Computer Related > Microsoft Security Essentials Computing Issues
Thread Author: Ambo Replies: 25
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New Sun 13 Jan 13 12:52 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Ambo
I run this once a week. It takes up to 3 hours. Is this normal please?
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New Sun 13 Jan 13 12:58 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Auristocrat
If it is a full scan you're running, then yes it could take 2-3 hours depending how much data you have
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New Sun 13 Jan 13 14:15 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - RattleandSmoke
Its typical, but it depends on your processor, RAM, what speed the hard drive spins at (is it a laptop?) and how much data you have.

Three hours is a bit on the slow side, but I really really need to know more about your computer to be able to comment. I do a lot of MSE scans so if you tell me your specs and how much space you've used on the c: drive I will let you know.

It can be a sign of a dying hard drive if it takes a long time, but you would mostly have other symptoms if that was the case.
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New Sun 13 Jan 13 15:04 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - No FM2R
Weekly you only need to be running a quick scan. And in any case why don't you schedule them for some point when you're not using your computer?
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 15:38 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Ambo
I run it during slack times. The C drive has 91.10 Gb free of 139 (the external hard drive 124 of 233). The computer is a desk top, about 2 years old. It has Windows Home Premium (x64) Service Pack 1. The processor is 2.65 Gigaherz Intel Pentium Dual-Core. Primary memory cache is 64 Kb, secondary 2048. I don't know the disc speed.

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New Mon 14 Jan 13 19:21 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Victorbox
>> The C drive has 91.10 Gb free of 139
>> (the external hard drive 124 of 233). The computer is a desk top, about 2
>> years old.

If you've never done a disk cleanup in two years then running Window's own disk cleanup utility including "cleanup system files" button and also cleaning up old system restore points under the More Options tab could remove gigabytes that MSE wouldn't then need to scan. If you then run the free utility Ccleaner www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download then even more junk will be removed.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 15:38 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Ambo
I run it during slack times. The C drive has 91.10 Gb free of 139 (the external hard drive 124 of 233). The computer is a desk top, about 2 years old. It has Windows Home Premium (x64) Service Pack 1. The processor is 2.65 Gigaherz Intel Pentium Dual-Core. Primary memory cache is 64 Kb, secondary 2048. I don't know the disc speed.

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New Mon 14 Jan 13 15:40 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Ambo
...but it is obviously very eager to communicate!
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 15:50 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - RattleandSmoke
How much RAM do you have? I would say 3 hours is a little on the high side for that spec if it was on my bench and it took 3 hours I would investigate a little further, it PROBABLY isn't a problem though and it can be normal, especially if you only have 512MB of RAM or something daft.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 16:00 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - No FM2R
Are you running a quick scan or a full scan?
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 17:08 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Ambo
Full scan. RAM is stated as "1024MB DDR2 800 mhz in Dual Channel
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 17:36 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - No FM2R
3 hours for a full scan is fine.

But a full scan every week is excessive.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 17:39 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - rtj70
>> But a full scan every week is excessive.

Agree with this for any anti-virus and malware applications. If you do a full scan and have it monitoring file access etc.... how exactly did you get the infection.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 20:02 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Robin O'Reliant
Three hours is lightening fast. I run a full scan once a week, starts about mid-day and finishes close to 10pm. Maybe I need a clearout?
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 20:47 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Dog
Prunes are efficacious, I hear.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 23:24 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - John H
>> Three hours is lightening fast.
>>

I'd think so too, but who am I to argue with Rattle when he says it could be a problem but on the other hand it might not be a problem! ;-)
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 23:25 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - John H
>> ... how exactly did you get the infection.
>>

infection? What infection? Who's got an infection? (apart from Rattle who had the flu).
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 23:30 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - smokie
Never run full scans meself, don't see the point if your AV software is active all the time - wouldn't it catch stuff before it gets written to disk?
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 23:33 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - rtj70
Exactly... unless the files in question are on a NAS with other's writing to it. But that's a whole new ball game.... how do you scan/protect a NAS.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 23:44 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - John H
>> Never run full scans meself,
Nor do I.

>> don't see the point if your AV software is active
>> all the time - wouldn't it catch stuff before it gets written to disk?
>>

Have only ever run them on PCs I have been asked to look at to check for virus infection.
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New Mon 14 Jan 13 23:44 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Auristocrat
In the just published Which? report on security software, Microsoft Security Essentials scored the highest of the programs on test, and tops their list of seven 'best buys. Not as good as the Windows 8 security package (not awarded a best buy as it comes as standard with Windows 8, and you cannot download it for other versions of Windows) - but the best scoring internet security program for Windows 7, Vista and XP.
Other best buys (in descending order) were: Bullguard Internet Security 2013 (84%); Avira Internet Security 2013 (80%); F-Secure Internet Security (78%); Zonealarm Antivirus and Firewall (75%); Zonealarm Internet Security Suite (75%); Avira Free Antivirus (75%).
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New Tue 15 Jan 13 00:04 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - RattleandSmoke
What did Kaspersky score? I used to recommend it as my margins were good but lately they have squeezed the margins and I make less than £5 on it now, which is prompting me to find another anti virus package.

I tried Bitdefender once but I had a massive problem selling it, for some reason Kaspersky sells much easier.

I have an Atom netbook with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB HD on my bench and I will need to a full MSE scan tomorrow. I will let you know how long it takes.

I do fine that full scans often find things that a quick scan misses . Viruses are designed to escape the active file checker. Once you remove the rootkit which is causing the virus to hide, a full scan will reveal a lot of things.

The one I have on my bench has no rootkit though, its was just a straight forward virus removal and patch installation job.

Bullguard is another product I can make high margins on but I know too little about it to currently recommend it.
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New Tue 15 Jan 13 00:36 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Auristocrat
Norton came in at 74% and Kaspersky at 73%
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New Tue 15 Jan 13 00:45 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - RattleandSmoke
The very latest Norton is actually quite good, but for a lot of people the damage is already done. I need to do a lot more research on it but my own general feeling is that Kaspersky has not been as good as it once was lately. However it is very good value as it has family filters as standard etc.

I am going to spend a bit of time researching this atm, I need to be paying around £10-12 per anti virus package to make any margin on it, as I typically sell them around £20 (the sweet spot).
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Tue 15 Jan 13 at 00:46
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New Tue 15 Jan 13 08:28 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Arctophile
The elapsed scan time also depends on the amount of CPU that MSE is allowed to use. This can be adjusted under the settings tab.

Setting it at 90% makes for a quicker scan at the expense of other processes.

My full MSE scan yesterday found the Java exploit that has been discussed elsewhere. No idea where it came from but it wasn't detected at the time of infection
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New Wed 16 Jan 13 11:09 
 Microsoft Security Essentials - Dog
Did a fool scan earlier (MSE) it took 1.75 hours, also disabled java on IE & Chrome, just in case.
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