Windows Defender general availability

[Guest]

Short version from a different thread here:

Windows 2000 doesn't have either the Service Pack 2 or Internet Explorer 7
improvements that are available with Win XP, so it can never truly be
protected to the same level, even with Defender, since it was designed to
interact with those as a base. I'll bet the real decision had more to do with
this issue than the numbers, though I'd also guess they're relatively small.

Windows Vista is a much more secure platform. If your hardware can handle
it, I'd wait for its release in January and get more lifetime for your money.
I'm running it on a 2GHz, 512MB laptop quite happily, though I use only
Office 2007 and a few smaller programs on a regular basis. I'm also running
Windows Live OneCare v1.5 Beta, which includes AV and the guts of Defender
AntiSpyware all controlled by one simple to use GUI.

None of this can be run on less than XP, so W2K is dead, like it or not.
Only Critical Security Updates will be developed for it and those are likely
to have limitations as we learned in the last couple years of Extended
Support for Win 98/ME. My W2K box (PII 400MHz) will be replaced by an
entirely new Vista Multimedia PC sometime next year.

Until then I'll return to Spybot Search & Destroy as primary antispyware,
once Defender time bombs, on December 31st as I recall.

Bitman

 

[Guest]

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS), and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !

Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low, Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Guest]

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ...... frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now I`m
counting.

Stu

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS), and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !

Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low, Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Kayman]

Bitman;
"Until then I'll return to Spybot Search & Destroy as primary antispyware,
once Defender time bombs, on December 31st as I recall."

Here are some good quality fre ware applications, take your pick

On-Demand Anti-Virus/Spyware Scanning Engines (non-viral malware...)
Select all!

Bit Defender - FREE
http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html

Ewido anti-spyware 4.0.0.172 - FREE
http://www.ewido.net/en/download/

a-squared 2.0 - FREE
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

Ad-Aware - FREE
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
http://www.lavasoft.de/ms/index.htm

SUPERAntispyware - FREE
http://www.superantispyware.com/index.html
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

 

[Guest]

As many of you already know, we recently released the final "gold" version of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit and 64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we have fixed hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The short answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some changes. First, we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for Windows 2000 ended in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were on that platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to Windows XP SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security enhacements. There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support Windows 2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was implemented. If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows machine, Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low, Medium and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message will also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to our customers to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some of you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents availalbe at no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll this support out
internationally as our localized releases are published in the following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first languages scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or so and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Guest]

Mike:
Just as the new Windows Live OneCare download is offering the Defender
installation, please recommend to include a registry cleaner. It will be
great.

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

Windows Live OneCare's registry cleaner prevented installation of critical
security patches to Office back in July on one system I administer. I hope
that they've fixed that issue, but I've yet to meet a registry cleaner which
is safe to use.

 

[Guest]

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

I haven't seen any sign that they will publish any lists. They do publish
pretty good information on virus and rootkit malware that are removed by
their various antivirus tools and the Malicious Software Removal tool, but I
haven't seen such information for spyware.

--

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would
be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that
doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the
application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties
we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One
thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can
see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be
invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months.
Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your
version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon
and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any
more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED?
I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido
(AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions.
Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release.
An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should
we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for
this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost
!


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
in
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the
final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a
32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added.
The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers
were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade
to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check
was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error
message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment
to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As
some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call
incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to
roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published
in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week
or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Guest]

Hmm! I often wonder if MS view this as a policy making decision of MS against
he rest of the world! Hardly surprising given the they must be the `numero
uno` target for such infestations. I do wish they would adopt a more `open
policy` approach to their customers however. On the one hand they are a truly
respected software organisation. On the other, they can loose credibilty by
not revealing all to their users. Its a delicate balance between the two.

Stu

I haven't seen any sign that they will publish any lists. They do publish
pretty good information on virus and rootkit malware that are removed by
their various antivirus tools and the Malicious Software Removal tool, but I
haven't seen such information for spyware.

