Windows Defender Update

For the first time ever, Windows Update is telling me that I should
download an important update for Windows Defender. Since I have Windows
Defender turned off, is there some subtle reason for downloading and
applying this update?

If there isn't, how do I get rid of the stubborn "New updates are
available" icon in the System Tray?

AlexB

Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista SP1) when
posting to this newsgroup.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

Alex Balfour wrote:
> For the first time ever, Windows Update is telling me that I should
> download an important update for Windows Defender. Since I have Windows
> Defender turned off, is there some subtle reason for downloading and
> applying this update?
>
> If there isn't, how do I get rid of the stubborn "New updates are
> available" icon in the System Tray?

PA Bear [MS MVP] wrote:
> Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista SP1) when
> posting to this newsgroup.

Vista SP1.

AlexB

"Alex Balfour"
<paste>
>> For the first time ever, Windows Update is telling me that I should
>> download an important update for Windows Defender. Since I have Windows
>> Defender turned off, is there some subtle reason for downloading and
>> applying this update?
>>
>> If there isn't, how do I get rid of the stubborn "New updates are
>> available" icon in the System Tray?
</paste>
>> Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista SP1) when
>> posting to this newsgroup.
>
> Vista SP1.

How did you "turn off" Defender and why?

Is there a KB number associated with this "important update"?

[To keep track of things, it helps immensely if you include all of previous
message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup. Thank you.]

PA Bear [MS MVP] wrote:
> "Alex Balfour"
> <paste>
>>> For the first time ever, Windows Update is telling me that I should
>>> download an important update for Windows Defender. Since I have Windows
>>> Defender turned off, is there some subtle reason for downloading and
>>> applying this update?
>>>
>>> If there isn't, how do I get rid of the stubborn "New updates are
>>> available" icon in the System Tray?
> </paste>
>>> Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista SP1) when
>>> posting to this newsgroup.
>> Vista SP1.
>
> How did you "turn off" Defender and why?
>
> Is there a KB number associated with this "important update"?
>
> [To keep track of things, it helps immensely if you include all of previous
> message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup. Thank you.]
>

I turned it off nearly two years ago, via the Windows Defender Control
Panel applet as far as I can recall. I wanted to use ESET's NOD32 instead.

This morning the "New updates are available" icon in the System Tray had
gone. Possibly Windows Update had automatically applied the update to
Windows Defender over night but there's no sign of it in the list of
installed updates. It was KB915597 which consists of Windows Defender
definition updates.

Everything is back to normal now but I'm intrigued to know why this
suddenly occurred for the first time after nearly two years.

AlexB

Alex Balfour wrote:
>> <paste>
>>>> For the first time ever, Windows Update is telling me that I should
>>>> download an important update for Windows Defender. Since I have Windows
>>>> Defender turned off, is there some subtle reason for downloading and
>>>> applying this update?
>>>>
>>>> If there isn't, how do I get rid of the stubborn "New updates are
>>>> available" icon in the System Tray?
>> </paste>
>>>> Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista SP1)
>>>> when
>>>> posting to this newsgroup.
>>>
>>> Vista SP1.
>>
>> How did you "turn off" Defender and why?
>>
>> Is there a KB number associated with this "important update"?
>
> I turned it off nearly two years ago, via the Windows Defender Control
> Panel applet as far as I can recall. I wanted to use ESET's NOD32 instead.
>
> This morning the "New updates are available" icon in the System Tray had
> gone. Possibly Windows Update had automatically applied the update to
> Windows Defender over night but there's no sign of it in the list of
> installed updates. It was KB915597 which consists of Windows Defender
> definition updates.
>
> Everything is back to normal now but I'm intrigued to know why this
> suddenly occurred for the first time after nearly two years.

Had Defender been re-enabled somehow?

While NOD32 includes some substantial anti-spyware technologies, it's
primarily an anti-virus application and would be perfectly happy with
Defender being enabled & providing additional real-time protection. (You
can simply disable all Defender scans, if you want.)
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/