Microsoft Security Essentails

[Sabriel]

Hello all

I am not exactly computer dumb or anything, I know how to do most things and can find my way around usually without any help.  But some things do confuse me and I would like some advice on an issue that kinda baffles me a bit.

Now security suits seams to come with the whole bundle, Antivirus, Firewall etc etc, my default setup was to use the package provided by my service provider, which has firewall, antivirus, anti spyware, privacy protection and a few other things.

I usually have full confidence in this system and well just live with having it all in one.

But I decided to do a independent Virus scan today because I was unsure if my scanner was actually entirely accurate at rooting out all threats, none of them probably are entirely accurate afterall.

So I downloaded Microsoft Security Essentails and installed and it pops up with the little usual message about uninstalling other virus/antispyware stuff.  I Ignore this since well I tend to think that uninstalling my Firewall would be a rather drastic measure just to use this new software, which really I only wanted to do a scan with anyway.

So I did a scan it found nothing other than, during the time I was running it it detected some temp file that tried to attack my system,  so one thing not really a big result but hey I figure that's good  :P

That's about the same as my other virus scanners I only ever seam to have had 1 virus detected at a time ever, so either there all very good at hiding or I manage to blunder by with my computers security.

My question is really is it worth keeping Microsoft Security Essentail's and if so what really would anyone recommend I do about my other software, bare in mind that if I get rid of it I am also ditching other services which are essential. I mean I don't really trust Windows firewall  :P


At present I have just turned off my virus and spyware real time protection in the other program, which I am not sure of the name of really. It is provided by Virgin Media and is called nowdays Virgin Media Security, they do have this little quote about the Antivirus in the info page

"Anti-Virus - Award winning virus protection that’s safe and fast. Powered by Kaspersky, one of the world’s best internet security providers."

Oh and a sort of unrelated thing there is this process that keeps popping up on my computer which to my knowledge is useless,  Ctfmon I have scanned it multiple times it does not actually seam to be a virus or do anything it seams to be the genuine file but it just annoys me that everytime my Internet Explorer opens it starts up again and I have to go and change the registry so it does not load.  Not really an issue until some link decides for some odd reason it will open in Explorer rather than Firefox.

Thanks in advance

[Vekseid]

The reason why it's not recommended to have two active virus scanners at a time is because they both poll the same resources to get their information, which means they don't perform as well.  I prefer to give people MSE over Kapersky, personally, as Microsoft's latest act is rather stellar.

If you're behind a router, for the most part the windows firewall is fine, but that's up to your personal paranoia.

As for ctfmon: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282599

In addition to the advice given on that page, you can also remove extraneous languages to make it show up less.

[Sabriel]

Neat thanks Vekseid :)

I think I will keep things as I have them now then I have just turned of the virus and spyware protection services in my service providers program rather than uninstalling the whole thing.