There was a time when choosing antivirus was not so easy. Many asked for too much processor and RAM, slowing down the PC. Others were not reliable. And there were those who did nothing in the face of threats. That’s why Microsoft entered the business 13 years ago.
If we had to name software indispensable in our computer we could not forget the Office package or the antivirus. The latter, very important in the 2000s, has saved millions of people. lucky for us, microsoft decided to launch his own program: Microsoft Security Essentials.
When the word antivirus was synonymous with Panda either McafeeMicrosoft decided to bet on software that would protect all its users in Windows 7. Today we celebrate the 13th birthday of the company’s first program in the cybersecurity business.
Y, Although many of us remember Microsoft Security Essentials, many others remember Windows Defender. Many even confuse them, something logical when their names are similar and they have been programs developed by the same people. So let’s explain where they appear from.
Microsoft bought antispyware software called Giant AntiSpyware in 2004 and renamed it Windows Defender.. Originally, it was not designed to be antivirus or antimalware software, but just a spyware removal program.
It came pre-installed with Windows Vista and 7. Windows XP users had to download it separately. For its part, Microsoft Security Essentials was launched in 2009 as antivirus software.. MSE was able to protect personal computers from Trojans and viruses of different types.
This is where all the confusion starts. While Windows Defender came pre-installed, Security Essentials could be downloaded separately. And when Security Essentials was installed on Windows 7 and earlier versions, it replaced Windows Defender and disabled it.
Differences between Microsoft antivirus
This is because some of the features of Security Essentials overlapped with those of Windows Defender. Therefore, it did not make sense to keep both assets. Furthermore, that would lead to inconsistencies that are highly inadvisable for an OS.
Things got messy with the release of Windows 8, in which Microsoft continued its name reuse policy. Windows Defender was re-released with Security Essentials built in.
That meant, For the first time, the Windows operating system had pre-installed software that could combat viruses, malware, and spyware.. Microsoft Security Essentials is not compatible with Windows 8 and 10. And now it is no longer needed as it has served its purpose well.
If you’re using Windows 8 or higher, you should have Windows Defender built in and you shouldn’t bother with Security Essentials. Since the arrival of Denfender, the need to use antivirus like Panda have almost completely disappeared.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism