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

[modnar]

While browsing on filepuma (where I got Avast 18.5.2342) I saw IOBit malware fighter free and from what I know them - all their programs run on WinXP. Has anyone tried it? I'll give it a go and also test 18.5 Avast.

[AstroSkipper]

14 minutes ago, modnar said:

While browsing on filepuma (where I got Avast 18.5.2342) I saw IOBit malware fighter free and from what I know them - all their programs run on WinXP. Has anyone tried it? I'll give it a go and also test 18.5 Avast.

Yes, we need tests and results under Windows XP. Although I never liked IOBit Malware Fighter, we have to consider all possible and still working options in these days. It's no longer time to be picky. 

Edited 9 hours ago by AstroSkipper

[AstroSkipper]

@Dave-H I'm guessing you still have Panda Dome 22.03.05 installed and are dealing with that issue. However, since it seems to be running particularly poorly on your system, you might want to consider uninstalling it completely, performing a thorough cleanup, and then installing Panda Dome 21.01.00 with the option Offline Installation enabled. For me, this version vehemently refuses to let PSANHost crash. The cache folder is now also being filled correctly every day. No leftovers from previous days. Here is a screenshot showing the contents of the cache folder:



Of course, I can't guarantee that it will work perfectly for you, but it's definitely worth a try. You really don't have anything to lose.

Edited 8 hours ago by AstroSkipper

[modnar]

You know, Avast 18.5.2342 is a non-starter, offline installation (without internet conncted) starts and installs everything, at the end where it's the option to restart, it also says it failed. Upon restarting it's as if nothing was installed.

Idi0t bit Malware fighter is also a doesn'tworkstation. It's for vista and up, as if you can't run a stupid AV program with minifilters in XP. Must be a conspiracy against XP. Nasty!

Edited 6 hours ago by modnar

[AstroSkipper]

3 hours ago, modnar said:

You know, Avast 18.5.2342 is a non-starter, offline installation (without internet conncted) starts and installs everything, at the end where it's the option to restart, it also says it failed. Upon restarting it's as if nothing was installed.

And that's one more reason to avoid Avast, at least on Windows XP. I’ve had so much trouble with Avast in the past that I’ll probably never use it again, even on other operating systems.  Even though I’m not a fan of Avast, it’s quite possible that the lack of an internet connection is the reason why your attempt failed. Try again with an active internet connection! 

Edited 2 hours ago by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

56 minutes ago, modnar said:

Idi0t bit Malware fighter is also a doesn'tworkstation. It's for vista and up, as if you can't run a stupid AV program with minifilters in XP. Must be a conspiracy against XP. Nasty!

You have to download the last XP-compatible version 11.4.0. Here is the original website with this version: https://web.archive.org/web/20240830175125/https://www.iobit.com/de/malware-fighter.php
Download link: https://www.filepuma.com/de/download/iobit_malware_fighter_free_11.4.0.1360-40845/download/

Please test this version to find out how it works and whether it still receives definition updates or not! 

Edited 5 hours ago by AstroSkipper

[we3fan]

COMODO Internet Security Premium 12.0.0.6818

Download link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190502052352/http://cdn.download.comodo.com/cis/download/installs/1000/standalone/cispremium_only_installer.exe

I was curious to test this COMODO Antivirus, so here are my test results:
Day of testing: 5th of July 2026, few days ago
I didn't install  Comodo Firewall  from installer
Asks me to reboot before using the program hmm, OK I rebooted

With Internet OFF, all scans don't work hmm, all say 'Scan Aborted' after 1 second hmm; if I try any type of Scan it says 'STATUS: Updating' and then
'STATUS: Scan Aborted' after 1 second hmm.

With Internet ON, all scans don't work hmm, all say 'Scan Aborted' after 3 seconds hmm; if I try any type of Scan it says 'STATUS: Virus Database
Update (1.7 %): Checking for updates...' and then 'STATUS: Scan Aborted' after 3 seconds hmm.

So my conclusion with this COMODO Antivirus for now is:
All scans don't work hmm, all scans abort after 1-3 sec hmm

There are few places in the Options where you can 'disable Virus database Update before Scan', I disabled all of them (I think) and all other similar
options, but I still couldn't get it to work, I couldn't get 1 proper Scan hmm.

Has anyone tried this COMODO Antivirus?
Does the Scan work properly for you, or you also get 'STATUS: Scan Aborted'?

