Author Topic: Windows Defender needed?  (Read 9335 times)

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hmarsili

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Windows Defender needed?
« on: June 14, 2007, 04:47:08 AM »
Hi,

I'm using AVAST HOME and Windows Defender... is really neccesary to use Windows Defender or is there a provider on AVAST performing the same function?

Regards,
Hernán.

Offline Vladimyr

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2007, 05:14:16 AM »
Hi Hernán

Yes. Avast! (antivirus)and Defender (antispyware) are intended to protect your PC from different kinds of threats in real time and they usually work okay together.
For what reason are you thinking of discarding Defender? Are you looking for a better free alternative antispyware program?

There is a way that seems right to a man,
       but in the end it leads to death
.” - Proverbs 16:25

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2007, 03:02:09 PM »
Are you looking for a better free alternative antispyware program?
There are a lot of alternatives... most of them aren't free for resident protection, except Spyware Terminator and Comodo Boclean. But there are a lot of free on-demand scanners: a-squared, Free AVG Antispyware, SUPERantispyware.
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hmarsili

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2007, 06:44:45 PM »
Thank you. Windows Defender is running pretty good... but, I always prefered to have as less as possible resident programs. According the avast documents the WEB SHIELD performs a similar function. Let me copy the text from Avast web site:

"Web Shield is a unique feature of avast! that enables it to monitor and filter all HTTP traffic coming from Web sites on the Internet. Since an increasing number of viruses (and other malware, such as adware, spyware and dialers) are being distributed via the World Wide Web, the need for effective countermeasures has also increased"

As you can see, adware, spyware and malware are mention...

It seems, that in some point, they perform the same function. Am I correct?

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2007, 01:19:15 AM »
but, I always prefered to have as less as possible resident programs.
According the avast documents the WEB SHIELD performs a similar function.
It seems, that in some point, they perform the same function. Am I correct?
Ok. Me too. But avast is an antivirus and Defender is a antispyware.
Better is to have layered defense, if one fails, you'll have the other.
Although, if you surf safely, you could live with just an on-demand antispyware and not with a resident one.
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MeDIeVaL

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2007, 03:22:19 AM »
I've used both and so far it's running great. Except if those unwanted virus come from usb drive. Seem no av have total solution to this kind of threat. And for this moment I've thinking of installing Dr Web but I'm afraid that it will crash all the programs. So can u guys give me some advice...

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2007, 03:26:45 PM »
Except if those unwanted virus come from usb drive. Seem no av have total solution to this kind of threat. And for this moment I've thinking of installing Dr Web but I'm afraid that it will crash all the programs.
Don't install two antivirus at the same time in the same computer.
DrWeb is not a free one, if you want to try it, uninstall avast first.
I think avast should be improved to detect this USB infectors. It's not a problem with 'all' antivirus by definition, just that avast should be better in detection.

I suggest you visit this page http://www.antirootkit.com/software/index.htm for antirootkit detection, removal & protection.
Comparison test here: http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196901062&pgno=1&queryText=

Full computer on-line scanning:
Kaspersky
Trendmicro housecall
Ewido
F-Secure
Spysweeper
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martosurf

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2007, 04:34:49 AM »
Hola!

Mirá che, como bien dijo Tech ambos programas se complementan al ejercer una protección proactiva por capas -layered- y lo ideal sería tenerlos corriendo continuamente todo el tiempo. El problema es que tanta paranoia sobre seguridad nos lleva a tener corriendo al mismo tiempo:

1. antivirus, antigusanos y antitroyanos
2. antispyware
3. firewall
4. antirootkit
5. algunos agregan sandboxes tipo GeSWall, o como el mismo Norman Virus Control que tiene un sistema de protección via sandboxing.
6. HIPS

lo que a su vez nos lleva a convertir una -pongo por ejemplo mi máquina- P4 2.4ghz HT Prescott + mobo con 1mb Lache2 + 1giga de RAM en una XT con CPU 8088... y un poquito más lenta también. Estaría buenísimo tener una máquina con toooodo esos programas funcionando continuamente dedicada a filtrar internet mientras usamos ooootra PC para trabajar; la realidad es bastante distinta y a menudo tenemos que arreglarnos con una sola máquina. Imaginate entonces si tuvieras toda esa protección proactiva corriendo en tu máquina si quisieras tener también el Winamp corriendo de fondo mientras trabajás con el Photoshop, tenés el browser abierto con 30 pestañas y estás descargando archivos via emule y bittorrent  :o :o  ::)  :P

Hasta hace poco tiempo fui un leal (y casi te diría devoto) usuario de avast! ya que lo considero un GRAN programa con un EXCELENTE equipo de soporte tras él en estos foros, pero incompatibilidades en el último build, .1001 -jamás había sufrido ninguna en tres años- hicieron que al vencer mi suscripción buscara otra alternativa con la cual estoy muy contento en este momento.

Este preámbulo te lo cuento para que veas la efectividad de avast!. En todo ese tiempo -y más también- tuve 0 (cero) infecciones letales, es decir ningún virus ni gusano ni malware dañino se coló en mi sistema. Lo que si encontraba cada tanto al realizar chequeos manuales con Spybot y Ad-Aware eran muchos, muchísimos cookies rastreadores que se 'pegaban' al IE y al Firefox mientras navegaba, esto lo solucioné de raiz gracias al consejo de DavidR de usar DropMyRights para bajar los derechos de los browsers.

