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

[Vistapocalypse]

49 minutes ago, AstroSkipper said:

Since you are not using real-time protection, my first recommendation for you would be Malwarebytes Free....But you have to uninstall avast! completely and clean your system from all leftovers. Malwarebytes and avast! do not get along....

Is that so!? I used Avast Free 18.8 (with real-time protection on) together with Malwarebytes Free 2.2.1 (no real-time protection - but unfortunately no more definition updates for that excellent old version) on Vista x86 for quite some time without any issues. (I always avoided Malwarebytes 3 due to lukewarm reviews of their attempt to become a “real antivirus.”)

Frankly, this topic reads too much like an advertisement for 5-year-old Malwarebytes 3.5.1.  Ironically, one place on the internet where Malwarebytes is not recommended for Windows XP is Malwarebytes Forums. In November 2022, an XP user stated his intention to purchase Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1 if he could be reassured about the continued availability of definitions. Forum regular Porthos advised, “save your money [for] a new computer,” while Root Admin AdvancedSetup flatly stated, “I’m sorry...but Malwarebytes 3 is not supported any longer” (which is technically true, although I don’t doubt that you are still getting definitions for the time being). The poster then mentioned that he was running Avast, and the Root Admin replied, “Yes...if you wish to run on XP then Avast is probably one of the few choices you have left.”

https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/292465-winxp-32-malwarebytes-3512522-malware-signatures/

[AstroSkipper]

4 hours ago, Vistapocalypse said:

Is that so!?

Unfortunately, yes! At least, according to my experience.

4 hours ago, Vistapocalypse said:

I used Avast Free 18.8 (with real-time protection on) together with Malwarebytes Free 2.2.1 (no real-time protection - but unfortunately no more definition updates for that excellent old version) on Vista x86 for quite some time without any issues. (I always avoided Malwarebytes 3 due to lukewarm reviews of their attempt to become a “real antivirus.”)

Same here! I used avast! Premier 18.8 together with Malwarebytes Premium 2.2.1 for many years. I wasn't able to properly install Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1 in my Windows XP system. Malwarebytes' support was not able to help me although they did what they could. Some weeks ago, I found the cause of the issue: avast!. Now, it works as it should. BTW, if Malwarebytes' real-time protection is always disabled, the compatibility issue does not occur.

4 hours ago, Vistapocalypse said:

Frankly, this topic reads too much like an advertisement for 5-year-old Malwarebytes 3.5.1.  Ironically, one place on the internet where Malwarebytes is not recommended for Windows XP is Malwarebytes Forums. In November 2022, an XP user stated his intention to purchase Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1 if he could be reassured about the continued availability of definitions. Forum regular Porthos advised, “save your money [for] a new computer,” while Root Admin AdvancedSetup flatly stated, “I’m sorry...but Malwarebytes 3 is not supported any longer” (which is technically true, although I don’t doubt that you are still getting definitions for the time being). The poster then mentioned that he was running Avast, and the Root Admin replied, “Yes...if you wish to run on XP then Avast is probably one of the few choices you have left.”

No advertisement here! As you know, I had a longer discussion with Porthos & Co, too. And I was not amused at all which leads to the fact that I won't post there anymore.  Have a look here:
https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/296406-windows-xp-does-not-have-lifetime-support/
But I am objective. Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1 works now like a charme in my Windows XP system, and apart from that I am still in possession of a lifetime licence.

PS: avast! (Premier) 18.8 won't be any longer a program to recommend by me in the first place due to bad experiences I made in the past. Have a look into my corresponding post:

More about that when I write the post regarding the last avast! versions compatible with Windows XP. 

Edited April 30, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

Just for clarification! I do not advertise any programs here. And I do not recommend programs which were not tested by me. All recommendations are based on my own experience.  The programs which I already listed or am going to list are first of all only options that are available to the user. I have been using some of them myself for years and can of course recommend these programs with a clear conscience. Here is a quotation from my first post:

On 4/28/2023 at 8:37 PM, AstroSkipper said:

Furthermore, all the programs I have listed are not necessarily to be understood as recommendations. Basically, they are simply options that are still available for Windows XP. Because we all know that most manufacturers of security software have long since given up on Windows XP. If I personally consider a program to be good, I will express this in its relevant post.

And one thing is crystal clear, no one has to follow my recommendations. We are all different and have to form our own opinion. 

Greetings to all, AstroSkipper

Edited May 2, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Vistapocalypse]

59 minutes ago, AstroSkipper said:

...I wasn't able to properly install Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1....the cause of the issue: avast!. Now, it works as it should. BTW, if Malwarebytes' real-time protection is always disabled, the compatibility issue does not occur...

If you had to completely remove Avast, how do you know “the compatibility issue does not occur” with real-time protection disabled in 3.5.1? Anyway, one thing I hated about Malwarebytes 3 was that there was evidently no way to install the free version without first installing a “free trial” of Premium (please correct me if a method of doing that is known).

