Microsoft Security Essentials Installation and Configuration Guide
This installation guide is for users who are intending to download the software from Microsoft’s web site. If you are not intending on downloading it from Microsoft’s site and are instead using the CD provided by ITS, please go back to
http://www.goshen.edu/its/Help_Desk/FAQ/Software/Antivirus and use the instructions for installing the software with the CD.
You can install Microsoft Security Essentials for free on any computer with a genuine installation of Windows Vista, or Windows 7. Please print these instructions before you get started.
Getting Started
Before installing Microsoft Security Essentials, you will need to uninstall the current antivirus program that is on your computer.
Click on Start and go to the Control Panel. Choose Uninstall a Program (Add/Remove Program). Find your current antivirus program and click to uninstall it.
After uninstalling your old antivirus software, restart your computer.
Again, click on Start and go to the Control Panel. Choose Uninstall a Program (Add/Remove Program). Search through the list of programs and make sure there are no more program items listed for your antivirus program.
You are now ready to start installing Microsoft Security Essentials.
Installing Microsoft Security Essentials
You will need to visit the Security Essentials website located at http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/ You should see a page similar to the one below.
This screen allows you to read Help and How‐To Guides, as well as watch an installation video, which may be helpful if you would like an extra resource before installing.
You’ll want to click the blue Download Now button. o Windows Vista or Windows 7, 32‐bit o Windows Vista or Windows 7, 64‐bit
If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 and you are unsure of whether it is 32‐bit or 64‐bit, do the following to find that information:
Windows Vista
o Click the Start button o Click on Control Panel
o Click on System and Maintenance
o Click on System. You will see information that will tell you if you are running 32‐bit or 64‐bit.
Windows 7
o Click the Start button o Click on Control Panel o Click on System and Security
After clicking on the link for the proper version of your operating system, you should see a download prompt window appear. Once you see the file download screen, you will be prompted to Run, Save, or Cancel. For this installation, choose Save.
After the installation file is saved to your computer, locate the installation file and double click to start the installation.
If you are on Windows Vista or Windows 7, you may see a User Account Control (UAC) window pop up. If you are using Windows 7 (as shown below,) click Yes. If you are using Windows Vista, click Continue.
The next window you will see is the Microsoft Security Essentials License Agreement. Read through this carefully as it outlines liabilities, responsibilities, and rights of both Microsoft and the end‐user. Once you have read through the license agreement, click on I accept to continue with the installation, or I decline if you do not want to continue.
Next, you will need to validate your installation of Windows Vista, or 7. This is a required step, if you pass validation, you will be taken to the next step of the installation. If you do not pass the validation for some reason, you will be directed to a page with information on how to rectify this issue. Once you have passed validation, you can continue the installation. Click on the Validate button.
Congratulations! Now that you have downloaded, read over the license agreement and privacy policy, and validated your copy of Windows, you are ready to start the install process.
The first page you will see is a warning to remove all anti‐virus and anti‐spyware applications from your computer system. Microsoft Security Essentials does not play well with other antivirus programs and can make your system extremely unstable. You would have already done this at the beginning of these instructions. Click Install to begin the installation process.
Once you’ve started the installation, you’ll see a progress bar like the one below.
Next, you should see the main page of Microsoft Security Essentials, which is now running on your system. You’ll note the red bar set towards the top of the window which states that your computer is at risk, this is normal and is only there because the definitions file is not yet up to date. Once it has finished downloading, your computer will be fully protected.
Configuring Microsoft Security Essentials
Now that Microsoft Security Essentials is installed and your computer is protected, go into the software’s configuration settings to customize Microsoft Security Essentials to suite your specific needs.
Click on the Settings tab towards the top right hand side of the window. You will see eight options along the left hand side, each allowing you to modify different settings within the application.
o Scheduled scan allows you to set a day and time that you want Microsoft Security Essentials to scan your computer automatically. You can also choose what type of scan, whether or not to check for and download new virus and spyware definitions, and if you want to start the scan when the computer is in use or not.
Real‐time protection allows you to choose if you want Microsoft Security Essentials to check for threats whenever you run or install an application, monitor file and program activity, and scan downloaded files and attachments.
The advanced tab offers some beneficial options.
o It can scan archive files such as ZIP and CAB files automatically. This is checked by default.
o The next option is to scan removable drives. This can be a good or bad thing, it’s a good thing because it protects your computer from possible infections brought in from other machines, however, if other people use your computer, they may not want their drive to be scanned, and may have exception files they do not want repaired. It is recommended to leave this setting unchecked.
o The next option is to allow Microsoft Security Essentials to create a restore point. This is up to you, but can be helpful if there was a malicious virus removed that ended up leaving your system unstable and in need of a restore.
o The final option allows you to choose whether or not all users can view the full history of results. This is completely by preference, generally, the more sensitive information is on your computer and the more public your computer is, the less you’ll want to keep this item checked.
Finally, you can choose to be either a Basic Microsoft SpyNet user, or an Advanced Microsoft SpyNet user. There isn’t too much of a difference besides a small amount of extra information being sent to Microsoft for their research
Congratulations! You have successfully prepared, set up, validated, installed, and configured Microsoft Security Essentials! Be sure to look into the Help menu on the top right hand side of the application if you need a bit of extra assistance.
Performing A Scan On Your Computer
If you suspect that your computer is infected, you can perform three types of scans on your computer.
Start up Microsoft Security Essentials and click on the Home tab. Choose one of the following scan options:
o Quick Scan – A quick scan checks the places, processes in the memory, and registry files on your computer's hard disk that malicious software is most likely to infect.
o Full Scan – A full scan checks all files on your hard disk and all currently running programs, but it might cause your computer to run slowly until the scan is complete. At any time, if you suspect that spyware has infected your computer, run a full scan.
o Custom Scan ‐ If you suspect malicious software has infected a specific area of your computer, you can customize a scan by selecting only the drives and folders that you want to check.
