Norton and MB v3 Both Registered as Antivirus in Windows Action Center

[lmacri]

I recently upgraded from MBAM Premium v2.2.1 to MB Premium v3.1.2 on a 32-bit Vista SP2 computer.  I have Norton Security v22.9.4.8 installed and my Windows Security Center now shows both NS and MB as installed virus protection programs.

Would it be prudent for me to change Settings | Application | Windows Security Center to Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center and leave NS as my only registered antivirus?  The status indicator for Windows Security Center in my system tray doesn't display a red shield with an "X" through it (at least when I test with my automatic Windows Updates enabled) but the online Malwarebytes Help documentation for this setting seems to imply that Malwarebytes should not be registered if another antivirus program is installed.  I'm not sure about the best way to proceed since that documentation only refers to Win 7 or higher machines using Microsoft antivirus products like MSE and Windows Defender.

(Note: The built-in Windows Defender on my Vista SP2 machine is an anti-malware scanner that only scans for a small subset of malware programs.  My Windows Defender is automatically disabled at boot-up by my Norton antivirus.)
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Edited June 4, 2017 by lmacri

[Phone Man]

I have MB set to Never Register with Action Center as I also have Norton. I see no need for MB to register with the Action center.

Jim 

[Buddel]

Both KIS and Malwarebytes are registered with the Action center. Just the way I want it.

[lmacri]

That's something I'd like someone from Malwarebytes to clarify.  What difference does it make if I change my Settings | Application | Windows Security Center to Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center if I have Norton or some other non-Microsoft antivirus installed?  Does it actually change the behaviour of Malwarebytes or reduce potential conflicts with my Norton antivirus?

The Malwarebytes 3 - Frequently Asked Questions seems to contradict itself on this point.  On one hand it says "We built Malwarebytes 3.0 to be compatible with all major anti-virus software, even Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials. In fact by default Malwarebytes 3.0 installs in compatible mode alongside Defender, MSE or third-party antivirus products."  In the next paragraph it says "...If there is only a Microsoft antivirus registered and active, we will not register in Windows Security Center in order to preserve the benefit of layered security. If desired, users will be able to go into Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium Settings and change this behavior to force Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium to either “always register” or “never register”. "

Does that mean I have to "never register" Malwarebytes in Windows Security Center to "preserve the benefit of layered security" of Norton?  I'm not even sure what the phrases "compatibility mode" and "preserve the benefit of layered security" really mean in practical terms.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

Edited June 4, 2017 by lmacri

[daman1]

5 hours ago, lmacri said:

I recently upgraded from MBAM Premium v2.2.1 to MB Premium v3.1.2 on a 32-bit Vista SP2 computer.  I have Norton Security v22.9.4.8 installed and my Windows Security Center now shows both NS and MB as installed virus protection programs.

Would it be prudent for me to change Settings | Application | Windows Security Center to Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center and leave NS as my only registered antivirus?  The status indicator for Windows Security Center in my system tray doesn't display a red shield with an "X" through it (at least when I test with my automatic Windows Updates enabled) but the online Malwarebytes Help documentation for this setting seems to imply that Malwarebytes should not be registered if another antivirus program is installed.  I'm not sure about the best way to proceed since that documentation only refers to Win 7 or higher machines using Microsoft antivirus products like MSE and Windows Defender.

(Note: The built-in Windows Defender on my Vista SP2 machine is an anti-malware scanner that only scans for a small subset of malware programs.  My Windows Defender is automatically disabled at boot-up by my Norton antivirus.)
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Go to settings/ Application tab/ scroll down to "Windows action Center" and select "never register MB in WAC".

Edited June 4, 2017 by daman1

[lmacri]

26 minutes ago, daman1 said:

Go to settings/ Application tab/ scroll down to "Windows action Center" and select "never register MB in WAC".

Hi daman1:

That explains the "how" but not the "why".  I wanted to know the advantages and disadvantages of registering Malwarebytes with the Windows Security Center when a third-party (non-Microsoft) antivirus like Norton, Kaspersky, etc. is installed.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

[daman1]

Just now, lmacri said:

Hi daman1:

That explains the "how" but not the "why".  I wanted to know the advantages and disadvantages of registering Malwarebytes with the Windows Security Center when a third-party (non-Microsoft) antivirus like Norton, Kaspersky, etc. is installed.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

Apologies, I thought you were asking how to turn it off.

I agree unclear why you would need this.

[TempLost]

11 hours ago, lmacri said:

That's something I'd like someone from Malwarebytes to clarify.  What difference does it make if I change my Settings | Application | Windows Security Center to Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center if I have Norton or some other non-Microsoft antivirus installed?  Does it actually change the behaviour of Malwarebytes or reduce potential conflicts with my Norton antivirus?

