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Structure: We'll simply walk through these one by one, covering installation, initial updating and running of programs and finally the regular update schedule/method for each package. Tip: Don't connect to an obvious advertisement (e.g. nearly on the topic but not quite -- SUS -- they often cause malware to be installed on your computer. This is important in the following download and internet operations.

Do yourself a favour: If you intend to install Zone Alarm, you should do that last because it takes a bit of getting used to. [and] You don't really need to cope with responding to the questions that Zone Alarm will ask while you are installing and running the other unfamiliar software for the first time.

Please Note: All five programs dealt with in this Tutorial are completely independent of each other. This means that you can install any one of them, or two, or all, or whatever suits your needs. You don't have to install them all if you don't want to. When I was new at computing, I would have installed one a week to avoid over stressing myself. Take it easy.

Software sites and download links. If you look in the left column you'll see links to the web sites of the five manufacturers. You should be able to follow to downloads from those sites. More explicit instructions are given for each manufacturer during this tutorial.

avg antivirus

Download AVG

Grisoft's download page for AVG antivirus is currently on this link. The download site is clearly displayed on their web page. Download to your computer. Should that link address no longer be current then perform the following Google search: Enter these words in the Google search bar: AVG grisoft free virus download. The results that come up will contain pages with web addresses starting with free.grisoft. Go there and you will find Installation File Free Download for Windows (or some such). Download to your computer.

Installing AVG & Doing the Initial Update

The file name is something like avgxyzfreepqr.exe and it ends with .exe Just click on it to open and go with the flow as it installs. Accept all the suggestions by clicking continue, next, accept and so on. There are no hidden tricks. When installation finishes you will be presented with a "congrats" screen urging you to update etc.

Click next and then click check for updates. Tick the box beside "do not ask for the update source next time" and click the option labelled "internet". A screen highlighting various updates in blue will appear. Click the button labelled "update" and downloading will proceed. When it finishes click the OK button and then AGAIN click the check for updates button. When this cycle of updating is finished click next and you will be presented with the option to create rescue disks. In my view the rescue disks are of very little use. I avoid them by clicking next. Keep clicking next until no more options are offered and finally click continue to exit.

AVG General Settings

You will see the scan-computer screen. Choose "scan selected areas". This will allow you to set scanning up for the future. From the options that you see, put a tick in the box beside system locations --> local hard drives. Make sure there is a tick in "scan system areas" before the test starts. That's all you need. Now click "scan selected areas" and your computer will be scanned. Hopefully the scan is uneventful and you can exit after the blue screen labelled "Test Result" appears.

Congratulations. You've downloaded the virus scanner, installed it, configured your computer and scanned it for viruses. Thats all folks (as bugs bunny would say). Now have a look at the Update and Maintenance Routine below.

AVG Update and Maintenance Routine

The virus defiinition file contains signatures of all viruses known to Grisoft. Grisoft keeps adding more virus signatures to the file as viruses are spawned/discovered. So you must keep yours up to date or you will be infected. There is a yellow-black-red-green icon to the right in the bottom toolbar of your computer screen. Click this open and the AVG control centre comes on screen. Click the button "Check for Updates" located in the left panel. The download dialogue will proceed to install an updated virus definition file from the Internet if a new one exists. When that finishes you have the most up to date defence that AVG free can deliver. That's all there is to updating AVG -- a few mouse clicks. Alternatively, you can set ACG to update automatically.

Now for virus scanning: Enable the Test Centre by clicking its button, also located in the left panel. A new dialogue screen called Test Centre opens. Click Scan Selected Areas and check/renew the ticks in Local hard drives and in Check system areas before the test starts. Activate the scan via the lower button called Scan Selected Areas and then wait five minutes or so. You don't have to stay with the computer while scanning is in progress.

