ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Let's continue the discussion about the usefulness/uselessnes of Windows Defender here, instead of the Essential Updates forum.A few people find that Windows Defender does nothing.Some people find that Spybot Search & Destroy does nothing.I personally find AVG Anti-Spyware a very good tool. On the other hand I find Ad-Aware Pro the most useless tool I ever had installed. Their support is non-existant, and the user forum has suddenly disappeared a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I'm one of those who find Windows Defender pretty much useless.My Internet habits are such that I don't collect lots of items that I would prefer not to have but nevertheless, there are the occasional ones and WD has consistently failed to identify them. In fact, on my machines, WD has never found anything at all. On one machine, it was scheduled to do a scan at 9-00 am. If I was using the machine at that time, it would freeze whatever I was doing, CPU usage would shoot up to 100% and I was paralysed in my work until it had finished. Contrary to that, doing a scan with almost any other spyware/malware detector immediately following a WD scan almost always brings up something that shouldn't be there. OK, it may be tracking cookies that are found by the others and, it is said that Microsoft don't consider tracking cookies to be malware. Well, sorry Microsoft, I do consider them to be malware and so do all the other spyware/malware detector producers who classify them usually as "medium risk". Medium risk or other risk, a risk is a risk and if it can be removed then it should be.I'm unable to rank the usefulness/efficiency of the other tools I use to detect and remove spyware/malware but, I use in turn: A Squared, AVG Antispyware, Ad-Aware (free version), SUPERantiSpyware and occasionally SpyBot S&D. I have SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard working in the background but whether these do anything, I'm not sure.Don't get the impression that I'm obsessed with spyware/malware detectors - I have more useful things to do on my computers. My spyware/malware detector scans are not nearly on a daily basis and, I only do one scan per run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyWhirly Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Some people find that Spybot Search & Destroy does nothing.The only 'threat' that I get when I run SpyBot is 'Microsoft.WindowsSecurityCenter_disabled' which isn't a security risk as I know whether automatic updates, anti-virus and my firewall are on or not without needing them to be monitored by my operating system.I still use Spybot though as it has an immunisation feature.On the other hand I find Ad-Aware Pro the most useless tool I ever had installed. Their support is non-existant, and the user forum has suddenly disappeared a few years ago.I uninstalled this a while ago as it never found anything and didn't have an immunisation feature so I didn't see the point in using it.I'm one of those who find Windows Defender pretty much useless.Nothing has been found on my PC either despite using it for many months.I suppose it's a good thing if there is no malware on my PC as opposed to there being malware on my PC and Windows Defender not detecting it.On one machine, it was scheduled to do a scan at 9-00 am. If I was using the machine at that time, it would freeze whatever I was doing, CPU usage would shoot up to 100% and I was paralysed in my work until it had finished.I don't do scheduled scans but when Windows Defender is scanning, I can continue to use my PC as normal with my CPU usage only rising to around the 30% mark. it is said that Microsoft don't consider tracking cookies to be malware. Well, sorry Microsoft, I do consider them to be malware and so do all the other spyware/malware detector producers who classify them usually as "medium risk". Medium risk or other risk, a risk is a risk and if it can be removed then it should be.I agree as tracking cookies are still spyware even though they may only be at low or medium threat level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted November 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Thank you for your detailed opinion.When I speak (write) about spyware, I have to admit that I am the most inexperienced person -- since I never, ever had any spyware on any of my systems. Tracking cookies, yes - but they get eliminated by CCleaner before I do any scanning.The reason why I like Windows Defender is that it is the only free application with a live protection. (Actually there is also Spybot Search & Destroy, but that guard [Teatimer] is only for Internet Explorer.) Of course regular scanning should also eliminate threats, but better eliminate them when they happen. (Obviously it does not prevent tracking cookies.)As for the freeze during scanning - I have never experienced this, as I have scheduled all my scans during times when I normally sleep.If I had the time I would try to intentionally infect my system with some spywares, then see if WD would find it, or even prevent it at the time of the infection. Maybe over the New Years holidays... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 My computer does not freeze when using WD. like pops and others, I do consider tracking cookies to be Malware, they are an intrusion that I don't want. I will uninstall it, and reinstall Spyware terminator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyWhirly Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 The reason why I like Windows Defender is that it is the only free application with a live protection.I forgot to mention that feature and I agree that it's a useful feature to have.Incidentally, I wonder if that could be the reason why Windows Defender never seems to find anything as malware or spyware is prevented from getting on to our PC's in the first place?Even though Windows Defender never finds anything, when I run Spybot and a2 all they ever seem to find is spyware cookies so I have my doubts about Windows Defender being useless and it could be that I only have spyware cookies on my PC hence the reason why it doesn't find anything? Actually there is also Spybot Search & Destroy, but that guard [Teatimer] is only for Internet Explorer.I tried that out when I first installed Spybot a few years ago and it caused me nothing but trouble so I uninstalled Spybot and reinstalled it only this time without the TeaTimer feature.If I had the time I would try to intentionally infect my system with some spywares, then see if WD would find it, or even prevent it at the time of the infection. Maybe over the New Years holidays... :)Your braver than me even though I make regular backups! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coreper Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I also think Windows Defender is useless:-it takes memory [it doesnt matter,because i have 250GB, but that space could have been used for something else..]