Windows Defender

  • Thread starter Thread starter GrtArtiste
  • Start date Start date
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GrtArtiste

Is this program even remotely useful? I've had it for 2 years now on
this Vista 32-bit Home Premium (Dell Inspiron 530). I've accepted all
auto-updates whenever they've occurred. Whenever it is run, 1 of 2
things will happen. Either it will report no detections and will say
the system is running normally, or it will report a problem that it is
always unable to deal with. Never has WD ever reported a problem that
it was able to correct. Today's problem is "BrowserModifier:Win32/
Fotomoto". Clicking on the link for more info, I arrive at a MS web
page saying the most recent definition update for this problem is
dated 11 July 2009. I fully expect that, as with previous detection
reports, the detection warning will disappear after the next update of
WD. Meanwhile, this computer gets frequent scans (usually twice a
week) with Malwarebytes and Avira Antivir and occasional scans with
Superantispyware. None of these has ever reported a problem at the
same time that WD does.

Should I just not bother? Should I just let it update itself (so I
won't be repeatedly bothered with update notices) and otherwise ignore
it? TIA.

GrtArtiste
 
Hello GrtArtiste,

You might consider using "Microsoft Security Essentials" instead. It
will turn off and replace Windows Defender automatically during it's
installation. It provides much better virus, malware, and spyware
protection.

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Hope this helps,
Shawn

I appreciate the reply, but unless there is some significant benefit
to using Microsoft Security Essentials over what I already have (Avira-
MBAM-SAS), I guess I'll stick with what is working now until it
doesn't. I was just hoping that WD could somehow be corrected...but I
guess not.

GrtArtiste
 
Microsoft Security Essentials is the replacement (correction) for
Windows Defender in Vista and Windows 7 to be used instead from
Microsoft.

As far as a benefit, it's just another layer of security to help protect
you. Since not all scanners detect everything, it's usually best to have
a few layers to help detect something one of the others may not.

It's up to you, but you might give it a try to see how you like it. You
can always just uninstall later if you should decide to.

If MSE is an anti-virus, I'd have to uninstall Avira to use it...yes?
One wonders why anyone bothers to update WD and pretend that it's
still useful if MSE is being promoted as it's replacement
(correction).

GrtArtiste
 
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