Problems With Avast and Windows Defender

[DaveM]

Several days ago I was informed that there was an update to Avast and downloaded it. Once installed, the new program informed me that every page I visited had a virus attached (including this one) and refused access. This continued even after I had it scan my entire computer without finding a single problem.

I removed Avast and installed Windows Defender, which promptly ran a scan, then updated itself and disappeared from the system tray. It's still running, according to the Task Manager, but is eating about 20% of my memory and 25% of my processing capacity. You can imagine what that's doing to my computer performance!

Has anyone else had any similar experiences? Or suggestions? This was not what I was led to expect from Windows Defender. Perhaps my 2005 computer is just showing its age?

[Eva]

Avast clogged my mother's computer. It's working fine but the computer is so slooooooooowwwww... :(

Eva

[paularoid]

That's one reason I dropped Avast. When they upgraded to version 5.x it got really quirky where before with version 4.x I never had any problems. I -believe- that you can still downgrade to version 4.x and they still put out definitions for it... but don't quote me on that because that may all be over with now and I could be just blowing hot air. I know that when version 5 first came out I upgraded and was not satisfied. I had the ability (at that time) to downgrade but instead opted for Avira AntiVir that I'm using at the moment.

As for Windows Defender.... I've done a lot of checking via feedback from others over the years and I have never been impressed with the overall impression I got from that feedback. There were always too many negatives. I've never actually used it so I can't speak from experience here but I've read from others that Defender isn't really that good anyway as an "always on" utility and is more intended as an "on demand" scanner. Microsoft Security Essentials however is a whole different story altogether. Be it known right here and right now that they are NOT the same. They're different programs with different methods of defense and detection.

Defender is more of an "on demand" scanner much like an anti-spyware program. Security Essentials is an actual "always on" and frequently updated anti-virus program that's always watching everything going in and going out of your system where Defender is not necessarily so.

-My- advice (for what it's worth) would be to dump them both, reboot, set a restore point if you can, install Microsoft Security Essentials, reboot, and try things out. If things work then great. If things don't work then uninstall Security Essentials, restore back to your restore point (for good measures), and then try out Avira AntiVir (my second choice of freebies) to see if that will do the job for you. ALSO, check to see if you can backtrack to version 4.x of Avast if you didn't have any problems with it before and they still update definitions for it and they let you do that.

Replace the anti-spyware type of program (Defender) with Malwarebytes instead. You'll be much happier.

*NOTE*
I stand to be corrected on any and all that I've said and expressed here. These are only my impressions and opinions that cannot be supported by any actual "black & white" facts that I know the location of.

[DaveM]

Much appreciate it--I was confusing two different programs (Defender with Security Essentials) and installed the wrong one! Will see if a good cleaning and a new install helps. Thanks!

[paularoid]

Much appreciate it--I was confusing two different programs (Defender with Security Essentials) and installed the wrong one! Will see if a good cleaning and a new install helps. Thanks!

I think you will be -very- happy with MSSE (Microsoft Security Essentials). This, in my opinion, is -one- example of Microsoft creating a program with -resounding- success. I haven't seen any real objections to it -anywhere- that really made any sense. The majority of what objections I have seen have mostly been that it was an AV program put out by Microsoft and therefore it was highly suspect just because of that. Those objections really have no validity. I have to admit to that attitude myself when they first came out with it but this won't be the first time I've had to "eat crow". :rolleyes:

[DaveM]

I've installed it and so far at least it hasn't blown up or caused and other problems. Along the way, I discovered a bit of Microsoft weirdness: apparently is you have certain components of Windows Live (the only one of which I use is Mail), they throw in something called "search enhancement services" which, among other things, starts a process called Seaport.exe running constantly on your computer. I was tying up 33 megs of memory and does not, as far as anyone knows, do anything at all.

Anyway, I got rid of every Windows Live component except Mail and that removed the thing. My machine is now running with Windows Defender and three windows open and the machine is running with 100mb more available memory than it was this morning and a CPU clocking in at 91% free, which it has NEVER done in recent memory.

Apparently the "search enhancement services" bit is a relatively new thing....if you're not familiar with it, just hit Task Manager and see if Seaport.exe shows as a running process. No online resource that I have consulted can find any useful purpose whatsoever for this memory hog. Strange and unwondrous are the ways of Microsoft.

[paularoid]

Look here (http://theparallaxview.com/2008/12/seaportexe/) for info on "Seaport.exe" and how to remove/deactivate it:

http://theparallaxview.com/2008/12/seaportexe/

[DaveM]

Actually, if you do that, it just comes back the next time you restart. However, it can be removed completely by deleting windows live (or, in my case, deleting all components except for Mail and Messenger). At least one blog had a post from someone who was able to remove "Microsoft Search Enhancement" individually, though no details were provided.

It seems as if the idea behind it is harmless enough, but why Microsoft is keeping so quiet about it that some of their techs have told users it was a virus or other malware is anyone's guess. Bizarre at the very least.