The Possible Death of Microsoft Security Essentials

Category: Geeks r Us

Post 1 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 05-Oct-2013 0:14:36

Hi all. There's a few rumors abound that we may see the death of Microsoft Security Essentials. It has been popping up on many mailing lists. My thoughts? It's likely not to happen, as Microsoft are good at spreading rumors. Your thoughts?

Post 2 by rat (star trek rules!) on Saturday, 05-Oct-2013 12:29:24

I could see it happening now, especially since Microsoft is trying to push people towards windows 8 which has an enhanced version of MSE built in. I could see both MSE and windows 7 being kind of ditched by Microsoft at this point, and that would spell the end of them.

Post 3 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 05-Oct-2013 14:43:59

Windows 7 support goes til sometime in 2020. I dont see them dropping it.
as faras MSE goes, i dont see them dropping that either.
what could happen is that they stop releaseing definition updates for Windows XP when support for that ends, but that remains to be seen.

check this artical out though.
Goodbye Microsoft Security Essentials: Microsoft Now Recommends You Use a Third-Party Antivirus
http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/
personally, i dont plan to stop useing MSE, unles somebody has a just as accessible antivirous program that is solid and is as lightwait.
i've heard NOD32 Antivirus is good, but dunno about the accessible part. can someone advise?

i figure with safe internet practices, MSE and Malwarebytes, i'm in good hands.

Post 4 by rat (star trek rules!) on Saturday, 05-Oct-2013 17:15:42

Clanwin is pretty good, open sourse, and free. I like it so far and it seems a little less crazy about stuff but still protects very well

Post 5 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 05-Oct-2013 19:35:26

crazy about stuff? less crazy like what do you mean by that

Post 6 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 1:02:17

I am stuck with Norton because of my Mom. But in May, I shall ditch Norton.

Post 7 by GreenTurtle (Music is life. Love. Vitality.) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 1:06:26

I think he probably meant that the program doesn't give too many false positives. Correct me if I'm wrong. I may look into this myself, since none of the more mainstream and free antivirus software packages, such as AVG or Avast, are all that accessible anymore.

Post 8 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 1:07:53

ugh nortan is a hog!

Post 9 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 1:23:28

hmm, i dont think i want this solution.
taken from:
http://www.clamwin.com/content/view/71/1/
Please note that ClamWin Free Antivirus does not include an on-access real-time scanner. You need to manually scan a file in order to detect a virus or spyware.
i'd want real-time sscanning.
aning

Post 10 by GreenTurtle (Music is life. Love. Vitality.) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 1:25:17

Yes, and completely inaccessible. Not to mention, as far as I've always heard, they get pretty low scores on the antivirus ratings tests.
If Vipre wasn't a paid program, I would probably go back to using that. It was pretty accessible, although it was kind of a pain in the ass when it came to false positives. It would just quarantine your files without even telling you it would do so, if it thought they were a virus. On the plus side, scanning was accessible, and if there were genuine threats, you could usually get rid of them, even if it took using the Jaws cursor a bit. This was a few years ago, though, so it's possible that's changed.

Post 11 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 1:51:42

hmm, i thought the person that suggested this said that clanwin was accessible.

Post 12 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 2:19:47

She meant Norton. Is it possible to use it in the command line?

Post 13 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 9:21:35

I don’t think MSE is going anyplace as long as windows 7 is supported.
As far as free programs that are accessible, I’ve not been looking, so can’t say.
I personally use Viper, and for me this program is totally accessible. As to the complaint it quarantines your files, you can retrieve them easy, or even tell it not to do the folders you want.
Normally these files are junk email, so just turn off the email scanner. It cost however.
Norton has been a strong program, and was top rated this year, anyway.
I always say, these programs are only as good as the company that supports them, and the user that uses them wisely.
Many people ignore the warnings I’ve noticed, and so get stuff they’ve got to get rid of.

