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

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, VistaLover said:

(FWIW, I get the overall sense one should "walk on eggshells" when replying in this thread ...)

That shouldn't really be the case, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm trying to prevent any misunderstandings, given the posts here.

1 hour ago, VistaLover said:

How does this fact make the MBAM online support articles I linked to look then?

It is of course clear that Malwarebytes is no longer interested in old versions. They want to leave the era of Windows XP and Vista behind. If you have read my old posts about how I was treated in the Malwarebytes forum as a Windows XP user, especially by their moderators, there is no need for any further explanation.  But there was also a small glimmer of hope where an ordinary member had apologised to me for his behaviour. 

Edited September 28, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

3 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I'm seeking suggestions for which anti-virus to be placed on that third partition.

Months ago, I installed and checked 360 Total Security from Qihoo in the version 10.8.0.1541, which I didn't like, though. I wrote about it in the old antivirus thread. Now, there is a brand new version available, 360 Total Security 11.0.0.1042. Maybe, this one?  In any case, it has a real-time protection function and is still listed to be compatible with Windows XP. But, be attentive during installation to deselect what you don't want, if that's possible! 

Edited September 28, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[tekkaman]

Another thing about 360 Total Security is that you should install the offline engine as well because the cloud engine doesn't detect Eicar to check if the realtime protection is working.

[AstroSkipper]

Update notification! 

Malware Hunter has been updated on 18.09.2023 and is now available in version 1.172.0.790. It is still listed to be compatible with Windows XP. Accordingly, I will update my article as soon as I can confirm its XP-compatibility.

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

[AstroSkipper]

On 9/29/2023 at 5:23 PM, AstroSkipper said:

Update notification! 

Malware Hunter has been updated on 18.09.2023 and is now available in version 1.172.0.790. It is still listed to be compatible with Windows XP. Accordingly, I will update my article as soon as I can confirm its XP-compatibility.

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

I have tested Malware Hunter in version 1.172.0.790 on my system, and it is still compatible with Windows XP. Accordingly, I updated my article.

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited October 1, 2023 by AstroSkipper

[AstroSkipper]

Shadow Defender

Shadow Defender is an easy-to-use PC/laptop security and privacy protection tool for Windows operating systems. It provides an excellent way to prevent unwanted or malicious changes from being made to your PC/laptop. With Shadow Defender, one can run the system in a virtual environment, called Shadow Mode. And all the attacks will happen in the virtual environment, not in the real environment. If attacks happened, all the user needs to do is to reboot the system. After reboot, the system will be restored to the original state, as if nothing happened. And meanwhile the user can save any selected files and folders to the real environment. Shadow Defender is of course XP-compatible, unfortunately commercial, and its installer is a 30 days trial.

Features:

• Prevent all viruses and malware.
• Surf the internet safely and eliminate unwanted traces.
• Protect your privacy.
• Eliminate system downtime and maintenance costs.
• Reboot to restore your system back to its original state.

Homepage: http://www.shadowdefender.com/index.html

Version number: 1.5.0.726

Date of release: 02.08.2020

System requirements:

Windows 11
Windows 10
Windows 8, 8.1
Windows 7 SP1 with KB3033929 installed
Windows Vista SP2 with KB2763674 installed
Windows 2003
Windows XP

Version history: http://www.shadowdefender.com/history.html

Reviews:

https://outwittrade.com/shadow-defender-review/

https://malwaretips.com/threads/shadow-defender-an-unobjective-review.93266/

Download links:

Installer: http://www.shadowdefender.com/download/Setup.exe

Language files: http://www.shadowdefender.com/download.html

Screenshots:











Shadow Defender is really easy to use. It has been installed in my system since 2013. However, I only use it when changes in my system are undesirable. I own the latest registered version which I received as part of a giveaway.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

Edited October 2, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

Wise Anti Malware - Abandoned!?

