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

[AstroSkipper]

On 7/9/2026 at 9:08 PM, modnar said:

On 7/9/2026 at 7:17 PM, AstroSkipper said:

@modnar Or do you use an extended kernel or an additional layer in your Windows XP installation where you have installed IOBit Malware Fighter 12.5? 

... 12.5 is for XP no doubt. However I already threw it off my box because it's too cut-down.

This statement is not really true. Although IOBit Malware Fighter Pro 12.5 can still be installed strangely enough under Windows XP, it says that this version is not compatible with Windows XP, if the user tries to enable real-time malware protection with IObit & Bitdefender engines or advanced protection against ransomware. It also advises to install IOBit Malware Fighter Pro 11.4 as the last XP-compatible version.  
And so, after all, this is what applies:

On 7/8/2026 at 3:11 PM, AstroSkipper said:

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 Friday at 10:12 PM by AstroSkipper

[Tangy]

Custom Install of IOBit Malware Fighter 11.4.0 (easy to install )

Latest Database Version 2608 ( 2026 - 7 - 9 )

Fingerprint : 898269

I ran a smart scan

Objects scanned 107.446

Threats Detected 0  as expected

Time Elapsed : 20.02 minutes

Very light and smooth

 

 

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, Tangy said:

Custom Install of IOBit Malware Fighter 11.4.0 (easy to install )

Latest Database Version 2608 ( 2026 - 7 - 9 )

Fingerprint : 898269

I ran a smart scan

Objects scanned 107.446

Threats Detected 0  as expected

Time Elapsed : 20.02 minutes

Very light and smooth

Thank you for providing the data! Which version have you tested? Free or Pro? 

Edited Saturday at 09:47 AM by AstroSkipper

[Tangy]

@AstroSkipper Free . I am sure you are aware that reviews have been unfavourable since its inception. Western propaganda ? Regarding Chinese products.

Better than nothing is debatable ? Yes, it could run seamlessly along side the Italian one and still be a very light compo.

What do you reckon ?

 

 

 

[AstroSkipper]

4 hours ago, Tangy said:

@AstroSkipper Free . I am sure you are aware that reviews have been unfavourable since its inception. Western propaganda ? Regarding Chinese products.

Better than nothing is debatable ? Yes, it could run seamlessly along side the Italian one and still be a very light compo.

What do you reckon ?

As I already said, it is no longer time to be picky when it comes to real-time protection under Windows XP. And of course, I read such reports about IOBit Malware Fighter. I personally never liked the IOBit company. Their products have never really been any good. And in the case of IOBit Malware Fighter, I can see why.

The positives:

• Easy to install.
• A clearly structured, very tidy and modern interface.
• Good usability.
• Lots of features not usually found in freeware.
• Excellent uninstallation speed.

The negatives:

• No daily updates as advertised. Today, it’s still installing the version from 9 July.
• Not really integrated efficiently into Windows XP.
• When the protection is activated, performance plummets.
• Version 13 is constantly being promoted, and you’re told to download it, even though it’s not compatible with Windows XP.
• No self-protection.
• The scan speed is so poor that I’m lost for words...

The scanning speed is the absolute worst I have ever experienced. Smart Scan was cancelled after 123,226 files!!! and 120 minutes!!! with only 5% progress!!! This is no Smart Scan. 



I then uninstalled it completely. The uninstallation was done in seconds. That just goes to show how poorly the programme was integrated into Windows XP. It was practically just a superficial add-on.  And it can even be shut down completely with just two clicks. That’s a goldmine for malware.  My conclusion: Looks great on the outside, but a flop on the inside. 

P.S.: And that’s the good thing about my ancient P4 computer. It mercilessly exposes the weaknesses of software. 

Edited Saturday at 08:59 PM by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

On 7/8/2026 at 4:34 PM, 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'?

OK. Patient number 12.0.0.6818 from 2019 has been resuscitated and is eating again.   

 

„Oops!... I Did It Again“ ... 

Edited yesterday at 10:26 AM by AstroSkipper

[modnar]

On 7/10/2026 at 10:59 AM, AstroSkipper said:

And what exacty does that mean?

