What is Bitdefender Total Security?

Installing Bitdefender Total Security

Using Bitdefender Total Security

What is Bitdefender Total Security?

Bitdefender Total Security is malware-protection software that is available for use on personally-owned Windows computers of faculty, staff and students running Windows 7 (SP1) or later (7/8/8.1/10). Bitdefender malware-protection software is standard software on every public and office Windows computer at Saint Mary's College. If Bitdefender Total Security is not already on your personally-owned Windows computer running Windows 7 (SP1) or later, you can install the software using the instructions below.

Even if you have Bitdefender Total Security installed on your computer, the Bitdefender Total Security definition files must still be updated regularly to keep your malware protection software up-to-date. The instructions for installing Bitdefender Total Security will include information on how Bitdefender Total Security will automatically download and install the latest definitions available for your computer.

Saint Mary's College was previously using McAfee's malware-protection software on College-owned and personally-owned computers. Beginning in May 2017, we have adopted Bitdefender as our new malware-protection software provider.

Installing Bitdefender Total Security

This software is only for installation personally-owned computers. Please do not use these instructions to install Bitdefender on College-owned (office or cluster/classroom) computers.

To install Bitdefender Total Security on your computer, you must have Windows 7 (SP1) or later installed on your personally-owned computer. (This includes Microsoft Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.)

If you are unsure how to check the system specifications of your computer, please visit http://sites.saintmarys.edu/~resnet/resnetfaq/checkingspecs.html for instructions.

This install will take approximately 5-20 minutes, depending on the speed of the computer and your network connection.

• Before you install Bitdefender Total Security, make sure your operating system is up-to-date.
• If you currently have virus or malware protection software on your computer, including any version of McAfee malware protection software previously provided by Saint Mary's College (including VirusScan for Mac, McAfee Endpoint Protection for Mac, or McAfee Security), that software must be removed and our computer must be restarted before installing Total Security. Running more than one anti-virus product on a computer can cause significant performance problems on your computer. Some examples of anti-virus software include Norton Antivirus, Symantec Antivirus, Trend Micro Antivirus, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Please follow these steps to remove your existing anti-virus software before installing Bitdefender Total Security.

  1. Find the list of installed programs on your computer:
     • Windows 7: From the Start menu, select Control Panel. From the Control Panel, open Programs and Features.
     • Windows 8: From the Desktop, move your cursor to the upper right corner of your screen to pull up the Charms bar. Select Settings. Select Control Panel. From the Control Panel, open Programs and Features.
     • Windows 10: From the Start menu, select Settings. Select System. Click on Apps & Features in the left column.
  2. Scroll through the list of programs to find any anti-virus software that may already be installed on your computer.
  3. Click on the name of any anti-virus software you find on your computer.
  4. Click on the Remove button or click Uninstall at the top of the window to start removing the software from your computer.
  5. Windows may ask you whether or not you are sure you want to remove the software. Click on the OK button to continue.

  Please be aware that the uninstaller program for each software product is different. Please follow the prompts on your computer to uninstall your old anti-virus software.

  6. Restart your computer to complete the removal of your previous anti-virus software.

• If you have a previous version of Bitdefender Internet Security installed on your computer, the new Bitdefender Total Security installer will prompt you to uninstall the previous version during the installation process.
• You must have administrative privileges on your computer to install this software.

• As with any software install, please make sure that you have your personal data backed up before you begin the installation process.

Obtain Bitdefender Total Security

1. To obtain the Bitdefender software, visit https://central.bitdefender.com. (Clicking on the link will automatically open the page in a new window or tab).
2. Click the Sign In button.
3. Sign in to the Bitdefender site with your Saint Mary's G Suite for Education account.
1. Click the button to sign in with Google (G+).


2. Enter your Saint Mary's e-mail address when prompted and click Next.


3. Enter your Saint Mary's e-mail password when prompted and click Next.


4. If it asks, you want to access Bitdefender with your saintmarys.edu account (select your saintmarys.edu account from the list).


5. If it asks, it should be allowed to view your e-mail account and basic profile. Any other options can be deselected if you wish. Click Allow.


6. If you are taken back to the Bitdefender sign-in page, click the button to sign in with Google one more time. It should take you directly to Bitdefender Central without needing to sign in a second time.
4. If you encounter problems signing into the Bitdefender site with your Saint Mary's G Suite for Education account, please clear your web browser's cache and cookies. Instructions are available here.
5. Add a device that you wish to install Bitdefender on.
• In Bitdefender Central, if a Protect your devices window appears, click on Protect this device.