First, some information about Wise Anti Malware. It came in two versions: Wise Anti Malware Free which was free of charge and Wise Anti Malware Pro which was commercial. Both versions offered a real-time protection. The differences are explained below under the section Features. Wise Anti Malware was designed to help protect against adware, viruses, malware, phishing, ransomware, spyware and unwanted programs (PUP/PUA). It included Custom, Quick, and Full scanning capabilities to check your computer for signs of malware, adware, etc. Wise Anti Malware was and is compatible with Windows XP.

Features:

The most important feature of Wise Anti Malware is real-time protection, which is considered as the first guard to defend your PC against Malware threads. It has three shields, Malware detection, Adware detection, and Registry protection (Pro only).

• Malware shield: Detect and block malware threats by using the extensive databases of the renowned Avira virus scanner.
• Adware shield: Detect and block AD windows.
• Registry shield: Detect and prevent programs from adding new startup items into the registry (Pro only).
• Three scanning modes: Quick Scan, Full Scan, and Custom Scan.
• Adware cleaner: Removes annoying advertising programs, blocks intrusive pop-up ads, and resets redirected web browser homepages.
• System Cleaner: Efficiently removes leftover registry entries, temporary files, cookies, and cache files.

The paid Pro version had two additional features:

• Auto-update database
• Registry protection

Homepage: https://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-anti-malware.html

Version number: 2.2.1

Date of release: 26.12.2019

System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 (both 32-bit and 64-bit)

Hardware requirements:

CPU: Pentium 233 MHz or above
RAM: 128 MB or above
Disk Space: the minimum of the space for installing Wise Anti Malware is 500 MB

Supported languages:

English, Arabic, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmal), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian,

Version history:

Quote

Wise Anti Malware v2.21

Dec 25, 2019

All features can be used for free.
Updated various translations.
Minor bug fixes.

Wise Anti Malware v2.18

Dec 10, 2018

Improved System Cleaner.
Updated various translations.
Minor bug fixes.

Wise Anti Malware v2.17

Nov 25, 2018

Fix the issue of engine fails to start in some cases.
Updated various translations.
Minor bug fixes.
GUI and usability improvements.

Wise Anti Malware v2.16

Nov 19, 2018

Improved System Cleaner.
Fixed some issues from the users' feedback.
Updated various translations.
GUI and usability improvements.

Wise Anti Malware v2.15

Aug 2, 2018

Improved Registry cleaning.
Optimized message reminder of support center.
Updated various translations.
GUI and usability improvements.
Minor bug fixes.

Wise Anti Malware v2.14

Jun 26, 2018

Improved the compatibility with the Windows Defender.
Updated various translations.
Minor bug fixes.

Wise Anti Malware v2.13

Jun 13, 2018

Updated various translations.
Minor bug fixes.

Wise Anti Malware v2.12

May 29, 2018

Fix the issue of engine fails to start in some cases.
Updated various translations.
Minor bug fixes.
Minor GUI improvements.

Wise Anti Malware v2.11

May 21, 2018

Improved real-time monitoring.
Improved the function of System Cleaner.
Minor bug fixes.
Minor GUI improvements.

Reviews:

https://www.techno360.in/wise-anti-malware/

https://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Security-Related/Wise-Anti-Malware.shtml

Download link: https://downloads.wisecleaner.com/soft/WiseAntiMalware_FullInstaller.exe

So much for the facts, which I had already researched some time ago, and therefore did not want to withhold from anyone. With version 2.2.1, all features were made freely available. Thus, the Free version became a free of charge Pro version. Actually great, if it weren't for the word if.  I recently installed this version and examined it more closely. Unfortunately, I discovered some unpleasant things. According to the Wise Anti Malware homepage, the main interface should look like this:

But unfortunately, the main interface of Wise Anti Malware 2.2.1 looks like that:

No information about the last database update! This was apparently simply hidden in this version. Probably for good reasons. For comparison, I first installed the older version 2.1.8, and this entry was still there. After that, I installed Wise Anti Malware 2.2.1. When starting the programme, it should actually automatically download and initialise the scan engine, shown in the next screenshot:

