Solved Antivirus/Antispyware for Windows 7

fullgrownnut · Jun 6, 2011

Hello there,

I've been using Windows Vista for a couple of years now in my own PC, and I just purchased a small netbook computer for my son last week, which will be delivered tomorrow or the next day... It's his first PC ever, and it's a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 which comes with Windows 7 installed...

I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day who also has a small netbook with W7, and he was told by a computer tech that there is no need to install Nortons or any other additional antivirus software into a computer which has Windows 7 since the OS comes with something already installed, which he claimed is good enough protection against regularly known web threats (he thought the Tech said it was Microsoft Essentials, but he wasn't sure)... Since I subscribe to Nortons, I can install it into and up to three or four computers, so I planned on just installing it into my son's when we received it...

My question:
Is what the computer tech told my friend true about the native software that already comes with Windows 7 for virus protection, and if so, what exactly is it, do I have to activate it, and do I need to install any other software to protect for web threats, or is this ALL that is needed for such protection? Thank you very much for any help on this.

richc46 · Jun 6, 2011

Welcome
If Security Essentials is installed (but not sure if the dealer installed it, but I doubt it) that and Malwarebytes would be awesome protection. You should have both on your computer, too. If you have another AV and are happy with it be sure to download malwarebytes, too.
Go to search and type security essentials. if it pops up you are protected. Make a scan with it and get use to it. A scan should be made once a week regardless of the AV.
If you do not have it be sure to download it from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials/default.aspx

wysiwyg · Jun 6, 2011

If you use MSE you don't need Malwarebytes, you're just duplicating an action.
Why clutter up your HDD.

Golden · Jun 6, 2011

Hi,

Welcome to SevenForums.

I agree with what Rich says. With time, you will come to relaise the community is quite polarised when it comes to anti-malware software. Essentially, there is so much choice it becomes hard to make an informed decision.

I have used both MSE and Norton, and both have performed flawlessly. In my opinion, MSE seems to be less obstrusive whilst Norton tends to be resource hungry : on a netbook this might be an issue. Since you have the option of installing Norton if you wish, go with MSE and see how that suites you/your son. Its easy enough to uninstall if you want to give Norton a go.

I also recommend Malwarebytes as a second layer of defense : I recommend the paid version so that the anti-malware definitions update automatically, and it contains a very handy malicious IP blocker too. It's a myth that a second system of protection is a resource hog and not required, so this is something I would definately not overlook.

Good luck with your new purchase,
Golden

richc46 · Jun 6, 2011

wysiwyg said:
If you use MSE you don't need Malwarebytes, you're just duplicating an action.
Why clutter up your HDD.

Disagree. Both are needed and many experts here use both.

Golden · Jun 6, 2011

richc46 said:
wysiwyg said:

If you use MSE you don't need Malwarebytes, you're just duplicating an action.
Why clutter up your HDD.

Click to expand...

Disagree. Both are needed and many experts here use both.

Absolutely correct : there isn't a single piece of software that protects you from all the anti-malware out there. You improve you chances immeasurably by "layering" your security.

+1 Rich.

fullgrownnut · Jun 6, 2011

Thank you SO much for this incredibly valuable information... I am SO glad that I posted this thread because I didn't know about Malwarebytes... since you SO highly recommended it, I actually just purchased the Pro version and already installed it in my Vista OS... I just performed a Quick Scan, and the it did not find any infected objects... I've had this computer with Vista for a little over two years now with Nortons Security Suite installed, never had Malwarebytes along with it, and still no malware detected by this newly installed software... I'm on the Internet a lot, so that goes to show you just how good Nortons is I guess... Lol...