• If the Protect your devices window does not automatically appear:


1. In Bitdefender Central, click on My Devices in the left column.


2. Click the Install Protection button.


3. Click on Protect this device.


4. Close the Download & Install window when prompted.


5. You do not need to activate parental control or set a child profile. If you see this prompt, click Not now.


6. If your web browser (Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox) warns that the file you downloaded could harm your computer, indicate that you wish to proceed and keep the file.

Install Bitdefender Total Security

Please complete these instructions using the computer you want the Bitdefender software to be installed on.

As a reminder, any previously installed virus or malware protection software should be removed from your computer and your computer should be restarted before proceeding.

1. If your web browser does not automatically prompt you to to run the installer, please locate the downloaded Bitdefender software on your computer. Double-click on the Bitdefender software installer to run it.
• You may be able to find the installer by seeing it listed in your web browser's download history or listed at the bottom of the open web browser page.


• The installer may be saved to your computer's desktop, to your Downloads folder, or other location you may have specified.


• The file name of the installer will start with bitdefender and will likely end in .exe.
2. When prompted, click Run to start the Bitdefender installer on your computer.
3. Your computer may warn that "This type of file could harm your computer." The warning is because the file you are downloading is an executable, and in this case it is safe to run.
4. You may see a User Account Control window asking if you want Bitdefender to make changes to your computer. ("Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?") Click Yes.

5. The Bitdefender product will download onto your computer, displaying its progress to you.
6. In the Bitdefender Security window, check the box next to I read and accepted the Subscription Agreement.
7. If shown, in the Bitdefender Security window, You may choose to uncheck Send product reports to Bitdefender.
8. If shown, in the Bitdefender Installation window, You may choose to uncheck Send anonymous reports to Bitdefender.
9. Click on INSTALL.
10. The software will install.
11. The installer window should soon indicate that Bitdefender was successfully installed.
12. Click on the Start Using Bitdefender button.
13. Click Start Using Bitdefender.
14. Click Finish when it shows you your subscription details. (You may install Bitdefender on up to three personally-owned devices under your control.)
15. Please note that the Bitdefender Total Security software will initially appear to be a trial license. The software will automatically switch to a campus-wide annual license within 24 hours of being installed on your computer.

Customizing Bitdefender Total Security

1. If prompted, you may choose to take a tour of the new software features or select to Skip tour.

2. Bitdefender may warn about you being connected to an open Wi-Fi network (including BelleAire and ResNet). Check the box next to Don't show me this again and click OK.

3. Bitdefender may display Update in progress... If so, let the update continue.

4. Bitdefender includes built-in ransomware protection, protecting your files from being encrypted and held for ransom. To enable this option, click on View Features or Protection. Then look at on Ransomware Protection. The setting should be on by default. If not, click on the slider next to Off. This will switch the setting to On. By default, folders that commonly contain personal files are automatically protected, including Desktop, My Documents, My Photos, and cloud storage folders.

5. Congratulations! You finished the Bitdefender Total Security installation.

Using Bitdefender Total Security

1. Scan your computer now that you have the latest malware protection.

• You can initiate a scan on your Windows computer at any time by opening Bitdefender Total Security, which can easily be accessed from the system tray in the lower right corner of your computer's display. Choose the type of scan that meets your current needs:

  • Quick Scan - Scans your documents, Downloads, Applications, and other locations where malware frequently resides. This is a good place to start if your computer is exhibiting suspicious behavior.
  • System Scan - Scan your computer for vulnerabilities to make sure that all installed applications, along with the Operating System, are updated and properly functioning. If a Quick Scan finds something suspicious, a full scan should be run next. If you know your computer could be infected with something (you accidentally opened a file or visited a website that was fraudulent), run a System Scan to learn what additional actions may be necessary to protect your computer.
  • Individual file or folder scan - To scan a particular file or folder (helpful for when you're sharing documents and you want to take extra precautions), right-click on the file or folder, select Bitdefender, and select Scan with Bitdefender.

2. To check when Bitdefender last updated its virus definitions on your computer, open Bitdefender Total Security. The software will display when it was last updated or indicate that it is Up to date. By default, Bitdefender will automatically check for virus signature updates automatically and download any updates that are more recent than the ones you already have.
3. To check the version of Bitdefender on your computer, open Bitdefender Total Security. The version will be listed at the top of the window.
4. To quit the Bitdefender Total Security program, go to the Bitdefender Total Security window and click the X in the upper right corner. Bitdefender Total Security will still be active on your computer, protecting it from threats, but the program that you interact with will not be running.