--

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would
be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that
doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the
application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties
we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One
thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can
see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be
invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months.
Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your
version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon
and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any
more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED?
I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido
(AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions.
Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release.
An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should
we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for
this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost
!


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
in
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the
final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a
32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added.
The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers
were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade
to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check
was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error
message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment
to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As
some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call
incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to
roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published
in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week
or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Guest]

As you've already surmised the Engine will change over time, but the driver
for that change is actually changes in malware, since this is why the entire
program exists. The engine is designed and modified as necessary to perform
the required routines to detect and/or remove particular types of malware, so
it is inherently always in a state of being 'worked on'.

Lots of change in this area generally occurs due to major changes in the
infection processes or location, though fixes and improvement could come at
any time. The recent release of the final version to a wider audience is
likely to expose both minor problems in the existing engine and potentially a
number of malware not known in the past. It's also more likely that a larger
effort will be made in this area over the next few months as the stable
product releases worldwide.

What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis, most
of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?

The Spybot Search & Destroy Ignore Product lists exist not primarily to
document the malware list as such, but rather as a method to remove
individual products from detection, so they may be left on the PC if desired.
Defender deals with this process differently, by giving you the 'allow'
option for lower level threats.

Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts, some
like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand. Since
this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction from
the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't care
about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do or
might have.

This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of the
Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration is on
real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of PCs
via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider view of
the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
massively improve on that.

I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
audience. This is especially true since the audience are already inherently
customers of an MS product, their operating system.

Bitman

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[plun]

Bitman skrev:

Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts, some
like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand. Since
this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction from
the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't care
about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do or
might have.

This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of the
Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration is on
real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of PCs
via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider view of
the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
massively improve on that.

I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
audience. This is especially true since the audience are already inherently
customers of an MS product, their operating system.

Hi Bitman

Maybe it´s high time for Spybot and Lavasoft to close down
their business... ?
Todays trojan driven junk is too much for these.

Find a antivirus partner as soon as possible and build a
security package. Lavasoft
and F-Secure has a agreement about spyware definitions as I
knows it.

About MS they must clearly state that this is a "basic"
protection and nothing more...

It´s nothing for a user which frequently visits Internets
backyard and doesn't know
where he/she is....and clicks on everything.....



regards
plun

 

[Guest]

"What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis,
most

of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?"

I think the answer to your pointer is called - education. While it may seem
insignificant to you. How would you begin to define an ... average user? Its
a variable ( where X = average user) and therefore difficult to define with
accuracy. If you have an even a basic knowledge of algebra, X is impossible
to evaluate unless you pass it a constant. Which brings me back to my
question: If the value passed to X varies. How can you evaluate it with any
degree of accuracy. Furthermore is it a string or integer? Point is, the same
principle applies to the computing fraternity of today. They are learning and
fast because that is the world we live in today. Who knows what the next
generation will propagate>

The key issue is educating the adult user" to the dangers and how to prevent
and that process continues thru NGs like these and any com mag you may pick
up from the rack. Back in the early 90s an `adult user` would have been the
sort of guy who barely knows how to `fire up` his com. Today it is the guy
who really has some considerable knowledge of his com and how it `ticks`.
Whats more, he would like to know more and so the EDUCATION process
continues. Computing skills these days are not just reserved for those people
with a degree or college education in IT. I could write you a nasty program
in Visual C#. Why? Because I chose to educate myself not because that is my
profession.

Have a nice day.

Stu

As you've already surmised the Engine will change over time, but the driver
for that change is actually changes in malware, since this is why the entire
program exists. The engine is designed and modified as necessary to perform
the required routines to detect and/or remove particular types of malware, so
it is inherently always in a state of being 'worked on'.