The Malwarebytes 3 - Frequently Asked Questions seems to contradict itself on this point.  On one hand it says "We built Malwarebytes 3.0 to be compatible with all major anti-virus software, even Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials. In fact by default Malwarebytes 3.0 installs in compatible mode alongside Defender, MSE or third-party antivirus products."  In the next paragraph it says "...If there is only a Microsoft antivirus registered and active, we will not register in Windows Security Center in order to preserve the benefit of layered security. If desired, users will be able to go into Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium Settings and change this behavior to force Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium to either “always register” or “never register”. "

Does that mean I have to "never register" Malwarebytes in Windows Security Center to "preserve the benefit of layered security" of Norton?  I'm not even sure what the phrases "compatibility mode" and "preserve the benefit of layered security" really mean in practical terms.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

Yes, I'd welcome some clarification of this as well - what exactly does "compatibility mode" mean?  

[lmacri]

On 2017-06-04 at 5:08 PM, lmacri said:

...Does that mean I have to "never register" Malwarebytes in Windows Security Center to "preserve the benefit of layered security" of Norton?  I'm not even sure what the phrases "compatibility mode" and "preserve the benefit of layered security" really mean in practical terms.

Further to my previous posts, I can't see any obvious change in system performance or resource usage by Malwarebytes v3.1.2 and Norton v22.9.4 when MB v3 is registered with the Windows Security Center [Settings | Application | Windows Security Center | Let Malwarebytes apply the best Windows Security Center settings based on your system (recommended)]:

versus if I set MB v3 to never register [Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center] and re-boot:

My understanding is that users should never run two antivirus programs at the same time in real-time protection mode.  Given Malwarebytes' claim <here> that the new MB v3 can replace "traditional" antivirus programs like Symantec, McAfee, etc., why is MB v3 registered by default when a third-party (non-Microsoft) antivirus like Norton Security is installed but never registered when a Microsoft antivirus like MSE or Windows Defender is installed?
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

[Porthos]

2 hours ago, lmacri said:

My understanding is that users should never run two antivirus programs at the same time in real-time protection mode.  Given Malwarebytes' claim <here> that the new MB v3 can replace "traditional" antivirus programs like Symantec, McAfee, etc.

 

Malwarebytes is not a traditional AV.  It does not work the same way. Even though it can be a replacement for some users it is still designed to be able to work alongside many well known AV programs. 

[lmacri]

1 hour ago, Porthos said:

Malwarebytes is not a traditional AV.  It does not work the same way. Even though it can be a replacement for some users it is still designed to be able to work alongside many well known AV programs. 

Hi Porthos:

Thanks, I've read David H. Lipman's excellent post in the bleepingcomputer forum thread Is malwarebytes enough? (I believe he's posted similar comments here in the Malwarebytes forum) so I know that MB v3 is not a "traditional" antivirus.  Malwarebytes does, however, describe MB v3 <here> as an "antivirus replacement", and the screenshot in my original post shows that MB v3 is registered with my Windows Security Center as an "antivirus program."

I would still appreciate if someone from Malwarebytes could answer my question about the advantages and disadvantages of registering Malwarebytes with the Windows Security Center when a third-party (non-Microsoft) antivirus like Norton, Kaspersky, etc. is installed.

I've run Norton and MBAM Premium 1.x or 2.x together in real-time protection mode without any significant problems since 2009, but the upgrade to MB v3 has caused a very noticeable degradation in system performance. I don't want to go into details about the steps I've already taken to try and solve the problem (e.g., creation of mutual scan exclusions in both products, disabling of the Exploit Prevention module in Norton, etc.) since that's a separate topic, but it would be helpful if someone could explain why I would want to register MB v3 with the Windows Security Center when Norton (or any other antivirus) is installed.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

[Utomo]

I use Norton 360 and also Malwarebytes Premium at same times. and have No problems. 

But Malwarebytes still can not replace Antivirus or Internet security as still missing some virus which detected by Norton 360 or other antivirus. 

Malwarebytes are good in handling malware 

I try to scan until finish and it did not find the virus. 

[lmacri]

On 2017-06-04 at 5:08 PM, lmacri said:

...Does that mean I have to "never register" Malwarebytes in Windows Security Center to "preserve the benefit of layered security" of Norton?  I'm not even sure what the phrases "compatibility mode" and "preserve the benefit of layered security" really mean in practical terms.

Hi Utomo:

Thanks for the feedback, but I wanted to know the advantages and disadvantages of registering Malwarebytes with the Windows Security Center when a third-party (non-Microsoft) antivirus like Norton, Kaspersky, etc. is installed.

From the Microsoft support article Windows Security Center:

Quote

"In order for third party security solutions (antivirus, antimalware, or antispyware) to be compliant with Windows and successfully report status to Action Center, they are required to register themselves with Security Center and report any subsequent status changes using private APIs for communicating with WSC. WSC, in turn, communicates these updates to Action Center, where they are finally displayed to the end user."

