Scan Your PC for Spyware and Other Unwanted Software

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Windows Defender — one of many security enhancements included in Windows Vista Business — provides peace of mind to your computing experience by helping detect and remove spyware, annoying pop-up ads and other potentially unwanted software from your PC.

Windows Defender allows you to run a " quick scan " or " full system scan " of your computer. If you suspect spyware has infected a specific area of your computer, you can customise a scan by selecting only the drives and folders that you want to check.

Here's what you need to get started:

To run a quick scan:

1.	Open Windows Defender. (Click Start , point to All Programs , and then click Windows Defender .)
2.	Click Scan (Figure 1). Figure 1

To scan all areas of your computer:

To scan specific areas of your computer only:

1.	Open Windows Defender. (Click Start , point to All Programs , and then click Windows Defender .)
2.	Click the Down arrow next to Scan , and then click Custom Scan .
3.	Click Scan selected drives and folders , and then click Select .
4.	Select the files or folders that you want to scan (Figure 2), and then click OK . Figure 2

When a scan is complete, Windows Defender notifies you of any spyware it discovers on your computer. It then prompts you with options for dealing with each threat and recommends appropriate action in most cases. Generally, there are four actions you can take if a threat is detected.

Ignore: No action is taken, but the potential threat will continue to be detected in future scans.

Quarantine: Backs up the software in a safe location and then removes it. This prevents the software from running, but it can be restored if needed.

Remove: Deletes the software from the computer entirely.

Always Allow: Adds the software to the Allowed items list. It will not be detected in future scans.

Windows Defender is just one piece of an innovative, multi-layered security environment that helps make Windows Vista more secure than previous versions of Windows and your online experience safer.

Learn more about Windows Vista Business

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