[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]

Question:

Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
else/'better'?

Background:

The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').

In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
work (at least not on my 8.1 system).

Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..

But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
real reason to change to something else/'better'?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

>[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
>Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
>Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
>else/'better'?
>
>Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
>Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
>Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
>because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
>work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
>advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
>configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
>real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

My opinion: No, in a word - if you aren't using pirated software, or
visiting shady areas on the Web, what more do you need than Windows'
own security? Why pay money, why go to the trouble? Microsoft has
your back.

--
Joel Crump

On 8/30/2022 1:52 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?
>
> Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
I've been using it for years and it has served me well! By that I mean,
I've never had a virus. I've been using Windows system since 1985. I
also never go to porn sites, warez, or other sites of that ilk.
YMMV.
Richard

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote [redacted]:

> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on
> earlier Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]

Nope. Defender started as an anti-spyware tool. It didn't get quality
anti-virus coverage until Windows 8.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Defender

> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?

Microsoft added anti-virus/malware to Defender in the Windows 8
incarnation. Before that it was just anti-spyware. Microsoft
incorporated the client from their enterprise Endpoint AV product.
Sites that rate AVs have found Defender to be just as effective as
Avast, Avira, Bitdefender, and other AVs. While 3rd party AVs attempt
to stack their drivers early in the load of Windows, as do rootkits,
Defenders is designed to work at the root (core 0) level of the OS.
Defender is about 1% behind on pest coverage than the other top
contenders, but Defender produces less false positives, and does a
better job at disinfection.

You can install a 3rd-party AV as a second opinion scanner, but disable
its on-demand (realtime) scanner. Never have multiple on-demand
scanners running at the same time unless the product was designed to do
so using the multiple scan engines incorporated into one product (some
payware enterprise-grade AV use multiple scan engines).

Also, Defender as well as the top contenders that incorporate cloud
interrogation into the scanning will have far less pest coverage if your
host is running offline (not connected to the Internet). The cloud
scanning employs additional and more in-depth analysis, but the load
doesn't impact your host as the testing is done offline. All the top
contenders have cloud scanning, and no Internet connection means they
all drop a lot in pest detection coverage.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2022/

Notice the offline coverage drops from the online coverage. Microsoft
has a huge drop, so consider whether your host is offline most of the
time, or online most of the time, and if you are inclined to install
unknown software while offline.

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
> Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote [redacted]:
>
> > [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on
> > earlier Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Nope. Defender started as an anti-spyware tool. It didn't get quality
> anti-virus coverage until Windows 8.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Defender

Actually Windows Vista (hence my inclusion of alt.windows7.general):

"Conversion to antivirus

Windows Defender was released with Windows Vista and Windows 7, serving
as their built-in anti-spyware component. In Windows Vista and Windows
7, Windows Defender was superseded by Microsoft Security Essentials, an
antivirus product from Microsoft which provided protection against a
wider range of malware. Upon installation, Microsoft Security Essentials
disabled and replaced Windows Defender.[20][21]"

Yes, it was 'Microsoft Security Essentials', not 'Defender', but
'Defender' has changed names so many times (see 'Name changes' in the
Wikipedia page) that (IMO) 'Microsoft Security Essentials' should be
included.

> > Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> > else/'better'?
>
> Microsoft added anti-virus/malware to Defender in the Windows 8
> incarnation. Before that it was just anti-spyware. Microsoft
> incorporated the client from their enterprise Endpoint AV product.
> Sites that rate AVs have found Defender to be just as effective as
> Avast, Avira, Bitdefender, and other AVs. While 3rd party AVs attempt
> to stack their drivers early in the load of Windows, as do rootkits,
> Defenders is designed to work at the root (core 0) level of the OS.
> Defender is about 1% behind on pest coverage than the other top
> contenders, but Defender produces less false positives, and does a
> better job at disinfection.
>
> You can install a 3rd-party AV as a second opinion scanner, but disable
> its on-demand (realtime) scanner. Never have multiple on-demand
> scanners running at the same time unless the product was designed to do
> so using the multiple scan engines incorporated into one product (some
> payware enterprise-grade AV use multiple scan engines).
>
> Also, Defender as well as the top contenders that incorporate cloud
> interrogation into the scanning will have far less pest coverage if your
> host is running offline (not connected to the Internet). The cloud
> scanning employs additional and more in-depth analysis, but the load
> doesn't impact your host as the testing is done offline. All the top
> contenders have cloud scanning, and no Internet connection means they
> all drop a lot in pest detection coverage.
>
> https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/malware-protection-test-march-2022/
>
> Notice the offline coverage drops from the online coverage. Microsoft
> has a huge drop, so consider whether your host is offline most of the
> time, or online most of the time, and if you are inclined to install
> unknown software while offline.

