Can you run two virus scans at the same time

Security expert Brandon Gregg believes that your best bet is a combination of Microsoft Security Essentials our pick and a free or open-sourced product. Here's why. While you should never run two antivirus programs at the same time, having two on your system can be beneficial. Most antivirus software e. McAffee, Norton try to track down viruses on the web and elsewhere to identify them, then send you an update with virus definitions so your system can detect potential threats.

This might seem good, but Brandon identifies two of many major issues with this approach to antivirus software:. Do you think on one targeted machine McAfee will find it and then send out a signature file for the rest of us? Probably not. You are in Vista Forums. Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No. Sorry this didn't help. Thanks for your feedback. Two running at the same time will cause a lot of issues and actually lower the overall protection. Frankly neither of those are known for good compatibility and usually cause problems.

Here is what I use and recommend : These are all free and work very well. Avast and Prevx have proven extremely reliable and compatible with everything I have thrown at them. Microsoft Security Essentials and Prevx have also proven to be very reliable and compatible. I would absolutely expect to find different results.

I tend to think of them as totally benign, but I know that there are spyware tools that will report them. It does feel like overkill. When something reports a problem, whether or not to clean or delete it really depends on the specific problem:. I know many people get quite paranoid about their activities being tracked on the internet. I would probably remove the Paretologic Tool and maybe the Malicious Software tool from your scanning.

In fact, I would probably also remove the automated scans by Malwarebytes. My approach typically is to have a good anti-virus tool AVG qualifies , a good anti-spyware Spybot qualifies , and then have additional tools that I might use for further diagnosis only if I, for some reason, feel the need.

Malwarebytes is what I reach for first, in a case like that. The Malicious Software Removal tool, I believe, will run once a month on its own anyway. I would not scan all five things at the same time. Subscribe to Confident Computing! Less frustration and more confidence, solutions, answers, and tips in your inbox every week. I am Chris — the person who submitted this question[s] — Thank You very much for your reply to Me I really appreciate it.

I will now be doing exactly what snert mentioned — Carrying out the Scans ONE at a time while doing something else or just relaxing near the Computer. Rolly, You will have a problem if they try to run their scans at the same time as they might bump into each other. Comments violating those rules will be removed.