I've experienced a bug related to the on-disk real-time scanning of Windows Defender, but instead with 100% disk bandwidth usage for unreasonable amounts of time.
I purchased a license of a proper antivirus software to avoid that bug and the performance issues gone away.
When you install another AV software, Windows Defender steps down and leaves scanning to the 3rd-party security solution. I selected one of the most lightweight ones I could find. It has been a net win for me.
One shouldn't need to do this, but it has worked so far, for years now.
> I purchased a license of a proper antivirus software
Which is that? For years (and come to think of it, this goes back to the 2000's or even 90's), AV / antimalware software comes across as scareware, using tricks to ensure you're afraid of not having it.
And second, who here has ever had a virus in the past ten years?
I purchased a license of ESET Internet Security, and full disclosure: back in early 2017, I worked at an ESET-licensed reseller as a Presales and Support Engineer, so I know how to fine-tune it and all the ins and outs.
By nature, it's very lightweight (330 Mb RAM footprint), but you can fine-tune it even more if you want.
> And second, who here has ever had a virus in the past ten years?
We the people at HN are tech-savvy and of course will not get infected, but recently I spotted malware out-in-the-wild via Facebook Ads[0].
Your usual grandma/grandpa using the computer to connect with loved ones and play Candy Crush Saga will get infected, if they are not by now.
Some people tell me: "bUt tHaT'S BeCaUsE ThEy aRe vIsItInG WeIrD SiTeS," well, even if you stick to the common social media sites and usual news sites, you will get infected.
I cannot emphasize this enough, but you're responsible of your own computer so I will not proselytize you into purchasing AV software.
>Some people tell me: "bUt tHaT'S BeCaUsE ThEy aRe vIsItInG WeIrD SiTeS," well, even if you stick to the common social media sites and usual news sites, you will get infected.
I recall reading a study a few years back saying how it's safer to browse porn sites than it is to browse what most would call "common" sites such as retailers.
Interesting, my assumption would be that porn sites must clean themselves from that malware-ish reputation, whereas "common" sites with low-end ad networks don't have it (but they are prone to gain it, because of careless/negligent ad bidder verification).
Indeed, I wouldn't install anything from McAfee if you paid me too, given the way it automatically installs itself along with various other unrelated applications and the number of phishing emails claiming to be from McAfee (which presumably exist because their creator is aware of how often McAfee itself pushes similar messages out).
I can't actually remember the last time any anti-malware software (built-in or otherwise) actually detected anything like a traditional virus, but there are plenty of computer users who are rather more trusting of links (including ones that download executables) in emails and the like. I don't doubt if I used a machine with all protection turned off and with the level of caution of a typical non-technical user it'd be hit with malware sooner or later. Most likely a browser plugin capable of reading passwords as I type them etc.
> I've experienced a bug related to the on-disk real-time scanning of Windows Defender, but instead with 100% disk bandwidth usage for unreasonable amounts of time.
Sophos does this on my work laptop with depressing regularity. At this point I just go grab coffee when the fans max out, cause I know the disk is similarly pegged and it'll be about as snappy as a bogged down Windows 98 machine until it finishes.
I experience the same issue on my laptop, and I've come to think it might be everytime the memory got swapped out. Sophos seems to interfere when the memory is read back from disk, which is annoying and frustrating.
I stopped using windows and moved to Fedora and Mac when I faced the same issue you faced. Cannot trust windows after shipping this perf bug and the modern standby bug.
I purchased a license of a proper antivirus software to avoid that bug and the performance issues gone away.
When you install another AV software, Windows Defender steps down and leaves scanning to the 3rd-party security solution. I selected one of the most lightweight ones I could find. It has been a net win for me.
One shouldn't need to do this, but it has worked so far, for years now.