Windows Defender is software that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software by detecting and removing known spyware from your computer. Windows Defender features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, minimizes interruptions, and helps you stay productive. For more information, check out Microsoft's website.
Although Defender may not be perfect, it does a good enough job protecting most systems and not only is it free, but it will automatically update itself with Windows Update. For computers maintained by the Math Department Administrators, it is now installed by default, instead of AdAware and Spybot.
Because there are not usually any icons easily visible, you may not know you have it installed. Below are instructions on how to find and run it.
| To find Windows Defender | |
1) Click on the Start Menu  and look under Programs or Programs\Accessories\System
Tools for  . |
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| 2) Click on the Windows Defender icon to launch it. You should see the following window popup. Near the top are the Menu options. Below that, is the status. Near the bottom are the status details that let you know when the last scan was and the default schedule for a daily Quick Scan (usually around 2:00am), whether is is running currently and the last update. |
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| 3) If your laptop or desktop has not been connected to the internet for several days, when you run Defender you should see the warning like
the one on the right. You might also see the  icon in the System Tray when it is out of date. You can click on the Check for Updates Now button and Internet Explorer will launch and connect to the Windows Update website so you can update all Microsoft products. |
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| 4) If your laptop or desktop has not been turned on for several days, then you might see something similar to the window on the right. This is to warn you that a scan has not been performed. |
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| 5) You can click on the Scan Now button to start a Quick Scan, or you can click on the Scan Menu and choose a Quick, Full or Custom Scan. |  |
| 6) While Defender is scanning, it will look like the example. If it slows down your computer while you are working on it, you can
click on the Stop Scan button to stop it. Notice: If Defender finds any suspicious or suspected malware, it will show the list of all items found and allow you to delete, quarantine or ignore each item. If you are unsure about the item, quarantine it as this should disable the item and move it to a safe storage where you can either restore it or delete it later. |
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| 7) To change settings, click on the Tools Menu option. You should see the Tools and Settings page. Under the Options icon, you can change default settings, like prevent Defender from scanning certain files and/or folders. (For instructions see this page.) |
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For more information, check the Help Menu or see the Microsoft Defender website.