No idea if this is new in the update, but Windows Defender is now a full virus protection program. This literally could have been true since Windows 7 for all I know, but didn’t realize it until today.
I tried to turn it fully on today and it told me to uninstall Avira first, then it will kick in.
Should I do this? I only have Avira free and the pop ups are a little annoying, but if Windows is now preventing viruses and spyware totally free, I wouldn’t mind.
Thoughts?
It will provide the minimal level of protection. Windows Defender scores near the bottom in tests. It’s mostly for people who don’t want to run antivirus, as a way to keep them protected. Avira is much better at its job. But I do feel you on the annoying ads–which they lied about and said were going away, when they in fact made the old system to make them go away no longer work.
While it still occasionally pops up ads (I think it’s a week every year or something), I recommend BitDefender Free. It’s slightly lower in protection than Avast, but it’s also really high in performance and usability. It’s basically “set and forget.”
And it beats Avira by a lot. (Click this for where I got everything else, too.)
Thanks. With my current update, Windows Defender won’t even do a basic malware scan without me turning on the whole thing, which requires uninstalling the antivirus I have.
I agree that Avira was not supposed to have ads. I replaced Avast! with it a couple years ago because I was under the impression it was free with zero ads, but it has persisted.
I’ll check out BitDefender.
I think it’s a personal preference. The suggested free one always seems to be changing. A couple years ago my IT Manager swore by Comodo Antivirus. Then about a year later he said something else was better.
I have heard from multiple professionals to never ever use McAfee.
I tend not to use Virus protection if I can avoid it. I use Script blocker / VPN / Common sense
Perhaps it’s luck, but I’ve rarely got viruses in my adult life.
I swear by (but never at) Kaspersky.