Unexpected Upgrade to Malwarebytes v5.1.3 - Initial Impressions

[lmacri]

I updated to Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.12.323-1.0.2309 on 04-Apr-2024 and ran a manual check for updates yesterday (Settings | General | Application Updates | Check for Updates) expecting that I would be updated to v4.6.13.324-1.0.2319 (rel. 19-Apr-2024, release notes <here>).  The installation appeared to get stuck for several minutes but I was eventually warned that Malwarebytes would be restarted to apply the update, and I was dismayed to discover that I had actually been upgraded to v5.1.3.110-1.0.1219.  Given the number of bugs that early adopters are still reporting I'm not sure why Malwarebytes is silently pushing this upgrade out (i.e., without giving v4.x users the opportunity to decline the upgrade for now) via the built-in updater.

I have to agree with the majority of users posting in Edzila's 21-Feb-2024 topic Malwarebytes 5 who dislike the new dashboard.  Like many home consumers, I have not purchased Malwarebytes' Privacy VPN (and have no intention of doing so) and my Premium license is for a single device, so the entire bottom half of my v5.x dashboard is wasted space and nothing more than an annoying advertisement for up-selling unwanted services.  I'd like to see Malwarebytes move those VPN and Other Devices panels off the main dashboard and display them as separate menu buttons on the left of the dashboard (i.e., below the Dashboard and Settings buttons) to reduce some of the clutter.

I also must have spent 15 minutes tabbing through all the settings before I finally found the "About Malwarebytes" link to see my version information.  I don't understand the logic of removing the version number of the main product (e.g., 5.1.3) from the title bar of the main dashboard where it was clearly displayed in Malwarbytes v4.x.  

 

Online support for Malwarebytes v5.x at https://support.malwarebytes.com/hc/en-us still appears to be a work in progress (assuming that the section titled "Desktop Security" is where I should be looking for Malwarebytes 5.x support articles), and if I try to link to a user guide or support articles from within the Malwarebytes v5.1.3 Help menu I'm directed to outdated Malwarebytes v4.x documentation.

 

I was pleased that my weekly scheduled scan for 6 PM on Fridays ran on time yesterday and I continue have confidence in Malwarebytes' real-time protection, but I have to say that I'm deeply disappointed with what I've seen so far in the re-designed v5.x interface.

mbst-grab-results.zip
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4291 * Firefox v125.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24030.9-1.1.24030.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.3.110-1.0.1219 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783

Edited April 20 by lmacri

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[Wisewiz]

@lmacri Thank you for making a concrete suggestion about what could be done to improve the dashboard. Several of us have complained about the two lower sections, but yours is the first post I've seen that makes a serious proposal about improving it.

[lmacri]

On 4/20/2024 at 8:08 AM, lmacri said:

Online support for Malwarebytes v5.x at https://support.malwarebytes.com/hc/en-us still appears to be a work in progress (assuming that the section titled "Desktop Security" is where I should be looking for Malwarebytes 5.x support articles), and if I try to link to a user guide or support articles from within the Malwarebytes v5.1.3 Help menu I'm directed to outdated Malwarebytes v4.x documentation.

This bug is now fixed, as noted in @H4V0C 's change log <here> for Malwarebytes v5.1.5.116-1.0.1252 (rel. 03-Jun-2024).

Kudos to the developers for fixing the in-app links to the User Guide and support site so that they display information relevant to Malwarebytes (Desktop) v5.x.

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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4412 * Firefox v126.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24040.4-1.1.24050.5 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.5.116-1.0.1252 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783

Edited June 4 by lmacri

[Arsenal123]

I really hope the bring back the English(UK) languages option seeing date format as MM/DD is so confusing for me why even remove it in the first place makes no sense 

[Stormin]

On 6/5/2024 at 7:02 PM, Arsenal123 said:

I really hope the bring back the English(UK) languages option seeing date format as MM/DD is so confusing for me why even remove it in the first place makes no sense 

I agree!! Why not just let Malwarebytes follow the language and date preferences set in Windows locale. If that can't be done, then bring back the English (UK) option. It seems very odd that functionality is reduced in a new version rather than being improved.

[Porthos]

14 minutes ago, Stormin said:

If that can't be done, then bring back the English (UK) option.

It is in the works. No ETA yet.