Windows 10: How much Virus protection is too much?

My wife bought me a new HP laptop for my birthday, running Windows 10. Obviously it has Windows Defender installed, but I also routinely install the free version of Avast. Shortly after I did this, she forwarded me an e:mail from Best Buy, where she made the purchase telling me I also got a free year of Webroot Anti-virus. Should I install that as well? Should I uninstall Avast? I used to hear that having two different anti-virus softwares installed can actually work against you. Looking for advice.

:)

 

Virus Protection

I'd Suggest You Better Skip The Idea of Using Those Security Suites. Better Use Some Free To Use Yet HIghly Rated For VIrus Protection Engines. Here's What I Suggest Top Three...


1. Avira AntiVir Personal Classic Edition
2. Avast! Home Edition
3. AVG Free

Avira Is Found To Trigger Less False Alarms Than Anyother AV (Even Paid Don't Have That Kind'a Accuracy), & Is Much Better Than some of The Paid Ones. Next Is Avast!, For It's Individual Scanner Protection & It's Unique VRDB (Virus Recovery Database) Feature.

If You're Looking For Firewall Protection Then Again, The Free Stuff Come To The Rescue.


1. ZoneAlarm Free
2. Comodo Firewall Pro.
3. PC Tools Firewall

We All Know How Good ZA Firewall Can Be..! Comodo Has Passed All The Leak Test That Can Be Serious For Your System Security. PC Tools Is Not New To The Scene Here, Still Has Very Good Firewall With Less Questions Asked, Recomended For NewBie.

 

Nonstop alerts about virus protection

Hi,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community and being a part of Windows 10.

I understand your concern about accessing the operating system with the security notification on your device. We will help you with this issue.

Do let us know the following to assist you better with this issue:

• Have you installed any third-party anti-virus software on your device?
• Have you made any changes to the operating system prior to this issue?
• What is the complete error code/ error message of this issue?
• When exactly you get this error pop-up?

Try the below troubleshooting steps and check if it helps.

Step 1: If you have installed any third-party anti-virus software, I suggest you to disable it and check if it issue persists.

NOTE: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you shouldn't disable your antivirus software. If you have to temporarily disable it to install other software,
you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.

If the issue still persists, I suggest you to uninstall the third-party anti-virus software.

Step 2: I suggest you to run Windows Defender on your device and check if it helps.

Windows Defender is malware protection that is included with and built into Windows 10. This software helps identify and remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. So, you do not need to install any third party antivirus applications.

Protect your PC

Hope it helps. Get back to us with an updated status of this issue for further assistance.

 

Cannot turn on Windows Defender virus protection

I had the same sort of symptoms. In the Windows Security Center, under Virus and threat protection, it said "Your virus & threat protection is managed by your organization."





I note you mentioned the Registry Keys under HKLM/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Defender. Nice spotting, but it seems like there is another key that is causing the problem for some users.

Steps to a solution:

1. Press the Windows key and type "regedit"
   
2. On the regedit icon that appears, right-click and select Run as Administrator.
   
3. Navigate to the folder located at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender (You can paste this into the address box at the top of the window, or navigate manually using the side directory structure)
   
4. In this folder, there are probably two keys. Right-click and Delete the DisableAntiSpyware key.
   
5. Exit regedit, and return to the Windows Defender settings screen (refresh it if necessary). Windows Defender should have the scan options available and working.
   

Solution adapted from here, with a much more detailed solution here.