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I have Windows 7. I have installed Microsoft Security Essentials this afternoon. Now Windows Defender will not engage.

I have Trend Micro Max Sec 2013 installed but disabled. I no longer want Trend Micro if Defender has gotten better.

Which security program is needed to protect this PC? Defender, Essentials or both?

Justin K
2014-06-04 06:43:35
I only trust on AVG with Immunet. This combination has been working for me for the past 2 years.
Arun Kumar M
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2014-05-25 16:00:38
symantec norton internet security is the best one than all others or use norton 360.give a 2nd preference to avg one of the best
Jerry
2014-05-12 23:51:25
Don't rely on Micro. Essentials. It will not take care of your computer. Use AVG.
80s Rocker
2014-05-12 23:09:40
Security Essentials is very light wait compared to other free options (no bloatware). I have used it since Win7 came out and currently on Win8 and never got a virus. I do run scan using other tool once a month and they verify no viruses or malware. So not sure how valid recent "Anti-Virus" scoring is. Plus, mist Anti-virus software tends to affect performance over time.if you install all patches when released even w/o anti-virus software you are pretty safe. A lot of attacks are written after MS releases patch and hackers use information in patch release to exploit hole, because they know most users don't keep their machine patched.Based on my experience Security Essentials is good option, especially on Win8.
Hovsep A
2014-05-07 08:34:52
Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/mse-protect_start/windows-defender-and-microsoft-security-essentials/5309cb8d-02e1-40e8-974f-0dcedb9ab9fdMicrosoft Security Essentials should disable Windows Defender on Vista and Windows 7 and uninstall it from XP. In some cases, this does not happen automatically.
Ben S
2014-05-07 02:14:48
First, note that in Windows 8, Security Essentials was renamed Defender, so there's a bit of a name confusion.However, if you're on Windows 7, Defender and Security Essentials (MSE) are two separate programs.To be honest, with all that's been said about MSE lately, like the article Rajaa linked above, I would recommend a different antivirus. If you want to go free (which is fine), I always recommend avast!, but AVG and Avira are both great free options too.So, should you still keep Defender on even after installing a new antivirus? I would say it's up to you. It's not necessary, really. I doubt Defender would catch anything that avast! wouldn't. However, it's not harmful to run it. I have a college-issued computer with Forefront Client Security as its antivirus (which is essentially MSE on a corporate level) and Defender turned off. Just remember that Defender is an anti-spyware/malware program, not a full antivirus on Windows 7, so don't use Defender as your only layer of defense. I would always recommend scanning with Malwarebytes or SUPERAntiSpyware occasionally to check for malware on-demand.
Oron J
2014-05-07 13:02:22
I agree with Ben complete (except I prefer Avast to his favourites).
Rajaa C
2014-05-07 01:43:41
I guess Defender and Security Essentials both cannot be active together. Once Security Essentials is installed, Defender gets inactive. However, the general consensus is Security Essentials is like a superset of Defender with both antivirus and anti-malware capability. However, my concern is, is it Ok to depend on Security Essentials. Kindly read this articles in MUO : http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/replace-microsoft-security-essentials-proper-antivirus/
Rajaa C
2014-05-07 02:28:29
This should clear your confusion between Defender and Security Essentials : http://blogs.msdn.com/b/securitytipstalk/archive/2013/11/14/windows-defender-and-microsoft-security-essentials-which-one-do-i-need.aspx