Worried about viruses?

[bstylz01]

should i be worried about viruses on the sp2?
or does it already come with a antivirus system?

if not what virus system to do you have on your systems? if any

 

[jnjroach]

Windows Defender is included on all Windows 8.x machines and should be fine as long as you don't have bad computing habits, if you tend to download a bunch of stiff or go to questionable sites then invest in a more robust solution. I've used MS A/V since it was released with no issues.

 

[stevenrossvanduyn]

antivirus programme

Windows Defender is included on all Windows 8.x machines and should be fine as long as you don't have bad computing habits, if you tend to download a bunch of stiff or go to questionable sites then invest in a more robust solution. I've used MS A/V since it was released with no issues.

Better to buy a proper anit virus programme. because this also warns you when opening sites and also has a betteer AV engine to search for virus.
I use bitdefender but Kaspersky or Nod are also very good

 

[bstylz01]

Better to buy a proper anit virus programme. because this also warns you when opening sites and also has a betteer AV engine to search for virus.
I use bitdefender but Kaspersky or Nod are also very good

did you have to disable windows defender?

 

[TheCudder]

Windows Defender is included on all Windows 8.x machines and should be fine as long as you don't have bad computing habits, if you tend to download a bunch of stiff or go to questionable sites then invest in a more robust solution. I've used MS A/V since it was released with no issues.

+1, I've only used Windows Defender & Microsoft Security Essentials (equivalent for Windows 7) for the past 3-5 years and I haven't run into a single issue with malware. You really should have any issues.....unless you're a frequent visitor of sketchy adult, pirate & torrent sites. But you're likely to run into issues with even 3rd party AV's with bad browsing habits. The built in Windows Defender should be more than enough. Plus with the new "Refresh" feature, restoring your machine isn't much of a hassle.

 

[beq]

I too have liked to use Microsoft Security Essentials (aka Windows Defender in Win 8) as the real-time scanner, with additional on-demand scanners such as Malwarebytes installed, just in case.

Otherwise I'd used Avast as the real-time scanner (but chose not to install all the extra components that they've added over the years, especially on slower computers). Or if you do use MSE, can still keep Avast around as an on-demand scanner.

IIRC MSE started with a great reputation for providing competent protection while being so lightweight. But in later years, I think the AV testing sites found that the competition has started to eclipse it in the scope of its protection, such that MSE is now often considered a baseline product. Some say that Microsoft has no problem with this, perhaps as not to tread on the 3rd-party industry?

Kinda gives me mixed feelings when using MSE on family member computers, cuz some seem to blindly click on links they get in emails

 

[stevenrossvanduyn]

did you have to disable windows defender?

Yes i did disable windows defender

 

[al2fast]

My wife sure doesn't visit smut sites and she managed to get some garbage on her windows 7 laptop. Malwarebytes Pro took care of that and has kept her clean since. Facebook seems to be the #1 source of the cooties she has gotten in the past, it's what she does 99% of the time on her PC.

 

[mohcho]

Create an administrator user account and change your primary account to a standard user. So you basically block your account from allowing it to install anything without administrative privileges. If you visit a site or page that tries to install something in the background, the User Account Control kicks in and requests administrative rights to install. Voila, saves you from background malware installs. I set my wife's machine like this and no issues and she's just using MSE as well.

 

[ibenzawla]

Create an administrator user account and change your primary account to a standard user. So you basically block your account from allowing it to install anything without administrative privileges. If you visit a site or page that tries to install something in the background, the User Account Control kicks in and requests administrative rights to install. Voila, saves you from background malware installs. I set my wife's machine like this and no issues and she's just using MSE as well.

That's interesting. Thanks for the tip.