Windows XP users at least have the luxury of choosing whether they want to download and install Defender in the first place as it’s a separate package, and then have the option to uninstall again through Add or Remove Programs. Many people are looking for ways to disable, uninstall or remove it from their system as they prefer to use other software. The problem with all Defender versions in Windows Vista and above is it’s integrated into the operating system and installs by default with no visible or hidden option to uninstall. In Windows 8, Microsoft went a step further basically renaming Microsoft Security Essentials to Defender, and it’s now an antivirus package as opposed to just small resident anti spyware tool. Defender has been around since 2006 and although not a fully featured security application, it does at least offer some protection for Windows Vista and 7 out-of-the-box. It’s a small piece of software that runs in the background to help protect your computer from various pieces of spyware and malicious software. Since Windows Vista, your operating system comes with an anti spyware program called Windows Defender.

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