Windows 8, which comes with an integrated Windows Defender and Security Essentials anti-virus software, will now lie dormant when it detects that a third-party antivirus program such as McAfee or Norton is running. Microsoft is basically giving third-party vendors first dibs on protecting your PC.
When Windows 8 PCs debut at the end of this year, Windows Defender will not activate if it detects that the active antivirus program is receiving regular signature updates. “Looking at the way they’re doing things in Windows 8, Microsoft is going to great lengths to let AV vendors keep customers. It is our understanding that this was mostly because of pressures from the OEM community. A large portion of their profits on PCs come from revenue associated with AV,” McAfee stated in an interview. If there is no antivirus software on the computer, Windows 8 will automatically run Windows Defender. If a trial version of a third-party antivirus software expires, the Windows 8 user will be given a 15 day reminder. “At the end of 15 days the user has the option to renew what they have, install Windows Defender, select another option from the Microsoft Store or click on a ‘remind me later’ button, which starts a seven-day notice period,” McAfee adds. Security Essentials, for those that don’t know, is listed as an optional download on Windows Update, when a PC does not have a working antivirus software installed.
