AV-Test Nov/Dec 11 Report

While the lack of advertising and clean interface MSE offers is a factor in my decision to use it, it is not the main reason.

The main reason is that while not the best, MSE has proven that they can be expected to achieve at least an Advanced detection rating from AV-Comparitives. It runs lightweight on all of the systems I use it on, and I enjoy the system restore point integration built right into Windows. No, MSE doesn't have any special secret control that other AVs don't have - Microsoft plays by the rules too (i.e. no kernel tampering); but let's face, it works well with Windows as it should.

On the downside, I am a power user, so it lacks some of the controls I am used to having, but I run it alone on my netbooks while I pair it with WSA on my desktop. The two work great together.

The other major free AVs that get tested by 3rd party organizations have their moments of great detection, but then they flip and flop, as recently seen with Avast (and now woah...AVG's finally good again?!), and that causes users to go into panic mode and decide if they should change products. I'm not a big fan of changing security solutions every few months, every time a new test gets released. I think that is crazy.

***I'd rather have a free product that is maybe not the best but consistent, rather than a free product that's great at one point in time but then flip flops, especially when you add in the fact that some of the "other guys" border on adware, which is something they're claiming to prevent against. (Maybe I went too far with that comment...meh, I'm gonna go there.)

Companies like Comodo, unfortunately are not widely tested by larger, 3rd party organizations, and since it is now apparent (at least it should be thanks to the Wilders staff) that home grown tests have little to no validity, I tend to use caution when recommending their products widely to non-power users. However, I have seen Comodo in action and their Defense+ technology and other products have grown to be very promising. Comodo, unlike most of the other free guys, don't X you out of features you are not getting. They should be praised for that.

I'm not trying to knock the other products, I really am not. Everyone has a product that they have likely grown comfortable using and it becomes like family on your computer. I get it. MSE is just seen by me and probably many others as the "nuclear option." When you're just so sick of dealing with either paying or being nagged or having to deal with a bunch of settings, the cute little green castle guy is there for you!

With that all being said, my continued use and wide recommendation of MSE at this point depends largely on if they can bring their ratings up with this next release. They need to seriously be looking toward considerable engine tweaks. They should not be settling at an Advanced level, when they plan to include this into Windows 8 right out of the box. They need to make it super secure and maintain an Advanced+ rating at that point, or it'll be a pure cat and mouse game with the exploiters.

Anyway, I'm rambling and taking this thread off topic. I apologize. I just see Microsoft Security Essentials disappearing from signatures and I hope they can bring the sexy back.

***EDIT: My statements herein about my antivirus choice criteria is largely based on the product being free. If I'm going to pay or widely recommend someone pay for a product, I hold it to different standards. At this point, with malware as rampant as it is, if you're paying for something, it better be G-O-O-D, say it with me, GOOD!.