Change Security Center settings?

Newt
I think the answer to your question is in Ron's attached picture in the 3rd post in this thread. If you look at it you'll see that for the firewall it says not monitored. The virus protection shows that it's running and up to date, and I would imagine one could assume that it's monitoring it or it wouldn't show this. I suspect though, that it's probably not possible to turn of the monitoring for the virus program for this reason. I use a pre SP2 version of ZA. Security Center reports that ZA is installed but it's status is unknown. I also have the recommendations button that you see in Ron's pic. If you click on that button you're give the option to turn off the monitoring of the firewall. This is a different thing than the change the way security center notifies me thing. Apparently it turns off the monitoring of it all together. This makes sense since it can't tell whether the programs working or not, there's not much sense in monitoring it.

The virus program is a different thing though. Since windows can see it and tell whether it's running or not, you aren't given the option to turn off the monitoring. This too makes sense as this is what the security center is for. If you were to turn off the monitoring of the virus program and the firewall there wouldn't be much sense to having it running. Even if you turn off the notifications it still makes sense to keep the monitoring on because as long as security center is running you can always check the status of things manually by using the shortcut in the start menu. The only way I know of to turn off all monitoring is to disable the service. There may be a registry edit that would do it but why would one want to do that and still keep the service running? There'd be nothing for it to do unless it does something that I'm not aware of. Below is a couple of pics of mine before disabling the firewall monitoring and after. Also, one of the dialog that appears when you click on the recommendation button. Notice there's no recommendation button by the anti virus. I would imaging there would be one there if you didn't have an av or if windows couldn't tell what it's status was.

 

OLDSALTY, If you will temporarily disable your AV protection, the Security Center will then give you a "Recommendation" button in the AV area. Clicking it will give you another screen that has a box you can tag that will tell the SC to stop monitoring your AV program. That's what you want I think. Then turn your AV back on and you're all set.

EDIT: The exact wording on that box is:

I have an anti virus program that I'll monitor myself.
Note: Windows won't monitor your virus protection status and won't send you alerts if it is off or out of date.

That's as off as it's gonna get.

 

surferdude2
That makes sense I guess but the question still begs to be asked. Why keep the service running at all if you're going to disable everything it does? Is there something else it does that I'm unaware of?

 

It's mostly eye candy from MS. The principal justification for its existence is to group all of the new protective features into one central control point so that newbies will not have to hunt them down. It's sort of a single source "Center" for them. I suspect most other users will appreciate it as well, I know I do. I think MS greases the rail somewhat by only providing the buttons that they have determined are best for you. The other buttons appear only if you're clever enough to know the tricks.

 

Newt.

Well that is a good point. The only reason that I think it is still monitoring is that the process is still running and the tab in the security center still says "ON ". I have turned off the firewall monitoring and it says "Not monitored'. The is the only reason I think that there is a process watching the AV

 

I have been there and can't disable AV.

 

Thanks

 

OLDSALTY--From my first post

Sorry I was not more specific that you would get the Recommendation button if your virus protection was off (diabled).