Actualmente tengo también instalado el WindowsDefender aunque lo uso solamente de manera manual para escanear cada tanto -muy cada tanto- el sistema. La crítica dice que este programa es lento -¡vaya si lo es!- y que además tiene grandes problemas de detección pero al ser gratis no viene mal agregarlo como defensa anexa. El WD tiene también un engine que chequea aspectos críticos del sistema operativo para evitar infecciones, al estilo del CounterSpy aunque éste último es mucho más completo en ese sentido. Sin embargo el CS al igual que WD necesitan una gran cantidad de recursos de RAM y ciclos de CPU para funcionar algo inaceptable para un minimalista como yo.

Por lo tanto, te recomiendo usar DropMyRights para ejecutar el browser, yo uso el Opera 9.2 que es bastante más seguro que el IE y el FF y sin embargo también lo arranco a través del DMR. Además del nuevo antivirus lo único que estoy ejecutando es un excelente HIPS que al estar codificado en su mayoría en assembler, o sea código máquina, no sólo es ultra liviano y ultra rápido sino también ultra eficaz. Además el programa que por ahora se encuentra en beta stage es gratarola y permite no sólo proteger el registro, sino controlar las conexiones salientes -outbound- a internet, ganchos globales, acceso a disco, permisos de ejecución, permisos heredados, etc. Podés conseguirlo en www.GhostSecurity.com y el foro de soporte lo encontrás en www.WildersSecurity.com.

Espero que esta data te sirva para tener un sistema más seguro y no por ello menos rápido.

Saludos!!
Martín

Dear moderators: all the concepts exposed here are well known to usual forum followers, I only did write them in plain spanish because I can express myself lot better this way and I feel Hernán would have a better understanding of them. If you woul like this post translated to english just ask for it and I will do my best to do it in no time. Cheers!

Offline Tarq57

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2007, 10:42:13 AM »
Originally posted by MeDieVal
Quote
And for this moment I've thinking of installing Dr Web but I'm afraid that it will crash all the programs.

Drweb make a free download AV utility called Cureit which needs no installation and runs from the download location. I've used it, and also using Avast! Home, SpywareTerminator, and Boclean, no problems at all, apart from ST popping an alert (as it does) asking if this is allowed to run. Cureit is an AV. It's a limited use-by thing though, doesn't update; you re-download again if you want the latest version, 5.1Mb download. Good second opinion. Fairly strong heuristics, though, so watch for FP's.

OP, Personally I'd recommend ST over Windows Defender any time, for a resident Antispyware, but if your aim is to cut down on running processes, then I'd probably stick with Avast, a firewall, and install SpywareBlaster and maybe a hosts file, + use Firefox with the Noscript extension. And settle to being a safe surfer.
Windows 10,Windows Firewall,Firefox w/Adblock.

martosurf

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2007, 02:49:13 PM »
SpywareBlaster and Spybot's inmunization capabilities are a must have.

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #10 on: June 17, 2007, 01:30:11 AM »
SpywareBlaster and Spybot's inmunization capabilities are a must have.
I think the Windows Advanced Care features of spyware/adware cleaning and removal are a must have 8)
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rdmaloyjr

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2007, 03:34:56 AM »
I think the Windows Advanced Care features of spyware/adware cleaning and removal are a must have 8)

I tried Advanced Windows Care v2, but it slowed me down.  I don't understand why as I think it only immunizes like SpywareBlaster.

I don't need AWC v2 as the programs I'm using are so far doing an excellent job.

Offline DavidR

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2007, 01:41:18 PM »
The thing that put me of most was Tech calling it 'Windows' Advanced Care for ages I thought it was a MS product, which turned me right off.

Eventually I got round to testing it and I wasn't to impressed as there are a lot of settings that are enabled by default that I wouldn't want taken care of automatically (fine I checked and disabled what I didn't want, but your average user might not). On my first running of AWC, it didn't save the changes it made so no possibility of restoring anything that I didn't mant changed. So you would have find the way to manually restore any change, I believe a backup should be saved by default, but nothing was.

Most of the things in AWC I have other tools to do the job, so it only lasted a few weeks before it was uninstalled.
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Offline Tarq57

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2007, 01:55:30 PM »
Actually, when I first read that "windows advanced care.." my mind thought "windows one care", so, sort of a similar interpretation.
I actually don't mind the Iobit program at all, (I read the instructions a bit, first,  ;) ) and to have it undo changes, it offers to create a restore point, which is a rather crude way of doing it, but the option is there. I find the "system analysis" offered to change many settings, some of those I had tweaked (or had something tweak them for me) previously, so I left all but one. Where it does seem to shine is as a registry cleaner, if you choose to use one of those, and many knowledgeable users recommend not to. But it seems to be thorough, and has caused no problems. Takes care of a lot of stuff left from deleting files, uninstalling programs etc. Also does a basic spyware scan, and  a basic privacy scan.
Anyone choosing to use it should (with any program) have a read of the help files first, only tick the checkboxes that pertain to them, (and that's where the program  "defaults to unsafe": everything is ticked following a scan,) backup important stuff first etc. All commonsense stuff.
Windows 10,Windows Firewall,Firefox w/Adblock.

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Windows Defender needed?
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2007, 03:11:32 PM »
My experience posted here: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=22975.0

You can configure automatic backups.
You can configure what you want to be tweaked/cleaned/removed.
You can configure interface.
Free version has no automated features, just that.
I'm very surprised with the hability of WindowsCare immunization feature. Similar - but larger - that the Spybot one.

Worth a try, for sure.  8)
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