These are the few issues that i've found with Defender (Beta 2)

[Guest]

Environment: Desktop Intel P IV, OS: OS: WIN XP PRO SP2 automatically and
fully updated.

1. Even though I have the schedulle full scan for Saturdays at 9:00 am,
every fourth day I get a Defender warning icon (the one with the yellow
background ! sign) in the notification area tray that, when clicked upon,
opens Windows Defender (Beta 2) windows in its home display with a warning
that I have not run a scan in four days. If click directly on the "Start
Scan" button on that Windows I will invariably get an emerging message that
reads:

"Windows Defender encountered and error 0x80070002. The system cannot find
the file specified."

The only way to get around this is to, after clicking OK, click Scan on the
Windows Defender (Beta 2) Window Toolbar.

And additional issue is that if I try to check for updates under this
situation, after clicking OK on the error message, from the About Windows
Defender Windows, I get a very similar if not the same error message.


2. I have a Startup program, Adobe Gamma Loader (it has to do with the
display, I think) that will prompt an alert from windows defender every time
a user logs in. There is not Spynet classification for this program yet, but
since is part of an installed software, I want to always allow it. So I
search in Defender's help and I found out the following explanation for how
to avoid this. The explanation reads:

"Add or remove items from the Windows Defender allowed list

To complete these steps, you must be logged on as Administrator or be a
member of the Administrators group.

"If you trust software that Windows Defender has detected, you can stop
Windows Defender from alerting you to risks that the software might pose to
your privacy or your computer. The next time Windows Defender alerts you
about the software, on the Action menu, select Always Allow.

If you want to monitor the software again later, you need to remove it from
the Windows Defender allowed list."

Next time I logged on as an administrator and, when I got the alert, I the
Action pulldown options list I did not find the "Always Allow" option. There
is only two options: "Allow" and "Block". After I select "Allow". Next to
Action appears the word Succeeded. But the program is not included in the
Allowed Items list from the Tools menu.

I must say that I uninstalled defender and reinstalled again to see if these
issues would be fixed, but they are still there.

3. I liked the Antyspyware Beta 1 scan feature that let me choose to see the
scan progress (Process in Memory, Folders, and Registry) and the scan results
with the technical explanations.

4. I liked the Browser Hijack protection feature in Antispyware Beta 1, that
allowed me to reset my browser settings to whatever I set them in the tool.

 

[Guest]

Only 4 items ! what about having to use the windows update ! gone the easy
beta 1 definitions now we are forced to use the windows system with endless
problems. Something I had always prefered switched to just alerting when a
update was available!
And I'm reminded why I didn't let Windows autoupdate anything before,
every defender update is a nightmare to install !

Then incorporating the shedule scans into windows schedule Tasks ! now that
has to fonction where as I had no need of it before !

I can only presume microsoft has made a mistake in version numbers this was
beta 1 , and the previous Antispyware should have been Beta 2.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

Only 4 items ! what about having to use the windows update ! gone
the easy beta 1 definitions now we are forced to use the windows
system with endless problems. Something I had always prefered
switched to just alerting when a update was available!
And I'm reminded why I didn't let Windows autoupdate anything before,
every defender update is a nightmare to install !

Then incorporating the shedule scans into windows schedule Tasks !
now that has to fonction where as I had no need of it before !

I can only presume microsoft has made a mistake in version numbers
this was beta 1 , and the previous Antispyware should have been Beta
2.

Mine appears to update fine from Help | About. I think that the next update
I'll see how long it takes auto-update to do it. This machine is not always
connected.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE
Please respond in Newsgroup. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Good observations--some comments below:

Environment: Desktop Intel P IV, OS: OS: WIN XP PRO SP2 automatically and
fully updated.

1. Even though I have the schedulle full scan for Saturdays at 9:00 am,
every fourth day I get a Defender warning icon (the one with the yellow
background ! sign) in the notification area tray that, when clicked upon,
opens Windows Defender (Beta 2) windows in its home display with a warning

The exclamation point currently appears if you have not scanned for 3 days.
This is very likely to change--I've seen feedback from Microsoft staff
indicating they feel your pain over this setting.

that I have not run a scan in four days. If click directly on the "Start
Scan" button on that Windows I will invariably get an emerging message
that
reads:

"Windows Defender encountered and error 0x80070002. The system cannot find
the file specified."

The only way to get around this is to, after clicking OK, click Scan on
the
Windows Defender (Beta 2) Window Toolbar.

This is a bug that will get fixed, I believe, via an update--not sure when
that will arrive, however.

And additional issue is that if I try to check for updates under this
situation, after clicking OK on the error message, from the About Windows
Defender Windows, I get a very similar if not the same error message.

Similar comment--definitely a bug. Updating Via Windows Update
successfully, may eliminate this message.

2. I have a Startup program, Adobe Gamma Loader (it has to do with the
display, I think) that will prompt an alert from windows defender every
time
a user logs in. There is not Spynet classification for this program yet,
but
since is part of an installed software, I want to always allow it. So I
search in Defender's help and I found out the following explanation for
how
to avoid this. The explanation reads:

"Add or remove items from the Windows Defender allowed list

To complete these steps, you must be logged on as Administrator or be a
member of the Administrators group.

"If you trust software that Windows Defender has detected, you can stop
Windows Defender from alerting you to risks that the software might pose
to
your privacy or your computer. The next time Windows Defender alerts you
about the software, on the Action menu, select Always Allow.

If you want to monitor the software again later, you need to remove it
from
the Windows Defender allowed list."

Next time I logged on as an administrator and, when I got the alert, I the
Action pulldown options list I did not find the "Always Allow" option.
There
is only two options: "Allow" and "Block". After I select "Allow". Next to
Action appears the word Succeeded. But the program is not included in the
Allowed Items list from the Tools menu.

