Windows 8 and WSA and Windows Defender?

Discussion in 'Prevx Betas' started by gate1975mlm, Aug 17, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. gate1975mlm

    gate1975mlm Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2004
    Posts:
    156
    Hello again :)


    I just installed Windows 8 RTM this week and I have a question for you guys.

    I noticed when i installed WSA latest beta Windows Defender got disabled right away. Is this normal?

    Also I never planned on using Microsoft's Antivirus anyway as I feel it makes windows kind of sluggish. Like for example when Microsoft's Antivirus was enabled my icons for all my programs take a lot longer to appear. Luckly WSA never has caused this issue :). But I was planning to use Windows Defender spyware and malware Protection. But there does not seem to be anyway of doing this on Windows 8 like you can on Windows 7. See as I am sure you guys already know Windows Defender on Windows 7 is not an Antivirus program its just a spyware and malware program that Protects against spyware and malware. So I have been using it a long side WSA on Windows 7 but now with Windows 8 which I am testing for the first time Windows Defender has also become a full blown Antivirus program.

    So what I am trying to find out is is there anyway to run both WSA and Windows Defender spyware and malware features only? And also is Windows defender spyware and malware even really needed even Windows 7 and 8 since I using WSA?

    And last question :)

    If infact you can not use both WSA and Windows Defender on Windows 8 would recommend using another spyware and malware program a long side WSA? Or do you think WSA is more then good enough?

    See the whole point I started using WSA anyway was to find a Antivirus that hardly has any impact on my computer which of course WSA is wonderful at.

    Thanks for your help!
     
  2. gate1975mlm

    gate1975mlm Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2004
    Posts:
    156
    Also just a small follow up question.

    Do you know why some antivirus programs like Microsoft's own Antivirus for example among some others cause icons for programs and such to appear very slowly?

    WSA does not cause this slow down at all and is one of the reason why I love it.
     
  3. Triple Helix

    Triple Helix Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2004
    Posts:
    13,269
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    To get the New Windows Defender in Win 8 Pro RTM back go into WSA settings and Basic Configuration and uncheck "Show SecureAnywhere in the Widows Action Center" and they both work very well for me in my VM.

    HTH,

    TH
     
  4. gate1975mlm

    gate1975mlm Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2004
    Posts:
    156
    But can the Antivirus part be disabled?
     
  5. Grashocki

    Grashocki Webroot Engineer

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2012
    Posts:
    10
    Location:
    USA
    The 'Antivirus' functions within Windows Defender will not interfere with the normal operation of WSA. Windows 8 included some changes to the security center to improve compatibility and 'clarify' some of the options there. I've confirmed this on my own test machine, including the one I use at home. Ultimately however it shouldn't cause any issues performing the steps outlined by TH. If anything does crop up please let us know!
     
  6. gate1975mlm

    gate1975mlm Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2004
    Posts:
    156
    But the thing is I do not want to use Microsoft AntiVirus because like I said it seems to slow down windows it certain ways. Like the icon on programs appearing very slow. I hate that!
     
  7. Triple Helix

    Triple Helix Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2004
    Posts:
    13,269
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Are you using it on and older system? I use it in a VM and give it 2 processors and 2GB of ram to run and Both work fine for me but if you want to turn off Windows Defender forget what I posted in post #3 as WSA will shut down the new Windows Defender AV & AS! In any case when Windows 8 sees that someone installed there own AV, AS it will automatically turns off WD because of possible conflicts but not with WSA! ;)

    HTH,

    TH
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2012
  8. trjam

    trjam Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2006
    Posts:
    9,102
    Location:
    North Carolina USA
    no issues here with Windows 8.
     
  9. gate1975mlm

    gate1975mlm Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2004
    Posts:
    156

    Yes WSA and Windows Defender seem to get a long just fine together on Windows 8 :)

    However that is not the real issue that I was talking about here.

    As ive said before Microsoft AntiVirus causes icons for programs in folders to appear very slowly compared to when Microsoft AntiVirus is not installed or running. I have seen other AntiVirus software cause this too. But WSA and some others like Avast for example do not cause this slow down.

    Any of you know why some AntiVirus software cause slow down of the icons appearing for programs while other don't like WSA and Avast?

    I just wish Microsoft would fix it. I know its not just me seeing this issue because I have seen people complain about it at other message boards too.
     
  10. gate1975mlm

    gate1975mlm Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2004
    Posts:
    156

    No I have a few computers but I even see this issue on my newest computer which is pretty powerful. It has a Quad Core with a fast SSD and 4GB Memory in the PC.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2012
  11. Techfox1976

    Techfox1976 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2010
    Posts:
    749
    High-latency (very invasive) On-Access/On-Read scanning of the executable the icon is being extracted from.

    WSA doesn't need to test the executable against every single definition in its local set (it has no local set). It just hashes the whole thing and is able to make a VERY quick determination that it's not-changed and still known-good. That's assuming WSA even scans it on basic access, since it doesn't really need to unless it's being loaded into memory for execution to start a process or support a process.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.