ARCHIVED: What is Windows Defender and how do I use it?

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About Windows Defender for Windows 8

Windows Defender for Windows 8 is a full antivirus program (unlike previous versions) that provides real-time protection and postinfection scanning and removal. Defender provides protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software and comes installed with all versions of Windows 8.

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About Windows Defender for Windows 7, Vista, and XP

Windows Defender is an antispyware program for Windows that provides real-time protection and postinfection scanning and removal. Windows Defender succeeds Windows Antispyware, and is one of several competing packages from various vendors that protect against spyware and adware (generally lumped together and called "malware").

Windows Defender is part of Windows 7 and Vista, and is available free of charge for currently licensed copies of Windows XP.

This program is unique because to develop its software definitions, it uses a "voting network", which Microsoft describes as:

"... a worldwide network of users who help discover and report new threats. Microsoft analysts review these reports and develop new software definitions to guard against the new threats, so that everyone is better protected."

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Installing Windows Defender for Windows 7, Vista, or XP

To install Windows Defender:

  1. Download Windows Defender. You can obtain it from either IUware or Microsoft:

    Follow the on-screen instructions to validate your copy of Windows and begin downloading.

  2. Once the download is complete, run the install file.
  3. On the Welcome screen, click Next, and then Validate.
  4. On the screen that appears, read and accept the license agreement, and click Next.
  5. On the Help Protect Windows screen, read the descriptions, and choose the option you want. If you are unsure which option to choose, select the recommended settings. Click Next.
  6. Choose Complete install, and click Next.
  7. Click Install.
  8. After installation is complete, you can choose to update and run a quick scan, or wait until later. Click Finish.

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Scanning with Windows Defender

You have three options for scanning your computer with Windows Defender:

  • Quick Scan: Runs a quick scan of the most common vulnerable areas of your computer.
    • To run a quick scan in Windows 8, make sure you are under the Home tab, select Quick under "Scan options", and then click Scan now.
    • To run a quick scan in Windows 7, Vista, or XP, from the menu, either click the Scan icon or the arrow next to it, and then select Quick Scan.

  • Full Scan: Scans all areas of your computer thoroughly. Running a full scan takes significantly longer than running a quick scan.
    • To run a full scan in Windows 8, make sure you are under the Home tab, select Full under "Scan options", and then click Scan now.
    • To run a full scan in Windows 7, Vista, or XP, click the arrow next to the Scan icon, and then select Full Scan.

  • Custom Scan: Scans only selected drives and folders.
    • To run a custom scan in Windows 8:
      1. Under the Home tab, select Custom under "Scan options", and then click Scan now.
      2. Select the drives and folders you wish to scan, and click OK.

    • To run a custom scan in Windows 7, Vista, or XP:
      1. Click the arrow next to the Scan icon, and then select Custom Scan.
      2. Click the Select... button next to Scan selected drives and folders.
      3. Check the drives and folders you wish to scan, and click OK.
      4. Click Scan Now.

Note: To cancel a scan at any time, click the Stop Scan button next to the Progress Meter.

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Scheduling scans

Windows Defender gives you the flexibility to schedule automatic scans for spyware at daily or weekly intervals. By default, it will run a quick scan every morning. To adjust the automatic scanning options:

  • For Windows 8:
    1. Press Win-r to open the "Run" dialog, type taskschd.msc , and press Enter .
    2. In the left pane of the Task Scheduler window, click on the arrow for "Task Scheduler Library, Microsoft, Windows", and open the Windows Defender folder.
    3. In the top middle pane, double-click Windows Defender Scheduled Scan.
    4. In the new window, select the Triggers tab, and then click New.
    5. Under "Begin the task", make sure you have On a schedule selected. Then, select and set when and how often you would like to scan your computer. Make sure Enabled is checked, and click OK.
    6. Select the Actions tab, and click Edit.
    7. Under "Program/script", make sure that the default path is wrapped in quotes; it should look something like this:
        "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" 
    8. In the "Add arguments (optional)" field, type Scan -ScheduleJob or Scan -ScheduleJob -ScanType2, and then click OK. The first option is for a quick scan and the second is for a full scan.
    9. Select the Conditions tab. Under the "Power" section, select whether you want the task to run on AC power or battery power, and whether it will wake the computer to run the scan. Once you have choose your preferred options, click OK.
    10. After a brief pause, you will see "Triggers" and "Next Run Time" appear for the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan task. Close the Task Scheduler.

  • For Windows 7, Vista, and XP:
    1. Click the Tools icon.
    2. Under "Settings", click Options.
    3. Under "Automatic Scanning", check the option for Automatically scan my computer (recommended).
    4. Select a frequency, time, and type of scan.
    5. Ensure that Check for updated definitions before scanning and Apply default actions to items detected during a scan are checked.
    6. Under "Default actions", select the actions you want Windows Defender to take when detecting threats of certain alert levels. If you are unsure, use the default action.
    7. Click Save.

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Using real-time protection

Real-time protection in Windows Defender is enabled by default. This ensures your computer is constantly monitored against threats as you browse the web.

  • To modify the real-time protection settings in Windows 8, take the following steps:
    1. In Defender, select the Settings tab, and then select Real-time protection in the left pane.
    2. Either enable or disable real-time protection with the Use real-time protection (recommended) option.

  • To modify the real-time protection settings in Windows 7, Vista, and XP, take the following steps:
    1. Click the Tools icon.
    2. Select Options.
    3. Scroll down to Real-time protection options.
    4. Either enable or disable real-time protection with the Use real-time protection (recommended) option.
    5. If you enable real-time protection, you can modify which individual security agents you want to run. If you are unsure about which security agents to select, use the default settings. To learn more about these security agents, click Understanding real-time protection.
    6. Click Save.

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Related documents

This is document auet in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 15:34:18.