BitDefender Total Security 2008 - Your Total Security Solution

The backup utility, tuneup utility, and file shredder add about $20 to the price of this package over the downgrade, BitDefender Internet Security 2008. Since Windows XP and Windows Vista come with backup utilities (Vista's is more robust than XP's), and the tune-up utility includes features like a disk defragmenter and a temporary-Internet-file cleaner--features also already present in Windows--I question whether the extra $20 is worth what you're paying for.

There is the added convenience of having all these tools in one place; if the tools are improvements over those found in the operating system, it might be worth the extra money. Each user will have to determine his or her own needs. In my opinion, users should stick with the lower-priced package from BitDefender and spend the $20 on a fuller-featured system utility suite like iolo's System Mechanic or use the tools already present in the operating system.

For my review of the security features of BitDefender Total Security 2008, please see my BitDefender Internet Security 2008 review.

In general, the security features are robust and do their jobs well. The features are highly customizable and easy to use. I found the firewall a bit too restrictive out of the gate and expected the firewall logic to automatically allow programs like the Google Toolbar and Internet Explorer to access the Internet. Instead, I had to explicitly give these common programs permission. [See image 2]

The scanners performed wonderfully. In this review, I will focus more on the added features such as the backup and tune-up utilities.

Tune Up
The tune-up utility consists of four main programs: a temporary Internet file cleaner, a duplicate file finder, a disk degfragmenter, and a registry cleaner. Each of the products performed as I would expect. They wouldn't be considered best in class, by any means. They performed their functions in the most basic way without a lot of ability to customize or enhance. [See image 6]

For example, the defragmenter scanner screen displayed a single marquee-style progress bar with a very poorly designed elapsed time indicator. There is no visible cluster chart and the UI gives no sense of how long the operation will take. It's not possible to determine how well the tool works either since there are no visible indicators of the level of fragmentation. [See image 3]

The registry cleaner worked essentially the same way. You're told whether or not you should clean your registry, the tool will scan the registry, and then you're presented with a list of items that need to be deleted. The best cleaners will check and double-check the entries and show progress all along the way. The suite does include a registry recovery tool, which is important. [See image 4]

The duplicate file finder worked well and was usable, but wouldn't scan system folders (I pointed the tool at the Program Files folder), which is where I tend to want to reduce bulk.

Backup
The backup utility is robust and appeared to me to be a true application in the sense that it could be sold independently. It has all the features one would expect in a backup utility and performed admirably. [See image 5]

Not only will the tool create a backup of your data, but it includes a CD/DVD burning utility that supports burning ISO images to disk. (Unfortunately, the UI suffered from some oddity that didn't allow me to take a screenshot of this utility.)

For users looking for a full-featured backup utility, BitDefender's offering is worth the extra $20.