What AV are Windows 10 folks using?

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I have (actually had) the commercial version of avast Internet Security installed on my Win 10-64 AU machine. For two consecutive days after the last avast software update (last Friday) I’ve had two BSOD crashes. The crashes don’t point to avast but it’s the last thing that changed on my machine. Before that, I’ve only had one BSOD crash that actually did point to an avast driver. And these two crashes were for two different reasons.

So, I’m thinking I don’t feel so good about avast any more; I uninstalled it and for now I’ll depend on Windows Defender and my commercial version of Malwarebytes anti-malware to see if my BSODs go away.

What AV products/suites are people running on Windows 10 which aren’t causing them heartburn? Avast has had a lot of problems in the last few weeks. I’m sensitive that trying to keep their product working with a moving target like Win 10 is a formidable task but BSODs are really unacceptable and IMHO, the product has become extremely bloated.

Rob

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Malwarebytes Pro + Emsisoft Antimalware.

Using a single product is just too risky, IMO. Using different products, including products that are not blacklist based, is a good way to minimize the changes of getting infected.

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I just continued using my Norton Security after my upgrade and shopping around for it can find a cheaper deal than buying from Symantec.

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So, I’m thinking I don’t feel so good about avast any more; I uninstalled it and for now I’ll depend on Windows Defender and my commercial version of Malwarebytes anti-malware to see if my BSODs go away.

I gave up using Avast Free in March when a new version was released. From the number of complaints in the support forum at the time I got the impression Avast developers and support forum staff were a bit overwhelmed by the number of problems reported. I’m now using Defender and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium for my Windows 10 devices.

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I gave up using Avast Free in March when a new version was released. From the number of complaints in the support forum at the time I got the impression Avast developers and support forum staff were a bit overwhelmed by the number of problems reported. I’m now using Defender and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium for my Windows 10 devices.

I have to agree, Rick. I’ve run the commercial version of avast Internet Security for a few years now but it’s becoming unglued with all of the silly gizmos they’re bolting on to it. Now that Defender is a “serious” AV solution I really don’t see a reason to run a commercial product. I bought my copy of MBAM back in the days when they offered lifetime licenses so I’ll keep that running. I also use Norton’s Connect Safe DNS servers which add a bit more protection by screening out vicious web sites.

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djohnson, what version of “anything” do you not use:rolleyes:

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He doesn’t use trojans!

Maybe they use him!

No offense dj, could not help meself!
:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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ESET and Malwarebytes

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmond Burke-

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I use Defender and the free version of Malwarebytes with an occasional scan using a rotation of one of the free online scanners from TrendMicro, ESET, Bit Defender, McAfee, or Kaspersky.

--Joe

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I use Defender and the free version of Malwarebytes……..

Me also.

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I use Defender and the free version of Malwarebytes with an occasional scan using a rotation of one of the free online scanners from TrendMicro, ESET, Bit Defender, McAfee, or Kaspersky.

Joe: I like that idea.

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I use Defender and the free version of Malwarebytes

So do I.
If your running Win 10 firewall and Defender, running with any other AV is just bloatware. Never had an attack going way back to Win98. So many get carried away with all the AV junk around and waste money on them. IMHO.

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I use Defender and the free version of Malwarebytes with an occasional scan using a rotation of one of the free online scanners from TrendMicro, ESET, Bit Defender, McAfee, or Kaspersky.

Me, too.

Image or Clone often! Backup, backup, backup, backup......
- - - - -
Home Built: Windows 10 Home 64-bit, AMD Athlon II X3 435 CPU, 16GB RAM, ASUSTeK M4A89GTD-PRO/USB3 (AM3) motherboard, 512GB SanDisk SSD, 3 TB WD HDD, 1024MB ATI AMD RADEON HD 6450 video, ASUS VE278 (1920x1080) display, ATAPI iHAS224 Optical Drive, integrated Realtek HD Audio

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Defender and Malwarebytes AM Home Premium.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I am using Norton Internet Security. It works just fine except: Norton Identity Safe (password manager), which ships with the product, does not work with Microsoft Edge (Symantec claims they are waiting for MS to enable certain add-ons for Edge, which will hopefully include Norton Identity Safe).