Thanks for your response and references. As usual, very thorough.

On 8/30/2022 1:54 PM, Joel wrote:

> My opinion: No, in a word - if you aren't using pirated software, or
> visiting shady areas on the Web, what more do you need than Windows'
> own security? Why pay money, why go to the trouble? Microsoft has
> your back.
>

Can you phone them if you "get stuck"?

Bill <nonegiven@att.net> wrote:

>> My opinion: No, in a word - if you aren't using pirated software, or
>> visiting shady areas on the Web, what more do you need than Windows'
>> own security? Why pay money, why go to the trouble? Microsoft has
>> your back.
>
>Can you phone them if you "get stuck"?

OEMs are required to give tech support to their customers, and people
who buy the retail Windows license are entitled to support direct from
Microsoft, yes.

--
Joel Crump

On 30 Aug 2022 17:52:09 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

>[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
>Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
>Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
>else/'better'?
>
>Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
>Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
>Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').

Why post this in the Windows 7 group?

--
croy

Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> wrote:

> Bill <nonegiven@att.net> wrote:
>
>>> My opinion: No, in a word - if you aren't using pirated software, or
>>> visiting shady areas on the Web, what more do you need than Windows'
>>> own security? Why pay money, why go to the trouble? Microsoft has
>>> your back.
>>
>>Can you phone them if you "get stuck"?
>
> OEMs are required to give tech support to their customers, and people
> who buy the retail Windows license are entitled to support direct from
> Microsoft, yes.

You'll have to careful how you expend your ticket quota. Wasn't there a
limit of 2 support calls to Microsoft per license? Plus once the
product was discontinued for mainstream support (not until the end of
extended support) then no more support even if you hadn't yet used up
any of your ticket quota. They're [mostly] not going to support an
unsupported product.

However, if you feel rich, you can buy support tickets regardless if the
product is still supported or not. I remember working at a software
developer whose IT dept bought lots of tickets, and they were stingy at
doling them out. I don't know if they bought them as PPI (Pay Per
Incident) tickets, or in the 5-pack of incidents. I'm sure they weren't
cheap. I think the PPI tickets were $500 apiece. That was back in
2014, or about then, which doubled from the prior cost of $250. There
was no discount on the 5-pack, and it expired in a year. I don't
remember if their was an expiration on the single PPI tickets. First IT
would take a whack, and then dole out an MS support ticket if the issue
was critical to business use of the product. I was in software QA and
worked with Dev, but they had their much less expert employees, too. If
we were calling IT, it was a very hard problem to fix. Businesses will
buy support tickets. Personal users don't, so they just get the
limitations of included support.

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Bill <nonegiven@att.net> wrote:
>>
>>>Can you phone them if you "get stuck"?
>>
>> OEMs are required to give tech support to their customers, and people
>> who buy the retail Windows license are entitled to support direct from
>> Microsoft, yes.
>
>You'll have to careful how you expend your ticket quota. Wasn't there a
>limit of 2 support calls to Microsoft per license?

Where did you hear that?

> Plus once the
>product was discontinued for mainstream support (not until the end of
>extended support) then no more support even if you hadn't yet used up
>any of your ticket quota. They're [mostly] not going to support an
>unsupported product.

I'm not running an unsupported Windows.

--
Joel Crump

On Tue, 30 Aug 2022 13:54:50 -0400, Joel wrote:
> Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
>
>>[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
>>Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>>
>>Question:
>>
>> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
>>else/'better'?

[ snip ]

> My opinion: No, in a word - if you aren't using pirated software, or
> visiting shady areas on the Web, what more do you need than Windows'
> own security? Why pay money, why go to the trouble? Microsoft has
> your back.

