Does Microsoft Security Essentials replace Windows Defender and what is the difference?

Question

Microsoft Security Essentials has a much larger Definitions download (45 MB) than Windows Defender (about 13 MB). What more does MSE do than WD? The current definitions download for MSE contains the same engine version 1.1.5502.0 as the current WD update. How about a link to a MS site to learn what MSE does; also, compared to WD. Oddly enough, can't find such a link on MSE sites.

Answer 1

http://www.microsoft.com/security/products/mse.aspx

MS Security Essentials is an antivirus with an antispyware component. Windows Defender has no antivirus component. MSSE replaces Windows Defender and gives you the antivirus protection you also need.

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MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

Answer 2

Norton, unless latest version, is a known resource hog.

TeaTimer I used when the kids used the PC, since they moved out I uninstalled SpyBot.

In all the years using Winxp, occassionally browsing were I shouldnt, I've never had any issues. I've been using F-Secure for the last 2 years, very occassionaly run a malaware app manually, it never finds anything

Answer 3

One important questions remains:

Is MSE alone as good at preventing and detecting virus/spyware/malware as my previous protections: Norton AV auto-protect running plus Spybot SD with TeaTimer real-time protections running?

Here are some resource facts on my computer:

If the answer to this question is true, then I can save about 450 MB of running processes (meaning RAM, essentially: Commit Charge in Task Manager) on my computer by turning off real-time protections in Norton and Spybot SD Resident (TeaTimer).

Interesting Relevant Details:

1. The installation dialog when installing MSE says to uninstall all other antivirus, antispyware and antimalware applications before installing MSE. I did not do this (out of curiosity). When MSE was installed it turned off Windows Defender. If I turn it back on, WD will run a second identical instance of the WD/MSE engine in running processes eating MB for nothing, and upon computer restart, WD is turned off again. So if MSE is kept, might as well uninstall Windows Defender.
2. If I leave all Norton and Spybot SD protections turned on with MSE installed, Task Manager Commit Charge shows 765 MB (570 MB before installing MSE). If I turn off all real-time protections for everything except MSE, then it's 625 MB Commit Charge (running processes).
3. HOWEVER, when I then restart my computer with these other AV, AS, AM apps real-time protections off, Commit Charge is then only 320 MB! MSE protections are on full. This would appear to be quite an improvement in available RAM (this is apparent in System Information) or "resources".
4. It is notable that I have SpywareBlaster installed, on and running in the background for the online protections it provides, and it appears to have no conflicts or relevance to MSE.
5. Additionally, I restarted Spybot SD (Tools>Resident) IE helper (bad download blocker) and this appeared to have no effect on MSE or running processes, but adds online protection.
6. It is notable that I could not discern any ill effects from having MSE, Norton AV, and Spybot SD running with all real-time protections enabled for all of them, except a lot of running processes MB (i.e., RAM) were being eaten up.
7. I have not observed any of the odd problems with MSE I've read in many other MSE forum threads (I have Windows XP Home). However, regarding the updating "problems" of others, I have set everything in MSE not to update automatically (not sure this is actually possible, though) when I go online because I have only SLOW dialup ISP and do all updates for everything manually because it is aggravating if something auto-updates as soon as I connect. It just kills the download speed of a site I'm going to until a background update finishes and releases the bandwidth. I don't know if Microsoft Updates will show updates available for MSE the way it did for WD, since I'm updating MSE manually almost every day. I'll let it go for a week and see if MS Update shows an update for MSE, out of curiosity.

CONCLUSIONS: MSE is a notable improvement if I can reliably have essentially the same protections I had with Norton AV and Spybot TeaTimer. If someone has a good, honest, answer to this latest question, I'm sure a lot of people out there would be interested.

Answer 4

I am currently running windows 7 pro.....just got it a few days ago......had AVG installed and it seemed to conflict with all spyware apps.....upon doing some checking and reformatting i seemed to have found the right combo....my computer runs fine now. I run MSE now with only Spybot....i discovered that windows 7 and my Google Chrome browser are very sensitive to to many spyware apps running.....I use Spybot with tea timer off.....I hope MSE is as good as i hear it is for Windows 7. I also have 2 clean up apps....ccleaner and Advanced System Care five 5 free......everything is fine now......I believe all the apps i used to run on XP are not the way to go with windows 7  .....