In the interim, Identity Safe works just fine with Internet Explorer (and other popular browsers) under Windows 10

See here for details:

https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v113038371_EndUserProfile_en_us

My Rig: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core CPU; ASUS Cross Hair VIII Formula Mobo; Win 11 Pro (64 bit)-(UEFI-booted); 32GB RAM; 2TB Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. 1TB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD; MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC; Microsoft 365 Home; Condusiv SSDKeeper Professional; Acronis Cyberprotect, VMWare Workstation Pro V17.5. HP 1TB USB SSD External Backup Drive). Dell G-Sync G3223Q 144Hz Monitor.

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I am using Defender and Malwarebytes Pro.

Jerry

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I use Windows Defender and the free version of Malwarebytes.

Mark

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

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I don’t use anything.

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What version of “anything” do you not use:rolleyes:

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I don’t use anything.

You’re computing “commando”?!?!?

Brave man!

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Trying to help out a friend who could not access USB attached devices and other odd problems. He was running both Webroot and Malwarebytes Pro. He took it to a local “professional” who advised him he had a virus (unnamed) which was preventing access. Interesting that he was running 2 packages and neither detected the problem.

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Trying to help out a friend who could not access USB attached devices and other odd problems. He was running both Webroot and Malwarebytes Pro. He took it to a local “professional” who advised him he had a virus (unnamed) which was preventing access. Interesting that he was running 2 packages and neither detected the problem.

Malwarebytes does not have effective Real Time detection. You need to do periodic manual or scheduled scans to get the most out of it.

Jerry

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Trying to help out a friend who could not access USB attached devices and other odd problems. He was running both Webroot and Malwarebytes Pro. He took it to a local “professional” who advised him he had a virus (unnamed) which was preventing access. Interesting that he was running 2 packages and neither detected the problem.

That’s odd. I think if you use just a bit of common sense and don’t go traipsing in bad places, a decent AV product will protect you. To stack the deck in my favor, I also use the WOT add-in on Chrome and Firefox and I use Norton’s Connect Safe DNS servers. There are also quite a few free boot-time scanning products you can download if you suspect something is awry that your AV product is missing.

Rob

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That’s odd….. There are also quite a few free boot-time scanning products you can download if you suspect something is awry that your AV product is missing.

Rob

If your using the latest Windows 10 Anniversary V1607, you don’t need other bloatware or expensive AV Apps. They ALL add additional processing overhead for no reason, if your careful what you click on !
Windows 10 V16 Defender has a boot time scan BUILT into it’s settings.
It will tell you it’s going to reboot, then do it & restart with Defender OFFLINE. Another reason to update to Windows 10 V16.

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@artiep: “Interesting that he was running 2 packages and neither detected the problem. ”

That might be why!!!!

My Rig: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core CPU; ASUS Cross Hair VIII Formula Mobo; Win 11 Pro (64 bit)-(UEFI-booted); 32GB RAM; 2TB Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. 1TB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD; MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC; Microsoft 365 Home; Condusiv SSDKeeper Professional; Acronis Cyberprotect, VMWare Workstation Pro V17.5. HP 1TB USB SSD External Backup Drive). Dell G-Sync G3223Q 144Hz Monitor.

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I use Vipre Internet Security with Win 10; I used it with Win 7 and Win XP as well. I was using Norton, but it became ‘bloatware’ and slowed down my computer. Vipre has always worked well for me.

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@artiep: “Interesting that he was running 2 packages and neither detected the problem. ”

That might be why!!!!

Not might be ! It is !
Running 2 AV Apps at the same time (Except Malwarebytes free scanner, but you don’t need too, unless you suspect an infection, more than once a month, maybe !) is a NONO
! it not only confuses them both, but also slowszzzzz your PC down,significantly, and may cause it to stall. They will fight each other.
Win10 V1607 Anniversary has a much better Defender built in and it will run a real time scan if enabled in settings, and a BOOT SCAN in settings if needed. It’s easy & Way to go ! It’s maintained by Microsoft with their update system, so you don’t have to fuss with other bloatware.

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Win10 V1607 Anniversary has a much better Defender built in and it will run a real time scan if enabled in settings, and a BOOT SCAN in settings if needed.

Where are these settings located?

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Where are these settings located?

Settings->Update & security->Windows Defender

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Settings->Update & security->Windows Defender

I knew where those settings were (also accessible from the WD UI), but could find nothing to implement the items I highlighted.

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I knew where those settings were (also accessible from the WD UI), but could find nothing to implement the items I highlighted.

