This screen allows users of Premium and Trial versions to control certain protection settings for Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
This feature is not available to users of the Free version.
Settings which may be changed here are based upon two reasons — compatibility issues with other installed software, or specialized use of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your computer.
These settings should only be modified by advanced users, or as directed by Malwarebytes Technical Support.
A screenshot of this module is shown below, using recommended (default) settings.
Let's look at each of these settings in detail, but with a focus on what's not recommended.
Sometimes its good to know why things are the way they are!
Start Malwarebytes Anti-Malware with Windows: If this setting is unchecked, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will not start with Windows.
Malware Protection and Malicious Website Protection will not start when Windows starts, though they may still be started manually by launching Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
Enable Malware Protection when Malwarebytes Anti-Malware starts: If left unchecked, real-time Malware Protection will not start automatically when Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is launched.
This setting does not affect the setting for Malicious Website Protection at program startup.
It will override the Malware Protection setting in Detection Settings.
Enable Malicious Website Protection when Malwarebytes Anti-Malware starts: If left unchecked, real-time Malicious Website Protection will not start automatically when Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is launched.
This setting does not affect the setting for Malware Protection at program startup.
It will override the Malicious Website Protection setting in Detection Settings.
Delay Protection at startup for <x> seconds: There may be times when the startup of system services used by Malwarebytes Anti-Malware conflicts with services required by other applications at boot time.
When this is the case, check this box.
You will need to experiment with the specific delay setting necessary to compensate for the conflict.
When required, this must be done on a case-by-case basis.
The delay setting is adjustable from 15-180 seconds, in increments of 15 seconds.
Automatically quarantine detected items: When unchecked, any threats detected will not be quarantined immediately.
A notification will instead be presented, and you must choose how to respond.
If you do not respond within forty (40) seconds, the threat will be quarantined automatically.
Enable self-protection module: This setting controls whether Malwarebytes Anti-Malware creates a safe zone to prevent malicious manipulation of the program and its components.
Checking this box introduces a one-time delay as the self-protection module is enabled.
While not a negative, the delay may be considered undesirable by some users.
When unchecked, the "early start" option which follows is disabled.
Enable self-protection early start: When the self-protection module is enabled, you may choose to enable or disable this option.
When enabled, the self-protection module will become enabled earlier in the computer's boot process — essentially changing the order of services and drivers associated with your computer's startup.
Reduce priority of scans to improve multitasking: When checked, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may use lower relative system resources during execution of a scan.
Actual performance differences will be determined by the operating system and hardware configuration.
This may provide better performance when executing several concurrent tasks.
