there's only one company that has the source code to windows, that's a decent advantage. Most recent one was a problem with scanning documents from a printer, which the previous IT person couldn't figure out.Īlso means many many more users are running the same software config as you, so even when there are problems, the solutions are easier to find.Īnd even though the 3rd party virus scanning companies might be more dedicated to virus scanning technology than Microsoft. Removing that solves the problem very often, still surprises me now how often all these other (free or paid) scanners/firewalls etc manage to screw all sorts of random things up.

I do IT consulting, and when I can't figure out some random problem a client's computer is having, the first thing I look for is any 3rd party virus scanner. I haven't bothered with that kind of stuff for years though, it was more trouble than it was worth in the end in most cases. Or if you want some kind of very restrictive firewall that prompts you for every new application that tries to use the internet. Unless you're dealing with some notorious user that never listens to common sense advice and is constantly clicking on dodgy emails etc, you're better off just using defender.

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