319 Chapter 9: Safeguarding Your Computer constantly discovering new threats, and these updates allow the program to detect and deal with these new threats. 6. Select Run a scan only when system is idle. The scan can slow down your computer, so this setting minimizes the effect on your computer by running it only when the computer is on but you are not actively using it. 7. Click the other options in the left column to see other settings you can configure. You may not need to change or set any other options for now; for most people, the default settings are OK. If you want Windows Defender to notify you of issues but not take any actions without your approval, you can change that in Default actions. 8. Click Save when you are done changing options. AdvancED The first time you turn on and use Windows Defender, it is a good idea to run a full scan. A full scan takes several hours, so be sure when you start the scan that you can leave your computer on for as long as Windows Defender needs to complete it. That may mean leaving your computer on overnight when nobody is using it. If you leave your computer on but unattended, you can lock the computer by pressing Windows+L. Also, if you’re leaving your computer in an idle state while the scan is running, make sure that in the Control Panel item Power Options, the settings for Put the computer to sleep are set to as long as possible or Never. You can access these settings by typing change when the computer sleeps in the Start menu’s search box. Getting StartED with Windows 7 320 Scanning your computer for spyware To scan your computer for spyware, follow these steps: 1. In Windows Defender, click Home. 2. Click the arrow next to Scan, and select Full Scan, as shown in Figure 9-23. Figure 9-23. If you’ve never run a scan with Windows Defender or have not run one for quite awhile, run a Full scan. 3. When the scan is complete, a summary is displayed similar to Figure 9-24. 321 Chapter 9: Safeguarding Your Computer Figure 9-24. The larger the hard drive, the longer it will take the scan to complete. A full scan takes much longer than a quick scan. When Windows Defender detects spyware, it uses an alert level system to let you know how severe the problem is and what you should do about it. If get an alert from the scan and are not sure what the levels mean, click the help icon (the round blue and white question mark button) to the right of Tools on the toolbar. If you do not want to see these alerts in the future, you can click the Tools button, click Options, and then click Default actions. Choosing an antivirus program The cost of this software is very small compared to cost of the time you can lose fixing your computer or redoing lost work. If your computer did not come with a virus protection program, you can buy the software either in a retail box with an installation disc or as a software download from a website. Or, you may be able to get it free or at a low cost from your Internet provider. Once you’ve installed it, you will receive free updates to the software for a set subscription period, usually a year. This subscription is a very important part of your protection. Just as Microsoft releases patches and updates on a regular Getting StartED with Windows 7 322 basis through Windows Update, your virus protection program checks for regular updates from the virus protection program service. Like Windows Update, most virus protection programs allow you to schedule these updates so that they download and install automatically in the background, without any action required on your part. Getting security software for free or cheap Many companies offer antivirus software separately or in security suites that include a firewall, antivirus software, and antispyware. You can purchase and download this software directly over the Web, through Microsoft’s referral site, or in a retail box from a store. However, you may be able to get this software for free or inexpensively. Make no mistake about this—you do need this software, and it is well worth it even if you have to pay for it. ExplainED Free or cheap still means a legal, licensed copy of the software. Borrowing, copying, or loaning software without a license for each installed copy is illegal. Tips for getting security software Here are some tips for obtaining security software:  Look for free versions already on your computer. Check your computer for free or trial versions provided by your computer manufacturer. Check the Programs menu, your desktop icons, or any extra program disks that came with your computer for antivirus, virus protection, or security suite programs. You may be eligible for a free 30-day to one- year subscription.  Get free software from your Internet service provider. Check with your Internet service provider or your broadband provider—many offer free security software with their service, which you can install on all your computers in your household.  Get free software through your work. Some companies buy a site license, which allows employees to install a copy of the software on their computer at home. If you use a computer at home for your work, your company may pay for the cost of security software even if they don’t have a site license. 323 Chapter 9: Safeguarding Your Computer  Purchase a family pack. Every computer in your home should have security software. Many security software companies offer a discount when you buy several copies at the same time. These “family packs” usually include three to five licenses so that you can install it on all of your computers. Most antivirus programs or security suites are available for multiple versions of Windows so that you can install it on your Windows 7 computer, as well as older versions of Windows such as Windows Vista or Windows XP.  Don’t overbuy. You need only one firewall and one antivirus program on each computer. If you run more than one of each of these, they will not work together, and you’ll have to uninstall or disable one. Microsoft already provides a good firewall, automatic updates, and antispyware program free with Windows. You really only need to purchase and install an antivirus program—if there aren’t any free ones available on your computer, from your Internet service provider, or from your employer. Getting antivirus software through Action Center If you do not have antivirus protection, Windows Action Center can help you locate third-party security suites, antivirus, and spyware protection. Action Center provides links to pages where you can purchase, download, and install this software without leaving your desk. Before you install any virus protection or security suite program, make sure you will be able to leave your computer on for several hours after installation. Typically, these programs prompt you to run a full virus scan when installation is complete. Some programs even run a scan before installation to make sure there aren’t viruses already on your computer that could block or interfere with your virus protection software installation. A full virus scan can take several hours, but it is really important that you run this as soon as possible. After the first full virus scan, you usually have an option to schedule quick scans daily or weekly. Even with frequent quick scans, it is a good idea to run a full scan once in awhile. Many people find it convenient to run the full scan overnight while they are asleep. 1. Right-click the notification icon in the taskbar, and then click Open Action Center. If you do not have a virus protection program installed, Action Center provides a link to obtain a program online, as shown in Figure 9-25. Getting StartED with Windows 7 324 Figure 9-25. The Virus protection alert and Find a program online button are displayed when there is no antivirus program installed. 