security setup

Andy:

The typical advice is that you should have only 1 "real time" "anti virus" program. MSE protects in real time, so it may not play nice with other "anti virus" apps like AVG, Avast, etc. But MSE doesn't seem to conflict with any of the applications I use (see my earlier post in this thread).

But that leaves aside the basic question--what is needed and what is superfluous?

I have heard it said that MSE is strong against viruses and maybe not as strong against malware, but of course I have no way of knowing.

And there is confusion over naming. Does an "anti virus" application have no effect on "malware"? Vice versa? Which apps are exclusively "anti malware" and which are exclusively "anti virus" or "anti spyware"?

I am sorry to everyone, I have not used MSE but i believe it is very good so i would stick with that if you use it fot your real time protection.
I use Avast for my realtime protection but this is only my preference.

Although i put my faith in Avast for virus protection it also has added anti malware scanning as a bonus which i believe MSE also has.

I find with Avast thier main purpose is virus protection and the antimalware/spyware is an added bonus & i have had things slip past it.

So this is where a standalone scanner (in my case Malwarebytes) comes in to play it doesnt use resources as it has no resident protection

Just update it before you use it and run a scan once or twice a week just in case a nasty has slipped past undected

I am sorry about the confusion i hope that this gives a bit of clarity