I think that, in this case, "detected" means "found in a scan" rather than
flagged by real-time protection. If you make an "always allow" choice on a
detection that results from a scan, the item will end up in this list--VNC,
for example, is there on some of my systems.

I don't believe that this works for unknown items, or items detected by
real-time protection only. You can try using tools, general settings,
scroll down to advanced options, add--to see if you can add this object to
the list there.

 

[History Fan]

what about having to use the windows update ! gone the easy

beta 1 definitions now we are forced to use the windows system with
endless
problems. Something I had always prefered switched to just alerting when a
update was available!
And I'm reminded why I didn't let Windows autoupdate anything before,
every defender update is a nightmare to install !

Then incorporating the shedule scans into windows schedule Tasks ! now
that
has to fonction where as I had no need of it before !

I can't help but suspect that users of MSAS are having their computers
inadvertently corrupted by the upgrade process to Windows Defender, causing
most of these errors. I didn't have MSAS on my computer before I installed
beta 2 and have not encountered a single error message. Not yet, anyway.
Updates have been smooth and problem-free, unlike my experience with MSAS.

 

[Guest]

The problem I was refering to when trying to update from the Help | About,
only arises or is part of the whole situation is described in point 1 in my
previous post point 1. OTherwise it works fine.

Carlos García

 

[Guest]

I did not think of that. Indeed, had MSAS installed before I decided to
switch to Defender. However I read somewhere in the Defender Web site (I
Believe in FAQ) that as part of the installation process, MSAS was
uninstalled. Nevertheless, I went ahead and uninstalled MSAS from the control
panel Add/Remove Programs, before I installed defender. In any case I think
Microsoft should take a look at the situation I described and fix it.

Carlos García

 

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure that I'm getting the alert at the real time protection level,
since it happens every time someone logs in. For example, when I turn on the
PC and log in as administrator to allow Automatics Update to run on Microsoft
products, firewall and antivirus software, then logoff, and log in again as a
member of Power Users. I will get the warning in both instances.

True, I could enter the Advance settings and block this item from being
scanned, but I don't feel comfortable doing that. I will much rather be able
to respond to the warning selecting an "Always Allow" action explained in the
software help, but that I don't see as one of the items on the pulldown list
for actions when this happens.

Carlos García

 

[Guest]

I don't particularly mind that the updates come trough Windows Update, be it
Automatic or manual. Although I recognize that in the case of defender is
somewhat slower than for other productos (I use a 512 kbps DSL connection).

Regarding Microsoft Update, which is the new way that Microsoft is
promoting, I like the concept behind it. I can be sure that all the Microsoft
products that I have installed get checked for updates in one single step.
The only problem I see is for slower or dialup connections (not less
important users by any menas), because some times update files can be large
or very large (SP2 for example). However, you can always turn off Automatic
Updates, but you'll then have to put up with the with the Notification Area
tray icon and message of it being turned off.

Carlos Garcia

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I hear you. That action has never been an option. I can imagine that it
would take some significant effort to create the option.

Microsoft reads these forums--so they are getting the feedback.

--

 

[Guest]

Environment: Desktop Intel P IV, OS: OS: WIN XP PRO SP2 automatically and
fully updated.

1. Even though I have the schedulle full scan for Saturdays at 9:00 am,
every fourth day I get a Defender warning icon (the one with the yellow
background ! sign) in the notification area tray that, when clicked upon,
opens Windows Defender (Beta 2) windows in its home display with a warning
that I have not run a scan in four days. If click directly on the "Start
Scan" button on that Windows I will invariably get an emerging message that
reads:

"Windows Defender encountered and error 0x80070002. The system cannot find
the file specified."

The only way to get around this is to, after clicking OK, click Scan on the
Windows Defender (Beta 2) Window Toolbar.

And additional issue is that if I try to check for updates under this
situation, after clicking OK on the error message, from the About Windows
Defender Windows, I get a very similar if not the same error message.


2. I have a Startup program, Adobe Gamma Loader (it has to do with the
display, I think) that will prompt an alert from windows defender every time
a user logs in. There is not Spynet classification for this program yet, but
since is part of an installed software, I want to always allow it. So I
search in Defender's help and I found out the following explanation for how
to avoid this. The explanation reads:

"Add or remove items from the Windows Defender allowed list

To complete these steps, you must be logged on as Administrator or be a
member of the Administrators group.

"If you trust software that Windows Defender has detected, you can stop
Windows Defender from alerting you to risks that the software might pose to
your privacy or your computer. The next time Windows Defender alerts you
about the software, on the Action menu, select Always Allow.

If you want to monitor the software again later, you need to remove it from
the Windows Defender allowed list."

Next time I logged on as an administrator and, when I got the alert, I the
Action pulldown options list I did not find the "Always Allow" option. There
is only two options: "Allow" and "Block". After I select "Allow". Next to
Action appears the word Succeeded. But the program is not included in the
Allowed Items list from the Tools menu.

I must say that I uninstalled defender and reinstalled again to see if these
issues would be fixed, but they are still there.

3. I liked the Antyspyware Beta 1 scan feature that let me choose to see the
scan progress (Process in Memory, Folders, and Registry) and the scan results
with the technical explanations.

4. I liked the Browser Hijack protection feature in Antispyware Beta 1, that
allowed me to reset my browser settings to whatever I set them in the tool.

 

[Guest]

I uninstalled WD as everytime I booted my pc my firewall (Trend Micro) would
be turned off and i would have to reinstall it. Antispyware Beta 1 was much
better. I will just stick to TrendMicro Antispy-Ware.

 

[Guest]

No such problem with Norton Internet Security 2005. YET!