I've been using 'just' Windows Defender since Windows 8.1 and have
found it to be plenty good enough, especially on Windows 10+ with
SmartScreen.

In fact I've found most other solutions to be a waste of CPU and
memory resources with no discernible improvement in protection.

$EMPLOYER seems to agree, they dropped $TRADITIONAL_COMMERCIAL_VENDOR'S
antivirus solution in favor of Defender when we moved from Windows 7
to 10.

--
"The avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote."
--Kosh

On 8/30/2022 10:52 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?
>
> Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>

I do not believe in putting all my eggs in one basket. Thus, I prefer
to use non-Microsoft applications when they work well.

On the recommendation of the "PC guru" who setup my PC, I rely on AVG
AntiVirus Free for my primary anit-malware protection. It is running in
the background whenever my PC is connected to the Internet. I have
Malwarebytes installed, but it is normally not running. Since I am
still using Windows 7, I also have Microsoft's Security Essentials.

Occasionally but not very often, I do a complete scan of my PC with
Malwarebytes and Security Essentials. Whenever I download a new
application or the update to an application already on my PC and before
I install it, I scan the installer file with all three -- AVG,
Malwarebytes, and Security Essentials -- after making sure their virus
databases are current. Then, I disable my Internet connection and AVG
(in that order) before installing. Obviously, I try to avoid using stub
installers that require an Internet connection. In the rare situation
where only a stub installer is available, I leave AVG enabled during
installation.

--
David E. Ross
<http://www.rossde.com/>

Donald Trump demands that he be declared the winner of
the 2020 presidential election. Otherwise, he demands
that the election be rerun immediately.

What has he been smoking?

On 30/08/2022 18:52, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?
>
> Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>

I've used Defender for years in Windows 8.1 & previously Microsoft
Security Essentials in Windows 7 without any problems. I probably go to
sites considered as risky, though not porn or warez, in my travels
around the internet checking out freeware programmes.
Main browser is Pale Moon but also installed are Firefox portable,
Librewolf & Brave - mainly to try them out & haven't bothered to
uninstall them.

I also have a plug in, partitioned, hard drive with Windows 10 & Windows
11 both using Defender.

Occasionally I will run an on demand scanner such as Malwarebytes.

Defender does have a few niggles such as quarantining some Nirsoft
programmes as false positives, despite adding them to the ignore list in
settings, when found on other drives.

--
Regards
wasbit

On 30/08/2022 18:52, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?
>
> Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>
I've used Defender for years in Windows 8.1 & previously Microsoft
Security Essentials in Windows 7 without any problems. I probably go to
sites considered as risky, though not porn or warez, in my travels
around the internet checking out freeware programmes.
Main browser is Pale Moon but also installed are Firefox portable,
Lirewolf & Brave - mainly to try them out & haven't bothered to
uninstall them.

I also have a plug in, partitioned, hard drive with Windows 10 & Windows
11 both using Defender.

Occasionally I will run an on demand scanner such as Malwarebytes.

Defender does have a few niggles such as quarantining some Nirsoft
programmes as false positives, despite adding them to the ignore list in
settings, when found on other drives.

--
Regards
wasbit

On 2022-08-31 4:39 a.m., wasbit wrote:
> On 30/08/2022 18:52, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
>> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>>
>> Question:
>>
>>    Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
>> else/'better'?
>>
>> Background:
>>
>>    The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
>> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
>> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>>
>>    In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
>> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
>> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>>
>>    Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
>> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
>> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>>
>>    But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
>> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>>
>>    Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>>
>
> I've used Defender for years in Windows 8.1 & previously Microsoft
> Security Essentials in Windows 7 without any problems. I probably go to
> sites considered as risky, though not porn or warez, in my travels
> around the internet checking out freeware programmes.
> Main browser is Pale Moon but also installed are Firefox portable,
> Librewolf & Brave - mainly to try them out & haven't bothered to
> uninstall them.

I've used a few anti-viruses in the past (Mcafee, Bitdefender and most
recently SurfShark) and I have to say that as long as you use a browser
which makes an effort to block ads, you should be fine. Anyone who uses
something like Chrome or Edge and doesn't install an extension to block
the crap probably needs a commercial anti-virus to remove the threat of
inevitable malware but people who use browsers like Brave or Firefox
with ad-blocking extensions should be fine. Of course, the people
responsible for developing malware are getting better at sneaking in and
they know that most people are settling for Windows Defender so if you
don't have a commercial anti-virus at all, be careful.