After scanning/disinfection has finished, close the AVG screens. That's it for AVG. You must perform this pdate and maintenance routine on a regular basis. It should be done weekly to keep a reasonably virus free computer. If you don't do this on at least a weekly basis you will get trouble from viruses.

ad aware

Download Ad Aware

Ad Aware is by Lavasoft. Their home page is on This Link while the download site at their WebSite is currently on This Link. Download the package, currently named aawsepersonal.exe to your computer and click to install the program.

Installing Ad Aware & Doing the Initial Update

The installation program is so slick that you simply need to accept the licence and all the defaults to achieve a successful install.

When the installation finishes, updated malware definition files are obtained from the internet automatically, without reference to you. Afer that, the program continues and performs the first scan of your system automatically. You can remove infections after the scan with a few clicks.

Ad Aware General Settings

When the above procedure is finished you can arrange general setting for the future as follows: Click the AdAware icon on the desktop to open the control panel. Click the Start button (bottom right of the AdAware panel) and move to the next panel. Put a dot in the radio-button beside Use custom scanning options. Then click Customise. Then make sure all the buttons under Memory & Register are ticked and are green. Now click Select drives & folders to scan. Tick the drive labelled (C:) and any other DATA drives you might have. Don't bother with floppy, CD or DVD drives. Click Proceed. Click it again and finally, make sure the two buttons underneath the radio-buttons are clicked and green. Then click Next. At this stage your general settings have been locked in and scanning will start. You can now stop the scan and close control panel.

Ad Aware Update and Maintenance Routine

You need to update the malware definition files and run AdAware at least once every week. To start this maintenance open the control panel by clicking on the AdAware icon on your desktop. On the screen for the control panel there is a web link just above the Start button. Activate that link and click connect. If updates are ready they will be downloaded and installed automatically from there. If none are available you will receive a message to that effect. You can then click Finish and then click Start to commence the scan.

spywareblaster swb

Download SWB

JavaCool's Spyware Blaster is located at this Web Site. Click the link and locate Downloads. If you can't find it, it's currently On This Link. Don't be taken in by advertisements. Download only Spyware Blaster to your computer. The file you retrieve will look like this file (current at time of typing): spywareblastersetup351.exe.

Installing SpyWareBlaster SWB & Doing the Initial Update

Click the .exe file to install, and just keep moving through the screens until installation finishes. It's straightforward with nothing for you to do except agree to the licence.

The installation should exit, leaving you with Spyware Blaster's Control Panel -- in blue & white with various text including three lines of red print. Below the red text, in the table entitled Quick Tasks, is a link called Download Latest Protection Updates. This is the standard link you should use to regularly update the malware signature files. Activate it now and the latest protection updates will be acquired.

SWB General Settings

SWB Update and Maintenance Routine

Every time you turn on your computer you need to activate Spyware Blaster by using the icon on your desktop labelled Spyware Blaster. The familiar control panel will open and you should Enable All Protection as in the section above this one. At least once each week you should actvate the link Download All Protection Updates before you activate Enable All Protection. You will achieve a very much reduced rate of infection by malware with this routine.

spybot search & destroy

Download SpyBot

The current download link is here and the home page Links from here. The current filename is spybotsd14.exe; save to your computer.

Installing SpyBot & Doing the Initial Update

As before, just click on the .exe file and follow the bouncing ball. Accept the licence and when you see the screen Select Components please tick the box Download Updates Immediately. When you get to the screen Additional Update Tasks give careful consideration to this: There is the option to choose Use Systems Settings Protection [Tea Timer] or to leave it out of the install. Tea Timer is a wonderful protection for system settings such as the Windows registry. But it involves making knowledge-based decisions. Essentially you need to be very familiar with computers to use this feature effectively. So if you are a power user then enable Tea Timer and if you aren't then perhaps don't enable it. In fact if you really need to follow this guide then you aren't a power user. So there lies a dilemma for you to solve for yourself - good luck.

