I didn't trust Windows Live Onecare online, with its registry scanner, and I found MSRT too limited in its targeted definition database to function as a true 2nd opinion.The maximum antivirus program will present real-time scanning, not in favor of malware plus the manual scans in which users can use them. I already have NOD32 AV on this system, so ESET's online scanner really isn't much of an option for me. Its quick scan is much faster than the others also (some of which don't offer a quick scan option). I had to do none of this with the Safety Scanner. Not to mention the fuss factor of having to install them, disable my resident protection during a scan, then uninstall them and re-activate my defenses. I haven't checked Kaspersky's or Trend Micro's recently, but as I recall the times were of the same order of magnitude. Actually, it's not that much of an issue for me a download took about 2 minutes. Your comments on the download size of alternative online scanners is well taken, Alexandra_P. Sort of like testing one's backup generator, against that rainy day. I only run these on-demand scanners occasionally to see how they are working and what they are detecting, not because I'm worried about malware. The text of the GUI during the scan suggested otherwise. I'm glad to have this new standalone MS scanner, now that I hear it is not automatically deleting detections. I'm always interested in "2nd opinion" scanners, as long as they offer the option to research anything detected, before taking action. Thanks for the feedback and info, Corrine and Alexandra_P. But as just a regular user who tries to stay out of trouble (at least most of the time), MSE has been good to me so far - having another MS tool in the arsenal could be a good thing. Can't speak for the other on-demand software like Trend Micro's House Call, Kaspersky Online, etc.Īs far as effectiveness/performance/FP rate goes - obviously I have no idea. I expect most anything from MS to be bulkier than it should be, but 68.7MB vs 45MB is not that bad if you really want a second/third/fourth opinion before calling in the cavalry. Tried it again today just for giggles, and it took a good 15-20 minutes to update the definitions again (though I only have a lame 1.2MB/s tops DSL connection - for many it would be a lot faster). About 30MB of that seemed to be just for definitions, the rest for the actual application. I was surprised how big it actually was - total installed files for ESET Online was about 45 MB. Out of curiosity, I checked the file sizes for a recent install/run of ESET Online (long story). I'm not sure I would use this product for routine maintenance, as I'm not sure what options if any are offered when something is detected- (Ignore/quarantine/delete/automatic removal?) A program that big has to run the risk of having false positives. It did not conflict with any of my other security programs. No need to uninstall the old copy- just delete it. It expires after 10 days, at which time you would have to download the latest copy. It does not update, and is really only a one-time 2nd opinion scanner, since definitions change daily. It provides no real-time protection, and is meant to supplement, not replace, your resident anti-virus program. It's a very simple and intuitive program, with virtually nothing to configure. I downloaded the latter (a whopping 68.7 MB!) and ran a quick scan- took only about 6 minutes. This is a nice review of the various MS security products currently offered, of interest to anyone using MSE, Windows Defender, the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), Microsoft Forefront, or who wants to learn about Microsoft Safety Scanner, a new free on-demand scanner and malware removal program. Understanding Microsoft Anti-Malware Software "The release of the Microsoft Safety Scanner has resulted in confusion about the available anti-malware tools provided by Microsoft and questions about when they should be used.īefore answering the questions, let's take a closer look at the products available from Microsoft."
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