Post 14 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 14:12:57

nor do i honestly wayne, and windows 7 has a lot of years ahead of it.

Post 15 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 14:17:49

wayne do you mean this?
VIPRE® - Virus Prevention - 100% Virus Detection & Protectioný
www.vipreantivirus.com/ýWhy this ad?Enhance Your PC Security Today!

Post 16 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 20:14:14

Sorry, I did spell it wrong JH. Yes I mean "Vipre"
Now as to that link, I'm not sure it is the one. They have changed the site, but to make sure you get it go to. www.sunbeltsoftware.com
Another company owns it now, but it is good. I use the internet version or the complete version. They are always having specials, and you can try it free for a while first.
100% is a strong claim, but I've not had any issues. I say they can say 100% because if you do get something they promise to get rid of it for you if you can't.
I've had if now going on 3 years, so.
Not a sales pitch, but it works.

Post 17 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 06-Oct-2013 21:04:28

I still think a command-line DOS interface would be a nifty thought. At least it would be accessible, as it would be text only. As for functionality ... well, let's just say that it's based on how it's written.

Post 18 by Imprecator (The Zone's Spelling Nazi) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 6:15:58

I was using Avast until a couple years ago, when it suddenly decided to become jaws unfriendly.

Post 19 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 7:45:14

I think I will use Vipre when my Mom's Norton license expires.

Post 20 by Imprecator (The Zone's Spelling Nazi) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 14:58:02

I hated Norton, it made my system run really slooooooow when it was scanning.

Post 21 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 15:22:14

They claim it is better, but during a scan it did tend to take up some power. That was why they suggested scans be set to times you were unlikely to be using your system.
Norton was built for business use, so it could scan late at night and clean well, and not bother anyone. It really works and has been a staple, but with anything new companies have gotten in the race and are doing well.

Post 22 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 16:45:45

even when i wasn't scanning, i found my system performance to be much slower when i ran norton.

Post 23 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 21:13:29

Back when I used it it would eat power some, but now most machines are so powerful I'll bet it isn't really a problem if it still does this.

Post 24 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Saturday, 12-Oct-2013 23:52:48

Like others have said on here, MSE is not going away anytime soon. It's still new, relatively speaking. MSE and Windows Defender are used by a lot of users.

Post 25 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 8:24:13

Norton does hinder my computer sometimes. I see it eating a bunch of processing power, especially when running scans.

Post 26 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 18:16:21

both of my puters are 7 years old so are running older hardware, and DDR2 ram (though both have 4GB) so norton and it do not like each other.

Post 27 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 19:50:21

I've used McAfee for several years and have been happy with it. However, in the past week, it has become inaccessible on my windows 8 machine. I haven't checked upstairs on the windows 7 but this is irritating as all getout.

Post 28 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 20:38:27

Mc fee has always been difficult for me to use properly, but many vendors give it to you. It does work well though.
The reason it is probably not so accessible on Windows 8, is it has changed to the app or Metro format. Try running Jaws 15 on it and see.

Post 29 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 20:44:27

Alrighty, will do. Basically, all it does is say "blank" if I go to the jaws cursor and it says absolutely nothing if I tab or arrow in the normal cursor. I'll give J15 a try. Thanks

Post 30 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 21:52:42

Nope, that didn't work. I'm thinking it just may be inaccessible now. Grrr. I'll give Tech support a call tomorrow. *sad face*

Post 31 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 13-Oct-2013 22:00:56

Windows defendor is your friend, i'd think.

Post 32 by Nick6489 (11 years a Zoner) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 7:37:25

32 posts in, and nobody realizes this. Well, you all better read.

Goodbye Microsoft Security Essentials: Microsoft Now Recommends You Use a Third-Party Antivirus: http://is.gd/DIZWQC

Post 33 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 10:44:18

They mentioned that article already, mate. We've meandered on to our discussions of antivirus techniques, as we've established that we think it is not going away.

