Windows Defender in Windows 8

[Mori Poll]

How do you activate Windows Defender in Windows 8? My new machine came
with McAffee and I don't want it because it is time limited unless I buy
a subscription.

If I uninstall McAffee would it automatically activate Windows Defender?
The files are already there so it is installed by default except that
Toshiba have de-activated it and installed McAffee.

 

[Ed Cryer]

How do you activate Windows Defender in Windows 8? My new machine came
with McAffee and I don't want it because it is time limited unless I buy
a subscription.

If I uninstall McAffee would it automatically activate Windows Defender?
The files are already there so it is installed by default except that
Toshiba have de-activated it and installed McAffee.

It should be easy enough to start Windows Defender once you've
uninstalled McAffee. But be careful to do a thorough job on the
uninstall; McAffee is well known for leaving hidden mines and booby
traps, so much so that they've produced a MCPR to be run after using the
Windows uninstall feature;
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS101331

Good luck. If you need more help then ask here again. Removing McAffee
is a thing well known to many regulars.

Ed

 

[Ken1943]

It should be easy enough to start Windows Defender once you've
uninstalled McAffee. But be careful to do a thorough job on the
uninstall; McAffee is well known for leaving hidden mines and booby
traps, so much so that they've produced a MCPR to be run after using the
Windows uninstall feature;
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS101331

Good luck. If you need more help then ask here again. Removing McAffee
is a thing well known to many regulars.

Ed

Use Revo Uninstaller free.


KenW

 

[Paul]

How do you activate Windows Defender in Windows 8? My new machine came
with McAffee and I don't want it because it is time limited unless I buy
a subscription.

If I uninstall McAffee would it automatically activate Windows Defender?
The files are already there so it is installed by default except that
Toshiba have de-activated it and installed McAffee.

Some hints here:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...r-on-new/ae3d7136-71e7-4163-a8ab-38b97beebb22

Paul

 

[Ken Blake]

How do you activate Windows Defender in Windows 8? My new machine came
with McAffee and I don't want it because it is time limited unless I buy
a subscription.

If I uninstall McAffee would it automatically activate Windows Defender?
The files are already there so it is installed by default except that
Toshiba have de-activated it and installed McAffee.

For the "how, see the other replies you've gotten. And also note that
you are doing the right thing. McAfee is one of the poorest choices of
security software, and Windows Defender is *much* better.

 

[VanguardLH]

How do you activate Windows Defender in Windows 8? ...

AIOE doesn't carry the Windows *8* newsgroup?

alt.comp.os.windows-8

Microsoft might have their own web-based forums but I gave up using
their Answers forum long ago. Crappy layout. Somewhat akin to the
populace that uses web-based Google Groups, too.

 

[Philip Herlihy]

....

Use Revo Uninstaller free.

+1

 

[...winston]

"Ken Blake" wrote in message For the "how, see the other replies you've gotten. And also note that
you are doing the right thing. McAfee is one of the poorest choices of
security software, and Windows Defender is *much* better.
I do agree that installing a trial version of McAfee (or anything trial) is a good idea and should be done without hesitation.

On the other hand... Better ? Well, that is somewhat debatable <g>

Windows Defender for most users is sufficient. Whether or not its better than others (including McAfee) has been a toss-up ever
since Dec 2012 when Win8 Defender failed AV-Test Certification.
- it been almost a year since any MSFT product achieved a Standard or Advanced rating for protection where as McAfee achieved both
Standard and Advanced for On-Demand and Performance in 2013 (Mar, Apr)

For comparison purposes since Win8's Defender is quite equivalent to Win7's MSE
- MSE on Win7 scores a 7 vs. McAfee's 15 on Performance and a 90 vs. McAfee's 99 on Real World Protection.

MSE/Defender are good products but comparative-wise aren't necessarily rated as high as quite a few other products.

 

[gufus]

For the "how, see the other replies you've gotten. And also note that
you are doing the right thing. McAfee is one of the poorest choices of
security software, and Windows Defender is *much* better.

