BleepingComputer.com: Uninstall Win Defender

Hi all i hope you can help with a prob i have, i have a desktop pc that came with win def preinstalled along with Norton internet security. I had an attack by a trojan that hijacked my web browser ( psguard ) among other little nasty's, when running a scan with WD it found nothing, when i ran a scan with other malware programs they found all sorts,,, spybot found 4 probs,,,, spyware doctor found 4,, 2 trojans,,, and i had to use Super Anti Spyware to get rid of the psguard trojan.
All this leads me to think win def is junk so i went to add & remove to del it but it's not there, i can find the file's in c: program files but is it ok to del it from there, here are my specs and thanks for any help.


os win vista home premiumMainboard : Packard Bell BV Cuba MS-7301
Chipset : VIA P4M890
Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 @ 1866 MHz
Physical Memory : 2048 MB (2 x 1024 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : Nvidia Corp NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
Hard Disk : ST3320820AS (320 GB)
DVD-Rom Drive : ATAPI DVD W DH16W1P ATA Device
Monitor Type : AOC International N19W - 19 inches
Network Card : VT82C570 MV IDE Controller VT6102 Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
Operating System : Windows Vista ™ Home Premium Home Edition 6.00.6000
DirectX : Version 10.00
Windows Performance Index : 4.1

SuperAntiSpyware is not enough to completely get rid of all the malware related to psguard. I suspect you still may have bad files that have not been detected. If your using Win XP or 2000, please follow the generic instructions for using SmitfraudFix in BC's self-help tutorial "How to remove the Smitfraud/Generic Zlob". (scroll down to where it says Removal Instructions)
If you already have a copy of smitfraudfix, make sure you re-download and use the most current version as the tool is frequently updated.

WD is not junk just because it did not find this malware infection. No single product is 100% foolproof and can detect and remove all threats at any given time. The security community is in a constant state of change as new malware infections appear. Each vendor has its own definition of what constitutes spyware and scanning your computer using different criteria will yield different results. The fact that each program has its own definition files means that some malware may be picked up by one that could be missed by another. Thus, a layered defense using several products (including an effective firewall) to supplement your anti-virus and scanning in "safe mode" provides the most complete protection.

Hi Quietman7, in removing this trojan i had a lot of help off RichieUK on the hyjack this team, he gave great instructions and i followed, then he checked all the results, thanks for your advice but i have vista and the prob is solved. There were several security probs that i had and defender did not find any of them, do you think it would be ok just to delete the files out of program files or will this cause a prob ? Thanks for your help quietman,,,,Ian

http://www.infojama.pl/164,artykul.aspx
Tareq Saade (Expert):
Q: How do you uninstall Windows Defender or is not suppose to be uninstalled?
A: In Windows Vista, you will be able to disable Windows Defender.

Though the above is a little dated, I suspect that is still the case.

EDIT:
Reading some more info on the web, WD is "built into" Vista. You can stop updating, scanning and running in the background thru the program.
Here is a link to site that goes thru all the options in WD if you need it.
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-...11-6151136.html

"Windows Defender on Vista Explained"
"How to Turn Windows Defender on or off in Vista"

Thanks for the reply's buddy215 & quietman7, i followed the instructions and turned it off, once again thankyou both for the help.
Regards ,,, Ian

Your welcome.