Post 34 by Austin (the magic fan!) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 12:55:06

As for me I'm using the AVG free edition with NvDA and no problems here...

Post 35 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 12:59:17

I think I need to get Malwarebytes to supplement my Norton, as it doesn't get rid of much.

Post 36 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 14:54:20

Grrrr! So, I called FS today to see if they had any ideas about the new and unimproved McAfee. They did not. They've said it's pretty much just not accessible.
So great, what am I supposed to do now with 9 months left on my contract? That crap really chaps my hide. I guess it's time to teach the kiddo how to operate the anti virus environment. The whole reason this came up is I need to turn off the vonerability scanner because it slows down my computer. Plus, it's just reassuring to open the program and see "your computer is seccure; no action is required." lol
Oh well, such is life.
I guess I'll switch to Vipre when my Mcafee license runs out. I'd do it now but I hate wasting money. grr.
ok, rant over.

Post 37 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 22:11:51

i highly suggest Malwarebytes.
how about you use the older version that works with your windows version until your contract is up.
wow something slows down that computer? i'm shocked. lol

Post 38 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 22:27:51

Windows 8 has plenty protection built in if you are careful and don't go see these sex sites and such things? Smile.
I think with 9 months in I'd ask for a refund, if you paid for it anyway, and it wasn't free. Get my money and purchase something else.
You could get a sighted person to set it, and it will work just fine as well.

Post 39 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 22:29:11

that's what i was thinkin earlier for her Wayne, use windows defendor.

Post 40 by margorp (I've got the gold prolific poster award, now is there a gold cup for me?) on Monday, 14-Oct-2013 23:17:35

Microsoft security essentials won't become abandonware anytime soon.

Post 41 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Tuesday, 15-Oct-2013 12:23:24

Maybe they should give it to the open source community? It sounds lika" a long shot, but it's worth a go.

Post 42 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Tuesday, 15-Oct-2013 23:29:17

Wow, Windows Defender is really good enough just by itself? And to think I've spent all this money over the years paying for a name. lol

Post 43 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Wednesday, 16-Oct-2013 6:51:18

That's the irony. The big dogs don't work as well as the underdogs. You can get your big name antivirus, but there's likely an open source solution that will work better.

Post 44 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 16-Oct-2013 20:18:21

Windows defender wasn't as good as it is on Windows 8. It requires you be careful.
It does, and can work however.
I like the paid products. Not only can I get tech support when I have questions, I can get my system cleaned up, if I'm unable.
Open source products, and free don't offer that level of service.
I just upgraded for 66 dollars. I can run Vipre on 10 machines for that price, with service built in.
Not all my users are technically savvy, and I can't always get to them right away to help, so this product is good for my purposes.

Post 45 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 16-Oct-2013 22:57:19

I've been looking into Vipre per your suggestion and as soon as I can get this Mcafee crap off my machine, I'm going to switch. The uninstall for Mcafee is inaccessible as well. GRRR!

Post 46 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 16-Oct-2013 23:56:41

I'd try the 15 or 30 day trial and see what you think.

Post 47 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 0:06:03

why not finish out your Mcafee first?
especially since you stil got time left on it?

Post 48 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 0:09:57

It is what I'd do unless she needs to operate it and make sure it scans properly.
I remember when I had it, messages would come up that were hard to deal with. It was my reason for ditching it.
I wanted the freedom to operate it and make sure it was active. Control, I'd say.

Post 49 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 10:55:42

I lack control in Norton. Hell, I lack processor in Norton, too. I can't wait until May.

