Reviews say Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in the Windows Vista operating system and available as a free download to validated Windows XP owners, is decent at detecting adware and better than nothing at catching spyware. But reviews say it's not effective at actually removing spyware. Experts say free anti-spyware downloads like Windows Defender are best used as supplements to better, paid protection. You can run manual and scheduled scans, and real-time protection is the default setting. Experts say that you probably should couple Windows Defender with some paid protection, or at least plug some holes with Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Anniversary Edition, which gives no real-time protection but is decent as a removal tool, reviews say.
the best professional review were found at CNet.com, which does extensive testing and puts it into context. PC World also does extensive testing and compares two free products with four paid programs, ranking Windows Defender fourth. Download.com has more than 100 user reviews, the most balanced saying it isn't reasonable to expect perfect protection from a free product. Ratings from PC Magazine and Consumer Reports are a bit dated, and WebUser's review is skimpy.
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