Trend Micro: Remove All These Other Security Products

Got a reply from BitDefender and I'm not surprised one bit:

No mention of uninstalling any other products, a simple cautionary note about regarding anything that's 'real time'. At least that's my take on this part:

 

Now come on. If you were to send "that" list to BitDefender, they would tell you that you cannot have any of that on your system. In fact, I've had BitDefender and I was told point blank that I "had" to remove Ad-aware and Spybot in order for it to work properly without conflicts. As for CounterSpy, I already mentioned that I could use it as long as I did not have it in active protection. The same is true for F-Secure and the same is true for Trend Micro. Again, I used TM for a few days (my wife is still using it on her new Dell) and there were no issues running CounterSpy as an on-demand scanner. Really... this is what I've been trying to say from the git-go. The list is simply giving ALL products that add to security. No one in his right mind would consider putting one quarter of that stuff on his computer. So to be realistic, I think you need to consider choosing a half dozen of the security apps you currently use THEN ask BitDefender, ESET, Trend Micro, F-Secure and see what they say.

But thanks for checking this out. The bottom line for me is, if I chose to use TM, I would probably use it exclusively (with CS as an on-demand scanner)... period. I don't want Ad-aware and I don't want Spybot. Never much cared for either of them and in the half dozen years I used them, they seldom found anything of consequence anyway. Currently I use F-Secure and CS (on-demand) and nothing else. Don't need anything else. It does it all for me. In the eleven years I've been online I've been infected a total of once... during my second year when I was foolish and inexperienced. Taking reasonable precautions, surfing to sites that are safe and above board, keeping your critical updates current, keeping your definitions current, scanning on a fairly regular basis, and having any of the top security suites (i.e. Norton, ZA, CA, TM, F-Secure, Panda, AVG, McAfee, Kaspersky, NOD32, BitDefender, etc.) is sufficient to allow a person to put his head against the pillow at night and sleep soundly.

Different strokes for ....

All the best. Please keep us updated on F-Secure's response. Try ESET as well but this time, be more specific.

 

Hi James
Did a small test of my own.

Normally I run a temp cleaner "CCleaner" every day just to keep the garbage off my system.
I went 3 days not running CCleaner.
Then,
Scanned with SpyBot S/D...Found nothing
Scanned with Ad-Aware...Found a MRU file...Low risk. Left on system to see if SS would pick it up.
Ran WebRoot SpySweeper...Found a Cookie from "How Stuff Works web site "...Low risk.

Point is, that no 1 program picks up everything.

A person needs a Anti-Virus, Firewall and a Spyware program running "real time" these days to stay safe. and it's a good idea to have a couple different On demand scanners and update and run them at the least once a month.

I'm not trying to convince you, a person with safe surfing habits. But to any one looking into this thread, that goes to MySpace, Facebook, surfs blogs or heavily surfs the net, these people need these kind of programs.

This is what I have on my system.
CA eTrust Anti-Virus
Comodo Firewall
WebRoot SpySweeper
SpywareBlaster
SpyWare Guard
IE SpyAd
WinPatrol
Plus I run scans with SpyBot and Ad-Aware.

I have never been infected, even doing what I do here. I am always running down and researching viruses and the files they infect a system with.
I have had SpySweeper, WinPatrol and SpyWare Guard all go off at the same time because of something I was researching, and I'm glad I have them on my system.

Geri

 

OK, so first you agreed with my email contents and then when the results don't come out as you expect you want me to send them a specific list?

To what end? They've already said as long as there are no two av or fws running and no 'real time' monitoring apps everything else that is on demand is fine.

I arose up to the challenge you laid down, now it's your turn.

You send an email, post it here as I did so we can see what was said and see what the replies are. Pick two different companies. Providing a list to me such as the one TM has listed is over the top really, but fine do that.

This isn't a matter of 'diff strokes' at all. This is a company who, when making a purchase of their products is rather insistently asking you to remove a comprehensive list of other competitors products saying you 'may loose your Net connection' or 'suffer performance issues'.

That's like buying hi-fi equipment and being told you have to buy all the same brand in every component or the system won't work, the sound will be poor. It's a ridiculous statement on its face.

It smacks of two things, either the marketing dept is running the show or their product is so badly coded it won't run with those apps on the system. Either way, not a product I can recommend to anyone.

To give you another analogy, it would be like WindowsBBS telling you could not go to any other forums for information because any info you get from another site is likely to be incorrect and false.

 

Well...if you recall, I said that I was dissatisfied with your e-mail to them in the first place. I felt it wasn't specific enough. I'll write to Trend Micro myself and ask them whether or not I can have their internet security suite AND run CounterSpy on-demand. To me, that would pretty much resolve the issue. It's a very specific application and a very specific question. You're saying that with TM it's all (TM) or nothing. I'll ask myself.

I'll try and contact F-Secure although I know from past attempts that they are not the easiest folks in the world to get in touch with. But we'll take a run at it.