Post 50 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 12:54:17

Accessibility and control are the exact reasons why I'm dumping Mcaffey. It worked fine up until last week. Then something changed and it is completely and utterly unusable with Jaws 14 or 15 and on Windows 7 and 8. I don't know about NVDA or any of the other screen reading options. I don't really want to install a screen reader about which I know absolutely nothing just to be able to operate my antivirus software. The only thing I can do is use the ocr feature in Jaws to read the message about my computer being secure and no action being required. I need to turn off a feature called Vonerability scanner though and I can't. I'm the only one in our house who can take care of the computers' basic maintanence so I need something accessible. Yay, Vipre has a free trial. Sweet. I noticed it'll remove my current software automatically. That's awesome. I'll try it later just in case I get a screen from Mcaffy that my kid has to click.

Post 51 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 15:02:30

Here's an excerpt from an article I just saw that should help clear up this whole issue.

Recently statements were made by a Microsoft spokesperson that some interpreted as implying that Microsoft was giving up on Microsoft Security Essentials. I went to the source and asked for clarification.
//
I read an article last week that basically said Microsoft had give up competing with other anti-malware tools and that Microsoft Security Essentials wasn’t going to be any good any more. The article recommended that I quit using it immediately and switch to something else. What do you think? Do I need to stop using Microsoft Security Essentials?
No.
No you don’t. If you’ve been happy with it, you’re perfectly welcome to keep on using it as you have in the past.
To put it a different way, I’m not changing my recommendation. Microsoft Security Essentials remains my recommendation for most people. I’m also not changing what I use myself, which is MSE.
As it turns out, the majority of the “journalism” on the topic over the past couple of weeks has simply been repeating a single source of information. Worse, the repetition included not only a couple of quotes without full context from a Microsoft spokesperson and also additional speculation by the author of that original piece. As the story was repeated, even more speculation was added and assumptions were made.
The result was quite the kerfuffle.
Now, I don’t call myself a “journalist” – I’m just a geek with a voice on the web trying to help people use their computers. But even I know that just repeating and embellishing what others are saying about what others are saying isn’t the right way to approach something like this.

Here's the link if you want to read more.

http://askleo.com/do-i-need-to-stop-using-microsoft-security-essentials/

Post 52 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 21:05:52

i was gonna post that.

Post 53 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 21:40:08

So us that figured it wasn't going anyplace were correct. It is a good program, I just like the features of what I use best.

Post 54 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 17-Oct-2013 21:42:01

wayne what other features does it have that you couldn't get with MSE and malware bytes pro version ?
other than all that would be combined in one program,
and your choice is for a bigger cost?
osxt

Post 55 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Friday, 18-Oct-2013 11:21:26

I still think that from a usability with screenreaders standpoint, a command line driven interface for antivirus is the way to go. What antivirus do you Linux users use?

Post 56 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 18-Oct-2013 12:16:38

but that would assume you know how to use the commands of corse.
the easiest antivirus i've used is MSE.

Post 57 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 18-Oct-2013 12:17:03

dont ask me about linix though, i'm clueless.

Post 58 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 21-Oct-2013 11:44:29

Well, I have tried Malwarebytes and am impressed. It killed a few toolbars, I think, because I haven't seen them around. But, during the end, how do you select everything for deletion? I tried pressing ctrl+a where NVDA said payde and didn't say much, then tabbed to delete selected, and hit enter. It restarted the machine, which I assume meant it worked.

Post 59 by margorp (I've got the gold prolific poster award, now is there a gold cup for me?) on Sunday, 27-Oct-2013 13:32:47

I'm sorry but windows defender is not good enough on it's own.

Post 60 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 27-Oct-2013 13:55:27

Very true. [e had that on my school computers. It's like guarding the back door, but leaving the front door wide open. Not very secure at all.

Post 61 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 27-Oct-2013 22:33:49

But Windows 8 comes with both back and front door blocking. When you enable defender you get them both. I can't remember off hand what the other is called, but I've seen it recently.
Now to what Vipre has depends on the version. Intgernet security has several features.
Add blocking, Facebook intergration, safe file deleting, power saving features for laptops. It has a long list.
If interested read about it on the sight.