Lots of change in this area generally occurs due to major changes in the
infection processes or location, though fixes and improvement could come at
any time. The recent release of the final version to a wider audience is
likely to expose both minor problems in the existing engine and potentially a
number of malware not known in the past. It's also more likely that a larger
effort will be made in this area over the next few months as the stable
product releases worldwide.

What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis, most
of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?

The Spybot Search & Destroy Ignore Product lists exist not primarily to
document the malware list as such, but rather as a method to remove
individual products from detection, so they may be left on the PC if desired.
Defender deals with this process differently, by giving you the 'allow'
option for lower level threats.

Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts, some
like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand. Since
this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction from
the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't care
about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do or
might have.

This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of the
Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration is on
real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of PCs
via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider view of
the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
massively improve on that.

I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
audience. This is especially true since the audience are already inherently
customers of an MS product, their operating system.

Bitman

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Guest]

"I don't care about the thousands of malware I don't have,"

I think you should ....try educating yourself .... to do otherwise, apart
from being naive would be rather like `shutting the door after the horse has
bolted.` What you are advocating is ...... DGAS until it happens to me......
then I will learn PDQ ...... great attitude !!

In my line of work that is called `reactive` rather than `proactive`
management.

Stu

As you've already surmised the Engine will change over time, but the driver
for that change is actually changes in malware, since this is why the entire
program exists. The engine is designed and modified as necessary to perform
the required routines to detect and/or remove particular types of malware, so
it is inherently always in a state of being 'worked on'.

Lots of change in this area generally occurs due to major changes in the
infection processes or location, though fixes and improvement could come at
any time. The recent release of the final version to a wider audience is
likely to expose both minor problems in the existing engine and potentially a
number of malware not known in the past. It's also more likely that a larger
effort will be made in this area over the next few months as the stable
product releases worldwide.

What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis, most
of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?

The Spybot Search & Destroy Ignore Product lists exist not primarily to
document the malware list as such, but rather as a method to remove
individual products from detection, so they may be left on the PC if desired.
Defender deals with this process differently, by giving you the 'allow'
option for lower level threats.

Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts, some
like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand. Since
this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction from
the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't care
about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do or
might have.

This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of the
Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration is on
real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of PCs
via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider view of
the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
massively improve on that.

I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
audience. This is especially true since the audience are already inherently
customers of an MS product, their operating system.

Bitman

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!

 

[Ira]

Plun, I am in complete agreement about needing more that 1 program to clean
and protect my system. The 2 that I use are Spyware Detector, Ad-Aware. I
also run CCleaner to get rid alot of C. I currently feel relatively
secure---for now. What the future holds in store--Quien sabe.
Cookie Monster

: Bitman skrev:
: > Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts,
some
: > like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand.
Since
: > this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction
from
: > the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't
care
: > about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do
or
: > might have.
: >
: > This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of
the
: > Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration
is on
: > real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
: > theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of
PCs
: > via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider
view of
: > the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
: > massively improve on that.
: >
: > I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
: > recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
: > audience. This is especially true since the audience are already
inherently
: > customers of an MS product, their operating system.
:
: Hi Bitman
:
: Maybe it´s high time for Spybot and Lavasoft to close down
: their business... ?
: Todays trojan driven junk is too much for these.
:
: Find a antivirus partner as soon as possible and build a
: security package. Lavasoft
: and F-Secure has a agreement about spyware definitions as I
: knows it.
:
: About MS they must clearly state that this is a "basic"
: protection and nothing more...
:
: It´s nothing for a user which frequently visits Internets
: backyard and doesn't know
: where he/she is....and clicks on everything.....
:
:
:
: regards
: plun

 

[Guest]

http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/
Try this one. I have been using it for more than a year. I don't make the
automatic registry backups when I run it, and erase them after completion.
Believe me it's good and super friendly, considered the world best.

 

[Guest]

Plun,

I have my own thoughts relating to groups who create tools, but only time
will tell what really happens, though protection suites are obviously where
the money is right now. Remember that groups like Spybot aren't totally
driven by money since they don't have shareholders to answer to like the
others.

