We get a lot of questions here on Tech Thoughts, and the following question (in one form or another), is a regular – “If I have one antimalware can I install and use another one as well?”
If the question is, can you install and run two antimalware applications concurrently (both of which perform the same task), the answer is – not without the potential for conflict.
As a rule of thumb, it’s not a good practice to run two antimalware applications (both of which perform the same task), concurrently. At the very least, system resources take an inappropriate, and wasteful hit. Beyond that, serious issues, including system crashes are possible.
It’s always a good idea of course to scan your machine with a second antimalware application, say once a week or so, since depending on a single security applications to provide broad scale protection, is an absolute “non-starter”. A single security applications does not, and never has had the ability to do this, despite the commonly help belief to the contrary.
Part of the layered security process (stacking security solutions, one on top of the other, to cover the gaps that exist in the protection capabilities of even the most sophisticated security applications), consists of supplementing the primary AV application with an on-demand malware application. So yes, go ahead and install another AV solution; but use it as a secondary on demand scanner.
Just to be clear – don’t run both programs both programs concurrently. That is, don’t allow both programs to start on Windows startup. Instead, launch the “on demand” scanner from the program menu, or the desktop, when needed.
Two free highly recommended antimalware applications that excel as “on demand” antimalware applications, follow. It’s important to note, that the real time protection module is disabled in the free versions of these applications. But, this is actually perfect for your purpose.
I’ve been using SUPERAntiSpyware as a secondary scanner for years, and I have no hesitation in stating that this application deserves its reputation as a first class security application.
SUPERAntiSpyware is fast, efficient, and effective, and I highly recommend that you add it to your security toolbox, as a secondary line of defense.
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has an excellent reputation (shared by me), as a first class security application, for its ability to identify and remove adware, Trojans, key-loggers, home page hijackers, and other malware threats.
A simple, intuitive, and easy to use interface, makes Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware straightforward to setup, customize and run, for both less experienced and expert users alike.
Note: Virtually all free security applications are programmed to autostart after installation, so be aware of this, and make the necessary adjustments using MSConfig. New users may find it easier to use Advanced System Care to control autostart behavior with the Startup Manager, which can be found under Admin Tools.
Note: Each day, as I manually update the definition database for these applications, I’ve noticed that typically, the definition databases have been updated 3/5 times in the previous 24 hours.
Since study after study indicate that new malware is created at the rate of 20,000, or more, new versions every day, be sure to manually update the definition databases before running a scan with either of these applications.
We’re not quite finished yet.
If the question you’re really asking is – can you run an online antimalware scanner while your principal onboard AV application is running? The answer is – yes.
Here are some Online scanners that have developed a good reputation for accuracy; be sure to read the Terms of Use or Privacy Statements carefully, and be aware, that not all Online scanners will disinfect.
Now that I’ve given you the “rule of thumb” – let me break it!
There is one class of antimalware application that can run currently with your principal AV, and that is – a cloud based security application. Specifically, those that are designed to be “companion” security applications.
A terrific free application in this class of security applications, and the one I use personally is – Immunet Protect.
Immunet provides cloud-based protection that is always up-to-date against viruses, spyware, bots, worms, Trojans, and keyloggers without slowing down your PC. No need to download any virus signature files.
Immunet Protect is compatible with existing antivirus products and adds an extra, lightweight layer of protection, for free
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