Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender?

[legend8887]

Aren't they the exact same thing?

[Benjio]

I think MSE is an antivirus program while Defender is just a program you can scan your computer with, it doesn't have any real-time protection.

[shirokado]

In windows 7, defender is a firewall, security essential is a virus program, in windows 8, microsoft combined the 2, so theyre the same program in windows 8, its just a built in security program, it was a free download on windows 7, but many people didn't know what it was so microsoft generously just combined the 2

[deathjester]

They renamed it for Win 8 to sell the lie that it had better security then Win 7. It doesn't. The "anti virus" for both versions is the same, and it sucks, per Microsoft.

 

http://www.howtogeek.com/173291/goodbye-microsoft-security-essentials-microsoft-now-recommends-you-use-a-third-party-antivirus/

 

"In an interview with Dennis Protection Labs, Holly Stewart, the senior program manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, said that Microsoft Security Essentials was just a “baseline” that’s designed to “always be on the bottom” of antivirus tests. She said Microsoft sees MSE as a first layer of protection and advises Windows users to use a third-party antivirus instead."

 

Running malwarebytes once a week at least will keep your computer clean from the things the "antivirus" on Win 7/8 can't even catch.