Is there still any reason to use Windows Defender?

For Years I've used Avast Antivirus on various computers, but nowadays slowly adjusting to Windows Defender, Windows Firewall and Malwarebytes Free, Working very well so far it seems, hopefully It keeps going well, and System keeps performing well, do my system images weekly now, along with some manual backups, thinking i'm pretty safe now or I hope.

I have no interest in pointless and irrational arguments about anti-malware software, but I will say that I've tried a very large number of them, many times, over many years. I have had serious issues with most of them. Often, I found third-party anti-malware software to be as bad as the type of malware it supposedly protected against.

After much consideration, I switched to Windows Defender recently. It never appears to slow down my system (I would not use any software that did). I don't have constant false-positives with it. I don't have to pay extra for it. And I don't ever have to worry about compatibility issues.

But the main reason I feel comfortable with this choice is that Windows Defender now protects as well or better than many third-party solutions, according to the rating organizations I tend to keep an eye on. These ratings are likely not perfect, but consulting them seems preferable to me than using faith, emotion, and baseless advice to decide which anti-malware software to use. I'm not saying WD is perfect, but to me, it has a lot more going for it than anything else.

Please note that I truly don't care what anyone else uses or how awesome they think that software is, and that I will not be checking for replies. No offense is intended, but I have no interest in arguing about faith-based computing.



http://chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php?chart=chart2&year=2017&month=9&sort=1&zoom=4

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus...ws/windows-10/

Hi,
Not sure anyone can avoid defender anymore it's getting more and more intertwined into 10 and harder to turn off completely.

sorry but i've permanently disabled Windows Defender since windows 10 installation... using ESET & Malwarebytes since 2009 and yet to be faced any malware/virus issue... :)

yes, i'm visiting any website (including clickbaits) and running any pendrive from friends... but still i can breath fresh

I think Defender is as good as anything else out there. I started building and owned my first computer in the 80's and have run pretty much every av out there. Defender works well and efficient on 10, I typically run malware bytes also but I got a free couple of years of zemana so I am running it right now. None of that makes me an expert but I do know defender has evolved into a very efficient, quick av.

As has been stated the majority of virus avoiding on windows is between your ears as none are perfect and the difference in the top ones is pretty slim.

It typically falls to me to maintain a number of family and inlaw computers and right now its defender and Malwarebytes or something similar like zemana. In the past it was the free av du jour. Right now I see nothing really needed that any of them do any better than defender. You can put the same apps on different people's computer and some with be full of junk and some will be clean. It's between the ears.

Been trying to decide between my 10 years of using Avast and Defender, I don't mind it on my fast quick newer I7 system, but totally dislike Defender on slower AMD A6 Quad Core for some reason, thinking just slow full scans lol, and especially on my older WIndows 7 Home Premium system with MSE that takes about 4-5 hours to scan the thing lol.

But Decision almost made, just have to make up mind fully and then stick to it lol

Defender works fine for me here. I can get Norton 360 for free from my ISP, I tried Norton for a little while but had problems between it and my MBAM Premium. Then I tried Avast and AVG, both slowed my surfing way down. I had some registry errors when I tried to restart Defender on my laptop and had to reinstall Windows to get Defender to work, but thankfully did not lose any files. That little ordeal started me thinking it is best to just keep it simple and use Defender. Third party AV's are too invasive and I really have little use for all the extras they push on you. I really thought I had serious damage back when I had to reload Windows.

I am also just now trying Edge after years of using Firefox. I have to say I really like the way Defender and the Smart Screen integrate with Edge in the Creators Update. Edge is super quick, faster than Firefox and very lightweight with Defender. I don't believe all the hype from the tests and reviews saying Defender is bad. Defender and MBAM work great for me. I am looking forward to the Fall update.

Jimmy

I havent used real time antivirus since 2010 or scanners since 2011 but if I was to use one, I would definitively use Windows defender. I would not even ponder about it. I think WD is as good or better than the rest of antiviruses and it doesn't break Windows, no false positives with Window files and is simpler. In W10, even more so, I would be scared to use an AV other than WD. Other antiviruses can end up blocking Windows updates and hurt the system during the process, another good reason to use WD. I think most AV on paper, try to appear to do a lot but reality is they can not.

Bo