If you've ever tried exploring the multiple antivirus solutions available today, you might know that the antivirus space is crowded with lots of options to choose from, which makes the task of finding the perfect antivirus a difficult one. Most antivirus companies also offer free versions of their software, which complicates the situation more, albeit empowering us users. Here's our review of the Baidu Antivirus 2015.
Let us first understand the basics of the Baidu Antivirus - the following table lists the basic information about this wonderful software tool, which will help you better understand the software.
Now that you're familiar with the basics of the Baidu Antivirus 2015, it's time to have a look at the most important pros and cons of this software before we proceed with our in-depth analysis.
So that's about it- you are now aware of the major pros and cons of the Baidu Antivirus 2015 and it's time for us to delve deeper into the details of this tool, which will help you decide if this, indeed, is the right antivirus software you've been seeking.
Baidu Antivirus 2015 Free Forever - Review
From installing the Baidu Antivirus 2015 on your system to using it and fine-tuning the antivirus parameters, we'll cover everything in detail in this review, helping you make the final decision. Follow the review careful to get up and running with the software in no time!
Installation Process
We really liked the way the installation of the Baidu Antivirus 2015 proceeds- the process is dramatically fast and finishes in no time! Our Score: 10/10.
When it comes to installation, the process is relatively straightforward when compared with other antivirus software. Once you proceed to the official website of the Baidu Antivirus, click on 'Download' button to begin downloading the installer file. It must be noted that users might also want to download the 'Offline Installer' by clicking on the button with the same name - this is ideal if you wish to install the Baidu Antivirus on another PC with no internet connection.
The installer exe file is very small in size and takes seconds to download. Once it's done, we recommend running the installer as the administrator to ensure all settings take full effect for a successful installation. Click on 'Custom Installation' button towards the bottom right.
You'll now be able to specify a custom installation directory where the Baidu Antivirus 2015 Free would be installed on your PC. Browse to the location and click 'Install'.
The software would now begin downloading some essential files and we were surprised the process finished in no time! Kudos to the developers for designing such a compact and lightweight application.
Upon completion of the download, the software would finish the installation phase - a process that, once again, takes seconds to finish. We highly recommend restarting your PC after the installation so as to ensure the antivirus operates with full efficiency after the reboot.
Ease of Use
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 is extremely easy to use. Extra points to the UI developers for an amazingly well-designed UI that is easy to navigate around! Our Score: 10/10.
When you first launch the application, you'll see a small splash screen on the dashboard, informing you that the software is free to use, always, without any obligations. All upgrades to the software are provided to users free-of-charge. Close this screen to view all controls and icons.
The UI is very neatly laid out and all primary controls are just a click away. On the dashboard, click on the shirt icon to be taken to the themes screen. This is where you will be able to choose the perfect theme for the software. We found some great free themes through many interesting themes might require a paid upgrade.
You can click on the arrow button on the dashboard to bring up the options for the 'Quarantine', 'Trusted', and 'Log'.
The settings for fine-tuning controls are placed next to the respective sections in the form of small cogwheels, and you can also access them all in a single place by clicking on the hamburger button on the top and choosing settings.
Antivirus Protection
Antivirus functionality seems to be at the very core of the design of the Baidu Antivirus 2015, which is reflected in everything from its scans to UI design. Our Score: 10/10.
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 offers antivirus protection, which is very deep-rooted at various levels of the design. Almost every antivirus software today provides two-fold protection to its users: automated protection, which ensures users stay protected from malware in real-time, without any user intervention to schedule scans, and, manual protection, which ensures users can schedule scans at their own convenience.
Let's see how the Baidu Antivirus 2015 implements these two security measures in its design.
Automated Protection
Click on the 'Protection' tab on the left navigation pane on the dashboard to see the main shields that continuously operate, in real-time, to protect the PC. We have observed that the automated protection on the Baidu Antivirus functions on three different levels.
Computer Protection
There are 3 shields that operate in real-time, to ensure that your PC and its files remain safe 24 x 7. Let's see these shields and their functioning in greater detail.
File Real-Time Protection
This feature ensures that the system monitors all files on the computer in real-time, keeping malware at bay. The moment a suspicious file is identified, it is quarantined so as to confine the infection. Click on the cogwheel icon next to File Real-Time Protection option to fine-tune it. You'll be taken to the 'Settings' screen. We highly recommend keeping this shield active. You can change the 'Performance Mode' however, and set it to 'Fast, 'Standard' or 'Strict'. We recommend leaving it at the default value. You will also be able to specify how to deal with the identified files.