Once my son's new computer arrives, I will ALSO install the Malwarebytes in his, in addition to whichever antivirus program I decide to use as primary... but here is my dilemma with my decision (either Nortons or Essentials)... first of all, my son does not live with me, so he's in a place where I am unable to see him on a regular basis and monitor what upkeep goes on with his new computer... even though he's almost 15, he pretty much needs his hand held when it comes to a lot of things, especially when it comes with upkeep to a computer, NOT even counting the fact that he never has had his own until now... so, like Golden said, Nortons tends to be resource hungry, so with 1GB of RAM, it might be an issue in that little netbook... however, I VERY much like the fact that Nortons pretty much runs on auto-pilot, and no manual updates or scans need to be performed with it, so it's a GREAT program for people who really don't know too much about running updates, scans, etc. on a regular basis...

and from what I'm gathering about Essentials, and PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, updates, scans, and things of that nature pretty much have to be manually performed?... I would hate to have to call my son on a regular basis to make sure he's running these scans and updates, if so... with Nortons I would would not have to do that since, like I said, it runs itself on auto-pilot without even having to think about it... considering what I just explained, what would you recommend?... once again, thank you SO much for your expertise and help!

richc46 · Jun 6, 2011

Essentials has the same automatic features as the other paid AV. All AV require scans.
Essentials and the others have real time protection. This stops an AV from entering the OS. If one does get by, normally because it is new and there is no definition for it yet, a weekly scan must be done. This is true for all AV
For your son do not get the paid Malwarebytes, go for the free. The only difference is that the free does not have the real time protection.
MSE has all the automatic features that Nortons has.
BTW
Almost all other AV, cause problems. MSE does not, to the best of my knowledge. It was made specifically for Windows.

Wishmaster · Jun 6, 2011

I too use Malwarebytes with Norton IS. And though its never caught anything left behind by Norton, you never know what may happen and I still think its a good idea.

However, I would recommend just using the free version if you pair it with Norton. Just remember to Update and run the On-Demand scan weekly.

Since Norton already has realtime Anti-Spyware/Malware built-in, and gets a bit fussy with other real time scanners.

Malwarebytes RealTime scanner will likely get along better however with anyother AV (Norton included) that has just the real time AntiVirus scanner.

Golden · Jun 6, 2011

fullgrownnut said:
Malwarebytes... since you SO highly recommended it, I actually just purchased the Pro version and already installed it in my Vista OS...

A good investment.......what I really like about Malwarebytes Pro is it's ability to block malicious IP addresses.....and thats really useful if you do a lot of web browsing, or you have a son/daughter that likes to surf a lot.....just another tool to help them avoid stumbling across the nasty sites out there.

I have used the paid (resident) version of Malwarebytes at various times with MSE, with Norton and with Avast, and have yet to encounter any form of conflict between them.

Regards,
Golden

malexous · Jun 6, 2011

Golden said:
In my opinion, MSE seems to be less obstrusive whilst Norton tends to be resource hungry

In my experience, Microsoft Security Essentials is usually more resource hungry than Norton and tests and others' experiences are the same.

fullgrownnut said:
1GB of RAM

My parent's and sister's laptops run Norton with 1GB of RAM and they run well.

1994F7PT · Jun 7, 2011

i use combination of malwarebyte, essentials and AVG across my various home laptops and have never had an infection in 5 years..............touch wood! thats all the free versions, AVG and MSE both update and scan automatically, malware i just remember to do it, like i remember to stick my external drive into a usb on a sunday eve surf session to backup

on an tenuous link, i'd sling another GB of RAM into it as well, more the merrier

fullgrownnut · Jun 7, 2011

A good investment.......what I really like about Malwarebytes Pro is it's ability to block malicious IP addresses.....and thats really useful if you do a lot of web browsing, or you have a son/daughter that likes to surf a lot.....just another tool to help them avoid stumbling across the nasty sites out there.

I have used the paid (resident) version of Malwarebytes at various times with MSE, with Norton and with Avast, and have yet to encounter any form of conflict between them.

Regards,
Golden

Hello Golden,

Thank you so much for your reassurance on my investment with Malwarebytes, and once again for your valuable input with everything (also the others who responded too, of course)...

My son's computer was delivered on Monday, and I have it all set up with Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Pro... everything seems to be working perfectly... I went through ALL the settings for each, and have them set so that they're basically working on auto-pilot for him... just in case I need to physically do anything to his PC, I installed G-bridge in his computer so that when he runs the program on my command, I will be able to get on the phone with him at the same time, and remotely access his desktop from my location (I have used G-bridge to access my mother's computer in the past, and it worked great to be able to help her out with some computer issues)...

