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

[AstroSkipper]

6 hours ago, user57 said:

this one probaly will stay with us:

virustotal.com - you gonna upload your file (if the file was already uploaded the upload dont take any time)

then all anti viruses scan that file for a virus

after that you should know if it is a virus or not 

The online scanner virustotal.com is ok for checking single files to get further opinions if a file appears suspicious. But that was it then. It will never be a replacement for an antimalware programme. 

Edited 18 hours ago by AstroSkipper
correction

[AstroSkipper]

Yesterday, I did a check of the system partition c: using RogueKiller Anti-Malware Portable 15.19.2.0. And today, I have installed Panda Antivirus Free 18.07.04 from 2019 for testing purposes. Let's see how this version performs. 

Edited 17 hours ago by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

23 minutes ago, AstroSkipper said:

And today, I have installed Panda Antivirus Free 18.07.04 from 2019 for testing purposes. Let's see how this version performs. 

To rule out the possibility that my system could be causing the strange behaviour and problems with Panda Antivirus Free 21.01.00, I conducted a thorough investigation. I manually cleaned the registry of installation residues. Unnecessary items were uninstalled or deleted. A lot of storage space has been freed up. The swap file was deleted and recreated. Start-up files and the swap file were optimised. A thorough malware scan and several defragmentations were performed. That's all I could do. Without Panda, the computer ran perfectly. 

[Dave-H]

@AstroSkipper

Where can I get hold of RogueKiller 15?
All the links bring version 16, which you say doesn't work on XP.
I'd like to give it a try as a possible replacement for Malwarebytes Premium 3.5, which no longer receives pattern updates.

[AstroSkipper]

1 minute ago, Dave-H said:

@AstroSkipper

Where can I get hold of RogueKiller 15?
All the links bring version 16, which you say doesn't work on XP.
I'd like to give it a try as a possible replacement for Malwarebytes Premium 3.5, which no longer receives pattern updates.

You can't directly find such links on their homepage. I checked the current links and replaced the file name to the one I wanted. Here is a link to their portable 32-bit version 15.19.2.0: https://cloud.adlice.com/owncloud/index.php/s/QE2fq4D24A1IKEb/download?path=15.19.2.0&files=RogueKiller_portable32.exe.

[AstroSkipper]

34 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

I'd like to give it a try as a possible replacement for Malwarebytes Premium 3.5, which no longer receives pattern updates.

But the free versions of RogueKiller Anti-Malware don't offer any real-time protection. And they are quite restricted. They don't even offer a custom scan in the free version. If, for example, you want to perform a scan on drive c: only, you have to be very tricky.  In any case, it can't be a replacement for Malwarebytes Premium 3.5 unless you purchase a licence.

Edited 16 hours ago by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Dave-H]

Thanks, but I was aware of that.
If the free version works as it should do, I will be quite happy to pay for the version which is more equivalent to Malwarebytes Premium, for which I've been paying for years, and which I will still be using on Windows 10.

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, AstroSkipper said:

1 hour ago, Dave-H said:

@AstroSkipper

Where can I get hold of RogueKiller 15?
All the links bring version 16, which you say doesn't work on XP.
I'd like to give it a try as a possible replacement for Malwarebytes Premium 3.5, which no longer receives pattern updates.

You can't directly find such links on their homepage. I checked the current links and replaced the file name to the one I wanted. Here is a link to their portable 32-bit version 15.19.2.0: https://cloud.adlice.com/owncloud/index.php/s/QE2fq4D24A1IKEb/download?path=15.19.2.0&files=RogueKiller_portable32.exe.

I checked the most recent version again. The installer version 16.5.4.0 doesn't work properly under Windows XP but the portable version 16.5.4.0 still seems to work.

[AstroSkipper]

8 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

If the free version works as it should do, I will be quite happy to pay for the version which is more equivalent to Malwarebytes Premium, for which I've been paying for years, and which I will still be using on Windows 10.