About panda acting up, same as before, but now crappier: service crashes and even on occasions with no service crashes now sistem also becomes very slow while clicking through start menu, e.g. recent documents. Even doing regular tasks, opening e.g. Task Manager I had to wait around 1 minute before it would open. And get this: panda decided it's king of the system somehow and Diskeeper that I use could not even save fragmentation prevented statistics for the current day. The next day it showed as "---------" (none). Unglaublich!

Anyhow, applying their panda-b-gone uninstaller things are finally making sense.

P.S.:  Regarding this about IOBit Malware fighter

Quote

Not really integrated efficiently into Windows XP.

Its drivers have win7x86 path, and it just makes AppData/Local/Low directories in XP as if it owns the place. Not applicable.

Quote

„Oops!... I Did It Again“ ... 

Yes, Comodo can be good, though their HIPS system can be quite heavy (but that is with Comodo Firewall). I used both (AV & FW) in the past. Might test it again...

On 7/10/2026 at 7:51 PM, Tangy said:

About the 60 days , we could always use an on/off line scanner. Let us also no forget, beggars can't be choosers.

Could you please elaborate on panda.

thank you.

They are advertising all over the place "It's Free" and then when wanting to download, you get hit with the remark "for 60 days" when there is a comparison drawn between the two releases. Disgusting!

Edited 4 hours ago by modnar
Update

[AstroSkipper]

42 minutes ago, modnar said:

They are advertising all over the place "It's Free" and then when wanting to download, you get hit with the remark "for 60 days" when there is a comparison drawn between the two releases. Disgusting!

It remains free but after the period of 60 days, the removal of malware is no longer possible. If you need this feature, you have to buy a license. That's ok for me. I personally do not need this feature. 

[Dave-H]

2 hours ago, modnar said:

About panda acting up, same as before, but now crappier: service crashes and even on occasions with no service crashes now sistem also becomes very slow while clicking through start menu, e.g. recent documents. Even doing regular tasks, opening e.g. Task Manager I had to wait around 1 minute before it would open. And get this: panda decided it's king of the system somehow and Diskeeper that I use could not even save fragmentation prevented statistics for the current day. The next day it showed as "---------" (none). Unglaublich!

Anyhow, applying their panda-b-gone uninstaller things are finally making sense.

Assuming you haven't already uninstalled Panda, could you try excluding from scanning the folders I detailed in my earlier post?
I would just be interested to know if this helps the problem on your system.

I'm still getting occasional stops and starts of the main Panda service, and I'm trying to find out exactly what is triggering them.
Again, not a fix, just a better understanding of where the mechanism is now failing.

Incidentally, Panda's online support forms are pretty useless, as once you've submitted one, you are supposed to be able to add new information to it by clicking on the link in the e-mail it sends you. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. When you submit the revised form, you just get an error message that the e-mail and customer number don't match any current user!
I've had to submit two further forms from scratch to give them more information.

[AstroSkipper]

54 minutes ago, Dave-H said:

Incidentally, Panda's online support forms are pretty useless, as once you've submitted one, you are supposed to be able to add new information to it by clicking on the link in the e-mail it sends you. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. When you submit the revised form, you just get an error message that the e-mail and customer number don't match any current user!
I've had to submit two further forms from scratch to give them more information.

This absolutely confirms what I’ve already said here and what many other customers have reported across the web. At first glance, Panda Support seems great, but on closer inspection it’s a joke. For home users, it’s practically non-existent. They probably focus more on enterprise customers. Money makes the world go round. 

[AstroSkipper]

@Dave-H If you absolutely want to stick with Panda – presumably because you still have a valid licence – then I’d uninstall it completely, give everything a thorough clean, then reinstall it, but without allowing any connection to the internet. Then set the cache folder to read-only for everyone, especially for the System account, or if that doesn’t work, delete it completely. Then set all your exclusions and only then connect to the internet. No updates must be carried out locally. Perhaps it will then run stably. Personally, I’m done with Panda and would only go back if an official fix is released or the update server is corrected.

Edited 51 minutes ago by AstroSkipper