Geri: thanks for your input. In a sense, I'm doing what you are suggesting (to a degree). I run a firewall, I sit behind a router, I run an AV and a spyware program all through F-Secure's security suite. I run CounterSpy as my on-demand spyware app. It is rated as one of the best anti-spyware programs available. And it has found one low risk item (a minor tracking cookie, and for the most part, I don't care much about cookies) in the months I've been running it. As for MRU's they don't concern me. Like I mentioned before, I have run Ad-aware and Spybot in the past (several years in fact) and they rarely found anything of consequence other than MRU's and a few tracking cookies. I just don't worry that much about infection. Our company refuses to update our Norton anti-virus (believe it or not) ... it is almost a year out of date now. I put Windows Defender on just for the heck of it and it found... nothing. Can you believe that? We use IE at work and Outlook and after a whole year... nothing. Surely even Defender would find something but nadda. I think we get way too worked up about this stuff. Sure... there are real dangers online, particularly for those who surf to **** sites and who refuse to take reasonable precautions. But at the same time, a lot of this stuff is hype, no doubt produced by companies trying to make themselves relevant and of course stay in business. Eleven years... one infection in year two. I've never really gotten worked up about this stuff and I don't see the necessity of doing so now, given the precautions I've taken and my surfing habits. Hey... all the best to you. Appreciate the reasonable discussion here by both of you. By the way.. I'm not recommending my way. I'm saying that I'm comfortable with it and it works for me.

 

I've just sent off the following message to ESET, F-Secure and Trend Micro:

"Hello

Perhaps you can answer a simple question. Before I purchase your security suite, I need to know whether I can continue to run my anti-spyware program (CounterSpy from Sunbelt) as an on-demand scanner (not in active protection mode). That will determine whether or not I make the purchase. Thank you. "

Now in my opinion, if they say "NO" then we have a problem and I will fully agree with you. I'll keep you updated.

 

The only thing wrong with your email is the threat of a non purchase, which entirely blows the test, IMHO.

 

Well... it's implied but not stated. Anyway... let's just see what the results are. For the sake of argument, let us suppose that TM feel that the supposed threat of my not purchasing their product is so great (can't imagine one potential customer wielding such power but...) that they say, "Yes, you can do this." Then at least we know that: 1. TM can run with other programs on-demand and 2. TM have unscrupulous marketing in demanding that all other programs be removed.

As for the other companies... well... we'll see.

Gotta run.

 

Trend Micro responds:

"To answer your question, you can purchase Trend Micro anti-virus without anti-spyware for you to be able to still use your anti-spyware program. "

So... it would appear that they are saying (indirectly) that one cannot have "any" anti-spyware on one's computer regardless of whether you run it in active mode or inactive.

That would confirm what you have been saying. Not a good thing. We'll see if F-Secure, BitDefender and ESET respond. I'll let you know.

 

Well, no....it says that you can buy TM av

I read that as a contradiction to what the KB link says which is to remove everything! <head scratch>

Right??

 

No necessarily. It would mean that "if" one had other security programs on one's hard drive, then they must be removed before installing and running TM. If on the other hand one does not wish to remove them, then they're offering an alternative: buy the antivirus as a stand-alone. The AV will not interfere with these other security programs (i.e. CounterSpy, Ad-aware, Spybot, etc.) whereas the internet security which is a more inclusive program "would" interfere. At least that is my understanding. Either way, I'm disappointed and will not be using TM's internet security now or in the future. So... in a sense I see their answer as confirming what you said originally.

My contention is that "all" other makers of security suites are going to say, more or less, the same thing. I'm hoping, though, that their answers will not be as radical as TM's. Right now, I'm using F-Secure's security suite AND I'm using CounterSpy but just in an on-demand scanner. In fact, I contacted CS and they told me that this should work just fine. In my books, that puts F-Secure "above" Trend Micro in terms of being more compliant with other security programs.

Anyway... let's play this out to the end and see how the other companies respond. So far, however, you have been proven correct.

 

Looking bad for Trend Micro. Below is the response I received from F-Secure.

"Thank you for contacting F-Secure. Currently there are no known issues with running CounterSpy with the F-Secure products. There have been incidents with other 3rd party AntiSpyware products incorrectly identifying applications like ours which have embedded Spyware protection. In these cases if the user quarantines the False positive, it can cause the application to malfunction.

It is recommended that two competing Anti Virus products be never installed on the same PC because of the resource conflicts that can be caused especially when the applications have Real-Time scanners. Similar with Anti Spyware for the afore mentioned reason but the risk is more minimal. "
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Essentially, I think I owe you an apology. Trend Micro appears to be in a class by itself and at this point I will have to agree with you. Should any of the other software companies respond, I'll post their answer as well.

 

ESET responds:

Hello,

NOD32 and other antivirus will work with most of the major firewalls and anti-spyware programs, as long as there is no antivirus component to it so they work at different levels of protection.

When installing NOD32 with another anti-virus program, please make sure you are not enabling both On-Access scanners at once (remember, the scanner that is always running while your PC is switched on).
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Bottom line: Trend Micro is the odd man out. You were right. I apologize.

 

No need to apologize what so ever sir.

I was really just basing my opinion of what TM had done, by comparing that to others. Of which the likes I'd never seen before.

And I consider the TM reply to you sort of a draw. Kind of leads me to believe that the marketing dept was responsible for the KB article as opposed to the tech dept.

All is good.

 

Well, you're very gracious.

An update.

I wrote back to F-Secure asking for a clarification on their previous statement. I asked whether or not one could run a program such as CounterSpy in active mode. Here is the answer I received:

"What we are saying is that F-Secure is not aware of any compatibility issues with CounterSpy. That is not to say there aren’t any. Unfortunately we are unable to test the compatibilities of ever other application written. Typically users who encounter compatibility problems just uninstall one of the conflicting applications. "

 

Hi James

James - Bottom line: Trend Micro is the odd man out. You were right. I apologize.
TeMerc - No need to apologize what so ever sir.

I agree with TeMerc.
James, No need to apologize
This is what this web site is about, gathering supported information and posting it for the knowledge of all.
I found this thread interesting and informative, Kudos to you both.

Geri

 

Thanks, Geri. I've learned something as well and that's a good thing.