Unfortunately, the automatical download of the virus engine didn't happen. Only in the systray icon, when you hover over it with the mouse pointer, or in the tab Malware Scanner, a notification first says "The engine is starting" and after a while "Engine failed to start". And absolutely nothing about updating! These notifications are rather hidden, and the user does not even notice that the real-time protection is not started. This is definitely a no-go. And why do they still offer a non-working antimalware programme at all?  At least for Windows XP. I don't understand that. Here are some screenshots to show these notifications:

I reinstalled the programme, tried it more times, but nothing changed. Additionally, I followed some advices listed in the FAQ on their homepage. Unfortunately, without any success.  Anyway! This version comes with definition updates from 23.11.2018, and the programme is neither able to start its scan engine nor to update its virus database. Therefore, I think Wise Anti Malware is abandoned and completely out of support. If anyone knows more, or the version works on their computers after all, please post here!

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited October 4, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[VistaLover]

@AstroSkipper :

https://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-anti-malware-review.html

... Both entries from 3 1/2 years ago ... The first question was never officially replied to , second review (from June 2020) is consistent with your own findings now ...

TL;DR: Forget about it (just my 2c... ) !

Best regards !

[AstroSkipper]

2 hours ago, VistaLover said:

@AstroSkipper :

https://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-anti-malware-review.html

... Both entries from 3 1/2 years ago ... The first question was never officially replied to , second review (from June 2020) is consistent with your own findings now ...

TL;DR: Forget about it (just my 2c... ) !

Best regards !

Yep! I see it that way, too. Thanks for your research!

Best regards, AstroSkipper!

Edited October 3, 2023 by AstroSkipper

[AstroSkipper]

20 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

So much for the facts, which I had already researched some time ago, and therefore did not want to withhold from anyone. With version 2.2.1, all features were made freely available. Thus, the Free version became a free of charge Pro version. Actually great, if it weren't for the word if.  I recently installed this version and examined it more closely. Unfortunately, I discovered some unpleasant things. According to the Wise Anti Malware homepage, the main interface should look like this:

But unfortunately, the main interface of Wise Anti Malware 2.2.1 looks like that:

No information about the last database update! This was apparently simply hidden in this version. Probably for good reasons. For comparison, I first installed the older version 2.1.8, and this entry was still there. After that, I installed Wise Anti Malware 2.2.1. When starting the programme, it should actually automatically download and initialise the scan engine, shown in the next screenshot:

Unfortunately, the automatical download of the virus engine didn't happen. Only in the systray icon, when you hover over it with the mouse pointer, or in the tab Malware Scanner, a notification first says "The engine is starting" and after a while "Engine failed to start". And absolutely nothing about updating! These notifications are rather hidden, and the user does not even notice that the real-time protection is not started. This is definitely a no-go. And why do they still offer a non-working antimalware programme at all?  At least for Windows XP. I don't understand that. Here are some screenshots to show these notifications:

I reinstalled the programme, tried it more times, but nothing changed. Additionally, I followed some advices listed in the FAQ on their homepage. Unfortunately, without any success.  Anyway! This version comes with definition updates from 23.11.2018, and the programme is neither able to start its scan engine nor to update its virus database. Therefore, I think Wise Anti Malware is abandoned and completely out of support. If anyone knows more, or the version works on their computers after all, please post here!

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

The scan engine used in Wise Anti Malware comes from Avira. It has been used by many antimalware programmes in the past, such as 360 Total Security by Qihoo. To look at the whole thing in more detail, I made a small (legal!) modification to Wise Anti Malware 2.2.1 out of purely technical interest, which I will not go into here due to existing forum rules. With this modification, the programme was able to download the latest virus definitions with the notification "Updating", from which the local file local000.vdf was created with a size of approx. 107 MB. Here is a screenshot of Total Commander:

Loaded by the service WiseMalService.exe, which initially took up only 29 MB of RAM, it now occupies around 800 MB of RAM, as can be seen in the next picture with the help of Process Hacker:

