I used AVG almost since it came out. One time I formatted and tried MSE and got infected within a week. Reformatted, never to try that crap again.

I don't know.....I've had MSE for quite awhile now and it has worked for me. I used to have an app that would scan your system and inform you when some programs had updates available. I thought it a bit redundant because I get email notifications when updates are available. So after I uninstalled it it left a piece of itself behind called PSI. After awhile my system became sluggish, apps wouldn't open like they normally did and it was a real pain in the butt. I checked ASC and it said PSI was slowing my system down. I got rid of it and immediately MSE pops up with an even dozen Trojans that were hidden. Nothing while PSI was there but after...Bang! It automatically quarantined them and I deleted them. My system then went back to normal so....I'm keeping MSE. Maybe it doesn't do right by others but by me it does.

 What the ....?

Didn't you just admit that MSE left trojans on your computer until another piece of software that was hiding them was removed?

I used MSE on my main computer. Twice in 2012 it allowed the Sirefef virus to infect the machine. If I recall correctly it was Sirefef.M and Sirefef.R. 

Sirefef completely disabled MSE, as well as deleting my restore points, barring my ability to access components of the Control Panel, inhibited my ability to boot to Safe Mode with Networking, disabling the Start/Shutdown, barring RUN commands and on and on.  

In both cases, after mucking around for hours, I installed a new hard drive for my OS. MS has updated their threat info to include better removal tools and instructions on reinstalling the disabled OS components.            

Sirefef is the only threat that MSE ever encountered on my computer. It failed to prevent its entry, it failed to report its presence until too late and it then succumbed to its cunning wiles, taking key components of the OS with it.     

In my case, my expectation for protection exceeded the ability of MSE to deliver. What is hard for me to know is if my expectation for protection was reasonable, as I am not the only person to have Sirefef breach their supposed security.     

There was no indication until after I removed the app. I'm thinking it was bundled with that piece it left behind and you're right. It doesn't say much for MSE. The others I have used, AVG included, didn't stop one dl trojan from srewing up my machine forcing me to reformat. MSE had caught others though. However I will be reconsidering MSE in light of what you and Scrofulous1 posted.

I have used MSE, and only MSE, since day one and will continue to use it.  I have never had a virus or trojan or anything else infect my system. People might want to reconsider their browsing practices.

I also use MSE, not as long as LightStar though.  I believe that there will always be several factors in anyone's situation where their system gets a virus or trojan.  The anti-virus program not catching it would normally be the first thought but I wonder should it be where you went to get infected.

It has been pointed out many times over the years that at times the best software will not be able to offset the 'Human Factor' in using your computer and going on the internet.  Lets face it, if something can cause bad things to happen it more than likely can be linked to the user. 

There's no arguing with that. Since installing ASC Pro there's this little green circle with a check mark in it that shows up on every site I visit. It goes red...I run like hell! As for MSE.....it has saved my lappy on several occassions despite that thing with PSI. So in reconsidering.....I'm gonna keep it.

I use MSSE and have no complaints.  On other computers, I also use AVG (paid version), Bit Defender, Avast and Avira.  No complaints there either, other than AVG can be a pain to disable when you need to do that.  

Of course, having a backup and being careful about where you tread on the interwebs will protect you better than any virus checker IMO.  

Things like Malwarebytes and Hijackthis also help. 

Legit sites are unwitting vectors all too often these days, especially Facebook, which, in my experience, every employee with a keyboard and monitor believes they are required to be logged in to while at work.  They must think a law was passed preventing employers from setting rules for computer use.

If employees log in to Facebook for other than as part of their employment, they should be fired.

How easy would it be myfist0? I ask because the computers at Crossroads have no such thing. I'm constantly having to take them offline to clean all the garbage out of them. The guys that use them are like children, they don't know enough to stay away from certain sites.

Being a former computer/network technician myself Ross, I hear what you're saying! The average person is ignorant of the hazards of the Internet, and yes myfist0, unless it is part of your job all access to the Internet should be blocked from the work environment. Employers should not have to pay their employees for screwing off and possibly damaging their systems and/or network in the process.

Don't you guys know by now it's the AV developers who write these viruses forcing you to buy their products. Doesn't it amaze you how FAST they write a virus fix after a socalled virus is detected? Making them look all good and great. lmao. If you BUY a virus protection/removal program you are just throwing your money away. I've been running without a paid one for almost 20 years now and have only gotten one issue that a small FREE program like "UNHACKME" easily fixed. MSE detects some things and tells me about it and I also use the FREE software from Advanced System Care that does all the rest. Quit paying for these anti-virus ripoffs. One of the better FREEbies out there is MALWAREBYTES as it goes deeper and finds those AD spyware attachments. It once found 13 spyware attachements that MSE and ASC never reported. Then again it could have just been lying trying to get me to BUY the FULL service copy of it. lmao

I agree with you.  I run IE9 in protected mode and I don't click on links in emails and I never respond to phishing emails.  If I am surfing the web I also use a limited user account and never an admin account.

When web surfing in the above manner MSE found a Java hack and browser hijacker in the ie5 temp folder and removed them.  They never got activated because MSE found them and removed them as the intial temp file landed.

I have never had a virus take control of my machine in 2 straight years.

Seven years without an anti-virus and still counting ....

Once a year i install couple free antiviruses and some payed from my dad, no viruses so far. In this age any serious email, music, software server runs good anti-virus. No need to slow down your comp.

This theory is circulating ever since the WWW became popular.

I dont believe it.

Why?

They are companies. And what does any company have? It has employees. And like the way it is in life some employees may leave the company on less than friendly terms. In which case they may feel inclined to take revenge, one way or another.

Now, if you are an AV company and you were creating viruses yourself, in time you would be caught, putting you out of business permanently and in several countrys actually risking a prison sentence for the people responsible. 

The truth is that some people actually just enjoy to destroy others computers.

Now, nowadays this antisocial behavior has an economic side to it. The good news is, most viruses dont format your hard drive anymore. The bad news is, sometimes you wish it had, because they are a damm pain to remove.

mo

most simple way:

edit your hosts file. it's here: %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\

add a line like:

127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

of course there are better ways. 

Thanks moshi. That'll come in handy.