Hi! I use the built in Windows Defender since it does AV now. I don't see the point in slapping on another layer of protection since I don't tend to visit dodgy sites anyway.
You are correct, sir, but if you press "restart" you forgo the "fast boot" hybrid and you do a cold boot. This is talked about in the article I reference on MSDN.
P.S - Picture viewer, Media Player, etc are still there, just not default. It's a pain.