Windows 7 - using MSE

Hi, new computer, using MSE for first scan ever.
2 questions.
1. it scanned 565718 'items'. Does this number look correct?
2. I started the scan around 11pm last nite, when I came to the computer this morning, 7am, the computer appeared to have stopped scanning, (yellow light on hard drive was on), when I pushed the lite button & brought up the app, it appeared to start scanning again, (progress bar showed 1/2 completed), but then it took only about 3 minutes to finish scan).
Did I do something wrong?

hi !

1. impossible to answer, because that depends of what type of scan you use & how many files you have on your PC.
2. also hard to answer, run a new scan and take a good look at the PC, then perhaps you might see something.

In MSE you have three kind of Scan. Quick Scan, Full Scan and Custom, i believe you might have selected Quick Scan that might be the reason it completed the Scan fast.
The number really depend on the files that are there in your Hard drive. As far as my knowledge Microsoft Security Essential gives quiet good protection that you can trust on it

Hope this helps,
Captain

Hello,

That seems normal to me. The number of items scanned seems a little low, but it all depends on your scan type and how many files you have.

What probably happened was that it was scanning in the background, but not updating the display. When you woke it up, it was almost done already.

Hope this helps,
~Jonathan

Jonathan, that seems the most logical.
I did select 'full' scan.
It's just that the scan took over 7 hours, and the computer is only 5 hours old! How long is it gunna take after a few years of building up files and such on the hard drive?

There are a lot of system files to look through. It all depends on your hardware too. Faster hardware will yield faster scans.

Thanks, another scan tonite might reveal more answers.
Thanks again

Hi, skostro. If the computer went to sleep mode, the scan was likely suspended until you woke it again. As an experiment, I started a quick scan and after a bit, put the computer to sleep. When I logged back on, the scan appeared to have stopped and resumed. Putting the computer to sleep again when the scan was almost completed, the same happened. I suggest you start a quick scan while at the computer to see what happens.

Update: See this post at Microsoft Answers: MSE Definitions/Signatures Update FAQ

^Thanks C, useful info there.