AstroSkipper

Define is now defined? Fine!

IMHO, there is no need to close this thread. And one thing is clear. If this thread should be closed, it will still not be deleted. You can access the information collected here at any time, but then you can no longer add anything new. Just as it has always been here on MSFN. Anyway! This thread contains a lot of important information, a source of knowledge. I use it for my research regularly.

When I say a real XP user, I mean using Windows XP on real hardware and no VM. I need a confirmation from a user with Windows XP SP3 fully updated including all POSReady updates as my issue appears only under this condition. I just want to find out if my partition or the Glarysoft Startup Manager has a problem. You do not have POSReady updates installed in your system, so you're out. Sorry! But thanks for your reply! And of course, you are a real XP user, too.

To all real (no VM) Windows XP SP3 (32 Bit) Professional POSReady users! Is anyone else here in the forum who can or can't confirm this issue described in the quoted posts? I am still interested in a confirmation in terms of the issue described in the quoted posts above to decide whether it is POSReady related or not. This request is addressed to all members using a real (no VM) Windows XP SP3 (32 Bit) Professional, fully updated including all POSReady Updates. Or am I the only real XP (32 Bit) user here? Thanks in advance! Greetings, AstroSkipper Apparently, I am really the only real Windows XP user, or no one is willing to do a 5 minute test as described above. TBH, both options are a bit tragical, unfortunately.

Ok! I checked again the Avast Free Antivirus homepage from November of 2018 on archive.org. For Avast Free Antivirus 18.8, four Core Shields are listed to be available: File Shield, Behavior Shield, Web Shield and Email Shield (only Outlook and Thunderbird are supported). Additionally, I found a German YouTube video from 2018 which confirms that indeed all features exist and can be enabled. Therefore, I revised my post in terms of available shields in Avast Free Antivirus.

In times of Avast Premier, I didn't install Software Updater, either. Those features are always crap. But are you sure that all features from my first screenshot are fully available in Avast Free Antivirus? I assume that for example SecureLine VPN has to be paid and is not really part of Avast Free Antivirus. And I read on Avast's homepage from 2018 (archive.org) a spam and phishing filter is only a feature of AIS or AP. So is there really a Mail Shield in Avast Free Antivirus?

Thanks for your reply! Of course, I always try to treat programs I present as fairly as possible. BTW, you must have misunderstood something. I am not looking for a better program. I'm not doing all this for myself, but to give all Windows XP users a structured overview of the remaining protection programs and to preserve data of them. As far as security peograms are concerned, I am well provided for. And there is no doubt that Avast has a perfect detection rate. I have used Avast Premier for ages in my system, and there was a time I was more happy with it. As your “Protection” screenshot shows, those features are locked in Avast Free, although I’m sure you had them with Avast Premier. (Malwarebytes Premium includes Ransomware Protection, but unfortunately that feature is inactive on XP/Vista. ) As I wrote, I used Avast Free Antivirus only a short time. Maybe, I overstated it. So, no Ransomware Shield. Ok! Do you know whether it has the Web Protection feature? Or much better, does it have a Web Shield and a Mail Shield? Can you upload a screenshot with all available shields? I thought that was meant by core Firewall functionality. I know there is no firewall, of course. It's a feature of AIS and AP. I only wrote what I found about the features of Avast Free Antivirus. And all sources stated different facts. Even on the original Avast Free Antivirus homepage from 2018. And you're right, Avast Premier has all these features including the Ransomware Shield. Anyway! I didn't install Avast Free Antivirus and I won't do it, either.

