After about a year languishing in Beta 1 status, since their acquisition of the company that originally made it, Microsoft has
released Beta 2 of (the product formerly known as) Microsoft AntiSpyware, now officially renamed as Windows Defender.
Although I'm currently quite happy with the combination of Spybot S+D, Spyware Blaster, and Ad-Aware 1.06 SE to help,
keep spyware at bayand given the fact that I wouldn't usually trust a product still in beta to help protect the security of
my PC, I shall at least reserve judgement on Microsoft's latest antispyware offering until I've given it a once over.
Windows Defender is available here, and requires Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1.
Microsoft Anti-Spyware - now Windows Defender.
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Dr Lobster*
- Posts: 2123
- Joined: Sat 30 Aug, 2003 20.14
at least it's free, unlike the onecare product - i can't see how they can justify having an updated spyware product free of charge yet you pay for their antivirus.
Upload service: http://www.metropol247.co.uk/uploadservice
Windows Anitspyware Beta 1 was very good IMO. it's interface could do with some work but that's mainly left over from the old giant interface. The first version was basically a minor update to giant with new logos clagged on.
"He has to be larger than bacon"
Here's a quick screengrab of Windows Defender Beta 2 running a "Quick Scan" on my system earlier . . .Hymagumba wrote: Windows Anitspyware Beta 1 was very good IMO. it's interface could do with some work but that's mainly left over
from the old giant interface. The first version was basically a minor update to giant with new logos clagged on.
Since it's a beta, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt over all that unnecessary whitespace.
So far it's not bad for a beta, but I'm certainly not prepared to give it default spyware killing privileges since it is still a beta
product. Although there is one ever so slightly annoying thing I've found not to like about it. It wants to be a permanent
background service, even when the program is completely closed, including the system tray icon.
There are two files, MSASCui.exe and MsMpEng.exe, in the installation of Windows Defender, that remain in memory while
the program isn't running. Now there may be several other exe files running in the background on your average Windows,
installation, butthey're mostly essential to the operating system, and cannot be closed, which is fair enough.
But, I don't see any specific reason for these two files to be listed under the Processes tab in Windows Task Manager, as
though they're critical system files, that are essential to keep Windows ticking along the way it's meant to. Especially if I
don't have the actual Windows Defender program itself running. You could argue that they're there for "realtime system
scanning" that runs in the background, to catch any rogue software before it can do any damage, like most antivirus
programs do. But then you'd expect to see a system tray icon to accompany this type of background service, to let
you know that it's actively keeping your system protected from malware.
Now here's the thing ... every now and then, I'll have a quick look to see if any programs I've closed (for whatever reason)
have got stuck in memory, and need to forcefully closed via the "End Process" button. A little while ago, I found the two
aforementioned exe files. I hadn't seen these on my system before. I didn't know where they'd come from, I didn't
recognise them, and I instantly didn't trust them. So I did highlighted them, and clicked "End Process".
I then went to Google to look them up, and see if whether or not these files were dodgy or legit. It was then that I found
out they were part of Windows Defender. "Strange." I thought. That program isn't open, and it's system tray icon isn't
there either. I glanced back at Task manager. The MsMpEng.exe process had reappeared, so I killed it again.
About 10 seconds later, the process reappeared again. By now I'm thinking that this is sort of thing that exe processes
originating from unsolicited spyware programs usually do. But it's extremely rare that any spyware manages to sneak
into my system, so to be honest (IMO) this process really doesn't need to be there, and I don't really want it to be
there either, at least until the next time I want (or need) to run Windows Defender.
Anyway, I've decided to leave it as it as for the following reasons ... it's a legitimate file, and not the type of nefarious file
that Windows Defender is designed to get rid of ... it only uses about 20MB of my system RAM, so it's hardly what I'd
consider to be a resource hog. Oh, and given the fact that Windows Defender is still only a beta product, it may be
a bug that leaves that particular process running without the system tray icon to accompany it.
All of this is going to be (irrevocably) integrated into the upcoming Windows Vista anyway ... so eventually, most of us will
get this thing given to us by the boffins at Redmond, whether we want it or not. Pretty much like Internet Explorer really!
product. Although there is one ever so slightly annoying thing I've found not to like about it. It wants to be a permanent
background service, even when the program is completely closed, including the system tray icon.
There are two files, MSASCui.exe and MsMpEng.exe, in the installation of Windows Defender, that remain in memory while
the program isn't running. Now there may be several other exe files running in the background on your average Windows,
installation, butthey're mostly essential to the operating system, and cannot be closed, which is fair enough.
