Free Antivirus - Microsoft Security Essentials

**fudda** · 30-01-11, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by Adrienn

Microsoft Security Essential is such a great tool, which provide a powerful security....
I've used this and found it awesome against viruses and malware...
The result are pretty well as compared with any heavy Antivirus tool..

I'm not sure about the efficacy of MSE. I had been running it for about a year on an XP Pro machine without any apparent problems. I was feeling good about it until one day ads started popping up about every ten minutes, and redirectors were taking me to places I didn't want to go. MSE had been disabled and no longer showed in the taskbar. This wasn't a problem with WGA, something had deliberately disabled it.

I need to add that I go to every dodgy site available, as I seek out interesting software, so I have to expect stuff. I scanned with Malwarebytes on the advice of forum members and it found so many foreign objects that I didn't know where to start! I installed the latest KAV and it immediately started scanning and popping up balloons. It just went mental and kept finding things one after the other. Many of them were false positives because I have a lot of cracks and key gens stored. Anyway, it wouldn't stop scanning, took over the cpu and I couldn't even browse. After almost two days of continuous scanning it was time for KAV to go. Next I installed NOD32, which seemed OK and found nothing wrong, which was a bit strange.

Only one thing for it. Re install XP, and clear out all the excrement. Now I have a nice fast computer again, and have installed the latest version of MSE, and run Malwarebytes too. I don't know whether I was using the latest version of MSE before or not, as it doesn't seem to list the version number, but I was getting regular updates.

Fingers crossed that all goes well this time. The only thing I've picked up in the last couple of weeks has been sunburn and a nasty case of ASK search engine. This lame excuse for a search engine pushes Google out of the way without asking, but is easy to get rid of. And PUM.disabled that Malwarebytes alerts me to. Potentially Unwanted Modification, that turns auto updates back on every time you reboot your computer. I think Malwarebytes might be doing this, but something I can live with.

I'm hoping I can stick with MSE, but I think it needs a little help from its friends like Malwarebytes.

**mickstv** · 30-01-11, 11:38 AM

MSE 2 actually saved the day I was looking for a pdf the other day and found a Website that looked too good to be true so I clicked the link and it tried to download a PDF which MSE luckily stopped the malware came up as Exploit:Win32/Pdfjsc.LY.

But your right when we go looking for dodgy sh*t we have to expect problems.

Maybe have a look at Threatfire. I'm now using it with MSE hopefully for a little extra protection.

Mickstv

**admin** · 31-01-11, 08:57 AM

I think its a case of you get what you pay for......if you are going to trawl the web for warez, latest movies etc and constantly hang out at dubious sites of unknown origin pay for a decent security suite like Kaspersky and use it in conjunction with something like Malwarebytes etc.

My days of trying to download the entire internet in a month are long gone, so MSE suits me fine. My kids on the other hand, have KIS on their laptops with security settings unadjustable and password locked.

**mickstv** · 31-01-11, 10:34 AM

The problem with most Antivirus/Anti-Malware scanners is that they only work from a set of rules. Because of this new Malware isn't that easy to detect unless it's a variant of an already know detection.

Software that detect by behavioral analysis are becoming more common and add another layer in detection of unknown threats. Like Threatfire and Emsisoft Mamutu.

EDIT the new version of MSE includes a Behavior Monitor.

Mickstv

**msquares** · 12-04-11, 07:10 PM

Decent, but opens up all sorts of WGA problems on windows 7. Now I get a stupid annoying pop up every few hours reminding me that my windows may not be genuine

**Philquad** · 12-04-11, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by msquares

Decent, but opens up all sorts of WGA problems on windows 7. Now I get a stupid annoying pop up every few hours reminding me that my windows may not be genuine

exactly

**mickstv** · 12-04-11, 10:57 PM

hmmmmmm No problems with my install.

Mick

**thebranded** · 13-04-11, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by msquares

Decent, but opens up all sorts of WGA problems on windows 7. Now I get a stupid annoying pop up every few hours reminding me that my windows may not be genuine

i dont have this problem, depends on what work around you used.

