ARCHIVED: What is Windows Defender and how do I use it?
On this page:
- About Windows Defender for Windows 8
- About Windows Defender for Windows 7, Vista, and XP
- Installing Windows Defender for Windows 7, Vista, or XP
- Scanning with Windows Defender
- Scheduling scans
- Using real-time protection
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.
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."
Installing Windows Defender for Windows 7, Vista, or XP
To install Windows Defender:
- 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.
- Once the download is complete, run the
install
file. - On the
Welcome
screen, click , and then . - On the screen that appears, read and accept the license agreement, and click .
- 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 . - Choose , and click .
- Click .
- After installation is complete, you can choose to update and run a quick scan, or wait until later. Click .
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 tab, select under "Scan options", and then click .
- To run a quick scan in Windows 7, Vista, or XP, from the menu, either click the icon or the arrow next to it, and then select .
- 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 tab, select under "Scan options", and then click .
- To run a full scan in Windows 7, Vista, or XP, click the arrow next to the icon, and then select .
- Custom Scan: Scans only selected drives and
folders.
- To run a custom scan in Windows 8:
- Under the tab, select under "Scan options", and then click .
- Select the drives and folders you wish to scan, and click .
- To run a custom scan in Windows 7, Vista, or XP:
- Click the arrow next to the icon, and then select .
- Click the button next to .
- Check the drives and folders you wish to scan, and click .
- Click .
- To run a custom scan in Windows 8:
Note: To cancel a scan at any time, click the
button next to the Progress Meter.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:
- Press
Win-r
to open the "Run" dialog, typetaskschd.msc
, and pressEnter
. - In the left pane of the
Task Scheduler
window, click on the arrow for "Task Scheduler Library, Microsoft, Windows", and open the folder. - In the top middle pane, double-click .
- In the new window, select the tab, and then click .
- Under "Begin the task", make sure you have selected. Then, select and set when and how often you would like to scan your computer. Make sure is checked, and click .
- Select the tab, and click .
- Under "Program/script", make sure that the default path is wrapped in
quotes; it should look something like this:
"%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe"
- In the "Add arguments (optional)" field, type
Scan -ScheduleJob
orScan -ScheduleJob -ScanType2
, and then click . The first option is for a quick scan and the second is for a full scan. - Select the 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 .
- After a brief pause, you will see "Triggers" and "Next Run Time"
appear for the
Task Scheduler
. task. Close
the
- Press
- For Windows 7, Vista, and XP:
- Click the icon.
- Under "Settings", click .
- Under "Automatic Scanning", check the option for .
- Select a frequency, time, and type of scan.
- Ensure that and are checked.
- 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.
- Click .
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:
- In Defender, select the tab, and then select in the left pane.
- Either enable or disable real-time protection with the option.
- To modify the real-time protection settings in Windows 7, Vista, and XP,
take the following steps:
- Click the icon.
- Select .
- Scroll down to .
- Either enable or disable real-time protection with the option.
- 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
- Click .
Related documents
This is document auet in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 15:34:18.