Pre-purchase Question

I am about to replace Norton Anti-Virus on my system. BitDefender has been recommended by a friend of mine who is an IT tech for a municipality. I am apprehensive about getting Norton off of my machine cleanly. I also have a concern about installing my licensed copy of BitDefender on a new system when this one fails. Do they require a new purchase when that happens?


I am currently running Windows XP Home Edition 5.1 SP2 and Norton AntiVirus 2005.


I am thinking I should:


1. Download the AntiVirus v10.


2. Disconnect from the internet.


3. Disable Norton.


4. Remove all traces of Norton.


5. Install BitDefender.


6. Reconnect to the internet.


Is my thinking good? Something else I should know? Any heads-up information to help with this transition would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you,


Chuck

Comments

  • Hi chuck,


    I also have a concern about installing my licensed copy of BitDefender on a new system when this one fails. Do they require a new purchase when that happens?


    No, you don't need a new license if you need to reinstall. You only need to make a new purchase after the license period has expired.


    The best help about registration you can get on LiveAssistance. Just click on that lady's face and select Customer Support.


    I am thinking I should:


    1. Download the AntiVirus v10.


    2. Disconnect from the internet.


    3. Disable Norton.


    4. Remove all traces of Norton.


    5. Install BitDefender.


    6. Reconnect to the internet.


    Is my thinking good? Something else I should know? Any heads-up information to help with this transition would be greatly appreciated.


    Yes, this is the general idea. Also, you should use a Norton Uninstall Tool to completely remove all traces of it.


    After you uninstall NAV you should restart your PC. Do that after you install BD also. As soon as you reconnect to the internet, be sure to fully update BitDefender.


    I have never used NAV, so I don't know what possible issues could appear. If anyone else knows such issues, they'll post here.


    Cris.

  • tnchuck100
    edited July 2007

    Guess I should have also asked this:


    I noticed the minimum requirements state IE 5.5 or higher. I use Firefox 2.0, not IE. Any problem with that?

  • alexcrist
    alexcrist
    edited July 2007

    Anybody has Internet Explorer installed. It is integrated into your operating system and cannot be removed.


    To answer your question: NO, it doesn't matter if you use Firefox/Opera/Netscape/whatever. As far as I know, Windows XP comes, by default, with IE 6 so you have nothing to worry about. (I also use Firefox 2.0)


    Cris.

  • Thanks, chris. I did the evaluation download. Removed NAV. Installed BDAV. No problems encountered. Everything went smooth. Glad Norton is outa here.


    I intend to license it tomorrow. They have an option for $6.99 for extended download for 24 months (without updates???). Without repeating what the show in their "info" tag what is the benefit of purchasing it? Once you have a license key what purpose would that possibly serve?


    Thanks again,


    Chuck

  • Is there a problem with the schedulers in BD? The quick scan as set by default was supposed to run a 2:00 AM. It did not.

  • I too have used NAV and Mcafees, and now seek a better solution. My advice if you have had either of these products on your system is


    a) If Mcafees use the Mcafee clean up tool from their website don't just use the windows unistaller.


    B) If NAV manually clean up the registry - search for all NAV and Symantec keys after unistalling and delete them ( I did this and still sometimes find Symantec core is still deep in the heart of my system somewhere)


    Of course you will need to be careful changing the registry and I can't be liable for the outcome but it worked for me and without doing it I find all these programmes interfere with each others installation - I often wonder why????

  • Hello Chuck


    I also advice that you also download and run this uninstaller to remove all traces of Symantec's Norton: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Uninsta...oval-Tool.shtml Symantec places files and folders on many locations other than the default installation directory to give an example also in the folder common files also under the startuptimes,services,dll files,... .


    You can install the licence on another pc but only on one pc at the same time. Except if you bought a 2 users licence than you can install it on both pc's (laptops) together.


    Regards


    Niels

  • tnchuck100
    edited July 2007

    Thanks, Niels.


    Symantec is gone. No problems with the install.


    My question that is unanswered is this:


    They have an option for $6.99 for extended download for 24 months (without updates???). Without repeating what the show in their "info" tag what is the benefit of purchasing it? Once you have a license key what purpose would that possibly serve?

  • Hello Chuck


    Could you please give the link? You can always download the latest version and older version for free when following this link: http://download.bitdefender.com/windows/desktop/ So you really don't need to buy it.


    You can also opt for not buying a cd-rom version but only the installer. So I think that it's related to site where you buy it.


    Regards


    Niels

  • tnchuck100
    edited July 2007
    Hello Chuck


    Could you please give the link? You can always download the latest version and older version for free when following this link: http://download.bitdefender.com/windows/desktop/ So you really don't need to buy it.


    You can also opt for not buying a cd-rom version but only the installer. So I think that it's related to site where you buy it.


    Regards


    Niels


    Thanks, Niels. Here is the link:


    [url="https://sshop.element5.com/esales/


    The link doesn't appear to work properly. Just go through the BUY process and you should see it.

  • Hello Chuck


    That is an option that element 5 / digital river offers you . You don't need it. Normally when you purchase the online version the downloadlink will exceed after a short time when you buy this you can still download with a limitation of 24 months after the receipt of your payment.The only thing you need is the download version and if you wanted cd on demand. As I said before when you follow the link in my previous post you can download it for free and also the latest build are available. The only thing you need is a valid key to remove trial time.


    Regards


    Niels