Proactive Defense
Proactive defense shields will allow the software to protect the registry, sensitive locations, and applications. Once again, click on the cogwheel icon to control the parameters of this setting. You can click on the 'Detailed Settings' button to individually turn on/off the various protection mechanisms this shield is made up of. We also recommend leaving the 'Self-Defense' mode selected.
USB Protection
USB Protection allows users to keep their USB devices malware-free. You can either keep this shield set to 'Normal Mode' or 'Automatic Mode' depending on the intended use.
Internet Protection
This micro-shield keeps your PC safe while browsing online. It is made up of 3 main sub-shields, which we discuss next.
Download Protection
Make sure you leave the 'Download Protection' turned on, so the PC is kept safe when downloading files online. You'll be able to configure, which types of files are scanned - we recommend keeping this setting set to 'Scan all downloaded files' for maximum protection.
Anti-Phishing
This shield, as the name suggests, protects the user from phishing threats, wherein users are sent fraudulent emails that seek their credit card numbers and other sensitive data.
Anti-Hacker Firewall
This is a firewall built-into the software and monitors all incoming and outgoing web traffic. We recommend keeping this activated for protection against threats.
Privacy Protection
Privacy protection is a complex area and the Baidu Antivirus 2015 deals with it exceptionally well. There are 3 micro-shields that make up the privacy protection mechanism in the software.
Anti-Keylogger
This feature seeks to protect users from keylogging software, which can capture sensitive information entered by the user and use it to validate fraudulent transactions without the users' knowledge. We recommend keeping this shield on for protection against such programs.
Webcam Protection
In the recent years, webcam privacy breaches have become increasingly common, where malicious programs can capture videos and photos from the users' webcams, infringing upon their privacy. Keep this setting on to ensure that the Baidu Antivirus is looking out for your protection.
Screen Capture Protection
Some applications are infamous for capturing the user's screen without their knowledge, misusing the information gathered. The Screen Capture Protection utility of the Baidu Antivirus 2015 keeps such apps at bay.
Manual Protection
The Baidu Antivirus offers manual protection with an important feature: it allows users to choose the antivirus engine that is used for virus scans. You can choose from Baidu's cloud security engine and the Avira engine. This is a powerful engine that enhances the security and protection capabilities of this software manifold. Hovering the mouse over the engine icons would display a brief description of the engine as well as the threats it has blocked so far. This should guide you in choosing an engine for scans.
The ability to manually run scans on the PC is an important one. The Baidu Antivirus offers various types of scans.
Full Scan
The full scan thoroughly scans each and every nook and corner of the PC, ensuring all files and folders, wherever they are scanned for malware. This is the best way to keep your PC safe. We highly recommend running a full scan on your PC every few days to keep your computer and data secure. This is even more essential if you browse the internet a lot or download movies and music frequently.
Quick Scan
Quick Scan, true to its name, finishes within seconds and is a great way to scan your PC when you do not have the time for a full scan. The quick scan can also be accessed from the main dashboard, from where it can be executed with a click.
Custom Scan
The custom scan allows the user to specify the folders they wish to specifically scan. If you wish to repeatedly scan certain important locations on your PC, this is the way to go.
Scan Settings
Head over to the 'Settings' screen and click on the 'Virus Scan' tab to configure the virus scan options. You can choose which file types to scan, the action to be undertaken upon threat detection and the option to scan archived files. You can also select the maximum size of archived files which need to be scanned as well as any file extensions which must be excluded from the search.
Log
The Log displays the recent system activities and is the go-to place when you wish to stay up-to-date on security-related developments. You will be able to see the details of the past scans run on the machine, the date and time of scanning, the threats detected during the scan as well as those that were removed. You can also see the status of the scan and get more details by clicking on 'Details' button to obtain more information about the scan results.
Scan Engine
On the bottom of the dashboard, you'll be able to enable the scan engine of your choice. This is a very powerful feature, which is found only in a couple of programs- the user has the ability to choose his preferred antivirus engine.
Clicking on 'Update' will help you update the software and virus definitions manually at any time.
Additional Features
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 comes with a 'Toolbox' that combines several great additional features. Our Score: 10/10.
Many antivirus software provides so-called additional features but requires users to upgrade to be able to use most of them. The Baidu Antivirus 2015 Free too has all additional features available free of cost. You'll find them all in the 'Toolbox'.
Consider the Sandbox, for example. This software tool allows users to run potentially unsafe apps in a virtual, isolated environment without harming the computer. Users can drag a program from the browser into the sandbox window to run it inside the virtual environment- it's that simple to use.
