Is Windows Defender sufficient?

Hi, I extend Complements of the Season to all and family!

Here is a situation I'd like some input on from the spyware experts here:

I run Windows XP Home Edition, and run Windows Defender, once per day, quick scan. Is this sufficient by itself to take deal with spyware?

PS: I also have Spybot Search & Destroy installed which I keep updated and run approx once per week.. (I am thinking of deleting this program).

Recently, I read an article (online) in PC World which states that Spyware Doctor (which I don't have installed) is a much better program that Spybot..

What do you guys think..

Should I just keep Win Defender and forget about the others?

Thanks for your help.

 

LOL...Steve, third post you beat me to, and third time I must say...agreed. lol...Anyway, Windows Defender is not much of a "defender" of anything. I only use it for the Software Explorer (a separate tool that comes with it), which is only a more convenient and prettier way to control which applications you want to have start up every time you boot, for example. So the two times a year I use it, it's for that purpose. Definitely not as spyware/malware protection.

 

Thanks guys for your quick responses..

I am a bit surprised that a reputable company like Microsoft would develop a program that is not too dependable..

 

Reputable? Umm...no. Microsoft's business model is "planned obsolescence ", as it is basically a monopoly. As a capitalist and therefore opportunist, I applaud Bill Gates and co. Don't ever look for ethics in Redmond, Washington. As Michael Jordan once said "If you want to be #1, you kind of almost have to run over a few "obstacles ".

I happen to love Windows. Ever since 3.1. The mobile OS takeover is pretty much complete, too, especially since the release of the rock-solid Windows Mobile 6.

One other thing you want to stay away from is Windows Live OneCare. At the present time, it is about as useless as Windows Defender.

But again, please don't be fooled by feel-good words like "care ", "defend ", etc. Microsoft does not care about you or me after you purchased your license for whatever product you just bought. After that, you're on your own. lol...

Well, not really, as you have forums like these...Microsoft will be knocking on your door again soon, however. They will tell you that they'll try to make you feel better, safer, more "efficient ", and show you a great time...in about 2011. That's when the currently in production, and code-named "Windows Seven ", will be released. Sorry to sound so dark about it. I'm only trying to shed some light on the abuse of the English language on the part of Microsoft. I mean, lol...when OneCare came out, I thought to myself "Good one!! "

Remember... "planned obsolescence ".

 

I never use Microsoft's so called protective programs. To back up my anti-virus suite, Panda, I use AdAware 2007 and SpywareBlaster. This setup has kept me clean for several years and I am not one who practices safe surfing. If someone gets infected through a bad site I need to visit it to see where the infection came from.

I also use the following sites to investigate other sites.

http://www.siteadvisor.com/

http://linkscanner.explabs.com/linkscanner/default.asp

To make sure my programs are up to date.

http://secunia.com/software_inspector/

To double check for malware.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/?

http://www.eset.com/onlinescan/index.php

 

I use only Sunbelt's CounterSpy to take care of the malware/spyware. We're not talking about antivirus programs now... that's another story. I've found that CS was sufficient for all my needs over the past three years and it comes highly recommended.

As for MS's Win Defender, I agree with the others regarding it relative ineffectiveness.

 

Well am really getting an education today..

Crunch Dude, sounds like Microsoft has a bunch of lawyer-politicians on the staff, Lol. Wondering how they could be a monopoly considering the antitrust laws the US have (I worked for a US company based in the Bahamas for many years). And yeah, I do have Windows Live OneCare. Will soon uninstall this as well.

Whiskeyman: I tried one of your links, the one before the last, which did a Panda ActiveScan of my pc, etc. 7 spyware were detected! They recommend I buy Panda Antivirus. Presently I have AVG Free Edition Antivirus which I downloaded after uinstalling Norton Antivirus 2007 (paid version) which I did not like.

Thanks guys for all the info..

 

Usually the spyware ActiveScan finds can be removed with AdAware and/or Spybot S&D. Sometimes it is just necessary to clean out your Cookies, Temporary Internet Files (including Content.IE5) and Temp folders. I use ATF-Cleaner to clear that junk out.

 

Yup, and the Justice Dept. did sue Microsoft in the 90's for exactly that. Anti-trust violations. The government "won ", too. LOL...so Microsoft had to make Internet Explorer removable. What a slam dunk, huh? I don't know about you, but I feel justice was done with our tax dollars hard at work. At least we got some funny deposition videos where Bill Gates gets huffy at an investigator.

Man, talk about expensive comedy. Bill must have paid off the wrong Congress(wo)man, or missed a payment. He should consider direct deposit for the DOJ. It's just more convenient and reliable for when it's time to buy a Senator. Just a suggestion.

 

Just an FYI here, which I didn't see mentioned, Defender was not developed by MS, it was bought. It used to be called GIANT Anti-Spyware. Then MS grabbed it......and well then things kinda went down hill from there.

Not that Defender is terrible, just not as good as I'd hoped it would become and it's certainly not in anyones top ten list that I've ever seen. I don't count pc mag rags either, those are not dependable by any stretch.