But, I don't see any specific reason for these two files to be listed under the Processes tab in Windows Task Manager, as
though they're critical system files, that are essential to keep Windows ticking along the way it's meant to. Especially if I
don't have the actual Windows Defender program itself running. You could argue that they're there for "realtime system
scanning" that runs in the background, to catch any rogue software before it can do any damage, like most antivirus
programs do. But then you'd expect to see a system tray icon to accompany this type of background service, to let
you know that it's actively keeping your system protected from malware.
Now here's the thing ... every now and then, I'll have a quick look to see if any programs I've closed (for whatever reason)
have got stuck in memory, and need to forcefully closed via the "End Process" button. A little while ago, I found the two
aforementioned exe files. I hadn't seen these on my system before. I didn't know where they'd come from, I didn't
recognise them, and I instantly didn't trust them. So I did highlighted them, and clicked "End Process".
I then went to Google to look them up, and see if whether or not these files were dodgy or legit. It was then that I found
out they were part of Windows Defender. "Strange." I thought. That program isn't open, and it's system tray icon isn't
there either. I glanced back at Task manager. The MsMpEng.exe process had reappeared, so I killed it again.
About 10 seconds later, the process reappeared again. By now I'm thinking that this is sort of thing that exe processes
originating from unsolicited spyware programs usually do. But it's extremely rare that any spyware manages to sneak
into my system, so to be honest (IMO) this process really doesn't need to be there, and I don't really want it to be
there either, at least until the next time I want (or need) to run Windows Defender.
Anyway, I've decided to leave it as it as for the following reasons ... it's a legitimate file, and not the type of nefarious file
that Windows Defender is designed to get rid of ... it only uses about 20MB of my system RAM, so it's hardly what I'd
consider to be a resource hog. Oh, and given the fact that Windows Defender is still only a beta product, it may be
a bug that leaves that particular process running without the system tray icon to accompany it.
All of this is going to be (irrevocably) integrated into the upcoming Windows Vista anyway ... so eventually, most of us will
get this thing given to us by the boffins at Redmond, whether we want it or not. Pretty much like Internet Explorer really!
This probably means that it is a service that's been configured to automatically restart if terminated. Look for the Services applet in the Administrative Tools section of the Control Panel. IIRC, each service has a "Recovery" section that allows you to change the action taken if the program is terminated.DJGM wrote:About 10 seconds later, the process reappeared again.
What I don't get is...
Why aren't hi-spec anti-virus software packages available FREE to everyone and free updates for life?
If everyone was protected properly, virus spreading across the net would halve!
Methinks that viruses keep a few people at these anti-virus companies very rich indeed.
It's a scandal.
Why aren't hi-spec anti-virus software packages available FREE to everyone and free updates for life?
If everyone was protected properly, virus spreading across the net would halve!
Methinks that viruses keep a few people at these anti-virus companies very rich indeed.
It's a scandal.
User Removed
A quickscan on my system takes less than a minute.DJGM wrote:Here's a quick screengrab of Windows Defender Beta 2 running a "Quick Scan" on my system earlier . . .Hymagumba wrote: Windows Anitspyware Beta 1 was very good IMO. it's interface could do with some work but that's mainly left over
from the old giant interface. The first version was basically a minor update to giant with new logos clagged on.
Since it's a beta, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt over all that unnecessary whitespace.
User Removed
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Neil Jones
- Posts: 661
- Joined: Thu 11 Sep, 2003 20.03
- Location: West Midlands
They used to be, years ago. Until the great dot com collapse. And then everybody decided that they would make "premium" versions of their software for an extra fee which did stuff that the free versions didn't.Jamez wrote:What I don't get is...
Why aren't hi-spec anti-virus software packages available FREE to everyone and free updates for life?
Anyway, you can preach for the rest of time to some people about how to get a free Virus Scanner (AVG for argument's sake) and they STILL won't do it until you get their computer and do it for them.
Spyware is more a problem these days than a virus. The most nasty viruses usually wipe the hard drive (or as good as give that impression). Spyware does everything else.
No it wouldn't because people would just complain to whoever sold them a copy of Norton/Mcafee/Panda that "it says this attachment is a virus and won't let me open it" and then say "I don't care what Norton/McAfee/Panda says, I want to open the attachment".If everyone was protected properly, virus spreading across the net would halve!
Anyway this idealogy is based on the suggestion that people who own or use computers are intelligent enough to read the news and say "Oh, that's a nasty virus. I really should update my virus scanner/get a virus scanner". And then they go and do something really stupid like stick Kazaa on it, but that's beside the point.
In the real world it just doesn't happen like that; layman computer users are lazy and if it involves clicking more than two buttons, they just don't want to know. Therefore if they go for a virus solution that doesn't auto-update, it'll never get updated.