Avast Free Antivirus The most used and very often recommended antivirus program for Windows XP is probably Avast Free Antivirus, and that for years. It is supposed to use advanced algorithms for detecting viruses, malware, spyware and other threats in real-time. The Core Shields are: File Shield, Behavior Shield, Web Shield and Email Shield (only Outlook and Thunderbird are supported). Furthermore, it is supposed to protect against rootkits, and it offers additionally a Software Updater and Wi-Fi Inspector. Avast Free Antivirus still protects Windows XP owners with regular virus definition updates. But Avast no longer provides program updates, new features, bug fixes, or support for Windows XP. It was tested by AV-TEST and achieved a detection rate of almost 100% in November and December 2018 (see below). Key Features: Real-time protection against malware and online threats. Automatic analysis of suspicious files with CyberCapture. Network scanning and Wi-Fi security with Wi-Fi Inspector. Behavioral monitoring with Behavior Shield. Comprehensive scanning with Smart Scan. Creating a Rescue Disk for emergency use. Browser cleanup to improve online security. Password management with autofill feature. Game Mode to optimize computer performance during gameplay. Homepage: https://www.avast.com/windows-xp-antivirus https://web.archive.org/web/20181120211126/https://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download Version number: 18.8.4084.0 (18.8.2356) Date of release: 15.11.2018 System Requirements: A PC with 256 MB+ RAM and 1.5 GB of hard disk space. Avast Antivirus is compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP SP3. Version history and release notes: Review: https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/1406757/avast-free-antivirus-2018-review-the-best-free-security-suite Tests: Avast in general: https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/manufacturer/avast/ https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/summary-report-2018/#avast Screenshot with the final test results from AV-TEST: Screenshot with the Product of the Year 2018 award from AV-Comparatives: Avast Free Antivirus 18.7 & 18.8 in detail: https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/december-2018/avast-free-antivirus-18.7--18.8-184902/ Download links: Online installer: https://install.avcdn.net/av/avast/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_online.exe Offline installer: https://install.avcdn.net/iavs9x-xp/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe Avast VPS update for versions 12+: https://install.avcdn.net/vpsnitro/vpsupd.exe Avast Uninstall Utility (Avast Clear) in the correct version of 18.8.4084.0: https://web.archive.org/web/20181116091922if_/http://iavs9x.avg.u.avcdn.net/iavs9x/avastclear.exe How to uninstall Avast using Avast Clear: Sometimes it's not possible to uninstall Avast the standard way using the Add/Remove Programs in control panel. In this case, you can use the uninstallation utility Avast Clear: Download avastclear.exe on your desktop. Start Windows in Safe Mode. Execute the avastclear.exe. If you installed Avast in a different folder than the default, browse for it. (Note: Be careful! The content of any folder you choose will be deleted!). Click REMOVE. Restart your computer. Screenshots: I only used Avast Free Antivirus for a very short time. The version of Avast I had installed for years was Avast Premier. Unfortunately, I have a split opinion about Avast. On the one hand, it's great that Avast offers such a program for Windows XP at all, although this operating system was abandoned by Microsoft in 2014. And then also free of charge and with real-time protection. That is rather rare. Avast continues to roll out definition updates for this old version on a regular base. Furthermore, it has an excellent detection rate of almost 100%. On the other hand, I had various problems with Avast. Exceptions that were set for alarms of the background guard were simply ignored. Avast partly operates according to its own standards and does not always respect the user's settings, which I rather consider as disenfranchisement of the user. I don't like that, and it's simply a no go. Another bad habit of Avast, and unfortunately that of many other manufacturers, is to offer features that are apparently free. For example, SecureLine VPN. In fact, you have to pay for it. I find something like this to be more of a cost trap. That's why I didn't list this feature above. And I had serious problems to uninstall Avast completely. That was actually another no go. Furthermore, I don't like the disk space consumption of Avast products which is always very high. One main reason for that is probably the implementing of (unnecessary) features or those which only can be used if you pay for them. More details about problems in terms of Avast, you will find here: Despite all points of criticism, Avast Free Antivius is a program offering a very good protection and definitely an option for Windows XP, but I personally can't and won't recommend it here due to my reservations and experiences from the past. Kind regards, AstroSkipper

And I totally forgot to mention that all what I do here is very time-consuming and needs a lot of reading and detailed research. Unfortunately, the internet forgets, much has been deleted. Therefore, you have to search the archives to get the information you desire about old, abandoned programs such as Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1. All that just to let Windows XP live forever, or at least as long as possible.

Well then, everything is fine, and I can finally get back to the real thing. AstroSkipper

I didn't say you started or recommended anything. But I said you mentioned the VB100 test results regarding Vir.IT eXplorer. Nothing more, nothing less! So what's your problem? If you don't want to be mentioned for what you wrote yourself, then it isn't a problem of mine but yours. AstroSkipper

And now a general statement about this thread. I collect and present information about security programs for Windows XP here in the most structured way possible. I also share the knowledge I have acquired as a Windows XP user for 22 years now. I don't have to do all this, I am well supplied here with everything that is necessary to use Windows XP as securely as possible in the future. All I do here is preserving and sharing knowledge and information to help others in using Windows XP safely for as long as possible. Nothing more, nothing less!

Thank you for your get-well wishes!

@D.Draker Just to clarify it! It was @jaclaz and you who stated the following: What I did was simply checking the results of these tests which @jaclaz and you mentioned here. And unfortunately the results are rather poor. So it seems you trust tests from Virus Bulletin in general otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned it. Therefore, I don't understand your objections at all. You can't put forward arguments and then directly cast doubt on them again. That does not make sense at all. Spoken for me only, there are some testing institutes I try to trust: AV-TEST, Virus Bulletin and AV-Comparatives. And I don't and won't do such tests by myself. People cannot always be of the same opinion. But that is no reason to throw in the towel right away. So, don't leave! Go on! That's the idea of discussions. Thank you again! Yes, the last weeks I am so tired ... I really don't know what's going on here. Greetings, AstroSkipper

Thank you for your kind words! But only very slightly above the minimum. A detection rate of 77.40% is unfortunately quite poor. That's why Vir.IT eXplorer only achieved the lowest grade D. For me, simply too low. IMHO, Vir.IT eXplorer is therefore just an option for Windows XP if there is no better one, but not more. But luckily, there are still better ones available.

