EOL for Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition in January ’22

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Important news for those who have been using Bitdefender Free: I have received an email from Bitdefender stating the following:

As of 1st of January 2022, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition will officially be discontinued and no longer available for use.

Barely three weeks’ advance warning before BD Free users have to make important choices regarding their online security.

The email goes on to say that BD “will continue to offer tech support for our Free Edition until 30th of June 2022.” However, it doesn’t specify whether BD Free will continue to receive virus definition updates after January 1, and I wouldn’t necessarily assume that it will.

BD is offering a special price of $9.98 (covering 5 devices) for the first year of the paid product BD Total Security, until December 31. The regular price is $89.98.

While researching the topic, I also found this information regarding BD support for Windows 7. After reminding the reader that Microsoft stops supporting Windows 7 on January 14, 2020, the company states the following:

Bitdefender will continue to provide antimalware support to Windows 7 users for the next 24 months. Please check the Bitdefender End of Life Policy page for updates on when we will stop providing support for Windows operating systems.

That EOL Policy page didn’t yet say anything about Windows 7 support when I checked it, but the handwriting is on the wall: If you use BD Free, or if you recommend it to your Windows 7 customers, you (we) have some decisions to make by the end of the year. Choices include switching to the paid BD Total Security; moving to a different paid or free product that still supports Windows 7: or discontinuing the use of Windows 7 in an Internet-connected PC.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
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JohnW, Microfix, TonyS, Fred, samak

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Thanks. Just checked my e-mail and I’ve received it too. Sigh, might as well uninstall it and go with Defender.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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wavy

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ever tried Comodo Antivirus?

* _ the metaverse is poisonous _ *

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No. It doesn’t seem to be included in these 2 AV comparative sites so I assume it’s not as well-used or well-known:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-july-october-2021/

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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It wasn’t reviewed well by PC mag in 2019.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/comodo-antivirus

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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I’ve had the email as well, and checked the provenance with Bitdefender before I took it seriously.

Since moving to W10, I’ve relied on Defender and Malwarebytes to keep the baddies at bay. But I rely on Bitdefender Free on family android phones.

So, in addition to desktops and laptops, I’d like to ask forum members what they use for mobile devices, especially if they’re faced with same decision regarding Bitdefender.

UPDATE :  @bitdefender twitter feed suggests it might be just Windows free version that is being discontinued. Have asked for further clarification – watch this space!

Win10 22H2 Pro, MBAM Premium, Firefox, OpenOffice, Sumatra PDF.

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Cybertooth

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TonyS wrote:

So, in addition to desktops and laptops, I’d like to ask forum members what they use for mobile devices, especially if they’re faced with same decision regarding Bitdefender.

For our phones, we’ve been using Norton 360 and have had a good experience with it. (So far…)

We also use N360 on most of our home PCs, but the Windows 7 machine with Bitdefender on it used to have Norton and for whatever reason it was an ongoing hassle, so I uninstalled it in favor of BD. Now I’ll have to find something else to put on it.

I use a number of on-demand scanners for “second opinions” and at the end of the scan many of them offer a free trial of their main product. Maybe I’ll use this as an opportunity to try out some of these other AVs.

Keep us posted on whether the BD Free discontinuation is for Windows only or if it also affects other platforms–thanks!

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
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Myst, TonyS

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Just had response from Bitdefender

“thanks for asking about this. The information is regarding the Free version for Windows, meaning that the free version for android will not be affected”

So that’s my current understanding, though for how long, who knows 🤔

Win10 22H2 Pro, MBAM Premium, Firefox, OpenOffice, Sumatra PDF.

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samak, Cybertooth

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I use Norton Deluxe on my Win7 and it works great. Have had it for years with no issues.

MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, and SOS at times.

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Cybertooth

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Cybertooth wrote:

Now I’ll have to find something else to put on it.

You can install Kaspersky free, Avast free..

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Cybertooth

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Avast has gotten too bloated for my taste. Even the free version (the last time I used it) pushes some kind of scan that claims to find hundreds of “problems”, with no details as to what those “problems” are or any evident way to pick and choose the issues to fix.

Regarding Kaspersky, I just can’t trust a security application based in Russia, any more than I would trust one based in mainland China. The fear may (or may not) be unfounded, but in my view the downside is much greater than the upside.