I like/use MBAM (very good) IMHO

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

 

[cameo]

It should be easy enough to start Windows Defender once you've
uninstalled McAffee. But be careful to do a thorough job on the
uninstall; McAffee is well known for leaving hidden mines and booby
traps, so much so that they've produced a MCPR to be run after using the
Windows uninstall feature;
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS101331

Isn't that a contradicting advice? On one hand you say that McAffee is
well known for leaving hidden mines, then you are suggesting using a
McAfee removal tool? That tool could leave some annoying reminder popups
to subscribe to their products.

I just removed McAfee from my new Lenovo laptop by first stopping all
running McAfee services in the McAfee Security Center panel and then
uninstalling it in the Control Panel. It was gone after the reboot and
the Windows Defender prompted me to activate its services. So far I
don't see any sign of McAfee remnanats, except an option in right side
the task bar Icons and Notification Panel. McAfee still has an Icon
there but it's pretty useless. I wonder how to remove it from there.

Another issue I noticed with Windows Defender is that it does not have
the kind of icon in the task bar that Windows Security Essentials have
in Windows 7. Is there a way to show it there?

 

[Drew]

Good luck. If you need more help then ask here again. Removing McAffee
is a thing well known to many regulars.

Ed

Macrapafee is a virus in itself!!

 

[John Williamson]

Isn't that a contradicting advice? On one hand you say that McAffee is
well known for leaving hidden mines, then you are suggesting using a
McAfee removal tool? That tool could leave some annoying reminder popups
to subscribe to their products.

It works, and does clean all the remains that the normal unistall leaves
behind, as does the Norton equivalent for their products.

It's the normal uninstall that leaves stuff behind to "help" if you are
misguided enough to want to re-install either program after removing
them. Things like settings and licence information, to save you the
effort of setting things the way you want them.

 

[Rodney Pont]

So far I
don't see any sign of McAfee remnanats, except an option in right side
the task bar Icons and Notification Panel. McAfee still has an Icon
there but it's pretty useless. I wonder how to remove it from there.

Highlight it and press delete??
or
Right click and select unpin from taskbar??
One or the other should do it.

 

[Paul]

Highlight it and press delete??
or
Right click and select unpin from taskbar??
One or the other should do it.

I like to right-click and do Properties, and see where it
potentially might be hiding. Then go looking for it,
since I might find other "interesting things" in the
same area.

Paul

 

[...winston]

"cameo" wrote in message Another issue I noticed with Windows Defender is that it does not have
the kind of icon in the task bar that Windows Security Essentials have
in Windows 7. Is there a way to show it there?
No...the 'live' changing color based on status icon in the notification area is no longer included in Windows 8 Defender.

If one does wish access to Defender (to open, configure, update etc.) it can be accomplished via the:
1. Tile on the Modern UI Start Menu (if not present look for it under All Apps and pin it to the Start Menu
2. Optionally one can add a program icon to access the proram by adding it to the Win8 Desktop TaskBar
- but neither above option will provide a 'live' statusing icon like that available for MSE on Win7.

 

[...winston]

Iirc....the remnant (orphan) for removed security software may be due to Action Center still thinking its monitoring the program
(sometimes a reboot may clear it)

Also, the presence of an icon in the Notification Area may be caused by its inclusion in the Icon cache data file (which can be
deleted or wiped clean...for the latter CCleaner can handle it...though it might take a few restarts before it disappears)



--
....winston
msft mvp consumer apps


"Rodney Pont" wrote in message

So far I
don't see any sign of McAfee remnanats, except an option in right side
the task bar Icons and Notification Panel. McAfee still has an Icon
there but it's pretty useless. I wonder how to remove it from there.

Highlight it and press delete??
or
Right click and select unpin from taskbar??
One or the other should do it.

 

[RJK]

How do you activate Windows Defender in Windows 8? My new machine came
with McAffee and I don't want it because it is time limited unless I buy a
subscription.

If I uninstall McAffee would it automatically activate Windows Defender?
The files are already there so it is installed by default except that
Toshiba have de-activated it and installed McAffee.

