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

[AstroSkipper]

I have accelerated my tests and investigations and now finally finished. And what I already mentioned in my previous post, has now actually been confirmed: an older version of Panda Antivirus Free is the solution. Panda Antivirus Free 21.01.00, the last version (from October of 2022) before the 22 series was released, runs smoothly under Windows XP without the annoying delay at system start-up. The main culprit of all versions 22.0x.0x  is the process PSANHost.exe which does not run properly, leads to a full utilisation of the system during computer start-up, a very long delay and unsightly disturbances during other operations after completion of loading. Therefore, my current recommendation is to use Panda Antivirus Free 21.01.00 on Windows XP instead of the latest version, which is currently 22.03.05. At least, until the manufacturer provides a fixed version. I have informed the Panda support in detail but don't know if they will ever react. But I do hope so. In any case, my Windows XP computer needs now again less than 2 minutes for system start-up without any unsightly disturbances during later operations. So once again, the old rule applies: the latest is not always the greatest.

Merry Christmas to all, AstroSkipper 

Edited Wednesday at 01:02 PM by AstroSkipper

[VistaLover]

11 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

an older version of Panda Antivirus Free is the solution. Panda Antivirus Free 21.01.00, the last version (from October of 2022) before the 22 series was released, runs smoothly under Windows XP without the annoying delay at system start-up. ... my current recommendation is to use Panda Antivirus Free 21.01.00 on Windows XP

I suppose your investigation results are quite valuable to XP SP3 users on old and under-resourced H/W; so, thanks for your time spent  ; however, unless one had downloaded to disk v21.01.00 when it was still current, it's now a real task to find working/valid links to actual (off-line) installers to it ; I did a simple G-search for it and ALL results on pages 1-3 point to (mostly) stub or off-line installer-links hosted on the vendor's (PANDA) servers; but these tend to download the latest version of the software, not the older one we're after ; I did succeed in the end in finding links to offline installers for v21.01.00, but these were self-hosted on Iranian and/or Russian sites, so, as you can understand, I won't share them publicly here  ; other than that, is there a special setting one should configure in v21.01.00 so that it doesn't auto-update to a more recent version? 

11 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

instead of the latest version, which is currently 22.03.05.

FWIW, v23.00.00 has now become the latest (digitally signed 22/12/2025)  ...

Kindest greetings.

Edited Wednesday at 11:57 PM by VistaLover

[AstroSkipper]

48 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

I suppose your investigation results are quite valuable to XP SP3 users on old and under-resourced H/W;

I would also be interested in reports from people who use Windows XP on more powerful computers. As always, my results come from my old, underpowered Windows XP computer, which simply refuses to leave me.  But this computer is perfect for diagnosing such errors that you might not notice on more powerful computers. 

48 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

however, unless one had downloaded to disk v21.01.00 when it was still current, it's now a real task to find working/valid links to actual (off-line) installers to it ; I did a simple G-search for it and ALL results on pages 1-3 point to (mostly) stub or off-line installer-links hosted on the vendor's (PANDA) servers; but these tend to download the latest version of the software, not the older one we're after ; I did succeed in the end in finding links to offline installers for v21.01.00, but these were self-hosted on Iranian and/or Russian sites, so, as you can understand, I won't share them publicly here 

The offline installer can't be found on Panda's homepage. Here is a website where you can get the old offline installer of version 21.01.00: https://panda-free-antivirus.sooftware.com/windows/download/338378

48 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

other than that, is there a special setting one should configure in v21.01.00 so that it doesn't auto-update to a more recent version? 

You have to enable the checkbox "Offline installation" during installation. After finishing installation, the programme won't update to a more recent version, even when the automatic update function of the programme under settings is in use.

48 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

FWIW, v23.00.00 has now become the latest (digitally signed 22/12/2025)  ...

Thanks for the hint! But I don't think the issue has already been fixed. However, one should definitely take a close look at the new "Legacy Installer", if available.

Edited yesterday at 12:40 AM by AstroSkipper

[NotHereToPlayGames]

22 minutes ago, AstroSkipper said:

I would also be interested in reports from people who use Windows XP on more powerful computers.

I occasionally run XP x64 as a dual-boot on my 13yr old i7-4770 machine.

It used to run XP x64 exclusively but has since been upgraded to an OLDER version of Win10.

But the "problem" I ran into (here at MSFN) during those exclusive-use XP days on that i7-4770 "era-correct" computer (XP went EOL *after* my computer manufactured date) was that I somehow didn't "qualify" to be running XP in the first place.

Or that VM's somehow also don't "qualify" (regardless of host being XP or not).

[AstroSkipper]

38 minutes ago, AstroSkipper said:

1 hour ago, VistaLover said:

FWIW, v23.00.00 has now become the latest (digitally signed 22/12/2025)  ...

Thanks for the hint! But I don't think the issue has already been fixed. However, one should definitely take a close look at the new "Legacy Installer", if available.

Ok. I checked the "Legacy Installer" FREEAV_LGC.exe but it wasn't updated. Only the FREEAV.exe installer.

