Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft has released a new anti-virus solution called Security Essentials.  The download link can be found at:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

The advantages of this application is it is free, has a small memory footprint, and is updated via the normal Automatic Updates service within Windows.  One disadvantage is the scanning engine is rather slow.

To replace your existing anti-virus program, first download the Security Essentials executable from Microsoft’s web site.  The next task would be to uninstall your old anti-virus application.  This will need to be done via the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel applet.

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This example is uninstalling the free version of AVG.  The details will change depending on the application in question.

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A reboot is normally required after uninstalling an utility such as an anti-virus program.  Even if a reboot is not prompted, it would be wise to reboot anyway.

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Once your computer has rebooted, launch the Security Essentials executable.  Click Next.

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Click the “I accept” button.

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Click on the “Validate” button to start the process of having your version of Windows validated.

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If the validation process is successful, click on the Install button.

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The installation process will take several minutes.

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Once the process has completed, click on the Finish button.

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As long as you keep the default checkbox in place, the application will launch and start the update process.

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Once the new updates are downloaded and installed, a Quick Scan will be performed.  As stated above, the scanning engine is rather slow.  So it can take several minutes for this scan to finish.

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If nothing is found, the default view will be displayed.

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A green icon should be present within your system tray.

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If an issue is found, a dialog box will bubble up near the system tray.  The system tray icon will change color from green to red.

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If you click on the Show Details link, more information should be displayed.

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You can click on the Clean computer button if a threat is found.  If the removal is successful, the color of the dialog box should return to green.

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