Been using MSE on all my Win7 machines, on XP i use avast, no reason apart from it's been good so far. Win7 did not have one so i decided to try MSE and its been good so far, even found malware/virus's on my backup machines when i connected them to the Win7 machine (avaste/avg) did not find these before.

i Had one major incident, but that was cause MSE said it was a malware but i told it to allow it as i thought it was a false positive (it was a keygen) turned out it was malware. Malwarebytes took care of it though.

**admin** · 13-04-11, 10:33 AM

Like you Mick, no problem like that here

**lennyg** · 13-04-11, 11:07 AM

Thx all for these replys , i to will ditch my old AGV and try Microsoft Security Essentials.

**msquares** · 13-04-11, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by thebranded

i dont have this problem, depends on what work around you used.

Been using MSE on all my Win7 machines, on XP i use avast, no reason apart from it's been good so far. Win7 did not have one so i decided to try MSE and its been good so far, even found malware/virus's on my backup machines when i connected them to the Win7 machine (avaste/avg) did not find these before.

i Had one major incident, but that was cause MSE said it was a malware but i told it to allow it as i thought it was a false positive (it was a keygen) turned out it was malware. Malwarebytes took care of it though.

Can you let me know which workaround you used?

**admin** · 13-04-11, 01:57 PM

More than likely Windows 7 Loader

**msquares** · 14-04-11, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by Sanity

More than likely Windows 7 Loader

Cheers for that

Works well

**MalleyFowl** · 14-04-11, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by mickstv

When Microsoft Security Essentials 2 is released.

Sounds like Microsoft will be added new mechanisms to help thwart Windows 7 activation-bypass hacks. If users running the new MSE on their Windows 7 machines cannot pass Genuine validation and do not resolve the issue, after 30 days, MSE will be disabled and I'm guessing Windows as well.

This might be a problem for people running dodgy versions of windows.

Mickstv

The same happens to anyone running a dodgy installation of XP as well.

Validation fails and you can't download Security essentials.

**Fernbay** · 14-04-11, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by MalleyFowl

The same happens to anyone running a dodgy installation of XP as well.

Validation fails and you can't download Security essentials.

Just download it from cnet. They don't check for validation

**mickstv** · 14-04-11, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by MalleyFowl

The same happens to anyone running a dodgy installation of XP as well.

Validation fails and you can't download Security essentials.

Just depends on what dodgy WGA patch you have installed as most of them get detected.

Watch out though as MSE turns on windows update by default. But this is only a problem if you've got a dodgy version of windows.

Mick

**z1gg33** · 14-04-11, 07:38 PM

not to be a douche..... and not taking into account how MS does it validation....

I have a licence that is valid, it was a (forget the tech name) group bought license from where I used to work, many 100's of people had it installed (it is legit, fully paid for)..... I went to install MSE and it flagged me... yet I still can do updates, whatever I want..... hmmmm

edit: will try again (on different machine).... seems to have a good rep

**MalleyFowl** · 16-04-11, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Fernbay

Just download it from cnet. They don't check for validation

I downloaded MSE from cnet as suggested and on install got the message:

Validation Status: Action required.

For Firefox install WgaplugInstaller.exe

Then got the message, "Windows validation in process".

Next message, :the version of Windows you're running is no longer available for purchase".

"Check to see if your PC can run Windows 7".

"The product key used to activate windows on your PC is a volume license key that has been blocked by Microsoft".

"Windows did not pass Genuine Validation. You may be a victim of software counterfeiting".

"Security Essentials is available for use on genuine licensed Windows PCs".

So the MSE download from cnet is exactly the same as if you downloaded it from the Microsoft download site. Your copy of Windows must pass validation before installation.

I'm in the same boat as z1gg33, My licence key was issued as a university volume users key and apparently has since been blocked by Microsoft.

But I still get the latest updates.

**Philquad** · 16-04-11, 08:58 PM

try these

i didnt find the install a problem but the updates failed on some computers
i still use noddy

**gordon_s1942** · 17-04-11, 12:16 PM

I had my old computer died recently so I am now back to square one with a 'new' second hand one and I couldnt get MSE to work, Period as I wanted a Virus checker to go on line.
It would start by wanting to check the computer and 'Thats all she wrote,Folks', it woudlnt go any further and froze.
My copy of XP is a genuine one.
My mate suggested I go to .NET, note the DOT, and go from there which I did and I also went from IE6 to IE8 and I am wondering if IE6 was part of the downloading problem with MSE as well.