More > JRiver Media Center 23 for Windows
So you think Windows Defender is turned off? Wrong!
RoderickGI:
G'Day folk,
I had to reset the Windows Defender Firewall today to fix a problem created with the "Internet Connection Sharing" service by one of Microsoft's recent updates. I don't even use ICS, but I do have Hyper-V Manager installed, and it needs the ICS service to connect to the internet from a VM.
Note that I am running Windows 10 Pro with the latest updates available in Australia (version 10.0.1.16299 Build 16299 / version 1709 installed Dec 15, 2017, with patches up to January 10th). I also run Norton 360 Antivirus and Firewall, which includes Antimalware. So I do not rely on any of the Windows Defender functionality. All security is managed by Norton, including all security settings. This made it a bit of a challenge to reset the Windows Defender Firewall without completely uninstalling Norton 360, but I managed. ;D
To do so I turned off Norton 360 and tried the reset functions is various parts of Windows. Most were not active, but I found a "Restore Default Policy" link in the "Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security" App that I have installed. This is actually a Management Console and allows Group Policy changes. It just gives more control of Defender.
Anyway, with the firewall reset I turned Norton 360 back on and rebooted my PC. Windows Defender Firewall should not be blocking applications under those conditions. Well, soon after rebooting the PC I had two notifications from Windows Defender Firewall that it had blocked applications, one of which was JRiver Media Center 23! See the first image.
Naturally, I allowed MC access. But it got me thinking, what other components of Windows Defender are still running? Take a look at the second image. Yes, that's right, even though I am using Norton 360 there is a switch to turn on periodic Defender Antivirus scanner scans in parallel to Norton 360. What?! I think that switch is off by default. Is it turned on in your Windows 10 installation?
Now, remember that Microsoft started forcing an Antimalware solution on us some time back? Well, that is now integrated into Windows Defender, and shown under its Security Center. It is being kept up to date on my PC, and I have no way of stopping it. See the third image.
But wait! There's more!
So we know from the first image that Windows Defender Firewall is still operating even though I have a third party firewall installed, up to date, and operating. (Did you know that if your Antivirus or Firewall definitions aren't up to date, Defender will turn itself back on? Nah. I'm sure you didn't. Haven't renewed your third party Antivirus subscription? Say Hello to Defender!) Also, did you know that Defender Firewall works in three Profiles by default; Domain, Private, and Public Profiles. It seems when Norton 360 is installed and in control of Firewall settings, Defender thinks that it is only covering the Domain Profile, so it keep working in the Private and Public Profiles. The Private Profile was responsible for the two alerts I mentioned earlier. See the fourth image.
In fact the "Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security" App shows that Defender Firewall is still active in all Profiles, even though it also shows the Norton 360 is managing the settings for those. See image five.
So as you can see, Windows Defender is never off, and you can't uninstall it. So if strange things happen in MC, look first to Windows Defender Security Center.
DJLegba:
Resistance is futile! Why bother using Norton?
RoderickGI:
At some stage I may drop Norton, but once Symantec got rid of all the bloat in it, it has actually been a very efficient and reliable security solution, and rarely gets in my way. So I am sticking to it at the moment.
Windows Defender is almost good enough now, but I am yet to test it on its own, let alone rely on it. Maybe the day will come.
Frankly, I don't think Microsoft is trustworthy enough to keep it leading edge, which Symantec does. Just look at the bug with ICS. It has been around for quite a while and has a major impact: 15 to 25% CPU utilisation all the time, and ICS no longer works for those who need it. Microsoft's best repsonse is: "Use our wonderful Feedback App to tell us all about it. We do read that. Yes, we do!" Yeah, I believe you...Not.
AndrewFG:
In my experience Windows Defender is started by default when Windows starts, and with fairly strict settings. However about 3 minutes after boot, it checks if another AV / firewall is running (such as Norton) and if so, then Defender backs off and it let’s the other AV take over the lifting, and lets the other AV determine which applications to block and which files to scan etc.
flac.rules:
Windows 10 is a quite annoying OS in it's total unwillingness to actually do what the user tells is to. Turing off defender in the group policy editor seems to work though.
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