1 hour ago, AstroSkipper said:

...I am an owner of a lifetime license.

I never purchased a license for MB Premium and definitely never will! I suppose you could transfer your license to a newer OS when they cut off definitions for 3.5.1, but putting MB Premium on Windows 10 or 11 would only cause conflicts with Microsoft’s excellent antimalware protection. If I was an XP diehard, I would certainly not purchase a license for MB Premium in May 2023!

[AstroSkipper]

33 minutes ago, Vistapocalypse said:

If you had to completely remove Avast, how do you know “the compatibility issue does not occur” with real-time protection disabled in 3.5.1?

When avast! Premier was installed in my system, I could also install Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1 but I could never enable real-time protection. With Malwarebytes Premium 2.2.1, there was no problem to do that. But AFAIK, there also have been users who didn't noticed any compatibility problems with avast!. So it may be that this issue only occur if the avast! installation has become faulty which unfortunately happens all the time in version 18.8.

33 minutes ago, Vistapocalypse said:

Anyway, one thing I hated about Malwarebytes 3 was that there was evidently no way to install the free version without first installing a “free trial” of Premium (please correct me if a method of doing that is known).

Some weeks ago, when I installed Malwarebytes 3.5.1, I could have used the free version if I didn't activate my license. So, it shouldn't actually be a problem. And you're right, my lifetime license worked with all versions from 1 to 3 and will do so for the version 4 and up. 

Edited April 30, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Vistapocalypse]

It sounds to me like @Cixert could install Malwarebytes Free without removing Avast, as you instructed on the previous page!? It will be interesting to see which vendor cuts off definitions for their legacy version first. Cixert prefers a very old version of Avast that no longer receives definitions anyway!? And don’t worry: I would also advise against purchasing a “Premier” license for Avast in 2023!

[AstroSkipper]

14 hours ago, Vistapocalypse said:

It sounds to me like @Cixert could install Malwarebytes Free without removing Avast, as you instructed on the previous page!?

Read my previous post, and you will see I could install Malwarebytes without removing Avast, too. But ...  And this compatibility issue does not necessarily occur with every Avast version. I am only referring to version 18.8.  BTW, my "instruction" was rather meant as a recommendation not to get in trouble. Therefore, I already corrected my wording in the according post not to be mistaken.  Thanks for pointing to that!

Edited May 1, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[D.Draker]

8 hours ago, Vistapocalypse said:

Frankly, this topic reads too much like an advertisement for 5-year-old Malwarebytes 3.5.1.  Ironically, one place on the internet where Malwarebytes is not recommended for Windows XP is Malwarebytes Forums. In November 2022, an XP user stated his intention to purchase Malwarebytes Premium 3.5.1 if he could be reassured about the continued availability of definitions. Forum regular Porthos advised, “save your money [for] a new computer,” while Root Admin AdvancedSetup flatly stated, “I’m sorry...but Malwarebytes 3 is not supported any longer” (which is technically true, although I don’t doubt that you are still getting definitions for the time being). The poster then mentioned that he was running Avast, and the Root Admin replied, “Yes...if you wish to run on XP then Avast is probably one of the few choices you have left.”

https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/292465-winxp-32-malwarebytes-3512522-malware-signatures/

Says someone who advertised Kaspersky on a daily basis, I even thought you got shares in their business.

Now, thanks to the forces of nature, you don't, and I even think of starting to like you.

Go on like this and you have all chances of becoming the local expert with unbiased opinion.

[D.Draker]

17 hours ago, Cixert said:

How To Turn Off Autorun
https://tiptopsecurity.com/how-to-disable-autoplay-and-autorun-instructions-for-windows-xp-vista-win-7-and-8/

In the last 15 years, my Windows 2000/XP PCs have not been infected by any viruses. I always have real-time protection disabled. I have downloaded hundreds of thousands of programs from thousands of web pages.

Thanks! Please tell, were there any omens that tried to tell you I might have known that already ? Besides, it can be brought back as easily ! Imagine someone who doesn't live alone, someone with any forms of shared access, children, not that clever girlfriend that loves to click on autorun ? Or the same ol' ex-DDR communists that might have a remote access to ones PC ?

Or software and/or updates that bring back the default OS settings ?

 

[Cixert]

14 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

WiseVector StopX has been abandoned, so you can't get any new definition updates. It is AI-based and only partly based on local definition updates. Furthermore, such downloadable definition updates were never offered anyway.

 

 I do not understand very well how WiseVector StopX works with AI with abandoned status.

Do you have more information?
Does AI depend on a server or the program itself collects Internet information?
How does this work to collect new viruses? According to other users or any database?
The biggest doubt is that if this is abandoned until when it will work?

[Vistapocalypse]

This is where AstroSkipper first mentioned WiseVector EOL:

https://msfn.org/board/topic/177099-which-antiviruses-are-known-for-a-fact-to-be-working-on-xp-sp3-as-of-2019/?do=findComment&comment=1238935

[AstroSkipper]

On 5/1/2023 at 5:24 AM, Cixert said:

 I do not understand very well how WiseVector StopX works with AI with abandoned status.