There’s a good chance that I’ll end up with the Spain-based Panda Security, which also offers a free version.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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samak, wavy

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Crux of the problem here is Windows 7 post EoS and no doubt other 3rd party AV vendors will follow suit of Bitdefender in time. It’s approaching 2 years since EoS for Windows 7 and this could be a common occurance by AV vendors, withdraw free in favour of paid.
I remember reading somewhere that AVG Free (offline) edition can be tamed to a certain extent during custom installation to reduce unecessary junkware/bloat although testing would be a first course…sorry can’t find the link, you do have a search engine though 😉

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE

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Cybertooth

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[JohnW]

My main PC is a modern, up-to-date PC with Windows 10 Pro, running Windows Defender.

But I still have 1 PC running Win 7 Pro in the living room as a media center for some gaming and recording TV shows via a PVR backend and Kodi. Don’t generally use the web browser and internet on this PC, except for updating software and connecting to mainstream game portals or major TV networks. I have been keeping it protected with Bitdefender Free. Also auto image once a week with Macrium Reflect.

This PC could be updated to Win 10 Pro and Defender, but everything runs so well as is, not sure if I want to rock the boat and/or obsolete some old software.

So now I am searching for a replacement AV for Bitdefender Free that is supported on Win 7.

I am looking into Sophos Home Free, and will give it a try. Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, or Windows 10; minimum 1 GB of free disk space, minimum 1 GB of RAM. https://home.sophos.com/en-us/free-anti-virus-windows.aspx

If you are running at least Windows 10, I highly recommend Windows Defender. But Win 7 needs a 3rd party solution, unless complete network isolation is an option.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by JohnW. Reason: Removed html

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Cybertooth

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though JohnW if you do plan to upgrade that Win7 Pro PC to Win10 Pro, you’ll lose that media center feature since Win10 will remove it

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EP wrote:

though JohnW if you do plan to upgrade that Win7 Pro PC to Win10 Pro, you’ll lose that media center feature since Win10 will remove it

Thanks, but I realize that, and have never used “Windows Media Center”. I use the PC as a media center based on Kodi and a few other components such as a 3rd party backend PVR application, a USB WinTV HDTV tuner, and a wireless Windows remote. 🙂

And as Woody once so aptly put it, this PC will “Semper Fi” with Windows 7. I have no desire to move this one to Win 10. It just works!

So back on topic, I will be looking for a new AV for Win 7.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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JohnW wrote:

I am looking into Sophos Home Free, and will give it a try. Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, or Windows 10; minimum 1 GB of free disk space, minimum 1 GB of RAM. https://home.sophos.com/en-us/free-anti-virus-windows.aspx

Well that didn’t last very long. I setup Sophos Home Trial on 12/12, so that it would revert to free mode after the free 30 day trial.Then I manually “expired” the trial today.

Yes, it totally expired. As in no more protection at all! But a license is available for purchase!

So I am testing Avast Free as a replacement at the moment.

https://support.home.sophos.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407680922644-Sophos-Home-your-license-has-expired

Sophos has made a business decision to change its Sophos Home Free option to a 30-day free trial for Sophos Home Premium. After 30-days, the free trial license will end, and users may purchase Sophos Home Premium on a subscription basis. <snip>

<snip> All existing Sophos Home Free accounts (that switched to Free before November 11th 2021), worldwide will retain their Sophos Home Free license with all of the existing features, including protection for up to three PC and/or Mac devices.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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Cybertooth

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I just received an offer for a 100% discount on Bitdefender Total Security from SharewareOnSale.

I have used SOS for a number of years to try out a variety of applications. Some are permanent (non-expiring) free versions, others are time-limited trial versions such as this one. Fans of Bitdefender Free can in effect put off a permanent decision for six more months.

Most SOS offers last for a specified number of days (for example, 3 days or 30 days). This one is unusual in that the offer is effective “while supplies last.” Hmm, didn’t realize there was enough disk space on Bitdefender’s servers for only a limited number of copies of the program, 😉 but there you go…

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Cybertooth wrote:

I just received an offer for a 100% discount on Bitdefender Total Security

I upgraded from Bitdefender Free to the paid Bitdefender last year and was surprised by the amount of bloat added to protect every helpless end user from themselves approach.  The installation was not customizable enough to suit me, and if I disabled any of the included protection modules, it endlessly nagged me that I was at risk. I just wanted a simple antivirus.

So I asked for and received a refund (based on their money back guarantee), and went back to Bitdefender Free. That’s all I wanted or needed.

There is surely a case to be made for security suites with total protection to be used by non-techies, but us old tech pros deserve to be allowed to override some modules.

But sadly, the AV software industry seems to be trending away from that option. I went around and around with Avira support a couple of years ago for the same reason. They made a business decision to disallow end users from making changes to their protection. I had been a happy Avira Pro user for many years! But I was forced to say goodbye!

