Microsoft Security Essentials

Other free antivirus like avg, avira, pctools, etc., don't need that much RAM.

 

First impressions about MSE final release:

- poor detection rate after testing on small number (20 samples) of more recent malware samples (detected only 70-75% of malware samples compare to two well-known free antimalware). MSE evan did not add a few malware samples I sent to them a weeks ago.

- relatively slow on-demand scanning

I could not recommend it for now.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/...urityEssentialsPR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press Releases

 

I tried MSE a few months ago but didn't get any warm fuzzy feelings so I tossed it. It didn't play well with DW and MS did say that it was supposedly designed to be used by itself.
Just tried it again and this time made sure I specifically allowed DW and any other programs that I trusted and wanted to run unmolested.
And of course that just did not happen.
It's probably great software, but not for me.
I'll stick with DW and Prevx.
Hugger

 

Interesting as I just took it for a stroll along malware domain list sites and it caught all the exe's I downloaded into my virtual machine.

Also, on the malware domain list exe's, it did not detect all of them passively. Some were caught while trying to run the first time.

Did you run any of your samples?


Hawk

 

I'm having problems with MSE as well. The CPU goes haywire whenever I open a folder with lots of executable files. I wish they'd add an option to scan when writing only. Like Hugger said, this is probably great software, but it is not for me.

 

I tried it out too with my Prevx, Defensewall combo. Things did not go well. Constant lock ups and crashes. Finally had to restore to a clean image. Don't know if Defensewall or Prevx didn't play with it or what the problem was. Back to my tried and true.

 

This tends to be my experience also when I test it out once a month or so, one of the strongest reasons I'm still with MSE, when it comes to adapting to 0-day MS seem to know the score.

 

Sad to hear, I used to use both Prevx and MSE together with no problems, but I never have (apart from testing) nor ever will use a HIPS product.

 

I might give it a try on the weekend when I got more time to fool with it. Maybe install it alone on a clean image. I am too obsessive compulsive to stay with the same setup for too long...like someone else I know.

 

If you look at it from MS point of view, it makes good sense for several reasons. It is also nice to have a free antimalware product without nags, toolbars, ads, goading to purchase paid version etc...
I have read several complaints about spynet collecting info for the cloud (without giving user a choice). Don't all av's collect info in some form or another (Granted you usually have a choice)? Doesn't that help improve the detection of the product? If it does help, which I am sure it does, then what is the big deal. MS has been collecting info for a long time, as well as have other vendors. As long as they are not engaged in any shady/criminal activity, then I don't see a problem with it.

 

Yes I did. I ran all of the samples. That is the way that I test antimalware software. As I said, MSE did not detect even the malware that I sent to them on 08/11/2009.

 

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When you think about it, "cloud" protection in part depends on there being a pool of data submitted in real time by all the users. If you don't trust your Anti-malware vendor, who can you trust?

 

This is exactly what I experienced. I had defensewall and prevx installed and had issued with MSE. Every time I opened a folder with lots of files, the pc freezes for seconds. I now installed it without prevx/defensewall under Windows 7, and all is fine so far, no slowdown anymore. Do definitely, prevx or defensewall does not play well with it.

 

I had MSE and Prevx free running together for the last 2-3 weeks and things went very well. I added DW and experienced lots of programs hanging. So I just went back to MSE and Prevx and all is well.

BTW- When I tried to upgrade from beta to final I got a message that "MSE is already installed".

MSE Version: 1.0.1611.0
Antimalware Client Version: 2.0.6212.0
Engine Version: 1.1.5101.0
Antivirus definitions: 1.67.188.0
Antispyware definitions: 1.67.188.0

Does the above look like the final release?

 

I had removed Prevx before installing MSE.
Had the same problems as you had but I was able to correct them just by uninstalling MSE.
Hugger

 

Yes, the 1.0.1611.0 is the final. The beta can be updated to this via the help menu. I did that, and its 1.0.1611.0, I then downloaded the final, and its the same version.

 

Thanks!

 

"MSE evan did not add a few malware samples I sent to them a weeks ago.
" yes they seem not fast at adding sent samples, the quickest from experiences should be Eset/Drweb/KAV.

 

MSE seems like have better generic/heuristics, when tested with same family fakealert of the same exe file with different exe size/version (downloaded by the downloader at different day), it can detect with correct name at run and pop-up say no signature yet and request to send the sample, while tested with other major AV no one detect.

 

Interesting issue - when does the automatic update update the definitions?

Installed MSE last night, I was on line until 22:15 GMT. I log on this morning and check the definitions, still 29/8 6:31. So do a manual update to get the definitions from 29/9 21:13. (done local timw 07:06)

Now this could be an bug and that the definition time is local to Microsoft? rather than GMT.

Or could it be that automatic updates have not got through to me yet? my previous AV's always updated immediately. So can someone explain why MSE doesn't?

Being it is free, MSE really needs to update as soon as, rather than waiting. It just reminds me that this is very like AVIRA's free offering when it will update every 24hrs from the time it installed on the PC. Otherwise a substancial attack on a popular network could quiet easily screw up many peoples computers if MSE wins the popularity stakes.

 

I took the final of Microsoft Security Essentials for a spin on a laptop of a friend of mine (Windows XP, 1 GB memory, Centrino 1800 CPU).

I have let the initial 'fast scan' scan the whole night and this morning it wasn't even on 10% of the scan! And the CPU was at 100%. I don't know why MSE is so slow on this laptop. I guess MSE is not for every PC?

The initial scan on my Windows 7 RC1 Vaio SZ4 laptop took 10 minutes and after this scan MSE constantly consumed 60MB of memory and the overall slowdown of the PC is about 33%. These are normal figures for an active on-access scanner, I guess.

I measured the 33% slowdown with Hitman Pro scan times:

Without MSE: 2m 7s
With MSE: 3m 10s

These values are just something I observed while checking out MSE.

 

I totally agree with you.I have the same experience.My computer also has 1GB memory,and couldn't run MSE freely.First,Scanning was slow and cleaning the virus was powerless.

Maybe MSE just suit the computer which has many GBs memory.

 

That is strange.. I have it running on a 256MB windows XP workstation at the office and it runs just fine, no slowdowns and no problem detecting and/or removing malware.

 

Am I the only one running MSE as my only security app? I am on Windows 7 x64 with 4GB ram and haven't noticed any issues at all, but after the comments here I'm thinking its not enough