Edited yesterday at 01:16 AM by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

12 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I occasionally run XP x64 as a dual-boot on my 13yr old i7-4770 machine.

It used to run XP x64 exclusively but has since been upgraded to an OLDER version of Win10.

But the "problem" I ran into (here at MSFN) during those exclusive-use XP days on that i7-4770 "era-correct" computer (XP went EOL *after* my computer manufactured date) was that I somehow didn't "qualify" to be running XP in the first place.

Or that VM's somehow also don't "qualify" (regardless of host being XP or not).

My old, underpowered Windows XP computer with a Pentium 4 single-core processor is a multiboot machine. Five OSes were independently installed and can be booted totally indepedently by the best bootmanager I have been using from the very first: BOOT-US. The OSes are Windows ME, Linux (XUBUNTU and Q4OS) and Windows XP twice. No problems here with starting OSes in the first place.  BTW, my Windows XP computer is now 25 years old and fully working. I don't believe that modern computers will reach such an age.

Edited yesterday at 01:15 PM by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Multibooter]

On 12/25/2025 at 12:38 AM, AstroSkipper said:

The offline installer can't be found on Panda's homepage. Here is a website where you can get the old offline installer of version 21.01.00: https://panda-free-antivirus.sooftware.com/windows/download/338378

You have to enable the checkbox "Offline installation" during installation. After finishing installation, the programme won't update to a more recent version, even when the automatic update function of the programme under settings is in use.

Thanks. I first installed MS .NET Framework v4.0 (18Mar2010) under WinXP SP3. Then I installed OK Panda Dome v21.01.00 under WinXP. I selected "Offline installation" during installation. I have not yet activated the program because activation requires entering an email address. After the first run the Settings window indicates "Last updated 12/26/2025".

First the good news: Panda Dome v21.01.00 runs OK under WinXP on my old Inspiron 7500 (700 MHz Pentium III, SSE-only). The program does not seem have a conflict with other programs installed. Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 has no issues with the program. It is even possible to run My Ancient version of Kaspersky simultaneously with Panda Dome, no conflict.

Now the bad news: I made a virus-check with Panda Dome v21.01.00 of "My personal in the Wild", which is a collection of 100 infected files downloaded with eMule. I had prepared this collection a year and a half ago for testing-purposes by taking at random 100 files from a HDD full of infected downloads from eMule. Panda Dome v21.01.00 flagged only 6/100 files [msg: 8,531 scanned, 7 detected, i.e. 1 file was flagged twice, because of multiple infections], Only 6 files were quarantined, and 94 infected files were left as "clean" in the folder \My personal in the Wild_6Jul2024\

For comparison: When I ran My ancient version of Kaspersky with this test set of 100 infected eMule files, Kaspersky scanned 171,873 files contained in the various .rar, .zip, .exe etc in \My personal in the Wild_6Jul2024\ and, detected 167 viruses, trojans etc. 99 files were cleaned, the single file which was flagged but not cleaned was a .rar file containing in turn infected multi-part .rar files.

Panda Dome v21.01.00 does NOT install under Windows Server 2003 SP2. When I tried to install it under Win2003 SP2 I got the incorrect error message: "You must upgrade your version of .NET Framework". Panda Security apparently did not prepare a recent corporate edition for Windows Server, maybe no demand. Kerio Firewall flags a file named "TUNNEL.EXE", which has to be given permissions. Which IT-Manager would be inclined to license software which opens a tunnel into corporate computers? BTW, Panda Security is a Spanish company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_Security which was acquired in March-June 2020 by the U.S. company WatchGuard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WatchGuard

BTW, Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 (30Apr2003) does not have a Server version either, but is still my favorite firewall under WinXP.

Edited 2 hours ago by Multibooter

[Monroe]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5

Thanks for the additional information about Panda Dome. I will pass on trying the program out for now. Will hunt around for something else for WinXP. 

The Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 is good and I may work with it again. I have used an older version of Zone Alarm for years but this past August I started having problems with the True Vector service frequently shutting down. Just in the last week I may have that problem solved ... will know in a week or two using the computer.

I came across a post by a lawyer from 2010. He mentions Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 and other various programs he likes. It's interesting reading.

My list of useful and free/open source computer programs

https://www.crookston.ca/wp/2010/05/07/my-list-of-useful-and-free-computer-tools/

Networking, Firewall

Malwarebytes Firewall.

Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5.  ONLY WORKS ON WINDOWS XP AND LOWER.
– Free firewall.  The best version of this program is an old one: v2.1.5.  It is quick, fast, customizable, and runs with a low memory footprint.  It is the same program as “Tiny Personal Firewall”, just with a different name. You can find it out on the Internet. The current version of Kerio is 4.x.  That version is offered for a 30 day trial of its advanced features which get locked out after that period (which you don’t really need anyway), after which it is free.
– It’s good, but more memory intensive than v2.1.5.
– NOTES: 137-139 (NetBIOS); 135 (RPC endpoint mapper), 445, 593 (DCOM-Distributed Computing)

Just to add ... Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 can be downloaded here if anyone is interested. Searched around and this link works.

https://www.emule-security.org/download.php?view.3

...