I'll take Microsoft's 'basic' protection over most of the existing suites,
though maybe the new offerings from some will finally improve from the
useless 'feature packs' they've become. Once IE 7 is in place, the MS
offerings are very solid, even if the user goes to the wrong places.

However, nothing can stop the user from making all the wrong choices like
using P2P or accepting fake Codecs full of malware, though Windows Live
OneCare tries very hard in such cases. It even attempts to 'educate' the user
to some extent by telling them why they shouldn't do this, though I do
believe they can improve on this even more over time.

WLOC isn't the techies tool and I hope it never tries to become that, since
that's exactly how the existing suites became clogged by adding 'features'
for the techies.

Bitman

 

[Guest]

Stu, Most techies and those who want to be miss the point that most 'average
users' will never want to learn that much about their PC. I saw this issue
clearly myself while working in post secondary Engineering education years
ago, where the non-computer degree candidates only wanted to learn the
minimum required to use the computer as a tool.

Windows Live OneCare finally recognizes this and tries to 'educate' on the
fly, when the user most needs and theoretically cares anout it, when they're
attacked. As I mentioned to Plun a moment ago, it even tries to warn about
things like P2P and other items it detects. Nothing can stop the user bent on
doing themselves harm, although WLOC tries valiantly by refusing to blanket
allow severe threats.

As for those like yourself (and myself, since I have an Engineering
background), we're really the exception and I don't really care about
'educating' us. We're a small percentage of the population and there are
places we can go for this, including other products. There really needs to be
a product for everyone else who just wants to get their work done, which is
the largest group by the way, techies just often can't see that.

Over time more of the population will become 'computer literate', though
that's still a relative term. For the largest portion of the population it
will primarily mean the ability to understand and use the computer without
fear, which isn't the case right now, in large part due to malware. It's
really the job of the OS and Protection software to make this happen, since
there isn't always a techie standing around to ask, so the software acts as
the techie proxy to advise the user on the spot.

As we techies know, however, it will take time for such software to mature
and perform this job effectively and diligence on the developer's part to
avoid the 'feature' traps of the past.

Bitman

"What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis,
most

of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?"

I think the answer to your pointer is called - education. While it may seem
insignificant to you. How would you begin to define an ... average user? Its
a variable ( where X = average user) and therefore difficult to define with
accuracy. If you have an even a basic knowledge of algebra, X is impossible
to evaluate unless you pass it a constant. Which brings me back to my
question: If the value passed to X varies. How can you evaluate it with any
degree of accuracy. Furthermore is it a string or integer? Point is, the same
principle applies to the computing fraternity of today. They are learning and
fast because that is the world we live in today. Who knows what the next
generation will propagate>

The key issue is educating the adult user" to the dangers and how to prevent
and that process continues thru NGs like these and any com mag you may pick
up from the rack. Back in the early 90s an `adult user` would have been the
sort of guy who barely knows how to `fire up` his com. Today it is the guy
who really has some considerable knowledge of his com and how it `ticks`.
Whats more, he would like to know more and so the EDUCATION process
continues. Computing skills these days are not just reserved for those people
with a degree or college education in IT. I could write you a nasty program
in Visual C#. Why? Because I chose to educate myself not because that is my
profession.

Have a nice day.

Stu

As you've already surmised the Engine will change over time, but the driver
for that change is actually changes in malware, since this is why the entire
program exists. The engine is designed and modified as necessary to perform
the required routines to detect and/or remove particular types of malware, so
it is inherently always in a state of being 'worked on'.

Lots of change in this area generally occurs due to major changes in the
infection processes or location, though fixes and improvement could come at
any time. The recent release of the final version to a wider audience is
likely to expose both minor problems in the existing engine and potentially a
number of malware not known in the past. It's also more likely that a larger
effort will be made in this area over the next few months as the stable
product releases worldwide.

What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis, most
of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?

