Disabling Microsoft Security Essentials - how to do it

The Microsoft Security Essentials program is already pre-installed on computers running Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, if you already have another antivirus program, you can disable the use of Microsoft Security Essentials.

Microsoft Security Essentials: How to disable the antivirus

Older PCs with Windows 7 or Windows Vista as their operating system were equipped by Microsoft with the free antivirus program Microsoft Security Essentials. If you do not want to use Microsoft Security Essentials, but want to replace it with another software, you can simply disable the program.

1. To disable Microsoft Security Essentials, please first open the Run dialog by pressing the key combination of "Windows key" + "R".
2. There, enter the command "net stop msmpsvc" in the input field and confirm with the "Enter" key.
3. Then open the Run dialog again and execute the command "sc config msmpsvc start= disabled".

How to delete Microsoft Security Essentials from your PC

If disabling Microsoft Security Essentials is not enough, you can also completely uninstall the antivirus program from the PC. To do this, navigate to "Programs" > "Programs and Features" in the Control Panel and look for the entry "Microsoft Security Essentials" in the list that appears. Please right-click the found entry and select "Uninstall" from the context menu. Then follow the further instructions to delete the program completely from your PC.