Edited 2 hours ago by Monroe
sp, add

[AstroSkipper]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

Thanks. I first installed MS .NET Framework v4.0 (18Mar2010) under WinXP SP3. Then I installed OK Panda Dome v21.01.00 under WinXP. I selected "Offline installation" during installation. I have not yet activated the program because activation requires entering an email address. After the first run the Settings window indicates "Last updated 12/26/2025".

First the good news: Panda Dome v21.01.00 runs OK under WinXP on my old Inspiron 7500 (700 MHz Pentium III, SSE-only). The program does not seem have a conflict with other programs installed. Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 has no issues with the program. It is even possible to run My Ancient version of Kaspersky simultaneously with Panda Dome, no conflict.

Now the bad news: I made a virus-check with Panda Dome v21.01.00 of "My personal in the Wild", which is a collection of 100 infected files downloaded with eMule. I had prepared this collection a year and a half ago for testing-purposes by taking at random 100 files from a HDD full of infected downloads from eMule. Panda Dome v21.01.00 flagged only 6/100 files [msg: 8,531 scanned, 7 detected, i.e. 1 file was flagged twice, because of multiple infections], Only 6 files were quarantined, and 94 infected files were left as "clean" in the folder \My personal in the Wild_6Jul2024\

Did you enable under Settings -> Antivirus the scanning of archives? The default is disabled if I remember correctly.

[Multibooter]

3 minutes ago, AstroSkipper said:

Did you enable under Settings -> Antivirus the scanning of archives? The default is disabled if I remember correctly.

Yes, All Antivirus settings are green = enabled (Scan compressed files, Behavioral analysis etc) except for "Show warning upon detection" and "Scan after cache synchronization"

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, Monroe said:

I will pass on trying the program out for now. Will hunt around for something else for WinXP. 

Panda Free Antivirus is more or less the last anti-malware programme with real-time protection for Windows XP free of charge. There are a few others, but they need a paid licence.

1 hour ago, Monroe said:

The Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 is good and I may work with it again. I have used an older version of Zone Alarm for years but this past August I started having problems with the True Vector service frequently shutting down. Just in the last week I may have that problem solved ... will know in a week or two using the computer.

The firewall I have been using for many years is the Sphinx Windows 10 Firewall Control Plus XP. Personally, I consider this firewall to be the best under Windows XP. And I've tried almost all of them.

Edited 1 hour ago by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[VistaLover]

3 hours ago, Multibooter said:

Panda Dome v21.01.00 does NOT install under Windows Server 2003 SP2. When I tried to install it under Win2003 SP2 I got the incorrect error message: "You must upgrade your version of .NET Framework"

Probably for the same reason it doesn't install on WinXP Pro SP2 x64; the Panda devs, in a narrow-minded decision  , have hardcoded WinXP to ONLY be NT 5.1; anything higher (e.g. 5.2) is assumed to be Vista+, for which they mandate a version of .NET FW > 4.0.x (4.6 to be precise): 

On 4/29/2023 at 7:02 PM, AstroSkipper said:

Panda Free Antivirus is unfortunately not fully compatible with Windows XP 64 bit editions.  The installer doesn't seem to detect the already existing .NET Framework 4 installation.

[Multibooter]

1 hour ago, Monroe said:

Just to add ... Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 can be downloaded here if anyone is interested. Searched around and this link works.

https://www.emule-security.org/download.php?view.3

...

I test-downloaded it, kerio-pf-2.1.5-en-win.exe is the identical installer file of v2.1.5 which I have been using under WinXP since 2008. After registering, the Registration tab in the window "Administration" changes to a License tab.

One issue I remember was that Kerio crashed sometimes when a program was running in a sandbox under Sandboxie v5.22 under WinXP. I then unloaded Kerio while the program was running in the sandbox. After having finished running the sandboxed program I re-started Kerio.

Another minor issue is a bloated filter.log file. Writing to the .log file can be disabled by -> Advanced button -> Miscellaneous tab -> de-select Log into file (filter.log). Disabling writing to the logfile has made uTorrent v3.3.2.30488 (17Jan2014) a little faster on my slow Inspiron 7500 (700MHz Pentium III).

 

Edited 24 minutes ago by Multibooter

[Multibooter]

50 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

Probably for the same reason it doesn't install on WinXP Pro SP2 x64; the Panda devs, in a narrow-minded decision  , have hardcoded WinXP to ONLY be NT 5.1; anything higher (e.g. 5.2) is assumed to be Vista+, for which they mandate a version of .NET FW > 4.0.x (4.6 to be precise): 

According to the User Guides of the normal workstation edition and of the specced-down workstation edition for virus-checking, My ancient version of Kaspersky works Ok with Windows XP Professional x64 (SP2 or higher).

Edited 5 minutes ago by Multibooter