Unfortunately, however, the scan engine of Wise Anti Malware could not be started again. Conclusion: a functioning Avira scan engine is missing and probably no longer available. As far as I know, Avira has stopped supporting 32-bit systems for some time. Read, for example, here: https://partnernews.sophos.com/en-us/2022/10/products/end-of-support-for-avira-32-bit-scan-engine/ That's probably why third-party providers like Qihoo have also removed it from their programmes.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

Edited October 4, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

On 9/14/2023 at 8:54 PM, AstroSkipper said:

360 Total Security Essential

This article is about 360 Total Security Essential and not about 360 Total Security. These versions are different. 360 Total Security Essential is an antivirus for the basic computer protection against malware and online threats. The software uses multiple antivirus engines and intelligent cloud technology to detect infected files and unknown or hidden threats: 360 Cloud Scan Engine, System Repair Engine, QVM II AI Engine, QEX script killing engine and Avira AntiVir Engine. Furthermore, 360 Total Security Essential supports various types of system scans for suspicious files, which can be further analysed to avoid security problems. The software provides protection on the internet by blocking dangerous websites and making secure online purchases. 360 Total Security Essential has a sandbox that allows you to open files or run applications in an isolated environment without the risk of damaging the main system. Its antivirus also uses behavioural analysis to prevent the system infection and protect personal data against ransomware. 360 Total Security Essential is compatible with Windows XP and free of charge.

Main features:

• Additional antivirus engines
• Privacy protection
• Internet security
• Protection of the file system and registry
• Sandbox

Homepage: https://web.archive.org/web/20200203081602/http://www.360totalsecurity.com/en/features/360-total-security-essential/

Version number: 8.8.0.1119

Date of release: 18.12.2019

System requirements: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP/Server 2008 and above version

Version history:

Review: https://www.accuratereviews.com/best-antivirus-for-pc-software-reviews-list/360-total-security-essential/

Download link: https://web.archive.org/web/20200402234430if_/https://free.360totalsecurity.com/totalsecurity/360TSE_Setup.exe

Screenshots:

Screenshot of the main interface:



Screenshot of the security configuration with settings I made, especially in terms of the Avira Scan Engine:



In this screenshot above, you see I changed the protection mode from the default Balanced to Custom, and I enabled the Avira Scan Engine. Alternatively, you can set the protection mode to the highest level Security. This definitely improves the programme's detection rate.

In March 2023, I had installed 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119 on my second system partition and used it for a while. This version has definitely no such bloatware and crappy desktop manager as I had to notice in the 360 Total Security 10.x follow-up versions I tested before. When installing 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119, there is an option to install additionally the browser Opera but you can untick it. The whole installation process is far more pleasant than it is, for example, in the edition 360 Total Security 10.8.0.1541. 360 Total Security Essential is quite okay as an alternative in Windows XP where the choice of antivirus programmes is very limited. Although I can't say much about the quality of its protection, you have the option of installing the Avira Scan Engine which increases the detection rate of this programme considerably, as AV-Test has shown in the follow-up version 9.2. Here is an image taken from the test:



The impact of system resources by 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119 is very low. One hardly notices the presence of this programme in the background. And that in my very old, weak system! Unfortunately, 360 Total Security Essential in version 8.8.0.1119 was the last release of this edition. It was abandoned at some point in the past, but its virus definitions could still be updated when I tested it in March 2023. Therefore, I think it will probably still work in these days. But as always, the proof is in the pudding. So maybe, someone can test that and report here. 

