Will Microsoft's Free Antivirus App be Worth the Price?

[YoKenny]

I found it on Softpedia:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Microsoft-Security-Essentials.shtml

It looks like Windows Defender+ on Windows 7 so I'll fire up the XP Pro system to try it.

It replaced Windows Defender on XP Pro and I ran a Quick scan and set it to do the same Daily at 10:00am like I had Windows Defender do.

Its one of my Layered Protection tools. 

[mkis]

It looks like Windows Defender+ on Windows 7

I noticed that. I doubt that Essentials resident will be compatible / interoperate with avast resident, not the least because avast always had been noticeably absent on listings of default AVs to be accounted for with Internet Explorer releases and other Microsoft. At times when the other majors were accounted for on a list. However, interesting to see what might be available through on demand services. Will the same Essentials database and engine be accessible through on-demand?

And still, Defender can run real-time alongside avast, and Windows system and components (even IE most the time) do not seem to conflict with avast resident, (always surprises me this, and I put it down to qualities inherent in avast approach rather than vice versa).  Despite MS non-recognition of avast's existence. Perhaps we might be able to run with the best of both worlds, with Essentials contributing an important second opinion. Isn't this how it should be? Well for me, how it could only be, because I'm not about to give up my tried and true resident AV.

But I've checked some of the reviews and sure am interested. I've got an old hack Thinkpad R50 with XP, so looks like it will be getting Essentials thrown on its back alongside the default Norton 2003. It's suffered worse in its time. If the two AVs dont get along, I can then look at what kind of on-demand options I have.

[Vladimyr]

Yes. MSE will be good (enough).

I do have a tendency toward cynicism and I've been wrong before but IMO, MS are way past the point at which they'd have pulled the plug on this if it wasn't going to be up to scratch.

And anyway, for much of the market the key factors are: Useability, useability & useability.

People and companies that have never had malware issues and are perfectly happy with not having to pay any attention to their CA Antivirus, McAfee Virusscan, Norton Antivirus, etc, will happily jump ship. After all, it should do the job 'cause it's from Microsoft isn't it?

[mkis]

I am now running Microsoft Security Essentials public beta as realtime AV with XP Pro SP3 on an IBM R50 laptop. The AV is fully updated and set to scan weekly - after check for latest virus and spyware definitions.

I disabled startup Common Clients for default (factory) AV Norton 2003 - app.exe and regverifier - using Winpatrol, but still have Norton Security Center and Auto Protect running as active tasks. I have not been able to fully halt Norton in memory through WinPatrol, but I do have a plan to temporarily disable the program. I am a bit busy at the moment and I am not sure whether I really want to disable the program. Interesting. The Microsoft AV appears a bit thin, so I'm wondering if perhaps it will run as complement to the heavier resident Norton AV - a real-time second opinion running in tandem with the orthodox shield.

This is all a bit too much to think about at the moment. But so far, smooth running.

[Marc57]

Well, the update, at least the first one, it taking molasses to go... 
Does anybody know anything about detection rates?

There's a video of a test run here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD1WfImw97E

[mouniernetwork]

One of the things I don't quite get is why Microsoft decided to first launch the Microsoft antispyware, then changed the name to Windows Defender to be later discontinued and reburbished as a paided product under the name OneLiveCare and last of all re-branded as the free Microsoft Security essentials 
Personally I 'm glad I didn't buy it because I would be feeling pretty upset if the product I had bought was later given for free 

Al968

[Lisandro]

There's a video of a test run here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD1WfImw97E

I've listened it all. It's a very short test of 10 malwares. But it says it will be remain free and the detection rate seems not that much ruined, specially for a beta. I see competition problems for the antivirus companies...

[YoKenny]

One of the things I don't quite get is why Microsoft decided to first launch the Microsoft antispyware, then changed the name to Windows Defender to be later discontinued and reburbished as a paided product under the name OneLiveCare and last of all re-branded as the free Microsoft Security essentials 
Personally I 'm glad I didn't buy it because I would be feeling pretty upset if the product I had bought was later given for free 

Al968

Microsoft took over AntiSpyware from Giant Software back in 2005:
http://news.cnet.com/Windows-anti-spyware-to-come-free-of-charge/2100-7355_3-5577202.html
http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-launches-anti-spyware-beta/2100-1029_3-5514899.html

Windows Defender was never discontinued and LiveOneCare is still available:
http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/3/default.htm

Symantec borged Norton way back.

[Marc57]

It looks like they reached their limit.

"Alert!
Thank you for your interest in joining the Microsoft® Security Essentials Beta. We are not accepting additional participants at this time. Please check back at later a date for possible additional availability"

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

[mkis]

I see competition problems for the antivirus companies...

But maybe not for avast. Microsoft Essentials could run alongside resident avast much the way Windows Defender did. The Essentials suite is lightweight like Defender. I've adjusted my updates to daily, I didn't have Defender on this computer (though I intended to load). So no uninstall needed there. Instead I bought in Outpost 2009 as a firewall, and kept Scotty on Winpatrol duty. I uninstalled Norton suite in the end. The Symantec package was already starting to give trouble and it took a little while for the removal tool to click into place, but completed well enough, and finished off with a clean wipe of all traces from the Registry and XP directories. Then I loaded and ran avast Home as resident AV. And all good so far.

avast modules have been accustomising to Windows for so long now, and first instinct, I don't really see anthing different that will be the case with this program. Perhaps as updates start generating new definitions in two separate vdbs, could be some troubles....or maybe I will gain that second opinion in realtime AV.

Bout all I can say for now.

[hlecter]

After reading this thread and many of the links, it looks good.

A few more points:

- Thinking back to AV-comparatives for May 09, Microsoft one care did very well on proactive tests.
 Security essentials uses the same  anti-virus and anti-spyware sets as Ms one care did(does).
 False positives were very low, too.

(Windows Defender uses only the anti-spyware set and is redundant together with MS SE)

- What seemed to be a showstopper for me is that MS SE uses Automatic Updates for downloading the 2
 sets of definitions. AU is a no no for me. But MS confirms that manual downloads of the defs are possible
 without AU. Here is a link for those interested:   http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971606

So it looks promising and Avast 5, I suppose, will get a new competitor.

Regards
HL

[Lisandro]

Windows Defender uses only the anti-spyware set and is redundant together with MS SE

How to uninstall Windows Defender on XP?

[bob3160]

It looks like they reached their limit.

"Alert!
Thank you for your interest in joining the Microsoft® Security Essentials Beta. We are not accepting additional participants at this time. Please check back at later a date for possible additional availability"

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

I was able to download it from the following safe link:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Microsoft-Security-Essentials.shtml

[hlecter]

Windows Defender uses only the anti-spyware set and is redundant together with MS SE

How to uninstall Windows Defender on XP?

My source for the redundancy is a MS employee.

I once tried Defender on XP and uninstalled it by using an old Ghost image.   
As far as I remember it was in add/remove, too.

In Vista, which I never have used, and never will, I have read that Defender comes preinstalled .
As far as I know it can be deactivated in Vista.
Take all I said about Vista with a grain of salt. 

HL

[Lisandro]

As far as I remember it was in add/remove, too.

Well, maybe I've deleted some entries (or a registry cleaner). I can't find it...