< snip >

--
rabidR04CH
Encrypt. Avoid social media. Stay sane.
Zephyrus G14 GA401QM on Windows 11

[Newsgroups restored.]

croy <croy@spam.invalid.net> wrote:
> On 30 Aug 2022 17:52:09 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
>
> >[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> >Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
> >
> >Question:
> >
> > Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> >else/'better'?
> >
> >Background:
> >
> > The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> >Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> >Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> Why post this in the Windows 7 group?

Because, as I said:

> >[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> >Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]

As has been noted by VanguardLH, in Windows 7 'Windows Defender' was
just anti-spyware, not anti-virus

But as I mentioned, in Windows 7 (and Vista and XP), Windows Defender
was superceded by 'Microsoft Security Essentials', which is anti-virus
(and anti-spyware).

So Windows 7 (and Vista and XP) has a (free) Microsoft anti-virus
product, it just doesn't have 'Defender' in its name, so I included the
Windows 7 group in the list of newsgroups. (AFAIK, there isn't a Vista
group, but in hindsight, I could/should also have included the XP group.)

On 31 Aug 2022 18:03:41 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

>
> Because, as I said:
>
>> >[N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
>> >Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> As has been noted by VanguardLH, in Windows 7 'Windows Defender' was
>just anti-spyware, not anti-virus
>
> But as I mentioned, in Windows 7 (and Vista and XP), Windows Defender
>was superceded by 'Microsoft Security Essentials', which is anti-virus
>(and anti-spyware).
>
> So Windows 7 (and Vista and XP) has a (free) Microsoft anti-virus
>product, it just doesn't have 'Defender' in its name, so I included the
>Windows 7 group in the list of newsgroups. (AFAIK, there isn't a Vista
>group, but in hindsight, I could/should also have included the XP group.)

Fair enough.

--
croy

Thanks for all your responses.

For the moment, I will keep using Microsoft Defender Antivirus and
will only switch to something else if/when Defender does no longer suit
my needs/wishes. That something else will probably be Avast Free
Antivirus, which has served me well for some two decades.

Thanks again.

On August 30, I wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?
>
> Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

On 06/09/2022 at 13:20, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> Thanks for all your responses.
>
> For the moment, I will keep using Microsoft Defender Antivirus and
> will only switch to something else if/when Defender does no longer suit
> my needs/wishes. That something else will probably be Avast Free
> Antivirus, which has served me well for some two decades.
>
> Thanks again.
>
> On August 30, I wrote:
>> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
>> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>>
>> Question:
>>
>> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
>> else/'better'?
>>
>> Background:
>>
>> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
>> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
>> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>>
>> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
>> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
>> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>>
>> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
>> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
>> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>>
>> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
>> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>>
>> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Some ISPs offer paid for antivirus suites free to subscribers. Maybe
yours does?

--
Wilf

Wilf <wilf@postingx.uk> wrote:
> On 06/09/2022 at 13:20, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > Thanks for all your responses.
> >
> > For the moment, I will keep using Microsoft Defender Antivirus and
> > will only switch to something else if/when Defender does no longer suit
> > my needs/wishes. That something else will probably be Avast Free
> > Antivirus, which has served me well for some two decades.
> >
> > Thanks again.
[...]
>
> Some ISPs offer paid for antivirus suites free to subscribers. Maybe
> yours does?

Yes, mine also has some kind of security suite, but it's only free for
one 'PC', but we have two (laptops).

But thanks for the tip/reminder.

On 31/8/2022 1:52 am, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?

If you had a specific file to scan for virues, you could always use
online scanning service like Virus Total.

Also, there are on-demand scanners like ClamAV.

Mr. Man-wai Chang <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 31/8/2022 1:52 am, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> > Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
> >
> > Question:
> >
> > Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> > else/'better'?
>
> If you had a specific file to scan for virues, you could always use
> online scanning service like Virus Total.