I do have a couple of questions/concerns regarding MSE and Malwarebytes... first of all with MSE, I did a test scheduled scan, but nothing happened... it was 1:15 in the afternoon (about an hour and 45 min ago), and I scheduled it for "Tuesday 2:00pm"... the computer was on and running, but no scan happened... and yes, the system's time and date is 100% accurate...

The computer was on, but not in use at the time, and under the Settings tab, there is an option that says "Start the scheduled scan only when my computer is on, but not in use," and that option WAS selected... come to think of it, I might be a little confused with the way that option is worded... maybe you can explain exactly what it means, and also tell me with your own MSE do you have it checked or unchecked... but getting back to what I originally said about the scheduled scan, I'm really concerned that the program didn't perform a scan when I had it set to do it... was it because it was too close into the future to schedule a scan?... I would believe not because I have performed similar tests with Nortons in the past and it checked out fine even with a short time period into the future that the scan was scheduled for, just like I did with MSE...

The second question I have is regarding Malwarebytes and the ability to actually SCHEDULE a system scan or any kind... after looking at ALL the settings and features, I have come to the conclusion (EVEN with the Pro version like I installed) that you are UNable to actually schedule a system scan of any sort, and it has to be performed manually... the ONLY scheduled feature that it seems to have is to set how often the program does updates to itself (the data base definitions and/or actual updates to the program itself)... however, since I have the Pro version, I have that set to Realtime anyway... is there ANY way to schedule a system scan at all with this program, or am I correct by saying that this feature doesn't exist, and it HAS to be done manually?...

Once again, THANK you very much for your help.

richc46 · Jun 7, 2011

fullgrownnut said:
A good investment.......what I really like about Malwarebytes Pro is it's ability to block malicious IP addresses.....and thats really useful if you do a lot of web browsing, or you have a son/daughter that likes to surf a lot.....just another tool to help them avoid stumbling across the nasty sites out there.

I have used the paid (resident) version of Malwarebytes at various times with MSE, with Norton and with Avast, and have yet to encounter any form of conflict between them.

Regards,
Golden

Click to expand...

Hello Golden,

Thank you so much for your reassurance on my investment with Malwarebytes, and once again for your valuable input with everything (also the others who responded too, of course)...

My son's computer was delivered on Monday, and I have it all set up with Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Pro... everything seems to be working perfectly... I went through ALL the settings for each, and have them set so that they're basically working on auto-pilot for him... just in case I need to physically do anything to his PC, I installed G-bridge in his computer so that when he runs the program on my command, I will be able to get on the phone with him at the same time, and remotely access his desktop from my location (I have used G-bridge to access my mother's computer in the past, and it worked great to be able to help her out with some computer issues)...

I do have a couple of questions/concerns regarding MSE and Malwarebytes... first of all with MSE, I did a test scheduled scan, but nothing happened... it was 1:15 in the afternoon (about an hour and 45 min ago), and I scheduled it for "Tuesday 2:00pm"... the computer was on and running, but no scan happened... and yes, the system's time and date is 100% accurate...

The computer was on, but not in use at the time, and under the Settings tab, there is an option that says "Start the scheduled scan only when my computer is on, but not in use," and that option WAS selected... come to think of it, I might be a little confused with the way that option is worded... maybe you can explain exactly what it means, and also tell me with your own MSE do you have it checked or unchecked... but getting back to what I originally said about the scheduled scan, I'm really concerned that the program didn't perform a scan when I had it set to do it... was it because it was too close into the future to schedule a scan?... I would believe not because I have performed similar tests with Nortons in the past and it checked out fine even with a short time period into the future that the scan was scheduled for, just like I did with MSE...

The second question I have is regarding Malwarebytes and the ability to actually SCHEDULE a system scan or any kind... after looking at ALL the settings and features, I have come to the conclusion (EVEN with the Pro version like I installed) that you are UNable to actually schedule a system scan of any sort, and it has to be performed manually... the ONLY scheduled feature that it seems to have is to set how often the program does updates to itself (the data base definitions and/or actual updates to the program itself)... however, since I have the Pro version, I have that set to Realtime anyway... is there ANY way to schedule a system scan at all with this program, or am I correct by saying that this feature doesn't exist, and it HAS to be done manually?...

