How to make Microsoft Security Essentials work to it's max protection?

[NojusK]

So im using MSE for more then a month and i want to make to it's max protection if it is possible

Thanks!

[Mathwiz]

I think it's pretty much 'max' by default. Be prepared for sluggish browsing, though; at least that was my experience with MSE.

I finally ended up excluding browsers from MSE in "Excluded processes" and using MalwareBytes' Anti-Exploit to monitor them instead. (MSE still monitors everything else; just not browser processes.) It was the only way to keep my Web browsing from becoming painfully slow.

[caliber]

is it still supported by M$ ?? the latest version requires Net 4.5+

MSE is totally crap to me, it was light and pretty much fast when I had it running long years ago

till I got infected with sality type virus and I ended up uninstalling it forever because it was unable to kill that virus. with Avast it took me a few clicks.

Now I use my brain as anti virus and when I feel the system is slowing down or something weird I just check with Malwarebytes

 

[Destro]

max isn't that great, you will still get viruses and spyware if you try to put them on your computer as a test.   I read lots of bechmarks where MSE doesn't really catch everything.  Best defense to malware is the person using it.  OS you just gotta not do things that a educated person would know not to do and you never will get a virus even without protection.

[HarryTri]

13 hours ago, Destro said:

OS you just gotta not do things that a educated person would know not to do and you never will get a virus even without protection.

You can never be so sure...

[Mathwiz]

On 12/25/2018 at 7:00 AM, caliber said:

is it still supported by M$ ?? the latest version requires Net 4.5+

Latest MSE version that runs well on XP is 4.4.

I think 4.5 works too but nags you to upgrade. @heinoganda has a modded 4.8 that will work too.

All still get updates (with the POSReady registry hack) but none are "supported" unless you're actually on POSReady.

Edited December 26, 2018 by Mathwiz

[Destro]

2 hours ago, HarryTri said:

You can never be so sure...

what you absolutely can be sure if you are educated enough to know the difference, and your practices are not that of rando downloading cracks, sharware, and shady programs all the time and installing them like that's some kinda game.  The only way something can get on a PC is through the actions of the person controlling it.   Ran no virus protection for 30+ years never got anything that i didn't cause and the number of times it happened i can count on 1 hand.  Each and every time i knew exactly how it happened and why and fixed it myself.

[Dave-H]

AFAIK MSE will lose automatic updates when POSReady support ends in a few months time, and you'll then have to update it manually with heinoganda's updater, or set up a system to run the updater automatically on a schedule.

 

[jaclaz]

5 minutes ago, Destro said:

 Ran no virus protection for 30+ years never got anything that i didn't cause and the number of times it happened i can count on 1 hand.  

SCOOP! 

Destro is affected by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyly  

jaclaz

[Destro]

4 hours ago, jaclaz said:

SCOOP! 

Destro is affected by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyly  

jaclaz

jokes on you because in addition to that I never install windows updates either unless they provide some functionality I need.  Windows 7 box I type this on never gets updates or runs antivirus.  Number of times I have been enfected in 5 years on this box = zero.  

[caliber]

23 hours ago, Destro said:

  I read lots of bechmarks where MSE doesn't really catch everything.

https://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/

[dencorso]

MS also recommends you use Windows 10 ...

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Well, I haven't use a Virus Scanner or Malwarebytes in years. What are you guys gonna do when the definitions stop or become incompatible?

[NojusK]

22 minutes ago, PROBLEMCHYLD said:

Well, I haven't use a Virus Scanner or Malwarebytes in years. What are you guys gonna do when the definitions stop or become incompatible?

Kidnap the developers

(kidding,kidding!)

[Mathwiz]

10 hours ago, caliber said:

https://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/

 

Quote

Now, if you’re a geek like we are, MSE and Windows Defender are very usable. If you have good security practices and know what you’re doing, you can probably manage just fine with this lightweight option. But average Windows users don’t always follow proper security practices and should use a strong antivirus that does well in tests — as Microsoft themselves now recommend.

If you’re a geek, you probably shouldn’t recommend MSE to your friends or install it on your parents’ computer.

IOW, MSE is fine for the likes of us, but the masses (including our friends & relatives) will need something more comprehensive.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Mathwiz