-its scan engine is VERY slow-it never finds any threads, when AdAware and XoftSpy DO find threads-it doesnt update very often [AdAware and XoftSpy do]about spybot: same facts as WD: slow engine, no threads ever, site blocking doesnt work effectivelyabout adaware: i like it, i dont need the forums and stuff...it should keep me from getting infected with countless numbers of malware threads...btw: does anyone know a good malware/spyware blocker? [not SpySweeper] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted December 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 btw: does anyone know a good malware/spyware blocker? [not SpySweeper]AVG Anti-Spyware (formerly Ewido Anti-Spyware). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamb Chop Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 I uninstalled the beta version as it didnt do anything.Ditto the final one as it still didnt do anything, and safter scan it would say nothing found. Also found couldnt do anything when scanning as I only have 250ram memory and it used to use the lot seemingly.I have Maxmem these days to warn me about that so no BSOD - which I got whilst using the beta. then running Spybot, Adaware, Superantispyware, Eiwdo, they would find things. Not all the same. Thats why i took advice of various and run them all.Superantispyware always finds tracking cookies and I think I get them from reading The Guardian UK.I also run Spyguard - Spywareblaster - which are silent but sem to do the job.Someone said I run too many.Better safe than sorry :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyWhirly Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 its scan engine is VERY slowI agree that the Full Scan can be slow (it takes around 20 minutes on my PC) but running the Quick Scan doesn't take long on my PC.In fact I run it a few minutes ago and it took under 2 minutes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 The full scan takes about that long on mine, but that doesn't bother me, it's just that it never finds anything that the others find afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coreper Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 yes, the fact that the full scan takes a while, AND that it doesnt find anything, is just not right... [i think] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 I've removed it from all my machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 Could it be that Windows Defender is there to defend Microsoft from anything nasty going from your machine to M$? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coreper Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 something like the Windows Genuine Advantage program?:gets in your computer [with illegal windows versions] and gives you a popup that your windows is illegalcould be, maybe thats why its free.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 Uninstalled it this morning after yet another scan found nothing, and replaced it with Spyware Terminator. First Terminator scan found 28 problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 methinks catgate and Coreper are right ...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Man Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 I cannot speak to whether Windows Defender does it's job or not, because if I find any spyware or malware, I always remove it manually.I also believe in prevention, instead of removal. It's much easier to stop it from comming in than to remove it once it's here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 No one has yet said that it found anything on their computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 People on this forum should not find any spy ware on their computers as they should have learnt to stop it before it gets there, so apart from the Cookies none of your scans should find anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 People on this forum should not find any spy ware on their computers as they should have learnt to stop it before it gets there, so apart from the Cookies none of your scans should find anythingAny Antispyware program is only as good as its latest definitions, the same as AV programs. So it is always possible to get Spyware no matter how careful you are. What most of us are complaining about are tracking cookies, which we feel are an intrusion, and any decent Anti malware program should find them and offer to deal with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Very succinct, andsome. That defines my views exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 People on this forum should not find any spy ware on their computers as they should have learnt to stop it before it gets there, so apart from the Cookies none of your scans should find anythingAny Antispyware program is only as good as its latest definitions, the same as AV programs. So it is always possible to get Spyware no matter how careful you are. What most of us are complaining about are tracking cookies, which we feel are an intrusion, and any decent Anti malware program should find them and offer to deal with them.Hello?Did you not see my other post on why WD does not detect cookies?-pops- I know you seen it.If you really want WD to detect cookies then get onto MS about it as talking about it here will do nada.Cookies as far as I'm concerned are nothing to worry about. Although Adaware does delete them [the first app I run].Why not [for those of us who use, DI, Acronis etc] install a bit of spyware then see if WD detects it.Cookies meh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 It's not cookies in general that I object to, it's the ones that every other Spyware detector states are something best not to be on a machine and which WD ignores.Why do MS go against the perceived view that tracking cookies - things that track my Internet use and report back to base - be acceptable? I don't mind who knows where I go in my excursions around the WWW but I do want to know who is looking for that information and why they want to have it. What use (or misuse) will they make of that knowledge? Is that knowledge safe in their hands or will they be reporting it back to others with less honourable intent?What's with this "meh"? Hope you don't start putting doubles and triples in or I'll begin thinking we have an interloper from another place on here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cozofdeath Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 And not just one base they can report to multiple ones from what I hear. Enabling many sites to track you. I've never had a problem removing bad cookies, with a program, and thats what I've had the most? I've never really used Defender but from the sounds of it maybe I shouldn't? I'll take your guys advice. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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