Windows Defender in Windows Vista
Table of Contents
What is Windows Defender?
According to the Windows Defender home page, "Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software." This software comes pre-installed on Windows Vista but is also available for download for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Real-time protection, a feature of Windows Defender, allows constant protection by running in the background to protect your computer from spyware threats, annoying pop-up ads, and unauthorized changes to Internet settings. Windows Defender runs in the background, automatically updating itself and handling spyware threats, requiring only minimal user interaction.
The Basics
Start Windows Defender
To Start Windows Defender, click the Start Button > All Programs > Windows Defender. Alternatively, you could search for from the Start Menu search bar.
The "Home" Page & Main Menu
Upon opening Windows Defender in Windows Vista, the window consists of three main parts: the main menu, operating system status, and Windows Defender status.
Always visible at the top of the window, the main menu provides quick links to the most used features of Windows Defender. Clicking Home at any time will return you to this first screen. As in Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Explorer, the Back and Forward buttons can be used to navigate through previously viewed features of Windows Defender.
The bottom of the Windows Defender "home" page conveniently shows information concerning the last successful scan, scanning schedule, real-time protection, and version of installed spyware definitions, the dictionary which informs Windows Defender of the types of threats to look for.
Check for Updates
While running in the background, Windows Defender periodically checks for and downloads the latest spyware definition updates. If you would like Windows Defender to check on-demand, click the small arrow beside the question mark in the main menu to reveal a context menu. Choose Check for Updates to check for the latest definitions from Microsoft.
A notification balloon will appear in the taskbar stating if the latest definitions are installed.
Check for Spyware - Run a Scan
Clicking the Scan will run a quick scan for spyware, only checking the critical entrypoints and programs in memory for possible threats. To run a quick, full, or custom scan, click the small arrow next to Scan to reveal these options in a context menu.
Windows Security Center
Beginning with Windows XP, Windows Security Center is a program which monitors the status of your computer's "Security Essentials," or four measures of security which work together to protect your computer from viruses from spyware. Under , Windows Defender is by default responsible for "Spyware and other malware protection." Windows Defender is actively protecting your computer when real-time protection is on.
Downloading Windows Defender
For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Windows Defender can be downloaded from this link.
Known Issues
Symantec Antivirus, Security Center, & Windows Defender
More Information
- UNC-CH Software Distribution
- Download details: Windows ® Defender
- Windows Defender - Spyware Protection for Free.
Document Overview
Tags: Microsoft , Spyware , securitySubjects:
Audience: Everyone
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
