Should I say, Goodbye MSE

Drew, I agree with you on that. If one wants a free AV that won't cause problems, MSE is the way to go. No BSOD's, no ads wanting to sell anything, it fairly automatic, even the updating. The user can leave the settings as is & be fine. Just choose a time of the day when you know you're going to be on the computer to do the auto scanning.

I would still recommend that when using MSE, to scan with MBAM at least once a month, and SuperAntiSpyware is good for finding & deleting tracking & ad cookies. Neither uses resources unless scanning.

If I were still using MSE as my primary protection, then I'd have MBAM Pro as a backup. I usually only have to give $13-$14 for a Lifetime version. It can be reinstalled onto another computer as long as it's uninstalled from the original. MSE is good antivirus, one just has to be a little more careful. Don't click onto banner ads, don't register for free laptops (it's a scam), stay away from porn sites, use common sense computing practices.

Like I agreed with another member in another thread, if one managed money or wealth on the internet, then pay for protection. Usually those who manages wealth has a security consultant to advise on these sort of issues. But for the majority of us, that's not the case.

Still, I feel that anyone who conducts a lot of online transactions (like I do) needs an Internet Security suite, not just an AV. I'm not wealthy, but I manage my bills on the internet, as well as do the bulk of my shopping. Being disabled, I can't run everywhere like I once could, and gas is so high that it just makes sense to shop at home.

It's up to each user to determine their needs, as far as these things goes. I feel safer with paid protection that has a solid reputation behind it. ESET is among the leading providers of internet security in the world (as far as consumer use goes).

AVG, I wouldn't trust it for anything, except to help fill the trash can.

Cat

Frankly, AVG, Norton, McAfee all get the same (bad) attitude from me, for many of the same reasons & it's always quick & easy to see countless others share & support the same bad attitude.

Cat,

"Just choose a time of the day when you know you're going to be on the computer to do the auto scanning"

Actually it can be set to scan even if & when the machine may be in use or not; machine just needs to be Powered ON for Auto Scan to happen; asleep but, not Shut Down.

Cheers,
Drew

I ditched MSE after I got the "disappearing icons virus" it never found it, even after several full system scans, with fully up to date definitions. I tried Avast free, and it found it on the first scan. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I am sticking with Avast for now....

Hey, that's ok... Avast is good. Before MSE, I swore by it, used it myself & gave it to clients.

Avast is good. I'm considering purchasing it for Windows 8 CP, if the trial version runs OK. BTW, Avast is one of the few IS suites that works with Windows 8 CP at this time. ESET does too, but I want Avast for one option: It's "Safe Zone" browser (it's Google Chrome) works in a sandbox, isolating it from the rest of the OS.

So if you like had a trojan, or other undetected virus, the SafeZone browser shields you from anything that's on your computer, & re-routes the traffic through their servers. When you close it, it auto deletes whatever you did while using it. A neat option, as well as their "boot time" scanner, the only AV/IS suite that I know of that has this.

Being that the boot time scanner is running outside of the Windows environment, it has the chance to catch thing that it wouldn't during a regular scan. Even the free version has this, the 64 bit version also. In a dual or tri boot environment, or multiple partitions, it scans the entire PC, much faster than if a full scan were to be ran while running the OS.

Drew, that's what I meant, the computer had to be powered on. You don't actually have to be using it, although you can use it while it silently scans the system. On both versions of XP Mode, I have it set to run a full scan weekly, and I make sure that it's opened (running) during that time, whether or not I'm actively using it.

Cat

I sorta thought you did mean it that way, Cat; was mostly, merely clarifying. Cool, your keen on buying Avast but, here's a thought... Since, there is free security native to Win8, why not just that whilst it (OS) is Beta & hold off w/ the Avast subscription til it's being used on a non-beta OS. Just a thought... Drew

Progress report - at times Task Manager reported MSE was consuming excessive CPU cycles. It is likely that Registry corruption was a major contributor to this. I have made a fresh install of Windows 7 and my system is running well, not perfectly. I plan to reinstall MSE and hopefully I can find a better way to monitor system performance. I will cover this in another post. Please see my post, "What do about erros reported in Event Viewer."

I am excited by the opportunity to perform applications that have recenty become available at a cost I can afford. I frequently install and uninstall software, and I think this messed up my Registry. Then I created a second User account, and that realy messed things up. I am looking for a more controlled way to try things out.

I plan to schedule MSE to run a full scan every night. I'll limit CPU usage to 50% to prevent real time protection from slowing down reponse time. I am intrigued by catilley1092's statement , "use it in XP mode." I'm off to reinstall MSE, and I plan to pursue XP mode further, and also experiment with augmenting MSE with other protection, such as ESET.

Thank you all for your very interesting replies.

Ken,

There's a couple things you've said I cannot leave unaddressed. (1) Installing & removing software & adding a User Acc't should not "mess up" the Registry. (2) I run MSE Full Scan every night & often I'm using the machine @ the time but, there is not any noticable "slow down" during its scan. (3) If looking for a "more controlled way to try things out", that is virtualization... Windows VPC, VMware, VirtualBox... if WVPC & XP Mode that needs Windows 7 Pro or higher. (4) 'experiment with augmenting MSE with other protection, such as ESET", NO, NO, NO!! One can never 'augment' one AV w/ another... never more than one @ a time! More than one AM can coexist but, never more than 1 AV nor more than one software firewall. Things should be ok following the rebuild & glad you are installing MSE. A good 'Best Practise' is to leave things in the Registry alone. Finally, you may well find this worth keeping as reference material, A few Tips - A (Potentially) Useful, Valuable Compilation

Regards,
Drew

Originally Posted by Drew

I run MSE Full Scan every night & often I'm using the machine @ the time but, there is not any noticable "slow down" during its scan.

Drew

Drew - MSE is performing a Full scan on my machine right now. I am logged on to this Forum and have WordPad running. Task Manager reports CPU Usage is 47%, msseces.exe is 3%. Quite a difference from yesterday.

Ken

Originally Posted by Drew

never more than one @ a time! More than one AM can coexist but, never more than 1 AV nor more than one software firewall.

You mean I should not run Avst, ESET, or MSE at the same time, right?
And I should not use McAffee, Norton, or AVG. .... I agree with Thee.

How can I increase the level of protection provided by MSE against:
1) trojan viruses
2) tracking cookies
3) theft of confidential financial information

What if I clicked on Task Manager and saw "not responding." Shouldn't I run Virus Total or MBAM?

What's wrong with running SuperAnti Spyware once a week to remove tracking cookies?

Ken