Automatically update Windows Defender definitions?

[pete6032]

I have Windows 7 update set to "notify me when updates are available to download and install." For the last two weeks every other day it seems I get an update notification but it is just for Windows defender definition updates, which are a few hundred kb each and take 5 seconds to install. Is there any way I can just let Windows defender update itself without bothering me, while at the same time still be notified for all other windows updates before downloading?

 

[Matt1970]

I turned mine off in Windows 7. IMHO the version in Windows 7 is absolutely useless. I have used it to scan some heavily infected computers and it rarely finds much. If you have Windows 8 it's a different story. In Windows 8 it is basically the same thing as Microsoft Security Essentials.

 

[Towermax]

I turned mine off in Windows 7.

Same here. I'm running Malwarebytes, so Defender is not needed.

 

[ViRGE]

Windows Defender already auto-updates. Unfortunately it uses its own auto-update mechanism, so if Windows Update finds an update first, it will let you know. There's no way around that which I am aware of.

 

[Berryracer]

Windows Defender already auto-updates. Unfortunately it uses its own auto-update mechanism, so if Windows Update finds an update first, it will let you know. There's no way around that which I am aware of.

I was always against MSE because of its bad detection rates:


Recently, while I was fixing my boss's computer, which was a very old computer, I had no choice but to give him some basic protection in order to remain light and not have any nags from the free options like avast, so I installed MSE for him but Windows Updates kept giving him daily notifications to manually install the new definitions, I don't remember this was there in the past But I happily uninstalled that POS and installed AVG for him now. no more nags

 

[corkyg]

Mine autoupdates every day in Win 7 and XP along with Malwarebytes Pro. Never a problem.

 

[Berryracer]

Mine autoupdates every day in Win 7 and XP along with Malwarebytes Pro. Never a problem.

and you feel safe using it after seeing the scores I showed you above and knowing that MSE lost certification from Virus Labs?

I understand people who don't want to be bothered that they use the free MSE but for computer experts like yourself you have so many better free options out there

just a suggestion

 

[ViRGE]

and you feel safe using it after seeing the scores I showed you above and knowing that MSE lost certification from Virus Labs?

I understand people who don't want to be bothered that they use the free MSE but for computer experts like yourself you have so many better free options out there

just a suggestion

I for one am perfectly happy with it. It's good enough and it's low-impact on the system.

As for Virus Labs, their certification is a joke anyhow and I do not take their opinion seriously. Their test rewards overly paranoid heuristic based detection, which is to say that the software that "wins" is full of false positives, a very negative experience.

 

[corkyg]

I for one am perfectly happy with it. It's good enough and it's low-impact on the system.

As for Virus Labs, their certification is a joke anyhow and I do not take their opinion seriously. Their test rewards overly paranoid heuristic based detection, which is to say that the software that "wins" is full of false positives, a very negative experience.

This! MSE, when combined with Malwarebytes Pro does the job, Hey, I've tried AVG, and all the rest - they are much more intrusive and delay boot and loading more than I like.

 

[lif_andi]

You can use task scheduler to run a batch file with command line options to update Windows Defender at logon or specific times of the day. I made one yesterday for myself and works like a charm.

 

[showb1z]

and you feel safe using it after seeing the scores I showed you above and knowing that MSE lost certification from Virus Labs?

I understand people who don't want to be bothered that they use the free MSE but for computer experts like yourself you have so many better free options out there

just a suggestion

People who know what they're doing don't get infected in the first place though. I've gone for years without any anti-virus, never had an issue.
Now I've got Defender running since it takes zero maintenance.

 

[Mushkins]

People who know what they're doing don't get infected in the first place though. I've gone for years without any anti-virus, never had an issue.
Now I've got Defender running since it takes zero maintenance.

The "it cant happen to me" mentality is a dangerous one in the world of security. No one is completely immune, as you cannot control all the variables. If you have no protections because you "just dont go to bad sites," you're wide open when one of those good sites is compromised. Hell, just a few months back it was a group of major MSN network sites (IIRC) that were dolling out malware through that major java exploit and compromised ads.

And before you say "well I use noscript/adblock/etc!" Those count as forms of protection, even if they're not strictly antivirus scanners. An antivirus software is just part of an overall security strategy, not a silver bullet catch-all.