Microsoft Security Essentials

[shotclock]

Is there a thread around here somewhere regarding MSE? If not, I'm wondering how the real-time scanner of the MBAM paid version (which I have) compares to the MSE one. Microsoft, of course, recommends that you disable the MBAM real-time scanner if you have it. Does it indeed cause conflicts? Which one should I be running? Thanks.

[exile360]

Greetings

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is not an antivirus program and therefore is not a replacement for any antivirus like MSE. The two do indeed work in realtime together (I'm currently running the two of them together on XP Pro, Vista 32 bit, Vista 64 bit, 7 32 bit and 7 64 bit without any issues).

There are however steps that need to be taken in order to make them run together smoothly without conflicts. That procedure is detailed below:

Set Exclusions for Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware in Microsoft Security Essentials on 32 bit Windows Versions:

1. Open Microsoft Security Essentials and click on Settings at the top
   
2. Click on Excluded processes on the left
   
3. Click on the Browse... button
   
4. Click on the + next to your primary hard drive (usually C:)
   
5. Click on the + next to Program Files
   
6. Click on the + next to Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
   
7. Click once on mbam.exe and click on OK
   
8. Repeat steps 3-7 for the following files:
   
   
   
   • C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\mbamgui.exe
     
   • C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\mbamservice.exe
     

[*]Click on the Add button

[*]Click on Save at the bottom and click Continue if prompted

[*]Close Microsoft Security Essentials

Set Exclusions for Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware in Microsoft Security Essentials on 64 bit Windows Versions:

1. Open Microsoft Security Essentials and click on Settings at the top
   
2. Click on Excluded processes on the left
   
3. Click on the Browse... button
   
4. Click on the + next to your primary hard drive (usually C:)
   
5. Click on the + next to Program Files (x86)
   
6. Click on the + next to Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
   
7. Click once on mbam.exe and click on OK
   
8. Repeat steps 3-7 for the following files:
   
   
   
   • C:\Program Files (x86)\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\mbamgui.exe
     
   • C:\Program Files (x86)\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\mbamservice.exe
     

[*]Click on the Add button

[*]Click on Save at the bottom and click Continue if prompted

[*]Close Microsoft Security Essentials

Set Exclusions for Microsoft Security Essentials 2.x in Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:

• Open Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and click on the Ignore List tab
  
• Click the Add button on the lower left
  
• In the small browse window that opens, navigate to C:\Program Files and click once on Microsoft Security Client and click OK
  
• Close Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
  

Please let us know if you have any further questions or issues.

Thanks

[shotclock]

Thanks! Just one final question regarding the final step you mentioned: "Set Exclusions for Microsoft Security Essentials 2.x in Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware." You said "In the small browse window that opens, navigate to C:\Program Files and click once on Microsoft Security Client and click OK." I did that. However, I see that Microsoft Security Client also appears in the separate directory "C:\Program Files (x86)." Do I need to add that folder to the MBAM Ignore List also or just the one in "C:\Program Files"?

[exile360]

You're most welcome

No, you don't need to exclude the folder under Program Files (x86) for MSE, it only contains DLL's, no exe's so all of MSE's processes will be excluded already by excluding the folder in Program Files.