Structure of this thread You might get the idea that this thread will also become confusing if it continues to grow, but that is not the case. I created it in such a way that you can quickly get to the most important information by regularly checking the second, third and fourth post. In particular, the list in the second post contains all the links to the programs presented here. So checking there at regular intervals is a very good, primary strategy. Additionally, we have a forum search function to check this topic for relevant information as we always should do, of course. And I totally forgot to mention, you should have read the first post of this thread at least once. That's it! Greetimgs, AstroSkipper

OT: I know DMDE, and it is a great piece of software. And Recuva, Easeus and Wondershare are rather crap. End of OT.

Of course, I know that but I was interested whether it is well-known or popular in your country or not. That this does not mean anything regarding the quality of a program is totally clear. Or did you seriously think that this could be a decision criterion for me? Nevertheless, I just wanted to know that from a native person because I never heard of Vir.IT eXplorer before, and I assume most of us never heard of it, either. Therefore, I wonder who is using this program at all, especially a program with such a modest detection rate.

FYI, VB100 test criteria and grades: Vir.IT eXplorer narrowly passed the VB100 test. Grade D is the lowest of all.

Thank you for providing information! In the VB100 test report from 21.04.2023, Vir.IT eXplorer just about passed their test with a detection rate of 77.40% (at least 75.00% was required). Unfortunately, that is definitely not marvellous. Is this program well known or popular in Italy? In Germany, it is totally unknown and never mentioned in terms of available antimalware programs.

Hello @jaclaz! Vir.IT eXplorer was your recommendation addressed to @D.Draker. You are Italian, and the program originates in Italy. What do you know about this program in detail? Is it well-known in Italy? Is it considered to be a good protection program? Did you make any own experiences?

Thanks but once again! I know the homepage of Vir.IT eXplorer which was already linked by me here: Quotes from or links to the homepage don't help me at all. What I need is real data based on experiences made by people who really use or have used it a longer time. Or links to trustworthy reviews. Or opinions from members knowing interesting or helpful facts about that program. A short test in a VM is rather meaningless! Anyway! Vir.IT eXplorer is an unknown candidate and therefore problematic.

Of course, online scanners are on my internal list and will be listed here. TBH, there is already a lot on my internal list. Nevertheless, thanks for the tip!

Sorry for that! I overlooked your request. I am very tired the last days. So, is that your *important* question? Why should "it" be at the first place? I don't understand this statement at all. And why don't you call "it" by its name? If someone reads your comment, one will not understand what you are talking about. The program you are probably referring to is called Vir.IT eXplorer. I can't find any detailed data of you regarding this program, though. Only that: https://msfn.org/board/topic/177099-which-antiviruses-are-known-for-a-fact-to-be-working-on-xp-sp3-as-of-2019/?do=findComment&comment=1242782 Unfortunately, I can't do anything with that. What did you test in detail regarding Vir.IT eXplorer? Which version have you installed? Does it have a background guard? Is it really XP-compatible? What about resource consumption in detail? At what intervals are the virus definitions updated? What are the features? What versions do exist and what are the differences? Is it free of charge? And what exactly about this program is marvellous? You see I prefer evaluable, meaningful data based on own experiences. Or links to detailed, trustworthy reviews. I am a mathematician. I need usable, informative and evaluable data. Kind regards, AstroSkipper PS: The current status of Vir.IT eXplorer in this thread can be found here:

I always have the same concerns about software, regardless of whether it originates in Germany, France, Italy, USA, China, India or whatever country. There are good and bad developers, companies that can be trusted more or less, governments that do or do not influence, and so on. At the end of the day, these discussions do not serve any purpose here. This thread is meant to list all available security programs that are still compatible with Windows XP and to spread information about them. Therefore, I would ask you at this point to keep this thread clean, to stop discussions about concerns regarding the country of origin and to contribute something substantive when commenting. I need information, results of testing, recommendations, experiences made in terms of already listed or yet to be listed programs, and further options for Windows XP. My time and resources are limited. So please, be constructive and let's not inflate this thread with unnecessary discussions ! In the end, from all the options listed, the mature readers can decide for themselves which software to trust or not. And I cannot and will not take this personal responsibility away from anyone. Thanks in advance! Kind regards, AstroSkipper