The real time scan is the first option and enabled by default.

The boot scan is further down and called Windowss Defender Offline.

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Where are these settings located?

Control Panel>>>Windows Defender>>>Settings.
If Win 10 use the PC Settings gear wheel or right click the Start Button to see the Control Panel or type Defender in the search box.

.

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Defender and Malwarebytes Pro, plus WOT on IE.

Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD

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Defender & Malwarebytes free plus a good dollop of common sense tied in with experience.

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I am running the full version of Kaspersky Internet Security and Malwarebytes free edition.
The paid version of Kaspersky protects 3 computers and it has caught anything that is thrown at it.

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I use McAfee mostly. I have a “whole house” license covers computers/tablets/phones. The real nice one is Peerblock. Blocks IP addresses and has a subscription to many lists you can choose from. Been using it for years – even paid for it and the list subscription.

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I am now running Windows Defender in Windows 10. Does it have a specific time to run the scan, or do i need to
schedule a scan? If so, how do I create a scan?

Many thanks
Dave

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I am now running Windows Defender in Windows 10. Does it have a specific time to run the scan, or do i need to
schedule a scan? If so, how do I create a scan?

Many thanks
Dave

Hi Dave,
Defender doesn’t have a scheduler. Only a manual facility, quick, full or custom on it’s home page. To run a scheduled scan use the Windows Task Scheduler. It will take care of it once you set it up. Use the search box window to locate it.

If you don’t have the search function icon or box on the taskbar, right click the Start button & select Search. Look for Scheduler, select it, and the scheduler screen will open and tell you all about it. Follow it’s instructions. It can be bit daunting at first, but you’ll find it’s not too bad once you start to use it.

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Thanks Keith, have managed to create a schedule scan and it ran OK for the first time.
I suppose one just uses the manual function to do full scans or extra scans if needed?
Regards
Dave

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Thanks Keith, have managed to create a schedule scan and it ran OK for the first time.
I suppose one just uses the manual function to do full scans or extra scans if needed?
Regards
Dave

Open a command prompt. Go to C:Program FilesWindows Defender. Run MPCmdRun.exe /? to see all the command line options. You can run a full scan using command line options.

--Joe

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You can scan it manually. I can’t find any way of telling it to scan at a particular time, but the last scan it did wasn’t initiated by me. I get occasional messages saying (so far), a scan hasn’t found anything. I’ll try and keep a list of when it scans to get an idea of frequency.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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Thanks access-mdb.

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You can scan it manually. I can’t find any way of telling it to scan at a particular time, but the last scan it did wasn’t initiated by me. I get occasional messages saying (so far), a scan hasn’t found anything. I’ll try and keep a list of when it scans to get an idea of frequency.

I said I would reply when it scanned again and it did so on the 1st. Again, not initiated by me. It was six days after the previous scan, so it’s due to scan today, assuming a six day period. That may be incorrect as it’s based on an example of one!

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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I thought that it ran a daily quick scan.

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This tutorial will guide you in scheduling scans and signature updates using Task Scheduler.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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On my HP laptop I get a notice in the Action Center immediately after Defender updates that Defender needs to scan so I have never bothered with a schedule so far.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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On my HP laptop I get a notice in the Action Center immediately after Defender updates that Defender needs to scan so I have never bothered with a schedule so far.

I still get those once or twice a week, I just clear them. I know the scans are getting done.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I still get those once or twice a week, I just clear them. I know the scans are getting done.

I used to get them, but haven’t since unchecking the Windows Defender box in CCleaner under the heading Utilities.

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I don’t have Windows 10 or Avast Internet Security. I use Windows 7 Pro and the free Avast. What I’ve found with all the antivirus software products I’ve used is not to simply install the product as provided, but rather install an edited version containing only what you really need. I don’t know if this applies to Avast Internet Security, but the free Avast is composed of several modules. I select the modules I want and leave the rest behind (see attached screenshot). I’ve used this technique for years and it works fine.

45500-Avast-component-selections

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You can go to Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Defender to see when it last ran. If you “Enable All Task History” you can start tracking when it runs. History is disabled by default in Task Scheduler, and it only begins logging task history after being enabled.

The last run time for me was today at 12:00:42 AM. I also have a scheduled daily quick scan and a weekly full scan. Here’s another link to the tutorial.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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