2. Click Find a program online. Windows will connect to the Internet and access a Microsoft web page similar to Figure 9-21. The programs listed will be compatible with Windows 7. Note that web pages change frequently, and the list of companies may change at any time. 325 Chapter 9: Safeguarding Your Computer Figure 9-26. Security software providers that are compatible with Windows 7. Microsoft may change the list of programs displayed here from time to time. 3. Click the company logos to go to the websites and view the offerings. Most offer a free 30-day trial so that you can install the program and try it before you buy it. 4. When you find one that you like, follow the instructions on your screen to purchase, download, and install the software. During installation, you may need to allow the program to shut down other programs that might interfere with the installation. If you already have another virus protection or security suite installed on your computer, you may be prompted to uninstall it. After you download and install the antivirus or security suite program, you will be prompted to run a full virus scan. Getting StartED with Windows 7 326 Using the Security Center from a third-party Internet security suites You don’t have to use Microsoft’s Action Center or security programs. Your computer may have come with other security programs or an alternate security center. The important thing is to make sure that you have these basic security features installed and scheduled to run automatically:  Firewall  Virus protection  Spyware protection  Windows Updates from Microsoft  Security software updates from the security program or security suite vendor The Windows Action Center and third-party security centers or overview pages display the security status of all your security features at a glance and the expiration date for your subscription. In general, green is good and means you don’t need to do anything. Red is not good; it means something is off, something needs updating, or a scan hasn’t been run recently. The following examples in Figures 9-27 to 9-30 illustrate the different ways these programs may present the status and tools. The choice of examples is not an endorsement of any product, just a random sampling of the many programs available. The software vendors are always improving their programs, so the current versions may differ from these examples. 327 Chapter 9: Safeguarding Your Computer Figure 9-27. A recent McAfee Security Center page. In this example, the security suite is provided by the broadband Internet service provider Comcast. Figure 9-28. The AVG Internet Security Overview page Getting StartED with Windows 7 328 Figure 9-29. The Norton Internet Security summary page Figure 9-30. Trend Micro Internet Security Running and maintaining virus protection The previous examples of security centers show that each vendor has its own tools, set of features, and status information. The setup and use of virus [...]... Windows Vista or Windows XP, you will need to install the Windows 7 version of Windows Easy Transfer Though Windows Vista comes with Windows Easy Transfer, you will need to upgrade to the Windows 7 version on the Windows Vista computer 3 47 Getting StartED with Windows 7 4 Click I need to install it now Because the old computer does not have the software installed that will allow it to communicate with. .. network, which is not uncommon when you have just started integrating your Windows 7 computer with other non -Windows 7 computers on a home network 342 Chapter 10: Moving Files and Settings to Your Windows 7 Computer LinkED Chapter 7 describes how you can network computers running different versions of Windows (Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7) by using Ethernet and wireless connections Use... computer from Windows XP or Windows Vista to Windows 7, or moving to a new computer with Windows 7, you probably had your old computer set up just right You just outgrew it or were 335 Getting StartED with Windows 7 ready for a change You don’t need to start all over from scratch to set up new your computer the way you want it The process for moving from your old computer to a new Windows 7 computer falls... machines, such as when you buy a new computer with Windows 7 already installed and you are moving from an older machine with Windows XP or Windows Vista But Windows Easy Transfer can also be useful when you are upgrading an existing computer to Windows 7 NotED Not sure if your existing computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7? Microsoft provides a free tool you can download... Using Windows Easy Transfer for a Windows upgrade installation on the same computer There are three typical ways to install Windows 7 on a computer: Buy a new computer with Windows 7 already installed by the computer manufacturer Upgrade the operating system on your existing computer from Windows XP or Windows Vista to Windows 7 Keep your existing files, settings, and programs on the computer without... ExplainED Windows Easy Transfer copies only the files and settings from your old computer If you want to delete the files from your old computer, you must do that yourself Or you can perform a clean installation of Windows 7, which will delete everything—the Windows operating system, and all documents, pictures, music, data—before installing the new version of Windows 3 37 Getting StartED with Windows 7 Using... 10: Moving Files and Settings to Your Windows 7 Computer Figure 10-1 When the Easy Transfer cable is connected to a Windows 7 or Windows Vista computer, it triggers the Windows Easy Transfer program This figure is from Windows 7 The screen in Windows Vista is different 3 Click This is my new computer The following screen, shown in Figure 10-2, prompts you to install Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer... Easy Transfer cable package may include an installation disc with a copy of the Window Easy Transfer program for installation on a Windows XP computer Windows 7 and Windows Vista come with the Windows Easy Transfer program installed If you have the Easy Transfer cable but don’t have a disc with the Windows Easy Transfer program to install on Windows XP, you can download it for free from Microsoft The... computer running Windows 7, to your new computer running Windows 7 In this chapter, you’ll go through the common tasks associated with getting a new computer, such as moving files and settings with Windows Easy Transfer or alternate methods, installing programs on your new computer, upgrading a computer to Windows 7 from a previous version of Windows, and using or disposing of your old computer Moving... cable looks like a USB cable with two identical USB-A ends that fit in each computer’s regular USB ports However, this cable is more than a USB cable with two identical ends—the middle of the cable has a small chip that enables the two computers to communicate with each other A plain USB cable with just the USB-A plug on each end will not work 341 Getting StartED with Windows 7 The Easy Transfer cable . Comcast. Figure 9- 28. The AVG Internet Security Overview page Getting StartED with Windows 7 328 Figure 9- 29. The Norton Internet Security summary page Figure 9- 30. Trend Micro Internet. Vista to Windows 7, or moving to a new computer with Windows 7, you probably had your old computer set up just right. You just outgrew it or were Getting StartED with Windows 7 336 ready. installation of Windows 7, which will delete everything—the Windows operating system, and all documents, pictures, music, data—before installing the new version of Windows. Getting StartED with Windows