my ISP provides free to its customers. It's a branded F-Secure 2007 suite (Charter is the ISP) which does more or less the same things that BitDefender does: anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, firewall.

As far as I can tell, both use about the same amount of system resources. I've tried to discover which is the better way to go, but to date the information is confusing.

So... help?! Can anyone out there supply me with some information that would help me nail down this decision?

Charter Highspeed Int. Security (i.e. F-Secure 22007)

OR

BitDefender Int. Security v10????

Thanks
ps: it has to be one of the two. I'm determined to stick it out for at least the duration of this year.

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[Antony]

I don't think I am qualify to answer you this, 1) I use Mac, and I don't have any additional protection besides the OS X built-in and modem's firewall; 2) [sdt=13699]my wireless network was hacked[/sdt]. But here you go.

Either I keep BitDefender which essentially means I will have to uninstall CounterSpy and Ad-aware and run it by itself according to their tech support OR I can use the highspeed internet security suite that my ISP provides free to its customers.

Does the Charter Highspeed Int. Security require you to uninstall CounterSpy, Ad-aware etc?


Is your BitDefender Internet Security subscription due soon?

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[James]

Hello, Antony

Here is what Charter had to say about "other" security apps:

"I understand that you wuold like to some spyware and addware programs. You can use these programs along with the Charter High-Speed Security Suite. BUT, you must be careful in deleting the files that these programs detect as spyware. Most spyware programs will detect the BackWeb Agent that the Charter High-Speed Security Suite needs to operate correctly. If these files are deleted or quarantined, the Charter High-Speed Security Suite will not operate correctly. Please look for the location of the files these programs detect. You DO NOT want to delete anything located in C:\Program Files\Charter High Speed Security Suite."

So, while it is desirable that I uninstall everything else, it is not absolutely necessary provided I am careful about what I delete.

I just bought BitDefender a couple of weeks ago and the chances of a refund are minimal. It was only $40 (two licenses for two years) so it's not going to break the bank. As for Charter, it comes free from my ISP.

I've been running it for a day now and I can't really see any significant difference in terms of computer slowdown. They're probably equally demanding on my system's resources (which are not great: 448 MB RAM). I am holding off on upgrading our computers since I'm seriously considering purchasing new ones in the next few months. I'm sort of waiting for the first service pack for Vista to come out and then I'll assess things.

So for now... I'm looking for the best protection between these two suites.

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[Don_HH2K]

You may want to check out some of the reports over at AV-Comparatives.org. Their most recent public results (February and May 2007 for two different types of tests) both rank F-Secure as being more effective than BitDefender.

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[Mandrake]

I've been running it for a day now and I can't really see any significant difference in terms of computer slowdown. They're probably equally demanding on my system's resources (which are not great: 448 MB RAM). I am holding off on upgrading our computers since I'm seriously considering purchasing new ones in the next few months. I'm sort of waiting for the first service pack for Vista to come out and then I'll assess things.

You could just add ram. You can pick up 2GB of DDR or DDR2 ram for under $100 nowadays. If you have anything with a 2Ghz CPU or faster it's in all likelihood more than enough for running XP.

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[James]

Thank you, guys.

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