Windows Defender DOES NOT WORK

I bought a Windows 8 PC Nov. 2013 and the salesman said no need to add any antivirus as windows Defenser
was supposed to do all the job.

However 2 days ago I had to rush to Best Buy Geek with the diagnose my computer was badly infected with A LOT of viruses. Had to pay 200 dollars for them to repair it and have installed Windows Essentiels Security.

I feel all this is a big scam and I am not happy at all.

My questions:

I am very curious to understand HOW COULD I BE INFECTED provided we keep on hearing over and over that Windows Defenser is supposed to be enough as a protection ?

Is a Microsoft Internet Security logiciel that cost 50$ a year for membership really a safer option than a free logiciel ? Is it Worth the money ?

Any free logiciel I can use instead ?


Thanks.

I work in IT and there is NO program out there that will protect you from malware or viruses 100 percent of the time. I remove malware and viruses from computers that have the wide variety of different av programs installed. In fact, if you are a home user I wouldn't waste money on a paid program. Next time( there will be a next time) skip spending money on removal. Install Malwarebytes and ADWCleaner and run those and you will get rid of most things. These are both free programs to run after you get infected. They do not replace antivirus software.

Thanks will do it.
Your say Malwarebytes and ADWCleaner will get rid of most things hôwever they do not replace antivirus software. What antivirus software do you suggest me ? Is it Windows defender to turn back on ?
Thanks again

Microsoft has stated that Defender is the 'baseline' option for anti-virus , basically...it's better than nothing at all...

There are a lot of options out there for free....AVG , malwarebytes etc , none of these will 100% guarantee your system will be virus / trojan free , but will definitely help stop the majority of issues , try one , if it suits you , stick with it...

Just don't run more than one permanent anti-virus solution at a time...this can cause issues.

If you decide on AVG (for example) you can periodically run malwarebytes to scan your system without using it as a permanently on anti-virus and it may pick up something that AVG has missed....and visa-versa.

I find that as long as I don't run install anything but original software bought/downloaded from the vendor , don't visit 'dodgy' web sites and be careful about opening emails / attachments from people that I don't know (phishing attempts etc) , I haven't seen an infection in over the 2 years I've had my current PC.

Are you sure Windows defender was set up and running on your system when you got it? Many systems come with "crapware" paid antivirus programs that disable Windows Defender - McAfee is notorious in this regard. If the paid program is not removed correctly then Windows defender will not work, leaving you defenseless. You can check the status of all security aspects in the "Action Center", look for a white flag in the notification area.

I am not aware of a microsoft security program that costs $50 a year. "Windows Essentials" is for older versions of Windows and is free. It was replaced with Windows Defender in Windows 8. also free.

Sounds like you got scammed.
Don't pay any money to anybody.

Come here for free help.

The microsoft security program that costs $50 a year Geek Squad put on my PC is called in fact
Internet Security for PCs Kaspersky. I never heard about before. I hope it is good but will keep it one year only
and the go with go suggestions.

I'd recommend MSE OR AVAST! with malwarebytes, Junkware removal tool and Adwcleaner acting as on demand scanners,
I have a routine that i run every sunday, Scan with AVAST!, followed by malwarebytes full scan, Adwcleaner+JRT finishing off with a round of RogueKiller. Keeps me clean and has done for the past few months, had no problems what so ever.

Wow, every Sunday?

Thanks for your tip and I think I will follow something like this probably every month.

David Bailey said:

Sounds like you got scammed.
Don't pay any money to anybody.

Come here for free help.

Click to expand...

Yep, you were scammed by BeastBuy. We can help you but you have to do your part and be careful about downloading things. Any AV will let things slip by, especially things that you allow to download...

Hey mate,

Are you curious about removing a virus yourself? Microsoft provides you the answer: How do I remove a computer virus? - Microsoft Windows Help

They have many pages like that. Basically, the best thing to do is avoid questionable websites. You are your own computer's gatekeeper.

Everyone recommends this or that antivirus, but if you want an additional program free to use for a manual scan every so often, malwarebytes comes highly recommended: https://www.malwarebytes.org/ - use this in addition to an antivirus. From what I can tell, either the built in defender OR Avast! are the most popular, but it will be a choice you should make. Keep in mind some antivirus programs can be less than helpful, and downright harsh on your computer. The two mentioned are usually excellent and do not hinder normal operation at all. Hope this helps!

PS: When compared to FREE help here, you were ripped off for 200$. Bet they only spent 30 minutes or less repairing it too.

Before I had my PC cleaned for viruses I had already Rawtherapie that was downloaded. This is a free logiciel I had downloaded a while ago for my camera works. As many of you said how careful we must be with free download except the ones we buy offically what are your advice: as it was already installed BEFORE Geek cleaned my PC is it ok for me to leave it now the viruses have been removed or am I still in risk for new viruses as that version was free. Is it the download action in itself we must be careful with of any download at any point also after the installation ? Thanks again for your advices greatly appreciated you all.

In my experience, the application you download is itself not infected, it's the "wrapper" or the other accompanying applications that are installed along with the "good" application that are malware. For instance, the camera softwware is legitimate, but the other programs that are downloaded and installed along with it (CNet comes to mind here) are malware, adware, browser hijacks or worse.

As others have said it depends very much what you download. If you use torrents you probably will get a virus (so I use an OS X Virtual machine for that). If you take a USB key to an internet café you probably will get a virus (I always seem to).

Defender (as part of Windows) works for me. ADWCleaner and MalwareBytes are good also if you find you have a problem.

If you download and run random .exe files then you'll have a problem though for sure and anyone who asks you to pay is just a thief.

Make a backup now and then if the worst happens you have something to go back to.

Hey mate, see this to learn more about keeping yourself safe online. Very informative: Protect Yourself from Malware | Security Solutions