You should move past the screen offering to back up system registry now. IMHO that's a harmless nuisance, but do select to Search For Updates. This will bring up an updater screen in the background. Just ignore that screen for now and press on with what you are doing, accepting no further deviations/tasks and leaving the new updater screen until the end. Then on the updater screen select everything offered and click Download Updates. When the updates have been installed click Immunise beside the large green plus sign. When that's finished click Search and Destroy and then Check for Problems. When the scan finishes you will see a list of infections in red in the panel. To fix these problems click Fix Selected Problems.

Congratulations, you have installed and updated Spybot Search & Destroy, and removed your first batch of system infections and you can close the program.

SpyBot General Settings

Spybot's general setting are installed as defaults during the installation. There is no need to change them.

SpyBot Update and Maintenance Routine

One a week at the least you should check for new malware definiton files and scan your computer. The icon on your desktop will activate the control panel [and so will the SpyBot entry in your program ladder (start-->programs etc)]. The control panel shows a slew of buttons. The ones of interest for maintenance are Check For Updates, Search For Problems and Immunise. They should be executed in that order each time you perform maintenance. If you perform maintenance once a week your system should be kept fairly clean.

zone alarm firewall

Download ZoneAlarm

Installing Zone Alarm

Just click the file to open it and installation will commence. Click next and on the screen un-tick [i.e. do not choose - you can do that later] inform me about important..... or I want to register ZoneAlarm.............. Then click next. Fill in the survey when it appears and be careful to select the free version when that selection screen appears, and continue to the final screen, agreeing to start ZoneAlarm Now. Then select free zone alarm and click next then finish, then finish again. And finally done and restart the computer. Now if you want to register your free version, please do so.

Zone Alarm Installation Update

It is not necessary to upgrade ZoneAlarm except very occasionally, and you will be informed by direct internet connection if an upgrade is available. So forget about that for now.

Zone Alarm General Settings

Zone Alarm needs to be told to let your home network connect to your workstation. If you have a home network then you need to enter the TCPIP address range of the network to allow the various computers on the network to communicate with each other. If you use IP address allocation by DHCP then enter the address range of your high speed router. This range can be obtained from the router. See the tutorial on routers to find out how to discover the appropriate range [in that tutorial you will find an example where the range is 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.199 which may or may not be appropriate for you]. If you have static address allocation the you will either know the address range or the person who configured the network will know.

If you don't know what I'm talking about then you can estimate the range as follows: In any Windows computer (98SE 2000 or XP) open a command prompt (start, all programs, accessories, command prompt) and enter "ipconfig /all" [yes there is a space before /all]. You will see a screen with IP addressing information. Your screen should look like this:

The line of interest in this example is towards the lower middle of the picture. You need to build a simple code from it. In my pic the line is: IP address________________________: 192.168.2.103 - you'll generally have something different. But write down your first three numbers x.y.z. and add 1 to get x.y.z.1 and then add 254 to get x.y.z.254 In my example the code would be 192.168.2.1 and 192.168.2.254 because x.y.z for me is 192.168.2

Next, double-click the ZA icon in the bottom right of your screen. A yellow-white configuration screen for Zone Alarm opens up. Click the Firewall tab on the left of that screen. Select Add and then IP range. You'll have three slots to fill in. Put the first code x.y.z.1 [using real numbers similar to my 192.168.2.1] in the first empty slot, then put the second part [similar to my 192.168.2.254] in the second slot and Home Network in the third slot. Click OK and then apply and then close the screen.

You've done it -- you have installed and configured a firewall.

Zone Alarm Update and Maintenance Routine

The default settings which are applied during installation are perfectly adequate for normal use.

It is not necessary to upgrade ZoneAlarm except very occasionally, and you will be informed by direct internet connection if an upgrade is available. So forget about that for now. Once ZoneAlarm is configured, no further attention in a maintenance context is required.

Swerdna: May 26 2006

Yahoo, THE END.
I hope this HowTo saves you from lot of worry and expenditure.
May You Live Long With Peace.

MS Windows Tutorials.

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Cheers, Swerdna.