If MB v3 is registered, does that mean that the Action Center will automatically notify me, for example, if MB v3 does not load correctly at boot-up?

Why does the default setting for Application | Windows Security Center differ depending on whether your primary antivirus is a Microsoft antivirus like MSE or Windows Defender (never registered) versus a third-party antivirus like Norton, Kaspersky, etc. (which are registered by default)?
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

[dcollins]

The benefit to the end user with having Malwarebytes register with Action Center is that you will get notified by Windows about certain events, such as your protection not starting properly, databases being out date, etc. 

As for why we register to Action Center with some programs but not others, we have answered this in our FAQ post: 

 

[lmacri]

5 hours ago, dcollins said:

The benefit to the end user with having Malwarebytes register with Action Center is that you will get notified by Windows about certain events, such as your protection not starting properly, databases being out date, etc.

As for why we register to Action Center with some programs but not others, we have answered this in our FAQ post...

Hi dcollins:

As I noted in <post # 4>, the reason I started this thread is because I don't understand the logic in the Malwarebytes 3 - Frequently Asked Questions as to why MB v3 would be configured differently depending on whether the user's antivirus is a Microsoft product like MSE or Windows Defender versus a third-party product like Norton or Kaspersky.

I'm not going to keep banging on about this so I'll just go with my best guess and assume that if I want my third-party (non-Microsoft) Norton Security antivirus to be my "primary line of defense" and "preserve the benefit of layered security" by using Malwarebytes in "compatibility mode" that I must override the default setting and change Settings | Application | Windows Security Center to Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center.  I also assume that if there's a problem with my Malwarebytes protection that I'll still be notified (though not via the Windows Action Center) because the MB v3 icon in the system tray will either disappear or display a red "x" warning me that something is wrong.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MBAM Premium v3.1.2

[lmacri]

16 hours ago, dcollins said:

The benefit to the end user with having Malwarebytes register with Action Center is that you will get notified by Windows about certain events, such as your protection not starting properly, databases being out date, etc. 

As for why we register to Action Center with some programs but not others, we have answered this in our FAQ post:

Hi dcollins:

I lied, I'm going to bang on about this.

I found a support article Malwarebytes 3.0 and Windows Action Center (WAC) today that's much easier to follow than the FAQ pinned in this board.  That support article states in part:

Quote

There are 3 options for which the user can choose from:

• Let Malwarebytes apply the best Windows Action Center settings based on your system (recommended)
  • By default (and during install time), Malwarebytes is configured in compatibility mode. This setting configures Malwarebytes to co-exist with a present antivirus solution, and registers if no antivirus solution is present.  
• Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Action Center 
  • This setting configures Malwarebytes to always run side by side with your third-party antivirus every time and not register with Windows Action Center at all....

 

Since the default setting Let Malwarebytes apply the best Windows Action Center settings based on your system (recommended) automatically registered MB v3 in my Windows Action Center (see the image in my original post) that implies that MB v3 does not recognize my third-party Norton Security as an antivirus.

It also implies that the optimal setting is Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Action Center if you have a third-party (non-Microsoft) antivirus.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MB Premium v3.1.2.1733-1.0.141

[dcollins]

@lmacri sorry, not sure why I blanked on answer your question fully. The reason that we don't register with Windows Action Center when only Windows Defender is installed, is because that will cause Windows Defender to turn itself off. A lot of our users like having Defender and Malwarebytes running side by side. However if a third party AV is already installed and registered, we want to register with Action Center to make sure windows, and other AV products, know we're there in case any other configuration needs to take place

[lmacri]

1 hour ago, dcollins said:

...The reason that we don't register with Windows Action Center when only Windows Defender is installed, is because that will cause Windows Defender to turn itself off. A lot of our users like having Defender and Malwarebytes running side by side. However if a third party AV is already installed and registered, we want to register with Action Center to make sure windows, and other AV products, know we're there in case any other configuration needs to take place

Hi dcollins:

Then I'm I thoroughly confused by the wording of the support article Malwarebytes 3.0 and Windows Action Center (WAC), since it says that the default setting Let Malwarebytes apply the best Windows Action Center settings based on your system (recommended) registers Malwarebytes "if no antivirus solution is present".

It's really a shame that MBAM v1.75 and v2.2.1 were both declared end-of-life today (08-Jun-2017) per the Home Products Lifecycle page https://www.malwarebytes.com/support/lifecycle/ or I would happily downgrade back to v2.2.1 on my 32-bit OS.  I find this whole re-branding of MB Premium v3 as an "antivirus replacement" (more than anti-malware but not a "traditional" antivirus) a bit baffling.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.1.2 * NS Premium v22.9.4.8 * MB Premium v3.1.2.1733-1.0.141