Free Avast and MSE

I deleted AVG 9 a few days ago and installed Free Avast v 5. No problems so far.

Now I read the info on AV Comparatives and saw that Microsoft Security Essentials has a better score than Avast.

Now I would like to try out MSE for a bit without removing Avast from my computer. I know that one cannot use 2 A/V at a time.

That's why I have this question below.

Can I disable Avast Shields Control by right clicking their icon in the taskbar, install MSE and try it out until I would restart the computer? I'm looking for certain features in MSE that I can't find info about.

Would the above not cause any conflicts?

I'm looking forward to an answer and thank you in advance.

Please be gentle as I am a senior Noob.

Windows Home XP3, Firefox, PC Tools FW, Free Avast v5, Malwarebytes', SAS, SpywareBlaster.

 

Don't take so much from one test. There are other tests were Avast bests MSE. And tests were Avira beats them both, and so on.

They are both good. If you are happy with Avast, stick with it.

 

I have run the two together with no problems, although I don't know how they would react if you actually get a virus. MSE doesn't have shields, so they shouldn't interfere. The AV comparatives was done with an early version of the avast! 5, so avast! improvements are always expected, whether you believe in AVC or not. And next review many of the ratings will be reversed anyway. What they are really telling you in AVC is that more than a classical AV is necessary, but they aren't really equipped to do the full testing yet-thus the low scores for all.

 

Thank you clocks. Yes, so far I'm happy with Avast! If one needs to take the AV Comparatives with a grain of salt, why are they then in business?

Thank you sded. I must be doing something right because I just haven't gotten any viruses yet, knock wood. I'm very hesitant to have both Avast! and MSE live on my 'puter (unless one is out of commission), because that might be the time that I could get bitten by a virus.

I'll head your advice and will leave things the way they are now. Thank you both again.

 

Having them both is overkill. There is nothing wrong with AV Comparisons, but check out their prior tests. Different tests have different winners. MSE just happened to perform good this time, but most of the free AVs are pretty decent. If you change after ever test that that has a new "winner", you will be changing quite often.