No Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 8. So, how to access similar Defender features/settings?
- by Chris W. Rea
I just installed Windows 8 Pro. One of the first things I went to do is install Microsoft Security Essentials, thinking I still needed add-on security software, but I've learned here that it isn't required for Windows 8. Witness:
Got Windows 8 or Windows RT?
Windows Defender for Windows 8 and Windows RT provides the same level of protection against malware as Microsoft Security Essentials.
You can't use Microsoft Security Essentials with Windows 8, but you
don't need to — Windows Defender is already included and ready to go.
[...]
All well and good.
However, on Windows 7, once you installed Microsoft Security Essentials, you got a tray icon, and from there you could access the features of MSE, such as perform custom scans, turn off real-time protection (temporarily, of course), check for updates, etc. However, Defender on Windows 8 doesn't display a tray icon – and yes, I've already made sure I'm displaying all icons in the notification area.
So, how to access the similar specific features of Windows Defender on Windows 8?