Cheers, AstroSkipper

I updated my post about 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119 to further specify the multiple antivirus engines (actually, there are five of them) used by this programme. One of them is the Avira AntiVir Engine which I will go into in a next post very soon.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

Edited October 5, 2023 by AstroSkipper

[AstroSkipper]

On 10/5/2023 at 11:34 PM, AstroSkipper said:

I updated my post about 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119 to further specify the multiple antivirus engines (actually, there are five of them) used by this programme. One of them is the Avira AntiVir Engine which I will go into in a next post very soon.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

As promised, some further information about the topic Avira AntiVir Engine. I already mentioned that Avira has stopped supporting 32-bit systems for some time. Therefore, I reinstalled 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119 to see what is going on with its Avira AntiVir Engine today. After installing, I checked the date of the virus database. Without any updating, the virus database is from 28.07.2020. Here is a screenshot taken directly after installation without updating:



When performing an update, the virus database of Avira was updated, too. The last version of the virus database, one can get, seems to be from 19.02.2021. Here is a screenshot after updating:



More recent virus definitions, one apparently can't get anymore, presumably due to the lack of a more recent 32-Bit Avira AntiVir Engine. But at least, one can still update the virus database a bit, unlike Wise Anti Malware. And of course, it mustn't be forgotten that 360 Total Security Essential 8.8.0.1119 has four other antivirus engines. In any case, this little check is a further confirmation that the Avira AntiVir Engines are no longer supported on 32-Bit systems.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

Edited October 8, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[FranceBB]

Well, I kinda expected this given the lack of 32bit support from Avira, but kudos to you for actually spending time installing it and testing it out.

[WSC4]

I take back the good words I said about AVG Antivirus on page 47 and have uninstalled it completely.

This may be an XP 64-bit problem that AVG could never fix.  On the first install, it displayed this and I could not find a fix for the "You are not protected.  Computer protection is turned off" error.  After many uninstalls and reinstalls and workarounds, nothing worked.

I researched this problem for days and had 15 tabs open mainly from the AVG Support Forum.  Many users had the same problem and were asking for a fix.  Repeatedly, what they were told was to uninstall, used the AVG Clean Tool and reinstall.  None of this seemed to fix the problem for users.  Also, I would say most were using 32-bit OS and not necessarily XP 64-bit

On the AVG Support page, one of their reps said to also use the AVG Remover Tool.  Warning!  never use this tool if you need to get rid of AVG.  The files is AVG_Remover.exe.  Using this caused a BSOD on my machine and on the next boot the Welcome screen just hung. Fate and luck were on my side and I managed to get it back up and running.

Do not use the above tool.

I recommend first to uninstall AVG in Add or Remove Programs, and then use the AVG Clear Tool avgclear.exe.  This worked fine got ride of the lot.

Edited October 9, 2023 by WSC4
Add bold and change words

[AstroSkipper]

On 10/9/2023 at 3:59 AM, WSC4 said:

I take back the good words I said about AVG Antivirus on page 47 and have uninstalled it completely.

This may be an XP 64-bit problem that AVG could never fix.  On the first install, it displayed this and I could not find a fix for the "You are not protected.  Computer protection is turned off" error.  After many uninstalls and reinstalls and workarounds, nothing worked.

I researched this problem for days and had 15 tabs open mainly from the AVG Support Forum.  Many users had the same problem and were asking for a fix.  Repeatedly, what they were told was to uninstall, used the AVG Clean Tool and reinstall.  None of this seemed to fix the problem for users.  Also, I would say most were using 32-bit OS and not necessarily XP 64-bit

On the AVG Support page, one of their reps said to also use the AVG Remover Tool.  Warning!  never use this tool if you need to get rid of AVG.  The files is AVG_Remover.exe.  Using this caused a BSOD on my machine and on the next boot the Welcome screen just hung. Fate and luck were on my side and I managed to get it back up and running.

Do not use the above tool.

I recommend first to uninstall AVG in Add or Remove Programs, and then use the AVG Clear Tool avgclear.exe.  This worked fine got ride of the lot.

Hello @WSC4! Now, you might understand why I personally am not a fan of AVG. I also had to deal with BSODs.  And that was already under Windows XP Professional SP3 32-bit.  I never had such problems with any other Antivirus programme. And I tried a lot of different security programmes under Windows XP. Even Avast did not produce such BSODs. That's why I follow the rule: AVG, never again! 

Cheers, AstroSkipper 

Edited October 10, 2023 by AstroSkipper
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