MSE still works?

[foxzzy]

What will be available to show MCCES as being up to date like Windows XP Registry hack??

 

I guess because I was in the Marines and stationed at Marine Corps Comm-Elect Schools in 29 Palms, CA, I get my MSE

and MCCES mixed up -  so, What will be available to show MSE as being up to date in Windows 7 like Windows XP Registry hack

after January 14, 2020??

Edited December 21, 2019 by foxzzy
misunderstanding

[dencorso]

What does MCCES stand for? "Marine Corps Communications Electronics School"?

[foxzzy]

MCCES = MiCrosoft seCurity ESsentials  - you know, the Free Anti-Virus from Microsoft..

[dencorso]

4 hours ago, foxzzy said:

What will be available to show MSE as being up to date in Windows 7 like Windows XP Registry hack after January 14, 2020??

It'll keep on working! See: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3510500/microsoft-blinks-security-essentials-will-continue-to-receive-updates-after-jan-14.html

[WalksInSilence]

That article does not say that exactly - the assumption is it will but until MS unequivocally say that I won't believe it and even then I bet there will be a time limit.

With XP MSE worked fine long after official support had ended but then out of the blue users suddenly found they could not update MSE automatically or through MSE itself when installed on an XP machine (that included VMs too).  It all had to be done manually. Then that ended, again without warning,  and we had to rely on the helpful people here and elsewhere who came up with a way installing the new MSE definition updates which wouldn't have otherwise been possible.

But within a few months even that was torpedoed by MS and we were stuck with finding a decent alternative AV to replace MSE that worked with XP.

It'll be the same thing with Win7 eventually.  

Edited December 22, 2019 by WalksInSilence
typo

[dencorso]

27 minutes ago, WalksInSilence said:

It'll be the same thing with Win7 eventually.  

Of course... but, then, what isn't?

[Vistapocalypse]

Granted, "MSE" has other meanings, but this thread's Jarhead title could easily be overlooked by anyone searching for information about Microsoft Security Essentials. (Edit: I approve of the thread's new title.) The GUI should "show MSE as being up to date in Windows 7" with respect to definition updates for an unknown period of time after January 14.

19 hours ago, WalksInSilence said:

That article does exactly say that - the assumption is it will but until MS unequivocally say that I won't believe it...

As recently as December 11, my assumption was that MSE definition updates would cease after January 14. (Windows 8.1 and 10 have Windows Defender, MSE was never officially supported on any server, and today's Microsoft is a leaner and meaner corporation than the MS of yesteryear.) However, my assumption has been proven wrong: The official Microsoft Extended Security Update FAQ mentioned in the above-referenced article was indeed updated on December 18:

Quote

Will Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) continue to protect my computer after the end of support?

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) will continue to receive signature updates after January 14, 2020. However, the MSE platform will no longer be updated.

Nearly all MSE users running Windows 7 are no doubt using version 4.10.209.0, which cannot be installed on XP and is only half as old as the version that many XP diehards are nostalgic about.

Edited December 22, 2019 by Vistapocalypse

[WalksInSilence]

Thanks for that.

BTW I've corrected my original post for a typo I noticed. Of course it should have said ".....does not exactly....." rather than "That article does exactly say that - the assumption is it will but until MS unequivocally say that I won't believe it..."

I've also corrected the grammar slightly.

[foxzzy]

Thanks DENCORSO - hopefully it will - will post if I find anything different!!

[dencorso]

On 12/21/2019 at 3:53 PM, foxzzy said:

What will be available to show MSE as being up to date [... in Windows 7]??

 

[Vistapocalypse]

Martin Brinkmann wrote a December 19 article for ghacks on this topic.

[erpdude8]

MSE still working with no EOL nags 

just applied the 1/14/2020 MSE definition updates more than an hour ago on a Win7 laptop - MSE runs fine as usual
also installed the newly released Jan. 2020 KB4534310 rollup on Win7 as well

Edited January 14, 2020 by erpdude8

[Vistapocalypse]

Of course there were definition updates today, erpdude8. Post again tomorrow if you wish to tell everyone what Microsoft has already told us!

[Vistapocalypse]

Bad News, Good News

Microsoft updated its What is Microsoft Security Essentials? page on Jan 14, 2020:

Quote

Microsoft Security Essentials reached end of service on January 14, 2020 and is no longer available as a download.  Microsoft will continue to release signature updates (including engine) to service systems currently running Microsoft Security Essentials untill 2023.

Why is Microsoft Security Essentials no longer available?

Windows 7 is no longer supported and availability of new installations of Microsoft Security Essentials has ended. We recommend all customers move to Windows 10 and Windows Defender Antivirus for our best security option.

Will Microsoft Security Essentials running on my system continue to run?

Yes, we will continue to provide signature updates for Microsoft Security Essentials until 2023.   

Official downloads were nevertheless still available at both https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5201 and https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14210/security-essentials-download as of a few minutes ago, but the installers might be taken down at any time. Devotees of MSE might want to store an installer for future use!

[Vistapocalypse]

Update: As of a few minutes ago, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5201 is the only official download page that is still working. (The other link now redirects to What is Microsoft Security Essentials?) The larger file is of course the x64 version. If you think you might want to install MSE someday, either store an installer now or take your chances with third-party downloads in the future!