That's what I've been using all along. However question please ... what about Malwarebytes? Is it considered an anti-virus or other type software?

A couple of weeks ago, Garyo recommended installing Roguekiller by MS, and boy did my computer run faster after a full scan. It deleted two programs which I had installed previously, which I thought were safe. One was "search lock" which supposedly protected my online travels by not allowing others to see what sites I was visiting. I was tired of data mining companies so I thought this was a good idea. After Roguekiller deleted this feature, I learned that search lock did more damage than to protect. In fact search lock was the one doing the data mining..ha ha

The second thing it deleted surprised the heck out of me. It was Google Chrome as a default browser. So now I keep getting a message saying that Chrome is not my default browser, and recommends I reinstall it. Although I do use Google, in order to get my top five bookmarks at the apps menu bar at the top of my screen, I have to open another tab to see them. That's fine with me because if MS and Roguekiller thinks it's bad, then that's good enough for me. I don't mind taking that extra step to open tabs.

Oh, i almost forgot, it also deleted CCleaner.

I used to use Registry Mechanic, but no longer use. When I went to purchase it again last year, it turns out they are no longer in business. I'm guessing too many people were complaining about the program deleting registry keys that would eventually damage the behavior of computer systems.

I only have two cleaners, Defender, and roguekiller, and now my computer runs super fast.

Yes, Malwarebytes is the same type of unnecessary software that can inadvertently make your browser less secure.

Thank you very much Todd.

amber123, just so you know, Roguekiller is not Microsoft software, so I would not necessarily trust it implicitly to properly clean your computer. Google Chrome is just fine as a default browser, so it's changing the default is not a good sign. Frankly, I would trust CCleaner sooner than Roguekiller -- an ultimately my advice is to delete all of them after you're happy your computer is "clean".   Then just keep it that way by not installing any toolbars, plugins, "security" software, "cleaning" software, or anything else like that. Be very careful about installing free software, because many times they try to install other crapware at the same time in order to make money.

FYI, at one time I used registry-cleaning software myself, but since that time I have learned that that might not have been a good idea. So now my recommendation is to avoid registry cleaners too.

Wow, I could've sworn Gary said it was part of MS. Good to know. Thanks for the recommendations.

You're right, FREE only means red flags..

Todd, I take your advice seriously. I use only Windows defender. Last week I opened an email and the email was had an malware. Got a message "Your computer has been blocked. I immediately shut down, rebooted and did a scan. Defender found it and isolated it for me to delete, thanks again to you.

Awesome Carbob, great to hear! :)

Yes, great information!
Thanks for sharing.

Have been using Defender for years with no problems. Now, Microsoft has come out with Trend Micro Antivirus+ I have upgraded to it and so far so good. Will see what happens from here.

No LottoVantage, Trend Micro is NOT Microsoft software. It is an example of the type third-party anti-malware software that is unnecessary and leads to insure web browsing.

Thanks for the info Todd. Will be changing back to Defender soon...

I've been thinking about doing away with my a/v program since I read a similar article that pretty much said the same thing as the one linked to above. I have tried all kinds, both paid and free and the thing that bothered me the most was the huge amt. of resources the paid ones used and the constant nag screens on most of the free ones...and even they weren't exactly light in terms of memory and CPU used. I had most recently gone to Panda and when it updated, it froze my computer for however long it took. (Plus, I was a little leery of "cloud based protection")

Defender doesn't exactly have a small footprint either, but the kicker was it's already on here as well as it being a MS product. Most reviews say it works "OK", but doesn't test out as well as some of the others. So far so good. I had used it before to run a quick scan, but the first time I ran a full scan it found the EICAR text file I had stored on an external hard drive.

I've been using Defender for the last 2 years and can say that I noticed an immediate speed improvement in my system, and (knock on wood), haven't had a single security issue yet. Thanks for posting this Todd!

Is the information on not necessary to add antivirus to Windows still applicable? I have a new laptop with Windows 10 to replace Windows 7. I have always added an AV. The sales person encouraged me not to buy AV as he uses Defender alone.

Yes, it applies now more than ever. Stick with just the built-in Windows Security (no longer called Defender).