Once again, THANK you very much for your help.

Something probably did happen with MSEs scheduled scan, it was probably the quick scan. Go back and check the settings. Once a week, make sure that you do full scan. It can be a scheduled task or do it yourself.
As far as I know the only difference between the Pro version and the free version is the real time protection.

fullgrownnut · Jun 7, 2011

Something probably did happen with MSEs scheduled scan, it was probably the quick scan. Go back and check the settings. Once a week, make sure that you do full scan. It can be a scheduled task or do it yourself.
As far as I know the only difference between the Pro version and the free version is the real time protection.

Thank you for your input... I MOST definitely had it set on "Full Scan"... I just checked it again to make sure like you said, and YES, it's set on "Full Scan"... when you click on "Home" and read the bottom under "Scan details" it says, "Scheduled scan: Tuesday around 2:00 PM (Full scan)," and under that it says, "Last scan: 6/6/2011 at 11:02 AM (Quick scan)"... which means that EVEN if a Quick scan is performed, the program documents it right there anyway (I performed one manually yesterday)... and JUST to verify, when you click on the link in that section that says "Change my scan schedule," it says:

Run a scheduled scan on my computer (recommended) [THIS is checked]

Scan type: Full scan

When: Tuesday

Around: 2:00 PM

(And the three boxes underneath that are checked off)

So, I have NO idea why the scan did not perform... This is disappointing because my main goal with my son's computer is for these protection programs to basically take care of themselves, which they normally always do... I'll change the setting to tomorrow morning sometime to give it ample time to prepare itself to do a scan, and if it fails that, then something is definitely wrong with either the program or the system time communicating with the program... I'll give it a go, and give my report afterwards... thanks again.

richc46 · Jun 7, 2011

Really sorry that you are having problems. IT must be so frustrating, when all you want is your son to have a problem free experience
Maybe this will give you some ideas
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Scheduled Scan Tips for Sleeping-Hibernated Computers | Antifart.com
Dont know how happy you are with your remote, but team viewer is used by most of the members, here.

fullgrownnut · Jun 7, 2011

richc46 said:
Really sorry that you are having problems. IT must be so frustrating, when all you want is your son to have a problem free experience
Maybe this will give you some ideas
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Scheduled Scan Tips for Sleeping-Hibernated Computers | Antifart.com
Dont know how happy you are with your remote, but team viewer is used by most of the members, here.

Thank you for the link, I will check it out soon... but I was just thinking about something... when I was setting the computer up, and set the time zone, the date was correct, the system minutes were correct, but the hour was off by a couple, even after I connected to the Internet (I thought it automatically synchronized with some time server once it was Online)...

Well, I just did a Google search about synchronizing Windows 7 system time with a time server, and I found an article on how to set it up to synchronize with the Windows time server... so I went into the settings where you synchronize the system time with windows.time.com (that address is actually a selection in the drop down menu in this setting, in addition to a few other selections that basically synchronize with .gov servers... but I chose the Windows server like the article said)... I then clicked Update, and it said that the system has been successfully synchronized with the Windows server, and showed a date and time for the next synchronization... this was not activated before for some reason, but now it is... MAYBE this had something to do with it...

But either way, I STILL believe that EVEN if I manually set the correct hour when it was off (which I did on Monday during set-up), and the time of scheduled scan in MSE coincided with the system time, the scan STILL should have been activated... but who knows, this might be just some weird exception, so I guess I will see... if anyone else has any input on what might be happening here, please let me know... thanks again.

richc46 · Jun 7, 2011

If you are tying to keep your Son's computer trouble free. Donwload Secunia, it will tell you when any software has security updates available.
Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) - Introduction

fullgrownnut · Jun 7, 2011

richc46 said:
If you are tying to keep your Son's computer trouble free. Donwload Secunia, it will tell you when any software has security updates available.
Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) - Introduction

Thank you very much... that is VERY interesting AND helpful... I just might install that into my own system... Lol... you guys are the best, I'm SO glad I joined this forum.

richc46 · Jun 7, 2011

That suggestion came from personal use. I use is and think that it is awesome.

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