- The File Shredder is another useful tool included in the toolbox. It allows users to safely destroy all files that need to be deleted so they might not land in unsafe hands.
- The Malicious Plug-in cleaner identifies malicious plug-ins that can compromise the user's sensitive data and privacy.
- There's even ad Ad-Blocker feature available, which can make web pages load three times faster by removing ads.
- The System Repair feature allows users to quickly repair common system problems and optimize their system performance. The Network Repair function works on similar lines and identifies and repairs problems with network connections on the machine.
- The Baidu Antivirus 2015 also includes a Private Browsing Feature in its toolbox, which can be used to safely browse the internet.
These tools are all included within the Toolbox and make the Baidu Antivirus a powerful security suite with a host of features on offer. The tools it incorporates can prove a valuable asset to tune system performance and remove common PC errors, especially on older hardware.
Antivirus Performance
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 packs in a powerful antivirus functionality utilizing multiple scan engines. Our Score: 9/10.
Most antivirus makers deem their software as the best of all. However, the real picture is revealed when we examine the lab test reports. AV-Comparatives is a well-known name- an independent lab whose results are trusted to benchmark and rank antivirus software.
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 was ranked in the highest category- 'Advanced+' from amidst 'Advanced', 'Standard', and 'Tested' categories.
System Performance
While many antivirus software can slow down the host systems, the Baidu Antivirus 2015 is particularly lightweight. Our Score: 10/10.
The Baidu Antivirus does a great job of being very lightweight. In fact, according to the software makers, it can even run alongside other antivirus software for parallel protection. While we do not recommend running two antivirus software on a PC for obvious reasons, the fact that the Baidu Antivirus is lightweight and runs pretty seamlessly cannot be denied. You can also visit the 'Settings' screen and fine-tune options for a better performance.
Supported Devices
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 is available for only the Windows and Android OS. Our Score: 8/10.
While many antivirus software provides versions of their freeware for all popular OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux, the Baidu Antivirus provides only a Windows and Android version.
The following are the minimum system requirements of the Baidu Antivirus 2015 Free Forever:
- Windows XP/Vista/7/8/2000/2003
- Minimum 512 MB RAM
- No special system requirements- this is a lightweight app that runs on most hardware
While most antivirus software requires newer versions of OS for installation, the Baidu Antivirus is easily installed on most hardware - old and new. We believe this will come in especially handy for those with older Windows machines such as Vista, XP, Windows 2000 or 2003, for whom the antivirus options available are severely limited.
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 not only provides free of charge antivirus protection with free lifelong updates to their PC, but also includes powerful tools such as file shredder and sandbox for older PC users to use and benefit from- all thanks to the lightweight app and its compact design with minimal system requirements, which makes it truly stand out from the competition. In fact, there's hardly any competition in the area Baidu Antivirus operates.
Pricing
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 is available for free download - you can use the software for as long as you like. Our Score: 10/10.
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 has no hidden costs to use - in the company's own words, it is "forever free". We really liked the fact that the software provides all core antivirus functionality together with the additional features free of charge. Several features and functionalities, for which software makers often charge customers are all available free with this wonderful software.
Customer Service
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 has a help center built into the software. We really liked the design and integration of the customer service screen into the app. Our Score: 10/10.
The Baidu Antivirus integrates customer service into the very app, so most requests such as product suggestions, queries, etc can be lodged from inside the application itself without having to visit the main website of the software.
The website also features a dedicated forum and helpdesk, where false positives can be reported and queries addressed.
The Bottom Line
The Baidu Antivirus 2015 is power-packed with the core antivirus functionality and some great additional features all packed in a compact application, which is extremely lightweight.
The software is recommended for Windows users, especially those with older hardware, which many newer versions of antivirus software might not even support. The ability to choose the malware scan engine is great, as is the compact design of this lightweight app.
PROS: Lightweight app; Fast installation; Real-time scanning; Many additional features; Absolutely free of charge; USB Protection; Great for older hardware and OS.
CONS: No Mac/Linux versions available; 2015 version of the software is provided through continuous updates are being made available to users free of cost.
Final Score: 9.7 out of 10!
Final Thoughts
We hope you found the information in this article useful - we tried our best to bring you the most relevant and useful information about the Baidu Antivirus 2015 Free Forever based on our in-depth analysis and review of this software. If there's something you'd like to know, please feel free to leave us a comment and we'll get back to you.
You might also like to go through our reviews of the Avira Free Antivirus, Avast Free Antivirus, COMODO Free Antivirus, and the Bitdefender Free Antivirus.
Please also consider sharing this article in your social circles with friends and family- security is best when it envelops us all together!
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