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Out of habit I just downloaded Avira to my new WIn7 computer and during install it told me Windows Defender was present and running the two together may lead to problems.

Which reminded me about Windows Defender (had forgotten about it).

Given that I use a non-admin account for 99% of operations, is WinDef good enough? Or should I still make use of a third-party AV solution?

5 Answers 5

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I'd recommend using Microsoft Security Essentials if you want something basic. It is very easy to configure, and labeled as a replacement for Windows Live OneCare as well as Windows Defender. It is also free.

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  • Does this slow the machine down at all? Even slightly? I don't bother with AV software, as I just never get viruses (last bit of malware I got was some weird IE toolbar back around 2002). I just do the occasional online scan. I might run this for a little bit of extra security if there is no penalty.
    – paradroid
    Sep 29, 2010 at 23:56
  • @jason404: I use it and have noticed no performance loss since installing. Lightest AV product I've ever used. Sep 30, 2010 at 0:03
  • @musicfreak: Thanks, I just installed it. At first glance it seems as lightweight as Defender, so I might as well use this instead.
    – paradroid
    Sep 30, 2010 at 0:18
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I use Microsoft Security Essentials because its "good enough" and it's much lighter on resources than the previous commercial products I was using.

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Taking a slightly cynical view - it wouldn't be in Microsoft's best interests to have an anti-virus product that didn't detect as many viruses as possible.

Given that it is produced by Microsoft it might have better hooks into the operating system that some of the others, but on balance I'd say that it is probably "good enough" for everyday use.

My personal view is that most anti-virus software is pretty much interchangeable and you find the one that offers you the features you want - minimal footprint, customised scans etc. BTW, I use Avast.

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Nowadays virus scanners typically need to have very deep hooks into the underlying system to detect any wrong-doing, and this sort of activity performed by antivirus software is often detected by the OS and flagged as something potentially nefarious. The only software that would (or should) have that kind of access will be the system itself. There have been many reports of antivirus software no longer being functional after a Windows updates, their required rights are constantly at conflict with eachother.

I'd say third-party antivirus software is becoming less and less effective, and its very presence is prone to some system instabilities.

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I think it may be ok for everyday usage, but you may always find a better one for you. We were testing our website on different devices, browsers and antivirus. And I should tell you first time ESET said our website(https://homecinemaclub.org/) is unreliable, but other antivirus programs said it's ok. Maybe the reason was in https protocol. I can't say it is an important indicator of antivirus quality, but maybe it may help somehow.

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  • Welcome to Super User! On this site, we try to answer people's questions directly. Please note that the question is not about ESET, so it is not helpful for the question. If you can contribute something about Windows Defender, then you can edit your answer accordingly to help the person who asked the question.
    – Tripartio
    Nov 24, 2020 at 18:04

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