So in the end I have concluded that Windows Defender is the best option for Windows 10 for me. For older Windows versions, the decision may be harder, especially with Windows 7, which many AV companies no longer support.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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wavy, Cybertooth

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An update on my test of Avast Free Antivirus for my Windows 7 PC, as a replacement for Bitdefender Free.

https://www.avast.com/en-us/free-antivirus-download#pc

The install was totally customizable, and allowed me to select only the protection modules that I needed, and not include everything but the kitchen sink! The only surprise was the included Avast secure web browser, which I easily uninstalled afterwards. Might be useful, but they didn’t ask, and I didn’t need it!

The settings are comprehensive, and you can tweak the settings for just about everything. Not getting any nags so far, and it was even polite enough to offer to automatically mark a couple of full-screen application as “do-not-disturb”!

So far no conflicts, and it’s been smooth sailing! 🙂

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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Cybertooth

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I used to use Avast but swapped it out for Bitdefender a couple of years ago after this particular scandal:
“In January of 2020, multiple news sources reported that Avast Antivirus, through a subsidiary, was selling the browsing history of Avast Free product users. Though the company claimed all data was “de-identified”, it was reported that the sold data could be linked back to people’s real identities, exposing every click and search they had made, but this could not be verified. In response, Avast announced that it would close the subsidiary over the data privacy backlash.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avast_Antivirus

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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Microfix, Cybertooth

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samak wrote:

I used to use Avast but swapped it out for Bitdefender a couple of years ago after this particular scandal:
“In January of 2020, multiple news sources reported that Avast Antivirus, through a subsidiary, was selling the browsing history of Avast Free product users. Though the company claimed all data was “de-identified”, it was reported that the sold data could be linked back to people’s real identities, exposing every click and search they had made, but this could not be verified. In response, Avast announced that it would close the subsidiary over the data privacy backlash.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avast_Antivirus

I understand that folks have a right to be concerned with privacy, especially when it comes to their AV provider, which one would assume must be trusted. It appears that incident with Avast was cleaned up after the publicity, but the damage to their reputation was already done. But as the saying goes, if you get something for free, then you are the product!

So, I probably wouldn’t use Avast either, if I had a choice for Windows 7. The nice Microsoft Defender available in Windows 10 is not an option there, and many other mainstream AV vendors are only going to support current operating systems, or if they do support Win 7, they want a paid subscription. Bitdefender and Sophos are the latest to eliminate free versions.

Plus there is no personal data or browsing information stored on this Win 7 PC. So it a very low risk in this case. The PC is used as an entertainment appliance. If they want to track what TV shows I record, or what games I have installed, they can have that!

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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Microfix, Cybertooth

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“As of 1st of January 2022, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition will officially be discontinued and no longer available for use.”

It seems to still be working as normal. Anything changed ?

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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“Bitdefender Free, a free security solution by Bitdefender, will be retired on December 31, 2021. Customers who use Bitdefender Free will receive support for Bitdefender Free until June 30,2022.”

https://www.ghacks.net/2021/12/10/bitdefender-free-will-be-retired-on-december-31-2021/

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/2027/

Win10 22H2 Pro, MBAM Premium, Firefox, OpenOffice, Sumatra PDF.

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samak, Cybertooth, Microfix

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So in essence, If you already have Bitdefender Free on your system,
definitions and updates will continue to be distributed until 30th June 2022

End of Support: June 30, 2022. The last date customers can receive support for Bitdefender Antivirus Free. After this date, the product will also reach its End of Support Life.

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE

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samak, Cybertooth

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OK, now I understand. The way I’d read their announcements, it sounded like BD Free would stop getting definitions on December 31 but they would continue to provide (technical) support until June 30 for people brave enough to keep using it after December. According to @TonyS’s second link above, BD Free

…will keep its antivirus features but will stop receiving updates including security fixes after the official End of Support date.

That End of Support date (not to be confused with the End of Life date of December 31, 2021) when updates will stop is June 30, when

After this date, the product will also reach its End of Support Life.

It could all have been stated in a less-roundabout way, but the bottom line seems to be that BD Free will keep working normally until the end of June and the only difference as of now is that you can’t download (install?) fresh copies of it.

Near the end of December, they sent me an offer of a 1-year, 5-device license for $9.98. I took the offer (for BD Total Security), but I refrained from installing it to see how long it would take them to deactivate BD Free on my PC. Now I know, so I’ll go ahead and install the full-fledged product.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
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