But only in the hope that the older installer versions will continue to be supported and supplied with signatures. You buy a license, but the current installer can no longer be used under Windows XP. The portable version is unfortunately restricted compared to the installer one.

[Dave-H]

So I could use the portable version of version 16 on XP?
In what way is the portable version restricted relative to the installer version, and do you know if that applies to the paid version?

[AstroSkipper]

10 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

So I could use the portable version of version 16 on XP?

Yes. Try a quick scan and you will see.

11 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

In what way is the portable version restricted relative to the installer version, and do you know if that applies to the paid version?

The real-time protection is not available in the portable version, even using the premium one.

[Dave-H]

Oh, that is a PITA!

Why does the portable version appear as an exe file?
They're usually zip files containing the necessary files for the program to work if it's just extracted to a folder.

 

[NotHereToPlayGames]

20 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

Oh, that is a PITA!

Why does the portable version appear as an exe file?
They're usually zip files containing the necessary files for the program to work if it's just extracted to a folder.

 

Portables *can* be .exe's.  Common "wrappers" that bundle everything into an .exe is Cameyo, Spoon, Thinapp (used to be called Thinstall), et cetera.

If truly portable, any folder that the .exe creates will be created within the folder that contains the .exe and not to external locations like Program Files or Windows folders.

If truly portable, any registy entries required are created "internally" and not within the OS's registry.

Often times, the OS registy is TEMPORARILY used by portable apps, but the registry entries are REMOVED when the portable app is exited/closed.

Edited 13 hours ago by NotHereToPlayGames

[Dave-H]

@NotHereToPlayGames

Thanks for the clarification!

@AstroSkipper

Are you absolutely sure that even the premium version of the portable version does not do real-time scanning?
That's pretty fundamental, and I can find no reference to it on the Adlice site.

 

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, Dave-H said:

Oh, that is a PITA!

Why does the portable version appear as an exe file?
They're usually zip files containing the necessary files for the program to work if it's just extracted to a folder.

 

 

1 hour ago, Dave-H said:

Thanks for the clarification!
Are you absolutely sure that even the premium version of the portable version does not do real-time scanning?
That's pretty fundamental, and I can find no reference to it on the Adlice site.

 

@Dave-H The more recent portabel versions create a sub-directory called RogueKiller with some files, i.e. settings, logs, reports and signatures inside. But they do not load any drivers which, however, are necessary for real-time protection. Apart from that, I already posted a screenshot of the main interface of the portable version where I marked red: Schutz in Portable-Modus nicht verfügbar which means translated: Protection not available in portable mode. BTW, I found this in their changelog:

Quote

V16.1.2 04/01/2025
=================
- Updated to core 8.1.1
  * Added more RUN entries to startup monitor
  * Added services entries to startup monitor
  * Added startup monitor
  * Fixed potential overlap in UCheck unique ids
  * UCheck network retry logic
  * Fixed an issue where IPC validation wasn't working for XP
- Pre-XP compatibility (Yes, XP!!)

Although the most recent installer version 16.5.4.0 wasn't able to load its driver when I tested it, it is possible that some previous installer of version 16 still work under Windows XP, even if the Adlice homepage now requires Windows 7 as a minimum requirement. Have a look here:

Quote

V16.2.2 06/04/2025
=================
- Updated to core 8.3.4
  * Update form refactor
  * Fixed problem where links were not opening with some browsers
  * Fixed possible issue in MalPE while filtering metadata
  * Fixed possible issue in RegVal parser while filtering metadata
  * Fixed issue where async operations were freezing UI
- Now using AsyncOp for general settings (better perf)
- Fixed issue where Free version / Win7 was having "driver not loaded" error on dashboard
- Fixed issue where dashbaord was slow to refresh on RTP module change
- Fixed issue where dashboard icons were staying gray after module activation

Maybe. it is again an issue of the free version. What you can do is to try out the most recent installer version or a previous one as a 30-day trial version. Then you will definitely know and can report back here.

Edited 12 hours ago by AstroSkipper
Update of content