MSE system requirements

Seems like those requirements are misleading (for not saying "fake"), as MSE or any antivirus don't even require any kind of browser to work. I tried MSE myself and use Opera as browser (keeping IE only because it's bundled within Windows itself) and as far as I remember it worked well as promised. It doesn't requires or uses the browser at all, other than for downloading it initially.

The only thing that might make an antivirus require a browser is if it includes a browser plugin for some additional security. That's not the case of MSE, which only includes very basic protection options.

You're wrong: MSE does require a browser to work. How else are you going to get a virus?

USB flash drive, CD/DVD...

FuturDreamz said:

You're wrong: MSE does require a browser to work. How else are you going to get a virus?

To name a few: Pendrive, shared files over a network, trojans over local network, CDs, moving hard disks across machines, FTP, torrents, faulty program updates/compromised servers, running a server on your machine exposed to internet, SSH, any other internet facing program
and the list goes on, none of those require a browser.

Regardless, no antivirus requires a browser, be it MSE or another. They just limit to monitor filesystem in their most basic form. The browser is a common way of unsuspecting users getting a virus, but that has nothing to do with antiviruses, which really don't care at all how the virus reached there.

That was a joke...

For MSE, updates for definitions (and program updates) can be updated from Windows Update.
You can also Right click on the MSE tray icon and get new definition updates.
No browser needed for these.

Basically the same for Avast, as far as Right click the Tray Icon to get updates...
No browser needed for this.
Avast will NOT get updates via Windows update!
I would guess other Anti Virus products work similar to Avast, but I can't guarantee that...

Other Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware products may work differently and not allow updating from the tray icon

Heyyou said:

..........I think the word browser was used, meaning to say internet where you don't have to access a particular browser. :)

It would have been nice if you had posted a link to the website where you saw these system requirements, then we could have a better discussion about why IE6 or higher was mentioned.

In order for this website...
Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Windows
...to offer you one button to click on to get MSE, you need the one of the browsers mentioned here*. The website will determine if you are visiting from a computer using a 64bit operating system or from a computer that is using a 32bit operating system - then that website should automatically deliver the correct file. If you visit that website using IE5.5, I do not think that the website can reliably tell the "bitness" of the visiting operating system. I don't have access to a version of IE lower than 6 right now, so I cannot test that theory - maybe someone else can test that for us.

*you can also get to that website's listing of the system requirements by clicking on the first link in this post, then "product info" in the lower left, the "system requirement" in the top center. So, those system requirements are related to the first link in this post.



If you visit this website...
Download Microsoft Security Essentials from Official Microsoft Download Center
...you will be presented with a different set of system requirements to download/install MSE. Notice that there are no minimum browser versions listed. Also notice that the website was updated recently.




MSE uses svchost.exe to get the initial set of things to watch out for.


MSE uses svchost.exe to get to get subsequent lists too.


Notice what process Windows Update uses to get its updates:


Do you have any more questions about MSE that we can answer for you?