Advice Request What is your opinion about Microsoft Windows Defender (Windows 10)?

[Chuck57]

Scanning is slower than I like. I do a quick scan once a week and full scan each month. While it's running, I surf, or sometimes actually do some work and just let it do its thing in the background.

 

[Local Host]

I like windows defender but i would love the scanning to be abit faster thats my only complaint. I'm sure in upcoming versions they will try to improve the scan engine i would hope..

If Microsoft used cache like all the other AVs in the market, it would solve the majorly of issues Windows Defender has.

 

[Bryan320]

If Microsoft used cache like all the other AVs in the market, it would solve the majorly of issues Windows Defender has.

I agree being the tech giant they could pull it off by tomorrow ignoring they wanted to but they continue with old tactics.

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

If Microsoft used cache like all the other AVs in the market, it would solve the majorly of issues Windows Defender has.

Exactly, i still wonder how the dev team with all the insiders didn't considered it...ah wait , Insiders are mostly noobs with the only interest is to debate about the cosmetic than the mechanics.

 

[Handsome Recluse]

Easy and very very trendy to bash MS or Google, but when you show the whole picture, then you got silence...

It's trendy for the echo chamber of tech journalists and their audience. It's not actually common.

 

[Gangelo]

Privacy has become a trend of our days and a little tinfoily paranoia. As previously mentioned, telemetry is necessary for software development and also for cloud solutions. If someone is over-sensitive about it they can do only 2 things:

1. Reduce the digital footprint by spreading services across providers (don't use everything google or everything MS, there are alternatives)
2. Unplug from the internet ,put your cellphone in a potato chips bag, get a crossbow and live in the wilderness.

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

2. Unplug from the internet ,put your cellphone in a potato chips bag, get a crossbow and live in the wilderness.

So true and I see someone watched the latest Terminator.

 

[Gangelo]

So true and I see someone watched the latest Terminator.

Exactly like Sarah Connor

 

[RoboMan]

I'd say it's decent. Unluckily, it's still very buggy. Quarantine and disinfection is the most painful process in the world. Plus no web protection.

Can it be used? Yes. If somebody needs a free AV, I always leave WD enabled, install Configure_Defender and SysHardener. With a a browser with uBlock and TrafficLight that PC is good to go.

I try to avoid ALL free AV, this include not only Avast, but 360, KFA, BitDefender Free. After all they're just signatures, and every single good aspect of their protection is paid.

I believe that within a couple of years, with the amount of telemetry Microsoft gathers, Windows Defender will be one of the most powerful antivirus, if not the best. So far, I'd say fix those annoying bugs, add web protection, some kind of default deny with SmartScreen hardening options that will allow you to play with SRP (but I'm afraid this will probably never happen since average users will just ##### their computers up).

 

[Pat MacKnife]

I agree being the tech giant they could pull it off by tomorrow ignoring they wanted to but they continue with old tactics.

I don't know if there is a link to send them some info, but we should try to give feedback to WD team to integrate a better cache to speed up things .....

 

[RKRN3]

I don't know if there is a link to send them some info, but we should try to give feedback to WD team to integrate a better cache to speed up things .....

Feedback Hub?

 

[Pat MacKnife]

Ok i did find that and feedback is send ( Apps -> Windows security )

 

[ForgottenSeer 55474]

Hello, I think Windows Defender always will be a step behind the big AV-Vendors, like Norton, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, etc.

 

[Divine_Barakah]

Windows Defender offers decent protection but it, in its current state, is not for me. In order to change its settings, you need to use some tools and that's enough for me to stay away. This is Microsoft; they always do things the hard way. I am sure they got their reasons but for now I will stick to other security products.

 

[oldschool]

Feedback Hub?

Ok i did find that and feedback is send ( Apps -> Windows security )

Unfortunately, Feedback Hub only works if you use an M$ account. Plus, I don't know what incentive they have to listen to suggestions about WD. Feedback for new Edge Chromium is one thing, but WD?

 

[Dex4Sure]

I say the opposite
Also Microsoft doesn't do crappy SSL/ TLS breakage with own certificate for "security".

Yup. Oddly enough I trust Microsoft the most out of all the security vendors. They don't do gimmicks. Only downside is as mentioned by others above, WD still doesn't use caching which is just dumb. Otherwise its great and you don't really need anything else on Windows 10. Just maybe HitmanPro or Malwarebytes as on-demand scanners.

 

[Lenny_Fox]

Windows Defender participating in comparative tests is a blessing. I am I am 'the geek nephew who studied IT' (actually did not I studied web design & online marketing, but try to explain that to an aunt or uncle who already had one or two drinks to much on a birthday party of my parents). When I am now called to install a free antivirus I just install ConfigureDefender and set it to MAX.

I explain to family member with the most IT understanding that Microsoft sets WD to default for maximum compatibility in enterprise environments, but WD has two stronger options HIGH and MAX. When WD scores 100% at medium, it is a killer at MAX.

Average people don't install software, so they don't care about the increased risk of false positives by setting WD protection to MAX.

 

[SumTingWong]

Windows Defender is a decent built in antivirus protection. It still need a lot of work to perform as good as 3rd party solution like ESET, Kaspersky,Bitdefender,etc......But for a built in protection, it is way much better than Microsoft Security Essential on Windows 7.

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

Windows Defender and Windows Security are half-baked
Lots of stuff is in a constant state of being not-finished
Microsoft now subs a lot of it out

Indeed, but it was like this since day one of Windows. "Release first, polish after", this is MS motto.
MS is what it is now, because at the time when IBM requested an OS, they were the first to give a working OS in time, it was unfinished, unpolished unlike the others, but they met released it before the deadline, met the demands and worked well enough for the jury.

WD and Windows security even if messy in term of design, their core mechanism is solid, and no 3rd party AV can do better, because they just can't, they can't work at kernel level like many built-in security features.
WD is part of a whole set of mechanism built in Win10, taking it alone is nonsense.

 

[oldschool]

WD and Windows security even if messy in term of design, their core mechanism is solid, and no 3rd party AV can do better, because they just can't, they can't work at kernel level like many built-in security features.
WD is part of a whole set of mechanism built in Windows 10, taking it alone is nonsense.

That's the bottom line. No need to say anymore.