Windows 8 & Windows Defender (MSE)

Qui-Gon John · Post by **Qui-Gon John** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:27 pm

I have been using Microsoft Security Essentials for a couple years now. Ever since people here turned me onto it, I was using Avira before that. I use it on my own computers and most of the people I help with tech support issues. Shortly after Windows 8 came out, I found out that MSE was now incorporated into Windows 8 (and renamed Windows Defender). I was glad to see MS include this in Windows 8. But I cannot understand, why, did they remove the simple features to setup a SCHEDULED SCAN. It seems now you have to go through a convoluted process setting it up in Task Scheduler. Even as a techie, I was unable to do it. I got through most of the screens, but ran into a stumbling block at one point, when it tried to tell me the user I was signed in as, did not have permission to make the necessary setting, (and the user had Admin Rights).

Can we get MS to add SCHEDULED SCAN back into the SETTINGS TAB?

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:14 pm

It's already set by default to run a scan every morning. Look in scheduled tasks. Mine runs at 3:07am each day, by default, never had to program that.
You can go in and change that time I suppose.

Qui-Gon John · Post by **Qui-Gon John** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:55 pm

I'll have to look next time I am on a Win 8 PC. But still STUPID that they took away that convenient option from within the Windows Defender (MSE) interface. Can you tell if the default scan in scheduled tasks runs a full or quick scan and can that be changed there as well?

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 8:21 am

The default scheduled scan is a quickscan. Honestly that's all that's needed. The quickscan settings are smart and know where and what to look for. Plus real time file protection is really what counts, as files are used, accessed, become active. Viruses/malware don't go to any location on the drive, only certain areas, so no need to put that much wear 'n tear on a drive every night by doing a full scan.

Since the parameters are available in the scheduler, I'm sure you can change it to a full scan.

Qui-Gon John · Post by **Qui-Gon John** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 7:55 am

Another question regarding Windows Defender & Windows 8.

Under Windows 7, I have always been able to turn off Automatic Windows Updates, (usually set it to DO NOT UPDATE, and then I manually check for updates, when I think I need to). With that setting, MSE still got it's updates daily.

It appears that in Windows 8, if you set Windows Updates to OFF, that Windows Defender DOES NOT do any updates either. Can someone confirm this one way or another?

Thanks!

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:21 pm

I haven't tried this....(because I don't disable WU)....but this site has a CMD line trick
http://www.askvg.com/how-to-update-micr ... ic-update/

What you can do, since you see the executable name 'n path there, along with the arguement, is create a scheduled task.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:27 pm

I would suggest getting a proper security suite/package. Windows Defender is nothing but MS SE built into Windows 8 and it doesn't provide adequate protection.

Qui-Gon John · Post by **Qui-Gon John** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 3:12 pm

YOS, it seems to not update WD if WU are off. I have a computer I'm configuring for my mom, the defs were about a week old, even though I have it connected and went on it a lot, while setting it up. I'm gonna just turn on Automatic Updates before I give it to her.

RC, I have found MS-SE to be very good, folks here recommended it to me a few years ago and been very happy. Plus ZD-NET did a comparison and it found malicious content that McAfee, Norton, Kaspersky and many others missed. I just wish when they turned it into WD in Win8, they would have kept the option to set up the scan type and frequency, right in the apps interface directly.

Anyone know how to send suggestions to MS?

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 9:01 pm

Qui-Gon John wrote:YOS, it seems to not update WD if WU are off. I have a computer I'm configuring for my mom, the defs were about a week old, even though I have it connected and went on it a lot, while setting it up. I'm gonna just turn on Automatic Updates before I give it to her.

I understand it won't automatically update without WU, but did you read the link I put up?

Qui-Gon John · Post by **Qui-Gon John** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 9:20 pm

Yes, sorry I didn't mention it. Funny thing is, that article says it will not update if you have updates off. But in my own experience, I found that not true, until Windows 8. In XP, Vista and Win7, as long as the Automatic Update Service is running, it would update, even if the settings within Windows Update were set to NEVER UPDATE. (Names of the services and the settings varies some among the different versions of Windows ... but you get the idea).

Now however, in Windows 8, it seems it does not update on it's own, if you choose NEVER UPDATE. I'll have to play around with the task scheduler.

BTW, you like to let Windows do all updates automatically? I'm surprised you've never gotten burned by this. I have had it break my video (set it to 480x600, 16 color), break my wifi (could no longer connect), and recently I had to help someone that let Windows Update add in Jump Start Wireless Filter Driver and since then his wifi would randomly drop out. I will usually run without the updates, unless something isn't working right and it seems an update may fix it.

nwrickert · Post by **nwrickert** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 9:24 pm

Qui-Gon John wrote:It appears that in Windows 8, if you set Windows Updates to OFF, that Windows Defender DOES NOT do any updates either. Can someone confirm this one way or another?

Yes, this is correct. I notice people saying that Windows 8 is more secure. And then I see this behavior. I see Win 8 as a step backwards in security.

Qui-Gon John · Post by **Qui-Gon John** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 9:40 pm

nwrickert, definitely a step backwards as fas as MSE/WD. In MSE (on XP/Vista/7) you had a tab right in the interface to set scheduled scan, type if scan and time. Now it's relegated off in the Task Scheduler, not user friendly. Now this revelation about it updating. At least in Win7, even if you turned off updates from within the Windows Update interface (and you were using MSE), MSE still did automatic updates. Looks like a lot of folks at Microsoft had been partalking of the ganja long before it became legal back at election time.