Post 62 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 28-Oct-2013 10:40:22

Is there a utility that will actually erradicate files you've deleted, as opposed to just emptying the sectors and leaving the file's ghost lying around?

Post 63 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 28-Oct-2013 12:20:56

Yep.

Post 64 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 30-Oct-2013 21:56:43

Here’s a bit more on the death of MSE.
I just updated my systems to 8.1.
If you don’t want to purchase an anti-virus program here is what Microsoft says replaces MSE on Windows 8 8.1.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download

Post 65 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Thursday, 14-Nov-2013 12:56:02

I discovered how to get access to my MacAfy screens so I thought I'd share here, since I was complaining about it a while back.
I open the application and then run Jaws's OCR feature. Then I rout pc to jaws and bing, I've got the same access I had before.
If I didn't explain this well and someone needs help, please ask. Now I can continue using the rest of my product term. yay!

Post 66 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 14-Nov-2013 15:19:27

Excellent. At least you've found a solution, which is very good. I, however, had to take Malwarebytes off because it was having a dogfight with Norton.

Post 67 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 14-Nov-2013 20:32:19

That is because Norton and that one have both the same programs. They way to run 2 is make one run manually.

Post 68 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 14-Nov-2013 22:06:36

turn off norten when you run mmalwarebytes

Post 69 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Friday, 15-Nov-2013 12:49:11

Eh, I can't find Norton in the sys tray, so can't really shut it off. So, as a compromise, I have my mom running scans weekly.

Post 70 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 15-Nov-2013 12:58:01

.Sweet momma. That is actually the best method. Smile.
Now just ask her to get you one you both can use and that will even be nicer.

Post 71 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 16-Nov-2013 13:55:28

I tried. She balked at it.

Post 72 by renegade rocker (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 1:22:54

I just went ahead and took that pile of crap norton off my mother's machine witch is now mine. It's the biggest stinking corpulant festering pile of cat shit. At one time it was accessible, back in 2001 and before, but even then it was horrible.

Post 73 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 1:38:00

it was accessible until 2007 version came out from what i could see.
but its stil a freakin hog.

Post 74 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 10:08:18

I remember the days when Norton was accessible. Wonder why they stopped the accessibility, which was a bit patchy to begin with.

Post 75 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 12:08:34

I got a hog, so I'm tempted to try it to see.
Seems like once you have it setup, the scans and such are automatic.
If I can get a trial, I'm going to give it a go. It has really high ratings lately.

Post 76 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 12:57:45

in other words you have a beast that has plenty of power so you dont think nortin would bog it down?

Post 77 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 21:44:35

Exactly. Even way back when I ran Norton it would only bother it during scans, so I set these to run at night.
Now, I don't know. I've got an I5 quad, 8 rams running at 1600 MPH, or something, so...

Post 78 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 17-Nov-2013 22:58:28

lol wow, damn.

Post 79 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 18-Nov-2013 6:22:47

You know, there was wind coming from the box, so I took a chance and looked in there to see if little rams were actually running around in quads, but I couldn't find any.
Soon as I turned the machine off and looked, the wind stopped. Does anyone know how to find the rams?

Post 80 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 18-Nov-2013 10:30:59

Well, I woke up and didn’t have anything scheduled for Monday, so decided to install the hog on my box.
I went to Norton’s main sight and got the 30 day trial of Norton Internet security.
I downloaded it, removed my Vipre, and installed it. Installed it?
Nope. I couldn’t even get the programs installed. I could see where I was on the installer’s page, but to me it was just blank.
So I can’t test the pig. I guess that tells me something.
If you can’t even install it? Lol

Post 81 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 18-Nov-2013 12:10:34

norten is a piece of shit for accessibillety... and you'll do better without that messy hog spewing mud and clutter anyway. especially when you went to uninstall it, it tracks mud everyware in the registry. fun times, not!

Post 82 by Shell Script (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 18-Nov-2013 13:27:01

Yep. Even my Mom couldn't install it.