Windows 7 / Anti virus

[Daisyroot]

I am using a Windows 7 at home and recently found that we are unable to carry on using the same anti virus.
 
I have since tried several others but they are freezing the computer up. I presume that this is due to the age/system incompatibility.

At the moment i haven't got anything on there, it has Windows Defender which i have switched on and updated and turned the Firewall back on. But am i correct in thinking that Defender on Windows 7 is not an actual anti-virus?

I have seen Microsoft  Security Essentials mentioned elsewhere but i just wondered what anyone else thought.

Whilst it is an older machine, it isn't something that is up for being changed at the moment.

[greenrig]

There are several freeware anti-virus tools.  If the PC is freezing then that's probably an issue with the hardware, or Windows.  Give it a good clean out and blow through (fluff and dust buildup can cause overheating, which can cause lockups).  Remove any software that you do not use. Delete any unwanted files, delete all temporary and cache files.  If needed, re-install Windows from the original disks.

[Daisyroot]

I wondered if the problem was caused by the new anti viruses that i had tried to install as the computer settled down once i had uninstalled them again. But i shall give those suggestions a try thank you.

[andrewalston]

The glitches are almost certainly due to the AV products losing their compatibility with Win7.

Keeping things stable costs money, and if there is little income from users of the older systems, there is no incentive to maintain the products for them.

Many of the products have a download for a "complete uninstaller" which tidies things up properly; the plain "uninstall" can leave all sorts of things behind.

Microsoft explained what Defender and Security Essentials used to do - https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2013/11/14/windows-defender-and-microsoft-security-essentials-which-one-do-i-need/ - but the links on that page no longer work. You can still download at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=5201

[Daisyroot]

Thank you.

[Simon62]

If two Anti viruses are running together you'll get freezing/lockups. Check all AV software is uninstalled before trying another. I have Avast FREE version at the moment. All is well.

Hope this helps

Simon

[Daisyroot]

I had a look and i found some files that hadn't uninstalled. I think i have got rid of everything now. It never occurred to me that might happen.

It is still running slightly slower but nothing like it was doing before. At least it is usable now.
 Thank you.