I had the opportunity to chat with a local "computer guy" businessman and he indicated that if you are using IE7, WinDef is not necessary.

I'm sure IE7 plugged some holes that IE6 had but it must have some functionality.....or did it lose THAT much of its use with the IE7 "plugs"?

If it did lose much of its punch, what would be a good replacement?

Assuming that by "WinDef" you mean Windows Defender,

I would disagree.

Windows Defender primarily protects a system from spyware/malware.

IE 7 doesn't specifically do that, although IE7 on a Vista system can run in "protected" mode which adds a layer of security to one's system while using IE7. If your "computer guy businessman" didn't make this distinction at the least, then I would say his advice is questionable.

I believe you'll find that most of the folks here would recommend some software anti-spyware program and since none so far are 100% efficient, they'll most likely recommend multiple programs.

Windows Defender is free, so while it may not be the best solution, it is certainly better than none and clearly acceptable as one of these programs, in my opinion.

In my limited knowledge, I even suspected as you stated.

Windows Defender is indeed an "program", and as such, would protect many areas. While IE7 might have plugged a gap or three, it can in no way be substituted for an entire protection program.

Perhaps he was delirious or just plain misspoke...but I had to bounce it off a trusted source..

TY