Anti-Virus and other Security Programs for Windows XP working in 2026 and maybe until 2030

[Multibooter]

Anti-Virus and other Security Programs for Windows XP working in 2026 and maybe until 2030

This topic will focus on anti-virus and other security programs for Windows XP, which are still useful in 2026. The programs discussed here should have a good chance of still being useful for a long time, even if their official support has ended. Postings about anti-virus and other security programs for other older operating systems (e.g. Windows 2003 or Windows Vista) are also welcome, as well as postings about auxiliary programs which improve the functioning of these security programs.

[Multibooter]

(Kept for future postings)

[Multibooter]

Links to security-related topics

A) postings by Multibooter:

Sandboxie under Windows XP - posted on 5Aug2024
https://msfn.org/board/topic/186405-sandboxie-under-windows-xp/

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 - posted on 30Dec2010
https://msfn.org/board/topic/149134-kaspersky-anti-virus-60/

B) postings by others:

Antimalware, firewall, and other security programs for Windows XP working in 2023 and hopefully beyond - posted by AstroSkipper on 28Apr2023
https://msfn.org/board/topic/184730-antimalware-firewall-and-other-security-programs-for-windows-xp-working-in-2023-and-hopefully-beyond/

Which Antiviruses are Known for a Fact to be Working on XP SP3 as of 2019? - posted by spacequakes on 20Sep2017
https://msfn.org/board/topic/177099-which-antiviruses-are-known-for-a-fact-to-be-working-on-xp-sp3-as-of-2019/

VT Hash Check - posted by genieautravail on 8Apr2025
https://msfn.org/board/topic/186770-vt-hash-check-xp-compatibility-restored/

Edited March 30 by Multibooter

[Multibooter]

(the following text is a continuation of my postings at https://msfn.org/board/topic/184730-antimalware-firewall-and-other-security-programs-for-windows-xp-working-in-2023-and-hopefully-beyond/

The "Protection Components" of My Ancient Version of Kaspersky

I have re-installed My Ancient Version of Kaspersky, which was previously installed without Protection Components. During the re-installation I have selected the "Virus Scan" component and all "Protection components". I can now confirm that no license key or activation is required to get the Protection Components of the trial version to work.

1) Installation details

In order to install the Protection component "Kaspersky Anti-Hacker" (contains a firewall), an existing firewall software has to be uninstalled. It is not possible to have both Kaspersky Anti-Hacker and a firewall program like Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5 installed at the same time. After having uninstalled Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5, My Ancient Version of Kaspersky installed OK.

A pre-existing firewall program does not have to be uninstalled, however, if other protection components shall be installed, provided that Kaspersky Anti-Hacker is not selected during the installation.

After the re-installation, My Ancient Version of Kaspersky still had a very old signature date and was not yet updated to the ultimate final build.

2) Updating signatures and application modules

I subsequently updated both the signatures and the application modules of My Ancient Version of Kaspersky in one swoop, from a combined update folder containing both new signatures (from Kaspersky Lab and, for components not supported anymore, from my archive) and the AutoPatches (from my archive, they are not available anymore at Kaspersky Lab servers). Only one update is possible with the trial version, without a license key and without activation.

This single combined update has updated My Ancient Version of Kaspersky to the ultimate final build (".r" at the end, shown in the screenshot above), with the most recent program file digitally signed OK 26May2014 and the signatures for virus scanning updated to 23Mar2026.

3) Several Threat Types do not have a current signature:

 

When Protection Components were installed, the signature update will also update the signatures of threat types used by the Protection components (see screenshot above). When only "Virus Scan" is selected during the installation and no "Protection components" are installed, the program will only be updated with signatures for "Malware", not with signatures for "Banners", "Phishing Sites" etc.

The signatures for "Malware" are the essential ones, they used for virus-scanning and they are current.

The sources of the signatures for the Protection components displayed above were the following:
Banners: 14Dec2023, currently still available at Kaspersky Lab servers, i.e. signature support of this software version has stopped after 14Dec2023
Phishing sites: 23Mar2026, currently still available at Kaspersky Lab servers for the software version
Spam: 18Aug2017, from my archive, no signatures were available anymore at Kaspersky Lab servers for the software version
Malicious scripts: 17Dec2012, from the installer of the software, the signatures were not in my archive and were not available anymore at Kaspersky Lab servers

 

4) Protection Components

Edited March 30 by Multibooter

[Multibooter]

Foreign language versions of My Ancient Version of Kaspersky

The English-language screenshots in the posting above are actually from the German version of My Ancient Version of Kaspersky. The foreign language versions of My Ancient Version of Kaspersky are bi-lingual versions: If you press F12 you switch to the English language interface, if you press F5 you switch to the foreign language interface, in this case the German version.

 

Above are two screenshots with the German-language interface, displayed after switching to German by pressing F5.

Pressing F5 and F12, for alternating between the English and the German language interfaces, may perhaps be useful for learning, for example, German computereze

I have in my archive also a bi-lingual Russian version and an earlier build of the French version of My Ancient Version of Kaspersky.
Altogether 12 foreign language versions were released: Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Czech, Estonian, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

The only gripes I have about the bi-lingual foreign language versions, when compared to the English-only version, are the following;
- the installation is in the local language
- the context sensitive Help loads the context.chm Help file in the local language; the English context.chm is not included in the program
- the context menu, when you right-click on a file or folder, remains in the local language, e.g. "Auf Viren untersuchen", instead of "Scan for viruses"
- when you hover in the System Tray over the Kaspersky icon, the displayed text in the bubble (version and databases release date) remains in German.

Otherwise the bi-lingual foreign-language versions, after having pressed F12, seem to work just like the English version.
Even the context menu of the Kaspersky icon in the System Tray icon changes to English.

Above is a screenshot of a virus scan, in German.

Edited March 30 by Multibooter