Updates

[dencandy]

I have Windows automatic updates turned off, preferring to do all my updates
manually. But still my firewall (Comodo) tells me that Defender still tries
to contact the website every couple of hours, even after I've just updated.
Although I have no problem in updating Defender manually, on the most recent
version of WD there seems to be no specific menu item to disable automatic
updates of WD. Administrator Options allows me to do it, but it also disables
real-time protection! Am I missing something?

 

[Dave M]

What level of SpyNet membership (if any) are you signed up for?

 

[dencandy]

None. Why do you ask?
--
Dennis (Mr Virtuality)

What level of SpyNet membership (if any) are you signed up for?

 

[Dave M]

Joining SpyNet will cause Windows Defender to phone home with running
activities. A member could potentially receive inbound activity as well
when newly permitted programs are added to it's known program database.
Apparently that's not your issue since your not a member.

"Advanced SpyNet membership is pretty much just like Bill says - there's a
bunch of legal text in there, but some of the highlights of the additional
information sent to SpyNet for Advanced users is data on what IP
addresses/ports a process connects to, which modules an exe loads or which
exes load a DLL, and data on potential rootkits. SpyNet focuses on
executable files and applications, not on you or your data.
Hope this helps,"
Joe Faulhaber [MSFT]

 

[Bill Sanderson]

When you went into the options, did you uncheck the box to update
definitions before scheduled scans?

 

[dencandy]

Not sure Bill, it's on my other computer & I'll check when I get back home
next w/end. Thanks.

 

[dencandy]

I have automatic updates for Windows turned off completely. I check for
updates & download myself. My settings for WD are:
Auto Scanning: not set, so no check for updates.
Defender Actions: default set.
Real-time protection options: default set.
Advanced: default set.
Administrative options: Use - was set, now dissabled.
Allow everyone.. was set, now greyed out.
I am not a member of Spynet.
I thought it might be a trojan, but since I dissabled WD Comodo hasn't
flagged anything.
I've only noticed this "phoning home" for maybe the last 2/3 weeks, since
the last update, or the one before that perhaps. It's not a problem, just
annoying. And I'm sure I recall this being an issue in this forum in an
earlier version of WD.

 

[dencandy]

Seems most security products do this "phoning home" these days. Anyway I'm
going to try another product, WD doesn't seem to do much & has never found
anything after scanning for 2 years!

 

[Robinb]

try superantispyware
it is a great product
In fact it runs "rings" around the others
it comes free and pro version
try out the free version and if you like it you can purchase the pro.
If you decide on the pro I can give you a website to get it for less than
$29.95 (purchase price now)with lifetime updates
I like this product so much I encourage all my clients to purchase it
because the free version is excellant but running the pro gives you a
resident shield and you can schedule scans. You cannot with the free
version but the free version will do the exact manual scan as the pro with
all its other features. I recommend either one but that would be your
choice.
robin

 

[dencandy]

Thanks for the information. Right now Im trying ThreatFire & it seems to be
working effectively. It, too, tries to phone home when I boot up even though
automatic updates, etc is turned off. But at least it finds something:
tracking cookies which Defender never found.

 

[robinb]

I tired threatfire and it almost hosed my entire computer and was horrible
taking it off. Others in here that have used it had problems with it also.

I still like superantispyware- not only does it get tracking cookies but it
gets trojans that other programs cannot get out. It also goes into the core
of windows and looks for the little buggers.

robin