Mcafee, like lots of other bundled crapware, exp. in branded PC's/inc.
Laptops, can be quite time-consuming to properly remove.
I've removed Mcafee crapware, and Norton bloatware from quite a few
machines, in the past, and occasionally, time has to spent wading through
their web sites to pin-down the correct "clean-up" utility, and patching up
other damage left behind after its' removal, even after using the correct
clean-up utility.
After hardening-up web defences, including installing a decent internet
security suite + a few other goodies that happily co-exist with it, (what
one misses, the others might catch premise), one returns the computer to the
owner, knowing that in a very short time, the owner will be on the 'phone
complaining that the "...IE browser isn't working properly, ...some web
pages aren't fully loading up....moan ....moan..."

....which often turns out to be ebay doubleclick.net etc. banners ads.
blocked by the msvp's hosts file, which I plonk in there, as a matter of
course, during hardening up,
....so, after a mini-lecture convincing the owner that he, or she, doesn't
really need to see those banner ads., he or she, is usually placated.
On the odd occasion, I've had to resort to, "If you insist on having those
banner ads. you'll have to get someone else to help you with your computer "
.....usually works like a charm !

regards, Richard

 

[RJK]

Mcafee, like lots of other bundled crapware, eSp. in branded PC's/inc.
Laptops, can be quite time-consuming to properly remove.
I've removed Mcafee crapware, and Norton bloatware from quite a few
machines, in the past, and occasionally, time has to spent wading through
their web sites to pin-down the correct "clean-up" utility, and patching
up other damage left behind after its' removal, even after using the
correct clean-up utility.
After hardening-up web defences, including installing a decent internet
security suite + a few other goodies that happily co-exist with it, (what
one misses, the others might catch premise), one returns the computer to
the owner, knowing that in a very short time, the owner will be on the
'phone complaining that the "...IE browser isn't working properly, ...some
web pages aren't fully loading up....moan ....moan..."

...which often turns out to be ebay doubleclick.net etc. banners ads.
blocked by the msvp's hosts file, which I plonk in there, as a matter of
course, during hardening up,
...so, after a mini-lecture convincing the owner that he, or she, doesn't
really need to see those banner ads., he or she, is usually placated.
On the odd occasion, I've had to resort to, "If you insist on having those
banner ads. you'll have to get someone else to help you with your computer
"
....usually works like a charm !

regards, Richard

 

[cameo]

Mcafee, like lots of other bundled crapware, exp. in branded PC's/inc.
Laptops, can be quite time-consuming to properly remove.
I've removed Mcafee crapware, and Norton bloatware from quite a few
machines, in the past, and occasionally, time has to spent wading through
their web sites to pin-down the correct "clean-up" utility, and patching up
other damage left behind after its' removal, even after using the correct
clean-up utility.

I've been trying to clean my new Win8 Lenovo notebook of all vestiges of
its pre-installed McAfee Internet Security suite by first running the
Windows program removal utility in the Control Panel, then running
McAfees's own removal utility, but still left one visible remnant of
McAfee among the Notification Area Icons as you see on the following link:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2wbyqmq.jpg

So I went into RegEdit to see what traces of McAfee were still left in
the Registry. It turns out quite a lot! So I started deleting them till
I got to the following that looks like it is related to that stubburn
Notifiation Area Icon:

http://i42.tinypic.com/9urb7l.jpg

That "Path" entry in the right column could not be deleted, as you see
from that popup box.

Any idea how to get rid off that mcagent.exe icon from the Notification
Area?

 

[Paul]

I've been trying to clean my new Win8 Lenovo notebook of all vestiges of
its pre-installed McAfee Internet Security suite by first running the
Windows program removal utility in the Control Panel, then running
McAfees's own removal utility, but still left one visible remnant of
McAfee among the Notification Area Icons as you see on the following link:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2wbyqmq.jpg

So I went into RegEdit to see what traces of McAfee were still left in
the Registry. It turns out quite a lot! So I started deleting them till
I got to the following that looks like it is related to that stubburn
Notifiation Area Icon:

http://i42.tinypic.com/9urb7l.jpg

That "Path" entry in the right column could not be deleted, as you see
from that popup box.

Any idea how to get rid off that mcagent.exe icon from the Notification
Area?

In Regedit, look at Editermissions.

Does Trusted Installer "own" the key ? Does Administrator own it ?
Or, your user account ?

I had a problem like that, and I had to change the ownership from
TrustedInstaller to Administrator. Or something like that. Once
the permission is changed, you should be able to work on it.

Paul