This is probably a stupid question but I don't know the answer so here goes

[lEW157]

Do I really need some other antivirus program? 🙂

[dprout69]

Why wouldnt you?  Protection is about layers.  The more layers that you can add that work together without problems then the safer your computer is.  MB works without any issues with other programs so you are better off with more.  However, if you want, you can certainly just use MB... you of course then lower your layered protection. Simple question to ask yourself... you have two bodyguards, one is watching your front and one is watching your back... do you feel safe not having one or the other?  Thats your call.

[Firefox]

Short answer is yes... If you have Windows 10 or 11, it comes with Windows Defender which is a good combination with Malwarebytes.

Here is the reason for having an AV (layered protection)

Malwarebytes will not conflict with Defender.

The reason many of us members are pushing Keeping Defender on is the following.

Malwarebytes does not target script files during a scan... That means MB will not target; JS, HTML, VBS, .CLASS, SWF, BAT, CMD, PDF, PHP, etc.

It also does not target documents such as; PDF, DOC, DOCx, XLS, XLSx, PPT, PPS, ODF, etc.

It also does not target media files;  MP3, WMV, JPG, GIF, etc.

Malwarebytes will block files like these if malicious on execution-only.

And,

Malwarebytes is not designed to function like normal AV scanners and uses a new kind of scan engine that relies mostly on heuristics detection techniques rather than traditional threat signatures.  Malwarebytes is also designed to look in all the locations where malware is known to install itself/hide, so a full or custom scan shouldn't be necessary, especially on any sort of frequent basis (like daily), especially since the default Threat Scan/Quick Scan checks all loading points/startup locations, the registry, all running processes and threads in memory, along with all system folders, program folders, and data folders as well as any installed browsers, caches, and temp locations.  This also means that if a threat were active from a non-standard location because Malwarebytes checks all threads and processes in memory, it should still be detected.  The only threat it *might* miss would be a dormant/inactive threat that is not actively running/installed on a secondary drive, however, if the threat were executed then Malwarebytes should detect it.  Additionally, whenever a new location is discovered to be used by malware the Malwarebytes Research team adds that location dynamically to the outgoing database updates so the locations that are checked by the default Threat/Quick Scan in Malwarebytes can be changed on the fly by Research without requiring any engine or program version updates/upgrades.

An AV will catch the file just by downloading it or just opening a folder with a detected file in it.

For example, you get an email with an infected attachment, Malwarebytes will not even blink until you run it yet Defender will detect it if it is in their database without even actually clicking on it. Remember the list of files Malwarebytes does not target.

Then I will leave you with this.

As good as Malwarebytes is, it is just a layer of protection.

Using a browser that has Ublock Origin and the Malwarebytes Browser guard enabled is also a layer of protection.

Not opening attachments from an email unless you were expecting it from a specific user during a specific time period.

Do not use Torrents. Do not install every free software you find. Do not click links in an unknown email. Go directly to the site listed in the email.

Having a monthly image of your computer on an external drive that is only connected during the backup is actually better than any protective software ever made. Macrium Reflect free is the program I use and place on every computer I service.

[Porthos]

Many of us use Windows Defender alongside the paid version of Malwarebytes.

To have Defender running as well you need to turn off the following. I am assuming you have the paid version of Malwarebytes.

 

[brad03]

Runs perfectly with windows defender and is highly effective! 

[Nightwalker]

The problem while using Microsoft Defender with Malwarebytes is the heavy system impact, personally I just run MB alone.

[Porthos]

1 minute ago, Nightwalker said:

The problem while using Microsoft Defender with Malwarebytes is the heavy system impact, personally I just run MB alone.

You do what you wish. You must have a real under powered computer to even notice it.

You never answered your topic in Sept 2021 or we would know more about your computer to better advise you.

[AdvancedSetup]

5 minutes ago, Nightwalker said:

The problem while using Microsoft Defender with Malwarebytes is the heavy system impact, personally I just run MB alone.

Do  you have low system specs? Personally I don't even notice Windows Defender or Malwarebytes running

[Nightwalker]

6 minutes ago, AdvancedSetup said:

Do  you have low system specs? Personally I don't even notice Windows Defender or Malwarebytes running

 

My PC is a Ryzen 3600 + 16 Gb RAM + SSD + RTX 2060 Super, not high end anymore, but far from being low spec.

 

[Porthos]

5 minutes ago, Nightwalker said:

 

My PC is a Ryzen 3600 + 16 Gb RAM + SSD + RTX 2060 Super, not high end anymore, but far from being low spec.

 

I have many clients with 10yr old computers that have no issues. Most have have 2nd 3rd and 4th gen Intel's with 8 gigs of ram.

[AdvancedSetup]

13 minutes ago, Nightwalker said:

 

My PC is a Ryzen 3600 + 16 Gb RAM + SSD + RTX 2060 Super, not high end anymore, but far from being low spec.

 

Yep, should be more than enough. Without logs to see what's going on not sure why Windows Defender would bog down your system.