The Spybot Search & Destroy Ignore Product lists exist not primarily to
document the malware list as such, but rather as a method to remove
individual products from detection, so they may be left on the PC if desired.
Defender deals with this process differently, by giving you the 'allow'
option for lower level threats.

Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts, some
like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand. Since
this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction from
the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't care
about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do or
might have.

This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of the
Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration is on
real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of PCs
via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider view of
the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
massively improve on that.

I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
audience. This is especially true since the audience are already inherently
customers of an MS product, their operating system.

Bitman

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

:

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

 

[Guest]

Stu, this statement was rhetorical, in that as an average user I really only
care about the malware of the moment, not malware in general.

As I stated in my previous response, few will ever pay attention until the
problem is 'in their face', this is just human nature. You can attempt to
ignore this reality, but that's how we got to where we are now. Windows Live
OneCare and to some extent Defender are trying to change this by being
available when the user most needs the help.

You can continue to take my comments out of context or realize that I've
been involved with these products exactly because I see them as solving, or
at least improving greatly, the problem of user misunderstanding when it's
most critical.

Since there is no other coherent method for such education of those not
currently in school, the solution must come from something that's available
when the problem is happening, so the computer Protection Suite is the
obvious place with the adaptive abilities programming allows. We're finally
beginning to take advantage of the computer as a tool not only to be learned,
but also as a tool of learning, which was a fundamental promise all along
that has been ignored by most devlopers.

Bitman

"I don't care about the thousands of malware I don't have,"

I think you should ....try educating yourself .... to do otherwise, apart
from being naive would be rather like `shutting the door after the horse has
bolted.` What you are advocating is ...... DGAS until it happens to me......
then I will learn PDQ ...... great attitude !!

In my line of work that is called `reactive` rather than `proactive`
management.

Stu

As you've already surmised the Engine will change over time, but the driver
for that change is actually changes in malware, since this is why the entire
program exists. The engine is designed and modified as necessary to perform
the required routines to detect and/or remove particular types of malware, so
it is inherently always in a state of being 'worked on'.

Lots of change in this area generally occurs due to major changes in the
infection processes or location, though fixes and improvement could come at
any time. The recent release of the final version to a wider audience is
likely to expose both minor problems in the existing engine and potentially a
number of malware not known in the past. It's also more likely that a larger
effort will be made in this area over the next few months as the stable
product releases worldwide.

What's reassuring about seeing lists of new malware on a regular basis, most
of which you'll never even come into contact with? And what can you really
determine from this information as an average user?

The Spybot Search & Destroy Ignore Product lists exist not primarily to
document the malware list as such, but rather as a method to remove
individual products from detection, so they may be left on the PC if desired.
Defender deals with this process differently, by giving you the 'allow'
option for lower level threats.

Most antimalware products place too much emphasis on lists and counts, some
like Spybot Search & Destroy simply in response to customer demand. Since
this information has little to no real value, it's merely a distraction from
the important work of creating new detections for real malware. I don't care
about the thousands of malware I don't have, I care about the one I do or
might have.

This is exactly the distorted approach to malware prevention that all of the
Microsoft antimalware products are trying to change. The concentration is on
real, basic protection and not lists or counts of malware that might
theoretically be detected. With Microsoft's access to many millions of PCs
via their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, they have a wider view of
the real world of malware than most, and Defender (and OneCare) will
massively improve on that.

I for one don't see anyone else in such a perfect position to detect and
recognize new malware and respond as required to the threat to a broad
audience. This is especially true since the audience are already inherently
customers of an MS product, their operating system.

Bitman

True ..... seriously, the more upgrades in this area so much the better as
far as I`m concerned. I would be worried if I didn`t see any on a regular
basis. That would convey to me there might be some complacency in the
development department or there was a problematic area. The latter would be
acceptable if one has been informed `it is being worked on`but that doesn`t
seem to be MS`s policy. After all, It`s the `work horse` of the application
and so, the more improvements made in this area, the better we will all
benefit. Very nice UI but if the internals are rotten ....... ?

