windows defender

[Baz]

using vista on my wifes laptop with defender installed every now and then when she boots up and tries to get online it fails to connect.I noticed today that the defender icon was showing in the task bar saying definitions need updating.

could this be stopping connecting until it has been updated. how do you feel about defender any way, is it good/bad or even necessary

[Sebby]

I wouldn't have thought Defender is the problem, Baz. I probably wouldn't install Defender on XP, but as it comes with Vista, I'd keep it (well you can't uninstall it anyway, though you can disable it).

Is your wife's laptop connected to the router wirelessly?

[Baz]

it is wireless Sebby

[Sebby]

Do you know if the wireless has connected when you are seeing no internet access?

[Simon]

Defender updates at a given time slot, as far as I am aware, so if it misses the time, it shows as needing to update until it's done so.  I have it on XP and Vista, but tend to ignore it, as the only time it's actually flagged something, it was a false positive.