That's only needed for a second opinion. For a first opinion, one can
just do the scan of the file with Microsoft Defender Antivirus by using
the right-click context menu. Or you can do a 'Customised scan' in
Settings.

> Also, there are on-demand scanners like ClamAV.

Frank Slootweg wrote:
> [N.B. This is for Windows 11, but AFAIK 'Defender' is similar on earlier
> Windows versions, so I included their newsgroups.]
>
> Question:
>
> Any reason to switch from Microsoft Defender Antivirus to something
> else/'better'?
>
> Background:
>
> The McAfee VirusScan (part of McAfee LiveSafe) 30-day trial on my new
> Windows 11 laptop expired, so I uninstalled it and turned on Microsoft
> Defender Antivirus (from now on just called 'Defender').
>
> In the past, starting with Windows XP, I used Avast Free Antivirus,
> because Defender didn't exist yet or was not all that great or didn't
> work (at least not on my 8.1 system).
>
> Of course I could again install Avast on my new system. The main
> advantage of that would be that I'm familiar with it, i.e.
> configuration, use, UI, etc., etc..
>
> But now that Defender works on my Windows 11 system, is there any
> real reason to change to something else/'better'?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>
If not having a problem with self caused security concerns, use Windows
11 Windows Security which provides Defender and a variety of other
independent security features -some are not needed unless operating a
business, but some others warranting being toggled on.

Imo, today, no major AV/AM program is any better or worse than Windows
built in security. All on the same playing field, and all in-tune with
the security gurus that look and publish vulnerabilities. Not a single
AV/AM manufacturer can predict or patch something not previously
revealed and proven as a vulnerability. Fixes will always be reactive
than pro-active. The only thing that really changes is the variation in
the naming given to the exact same specific malware.

--
....w¡ñ§±¤ñ

On 14/9/2022 2:12 am, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>
>> If you had a specific file to scan for virues, you could always use
>> online scanning service like Virus Total.
>
> That's only needed for a second opinion. For a first opinion, one can
> just do the scan of the file with Microsoft Defender Antivirus by using
> the right-click context menu. Or you can do a 'Customised scan' in
> Settings.
>
>> Also, there are on-demand scanners like ClamAV.

Only if you choose to JUST BLINDLY believe in Window$ Defender. But
then, what ELSE can we trust? :)

Anyway... don't wanna go conspiracy theories! Well...

On 9/15/2022 12:53 PM, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
> On 14/9/2022 2:12 am, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>>
>>> If you had a specific file to scan for virues, you could always use
>>> online scanning service like Virus Total.
>>
>>    That's only needed for a second opinion. For a first opinion, one can
>> just do the scan of the file with Microsoft Defender Antivirus by using
>> the right-click context menu. Or you can do a 'Customised scan' in
>> Settings.
>>
>>> Also, there are on-demand scanners like ClamAV.
>
> Only if you choose to JUST BLINDLY believe in Window$ Defender. But then, what ELSE can we trust? :)
>
> Anyway... don't wanna go conspiracy theories! Well...

An AV, has to be able to do signature scans and handle polymorphism
(one malware, many encodings). ClamAV may do that, to some extent.

The better products have heuristic detection. That's what Malwarebytes
started with, was detecting certain "hooks", but the Malwarebytes
back then had no signature database (not even cloned ClamAV db).

Malwarebytes also played with removal to a certain extent. (Whereas
Kaspersky is excellent at neutralizing malware.) Almost no AV
product, properly cleans the Registry after an attack.

Windows Defender may recognize some basic behaviors. That's why
it has things like a Tamper Resistance switch. Watching a potential
malware, attempting to write outside the home directory. Windows Defender
also has a heuristic "drop dead" switch, where it turns off the PC
in 10usec, if it spots a behavior it is unable to stop.

Only a few AVs are famous for heuristic. No heuristic is perfect,
but even a little bit of hook detection helps the overall product
reputation.

Heuristic protects you from a malware launched *today*, not
the crusty 20 million signatures from past history. If a new
pest is let loose, all the "ClamAV users" get infected, while
a Kaspersky or an ESET user, might not.

Unfortunately, it looks like AV-Comparatives has stopped testing
heuristic. And that's because it's almost impossible to design
a thoughtful test for it.

Paul