Now we are into the Gold/Final version. Will MS be revealing what nasties we
are supposedly being protected from? Or, am I missing something ? One thing I
find most reassuring with other AS progs like Spybot S&D, is that you can see
what defs are loaded and what you are supposed to be protected from.

Stu

:

Engine updates have been built-in from day 1 (or beta2 day one, anyway, I
believe.) So I'd expect those pretty regularly. They should be invisible
to the average user.
--

But ..... same next day is a wee bit more than `occasional` ......
frequent
or even urgent perhaps? Guess we will see over the next few months. Now
I`m
counting.

Stu

:

Very nicely put Bill - as we`ve come to expect from you.

Stu





:

I noticed that the language at the web site read:
---
Overview
This is the most current release of Windows Defender. If Windows
Defender
informed you that an update is available, you are running an older
version.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version. You can check your version
of
Windows Defender by clicking the down arrow next to the help icon and
choosing 'About Windows Defender'.
---

Doesn't say anywhere "it's all done, and we ain't gonna do any more."

So--I wouldn't be surprised if there are occasional changes.

--

Gentlemen, I have one simple question: Is anything ever FINISHED? I
have
seen similar concerns stated by users of Spysweeper, Ewido (AVG/AS),
and
A-Squared during beta and after release of GM versions. Apparently
the
only
constant to be counted on is change ( which only sometimes brings
improvements).
--
Regards,

Paul B. aka "OldRebel"


:

Come to think of it. We`ve had one PBDQ after the Final Release. An
Engine
upgrade.

1603 to 1609 within the space of one day. Event ID 2002. Should we
count
it?

Stu







:

Stu,

That's why I say th "G" in "Windows Defender [G]old" stands for
Gamma.
Congradulations we are now Gamma testers.

Of course we wont have Deltas (Service Packs or Bug Fixs) for this
product.
They will just call them UI/Engine updates, Yeah Right.

Anybody else out there think we should have had an RC (Release
Candidate or
2)?

?
Tim
Geek w/o Portfolio
Alphas, and Betas, and Gammas, OH MY!

:

Course they have! We have; `The Final Version`. Well, almost !


Which begs the question. "Have we yet to see the penultimate
version
of WD
let alone the final? Stay tuned folks. W2KYJelly!!

Stu

:

I sure hope you fixed the chk pt issues
robin
message
As many of you already know, we recently released the final
"gold" version
of
Windows Defender for English locales. We offer both a 32bit
and
64bit
version. This release has been years in the making and we
have
fixed
hundreds
of bugs since Beta 2 with your help.

Many have asked if there have been new featuers added. The
short
answer is
that we did not add any new features but we did make some
changes. First,
we
no longer support Windows 2000. Mainstream support for
Windows
2000 ended
in
June 2005, and we found that not many of our customers were
on
that
platform.
For those running Windows 2000, we recommended an upgrade to
Windows XP
SP2
or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for the latest security
enhacements.
There are
also many 3rd party antispyware solutions that do support
Windows
2000.

The second major change is that an additional WGA check was
implemented.
If
Windows Defender is installed onto a non-genuine Windows
machine,
Windows
Defender will only remove threats marked as severe. Low,
Medium
and High
threats will be detected, but not removed. An error message
will
also be
displayed in this case.

With this final release, we are also making a commitment to
our
customers
to
help resolve any issues related to Windows Defender. As some
of
you have
noticed, we are offering 2 free phone support call incidents
availalbe at
no
charge (tolls may still apply). We will also start to roll
this
support
out
internationally as our localized releases are published in
the
following
weeks and months. German and Japanese will be the first
languages
scheduled
for release, but we hope to have over 20 localized
languages.

We will also turn on the "upgrade notification" in a week or
so
and start
upgrading current Beta 2 customers to the final release.

Thanks for you support of Windows Defender!