[AstroSkipper]

2 hours ago, we3fan said:

COMODO Internet Security Premium 12.0.0.6818

Download link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190502052352/http://cdn.download.comodo.com/cis/download/installs/1000/standalone/cispremium_only_installer.exe

I was curious to test this COMODO Antivirus, so here are my test results:
Day of testing: 5th of July 2026, few days ago
I didn't install  Comodo Firewall  from installer
Asks me to reboot before using the program hmm, OK I rebooted

With Internet OFF, all scans don't work hmm, all say 'Scan Aborted' after 1 second hmm; if I try any type of Scan it says 'STATUS: Updating' and then
'STATUS: Scan Aborted' after 1 second hmm.

With Internet ON, all scans don't work hmm, all say 'Scan Aborted' after 3 seconds hmm; if I try any type of Scan it says 'STATUS: Virus Database
Update (1.7 %): Checking for updates...' and then 'STATUS: Scan Aborted' after 3 seconds hmm.

So my conclusion with this COMODO Antivirus for now is:
All scans don't work hmm, all scans abort after 1-3 sec hmm

There are few places in the Options where you can 'disable Virus database Update before Scan', I disabled all of them (I think) and all other similar
options, but I still couldn't get it to work, I couldn't get 1 proper Scan hmm.

Has anyone tried this COMODO Antivirus?
Does the Scan work properly for you, or you also get 'STATUS: Scan Aborted'?

Long time ago, I used COMODO Antivirus for a short time. It didn't convince me even back then and I uninstalled it. But COMODO Internet Security Premium 12.0.0.6818 was, in fact, the last version that was claimed in some forums to run flawlessly on Windows XP. So if this version doesn't work properly anymore, you can forget about COMODO as antivirus protection.

P.S.: I found this one here advertising the use under Windows XP: https://antivirus.comodo.com/security/free-antivirus-xp.php 

Edited 2 hours ago by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Dave-H]

I've now tried as a test removing the cache folder completely from my Panda installation.
Rather unexpectedly, the program has not recreated it.

It's been running for ages now like that with no crashes, but it's not updating, presumably because it has nowhere to put the files!
Doing a manual update from the option in the settings does nothing.

I guess I could leave it like that, but of course, like the version of Malwarebytes I used on XP for years, it will eventually become useless for protection because of no updates.

I tried Avast on my system a few years ago and never got it to work on my desktop system.
Even the supposedly compatible version for XP would not run, its core service obstinately refused to start, reason unknown.

I even worked with Avast's technical support people about it, and even they couldn't determine what the problem was.
I tried a test install on my netbook under XP, and that worked perfectly, so what the problem was with the desktop remains a mystery.

[AstroSkipper]

5 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

I've now tried as a test removing the cache folder completely from my Panda installation.
Rather unexpectedly, the program has not recreated it.

It's been running for ages now like that with no crashes, but it's not updating, presumably because it has nowhere to put the files!
Doing a manual update from the option in the settings does nothing.

I guess I could leave it like that, but of course, like the version of Malwarebytes I used on XP for years, it will eventually become useless for protection because of no updates.

That’s, of course, the ultimate way to block incompatible updates. But that wasn’t what I suggested. Not keen on Panda Dome 21.01.00? It’s running without any problems for me at the moment. 

[Dave-H]

Oh I'll certainly give it a try if I can't rescue my present installation.

I still have an open support case about it! 

If nothing comes of that, trying version 21 will be my next move.
Strange that an older version would apparently be happy with the same update files which apparently crash the later version, though.

 

[AstroSkipper]

28 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

it will eventually become useless for protection because of no updates.

I assume that these updates are for offline protection. So blocking them may lead to fail detecting malicoius threads when disconnected to the internet. But as long as you are connected to the internet, Panda Dome should actually use the cloud engine for scanning files.

9 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

Oh I'll certainly give it a try if I can't rescue my present installation.

I still have an open support case about it! 

If nothing comes of that, trying version 21 will be my next move.
Strange that an older version would apparently be happy with the same update files which apparently crash the later version, though.

 

That's the right attitude.

[Dave-H]

Panda 22 is still warning me about dodgy website links embedded in other sites, so I guess the protection is still OK at the moment.

Do you have a link to the offline installer for 21, should I need to use it?

[AstroSkipper]

18 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

On 4/29/2023 at 6:02 PM, AstroSkipper said:

Legacy offline installer for version 22.03.05: 
http://acs.pandasoftware.com/Panda/FREEAV/Promo_pd/FREEAV_LGC.exe
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

@Tangy Perhaps you can try Panda Dome 21.01.00. I am under the impression that this version is working better on Windows XP. It's definitely worth a try.

@Dave-H That's what I replied to @Tangy.

[Tangy]

@AstroSkipper Panda 21 is working without any problems what so ever, so far so good. I reckon it is the best choice ever. I do have Avast 18.5 but I would never go back to it. Kind of dodgy.

Thank you very much indeed !