Microsoft Security Essentials

I don't believe there is one, not unless they added it to the Final.

 

What happens if MSE turns out to be great success? Is there a potential problem for a large group to be to knock out by a specific virus or something else

 

I don't really like it because it turns on automatic updates + downloads it's own updates via it?
Correct me if I am wrong.

 

@De Hollander
There's always such a risk with any AV. Though Microsoft anticipated on this with their dynamic signatures witch are quite flexible. Of course you can always combine MSE with ThreatFire or a similar program.

@LagerX
You're right. However I think it's a strong point of this program. Many people ignore automatic updates or simply turn them off because find them annoying or think they don't need them.
Advanced users might not like this behavior, however I think now-a-days updates are just stable (I recall problematic updates in Windows 2000 and early Windows XP days) and automatic updating in Windows is a must have for anyone to stay secure.

 

You can turn off automatic windows updates and still get MSE auto updates.

 

It uses the Windows Update service to download sigs, but you can set Windows Update to 'Check for updates but let me choose...' if you don't want to automatically download/install Windows Updates.

Edit: Or, if, for some reason, you want to disable the Windows Update service entirely, you can manually download definitions.

 

@jmc777
Correct, I forgot to mention this in my post above. Thanks!

@elapsed
I'm not sure, I believe that during the beta test my turned off automatic updates just got re-enabled automatic updates over time by MSE.

 

I will say it again, you can completely turn off Window Updates and it will still auto download definitions... I believe you just need the service enabled.

 

Good point. And I'm also curious what it will mean for other AV manufactures when MSE turns out to be a strong and free competitor.

 

The question is: can MSE become a strong competitor ?

 

@De Hollander
We anticipate that the general public will be skeptical at first, but over time MSE will get a reasonable user base for sure. Initially people who used another freeware AV will switch, later on also users of commercial AV's will make the switch. Like Microsoft intended we'll most probably see 'emerging markets' switch faster then most western countries (Western Europe and North America).

Like I wrote some weeks ago, Microsoft scores really well in in our testing and will provides very well 'real world' protection. Personally I don't see much reasons not to use MSE when it runs fine on your system.

I'm not a Microsoft advocate in any sense, but they did the right thing with MSE in my believe.


@blacknight
Yes it will, no doubt about that. Like said 'emerging markets' will pick up MSE quickly since it's free, effective and (not least important) professionally localized.

 

I don't think it's their intention. Actually the name says it all Microsoft Security Essentials. Note: "Essentials".

My opinion is that Microsoft decided to set a higher quality level. And that actually called it Essentials. So the others have to do better. Microsoft wants a safer windows environment and it seems that they are not happy at all with the security products from other companies.

A combined effort: more secure windows OS + better security products = safer windows environment

 

There isn't any. Not if you're running XP/SP3, as in my case. That was my complaint with the beta. If you ran a on-demand scan, the results of the scan were located at the top of the main GUI. If you ran a scheduled scan, no results or notification anywhere, that a scan was performed . I don't know if things have changed with the final. It may be picky on my part, and I don't believe it is, but I want to know that my scheduled scan was run, and what if anything was found.

 

@NoIos
Question is if (especially the paid competition) will do much better. Even when it's called 'Essentials' I don't see what's missing in MSE for the normal user. Windows Vista and especially 7 already include a nice firewall and phishing protection is a feature of any popular browser now-a-days.

@Graystoke
If anything was found it's reported in the 'History' tab.

 

MSE is a standalone app or is designed to be used along side with another AV? How it scan? at write and execute?

 

@s23
I know it can be ran combined with upcoming avast! 5, however this seems overkill to me. To answer your question, you can see MSE as a fully standalone AV, however with the option to run it combined with certain others.

 

Thx sputnik - i will take a look at it - maybe add it like a ondemand scanner - i hope MSE gets better and better and "force" the paid ones to do better, release better free versions and charge less $$$$ the user.

 

@Sputnik
Well, I agree with you. I only wanted to say that Microsoft by releasing such a valid product wanted actually to push all the commercial and free products from other companies to a higher qualitative level. Microsoft and the windows platform can only benefit from this.

I believe that some security vendors will go on and create better products. Actually I'm convinced that in the next six months we'll see more complete products...more options and services. I'm sure they'll learn well their lesson from Microsoft. When mama is coding the others can only copy and learn.

 

True, but I still like to see something that says a scan was run at a certain time, and the number of files scanned. But that's just me. I'm sure it's probably not that big a deal to others.

 

Is Windows Defender even needed with MSE or does MSE replace Windows Defender too?

 

It turns Defender off and replaces it.....

 

Ok, so it's not needed... thx

 

What a difference of opinions...

running a second quick scan msmpeng is running at 80-99% cpu amd opening applications there is a noticable delay whilst scan is running.
mot as bad as with Avira or AVast, but all the same, As far as I can see email is not protected.
eicar test 1 passed
eicar test 2 failed
eicar test 3 passed
eicar test 4 passed

So looks good so far.

 

Isn't 1GB RAM too much for XP? Many people using Windows XP have got old computers with only 512 MB RAM.

 

@Graystoke
You can find such information in the Windows Event Viewer, like shown on the screenshot.

@Frencho
I would say Windows XP needs (at least) 1GB to run smooth with today's applications.