Do you have more information?
Does AI depend on a server or the program itself collects Internet information?
How does this work to collect new viruses? According to other users or any database?
The biggest doubt is that if this is abandoned until when it will work?

@Cixert Here is a link to the homepage of WiseVector StopX via archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20230208110858/https://www.wisevector.com/en/ 
There you find more information. The homepage wisevector.com has been cleaned almost completely. No information there anymore except the manual (for the version 2.70). The admins there seem to have overlooked deleting this document as well. Here is the link to the last manual: https://www.wisevector.com/wisevector_stopx_user_guide_en.pdf
The developers of WiseVector StopX had not really disclosed in-depth information on how this program works in detail. It is somehow a mix of artificial intelligence (machine learning), cloud support and local database.
And here is a review: https://malwaretips.com/threads/wisevector-stopx-anti-malware-v3-07.115443/ 
But I'm not quite sure what you want to do with such a program. Unfortunately, it has been completely abandoned, no more program or database updates, no cloud support.  Therefore, no entry in my alphabetical list of working antimalware, firewall, and other security programs for Windows XP but in my list of programs that have recently been abandoned. 

BTW, what about my recommendation in terms of Malwarebytes Free? You didn't say anything about it. So what do you think?

Edited May 2, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[AstroSkipper]

17 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

Just for clarification! I do not advertise any programs here. And I do not recommend programs which were not tested by me. All recommendations are based on my own experience.  The programs which I already listed or am going to list are first of all only options that are available to the user. I have been using some of them myself for years and can of course recommend these programs with a clear conscience. Here is a quotation from my first post:

On 4/28/2023 at 8:37 PM, AstroSkipper said:

Furthermore, all the programs I have listed are not necessarily to be understood as recommendations. Basically, they are simply options that are still available for Windows XP. Because we all know that most manufacturers of security software have long since given up on Windows XP. If I personally consider a program to be good, I will express this in its relevant post.

And one thing is crystal clear, no one has to follow my recommendations. We are all different and have to form our own opinion. 

Greetings to all, AstroSkipper

I linked this clarification to my initial post of this thread. 

All programs that need updates in some way, but unfortunately are no longer updated and are thus obsolete, should also no longer be mentioned here. This thread is about programs that can still be classified as up-to-date and safe in one way or another. There are also timeless programs that do not necessarily need updates, though, such as Windows 10 Firewall Control XP 7.5. Those programs will be listed here in any case. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by AstroSkipper
Update of content

[Cixert]

21 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

Since you are not using any real-time protection, my first recommendation for you would be Malwarebytes Free. It runs great, uses few system resources and has a very good detection rate. But you should uninstall avast! completely and clean your system from all leftovers. Malwarebytes and avast! might not get along. Of course, if you own a premium licence, you would have an optional three-layer real-time protection which can be switched on and off at any time. All about Malwarebytes here:
https://msfn.org/board/topic/184730-antimalware-firewall-and-other-security-programs-for-windows-xp-working-in-2023-and-hopefully-beyond/?do=findComment&comment=1244368
What do you think? 

 

I do not have a definite opinion that is true.
I don't trust Malwarebytes to have the same detection capabilities as Avast. Just like Avast doesn't detect some spies that Malwarebytes does detect.
The version of Malwarebytes Free & Premium seems to be the same, the Free version must be activated to be used as Premium.
I just reinstalled Malwarebytes, I see that it preserves the previous quarantine and the database before uninstalling.

I have installed right now, at the same time...
-WiseVector StopX 3.07 on demand (it says last virus update 2023-04-28)  I click on "Check for Updates" = Updates failed (at this moment).
-Malwarebytes Free 3.5.1 On Demand (it says package version 1.0.365, update package version 1.0.29723) . I click on update and now it says update package version 1.0.29777
-Avast 6.0.1367 On Demand (2020-03 database)
-ClamWin 0.103.2.1
-AVG 18.8 without real-time protection (I don't know if it is automatically deactivated when detecting other antiviruses, I'm not interested in activating its real-time)
 
And with all this there is no problem.
But if I also install Panda Dome and activate real-time protection, it gives an error in one of its files, I don't remember which one.

I am doing tests, I will know my final configuration in a while.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Cixert

[Cixert]

14 hours ago, D.Draker said:

Thanks! Please tell, were there any omens that tried to tell you I might have known that already ? Besides, it can be brought back as easily ! Imagine someone who doesn't live alone, someone with any forms of shared access, children, not that clever girlfriend that loves to click on autorun ? Or the same ol' ex-DDR communists that might have a remote access to ones PC ?

Or software and/or updates that bring back the default OS settings ?

 

This is a political opinion that should not fit in this forum. I cannot imagine that situation and I am not going to express my political opinion here. Sorry.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Cixert