Antimalware, firewall, and other security programs for Windows XP working in 2023 and hopefully beyond

[dremendous]

I heard it works https://www.webroot.com/us/en/home/products/trials

[Dave-H]

As its stated minimum system requirement is Windows 8, I would be very surprised if it works on XP.

I'll be delighted if I'm proved wrong though!

[Multibooter]

2 hours ago, Dave-H said:

As its stated minimum system requirement is Windows 8, I would be very surprised if it works on XP.

I'll be delighted if I'm proved wrong though!

When you click on "Minimum" system requirements, it lists "Internet Explorer® version 11 and newer (Windows XP IE8)", so that's confusing.

[Dave-H]

Almost all the quoted browser requirements are ancient! 🤔

[AstroSkipper]

On 12/15/2025 at 11:31 AM, Multibooter said:

My ancient version of Kaspersky under Windows 10

This thread is about anti-malware programmes under Windows XP. BTW, there is definitely no need to use an "ancient version of whatever" under Windows 10. And talking about your "ancient version" is like "beating a dead horse". 
A version of this programme running under Windows XP has not been available for a long time. And it gets even worse: the programme is not secure, and its country of origin is beyond good and evil. In my next article, I will post something current for Windows XP.

Edited Friday at 12:43 PM by AstroSkipper

[AstroSkipper]

There are now (at the end of 2025) very, very few anti-malware programmes for Windows XP with real-time protection free of charge. Panda Free Antivirus is an absolute exception. It is still maintained and runs under Windows XP. Here are two screenshots of the current version 22.03.05, which has just been released:

An anti-malware programme with a most recent scan engine and up-to-date virus definitions even under very old OSes like Windows XP or Windows Vista. What more could be wanted? 

Here is the link to my updated article: 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited Thursday at 10:27 PM by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Monroe]

11 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

Panda Free Antivirus

AstroSkipper ... Just came across you're updated information dealing with Windows XP and Panda Free Antivirus. Around two weeks ago I was actually looking for any antivirus programs still working with WinXP in 2025. Didn't find any after doing a quick search on some programs that worked many years ago and reading your earlier post on the subject.

Thanks again for the update on this valuable information for Windows XP users.

  ...

[Monroe]

19 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

Panda Free Antivirus

Ran into a small problem after downloading your 'offline installer' download. I got offline to run the download and found out that I need to have .NET Framework also installed. I did have .NET Framework 2.0 installed years ago but removed it. Didn't seem to have much use for it on Win XP at the time. If there were any programs that might require it I was always able to find another program that didn't need .NET Framework to run.

I have all the .NET Framework versions that worked on XP stored on a DVD backup with other old Win XP programs ... in case needed one day. I think at the time .NET Framework 3.5 was the last version to work on XP but after getting back online to search around I now see that there is a .NET Framework 4.0 that will install on Win XP SP3. I have now downloaded that version but I may just try .NET Framework 2.0 first out of curiosity and see if that works. If not then I can jump to version 4.0. That version from MS is dated from last year: 07/15/2024 ... I will put the MS link here in case someone else has need for it.

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Standalone Installer)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17718

Date Published: 07/15/2024

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows 7, Windows 7 SP 1, Windows Vista SP 1, Windows XP SP 3

        Windows XP SP3
        Windows Vista SP1 or later
        Windows 7
        Windows 7 SP1

    Supported Architectures:
        x86
        x64

Thanks ...

 

 

[AstroSkipper]

22 hours ago, Monroe said:

Ran into a small problem after downloading your 'offline installer' download. I got offline to run the download and found out that I need to have .NET Framework also installed. I did have .NET Framework 2.0 installed years ago but removed it. Didn't seem to have much use for it on Win XP at the time. If there were any programs that might require it I was always able to find another program that didn't need .NET Framework to run.

I have all the .NET Framework versions that worked on XP stored on a DVD backup with other old Win XP programs ... in case needed one day. I think at the time .NET Framework 3.5 was the last version to work on XP but after getting back online to search around I now see that there is a .NET Framework 4.0 that will install on Win XP SP3. I have now downloaded that version but I may just try .NET Framework 2.0 first out of curiosity and see if that works. If not then I can jump to version 4.0. That version from MS is dated from last year: 07/15/2024 ... I will put the MS link here in case someone else has need for it.

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Standalone Installer)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17718

Date Published: 07/15/2024

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows 7, Windows 7 SP 1, Windows Vista SP 1, Windows XP SP 3

        Windows XP SP3
        Windows Vista SP1 or later
        Windows 7
        Windows 7 SP1

    Supported Architectures:
        x86
        x64

Thanks ...

 

 

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 is needed and should be installed to ensure that Panda Dome runs correctly.

[AstroSkipper]

Generally, Panda Antivirus Free is working under Windows XP, even in the most recent version. However, there are two issues.
The first issue which I noticed is the unability to connect to a Panda Dome account. Every time you open the programme interface, you are annoyed by a pop-up window asking you to log in to a Panda Dome account. However, this does not work under Windows XP and ends with an error message. There is no official solution for this error. But I have a solution. It appears to be a TLS problem. A secure connection is required, which Windows XP cannot establish natively. The solution is ProxHTTPSProxy, HTTPSProxy or ProxyMII which you can get in my thread 

Simply set the proxy in the Panda Antivirus settings and set up your Panda Dome account. Once this is done, Panda will no longer bother you, and the proxy settings can be deleted again.
The second issue consists of a delay of several minutes during system start-up. Panda Antivirus needs round about 5 minutes to be completely loaded on my machine. I tried different versions and possible solutions, but nothing helped. Therefore, this issue has been reported by me to Panda's support. We will see what happens.

Greetings from Germany, AstroSkipper 

Edited 6 hours ago by AstroSkipper

[VistaLover]

On 12/19/2025 at 6:12 PM, Monroe said:

but I may just try .NET Framework 2.0 first out of curiosity and see if that works. If not then I can jump to version 4.0.

FWIW, .NET FW 4.0 isn't a replacement for older .NET frameworks; 2.0/3.5/4.0 can co-exist on the same machine, and each one caters to applications targeting that specific version of .NET FW; i.e., if an app was built against 2.0, it needs 2.0 installed to run; likewise for newer apps built against 4.0...

On Vista and later Windows versions, a newer 4.*.* version will overwrite a previously installed 4.*.* version of .NET FW, however this is NOT applicable to XP SP3, where only 4.0.x was made available; loyal XP users here can chime in to assist you, but from memory I recall than some feature/security updates for .NET FW 4.0 were made available at the time for XP SP3; unless the (recent) installer you linked to has those bundled ...

[AstroSkipper]

If you encounter problems installing Panda Antivirus Free and uninstalling it fails or is incomplete, you should use the Panda Dome Generic Uninstaller, which is available here: https://techsearch.pandasecurity.com/PandaKBView?id=kA1Vr00000064QjKAI