AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011, User Manual

Page 1: ...wners This product uses RSA Data Security Inc MD5 Message Digest Algorithm Copyright C 1991 2 RSA Data Security Inc Created 1991 This product uses code from C SaCzech library Copyright c 1996 2001 Jaromir Dolecek dolecek ics muni cz This product uses compression library zlib Copyright c 1995 2002 Jean loup Gailly and Mark Adler This product uses compression library libbzip2 Copyright c 1996 2002 J...

Page 2: ...allation 11 4 4 Custom options 12 4 5 Install the AVG Security Toolbar 13 4 6 Close running applications 14 4 7 Install progress 14 4 8 Installation was successful 16 5 After Installation 16 5 1 Product registration 16 5 2 Access to user interface 16 5 3 Scanning of the whole computer 16 5 4 Eicar test 17 5 5 AVG default configuration 18 6 AVG User Interface 19 6 1 System Menu 19 6 1 1 File 19 6 1...

Page 3: ...hield 34 7 4 1 Resident Shield Principles 34 7 4 2 Resident Shield Interface 34 7 4 3 Resident Shield Detection 39 7 5 E mail Scanner 39 7 5 1 E mail Scanner Principles 39 7 5 2 E mail Scanner Interface 39 7 5 3 E mail Scanner Detection 42 7 6 Update Manager 42 7 6 1 Update Manager Principles 42 7 6 2 Update Manager Interface 44 7 7 License 45 7 8 PC Analyzer 48 8 AVG Security Toolbar 48 8 1 AVG S...

Page 4: ... 7 2 Shell Extension Scan 66 9 7 3 Scan Specific Files or Folders 66 9 7 4 Removable Device Scan 71 9 8 Schedules 71 9 8 1 Scheduled Scan 71 9 8 2 Virus Database Update Schedule 71 9 8 3 Program Update Schedule 81 9 9 E mail Scanner 81 9 9 1 Certification 81 9 9 2 Mail Filtering 81 9 9 3 Servers 89 9 10 Resident Shield 89 9 10 1 Advanced Settings 89 9 10 2 Excluded items 92 9 11 Cache Server 94 9 ...

Page 5: ...canning 115 10 4 1 CMD Scan Parameters 117 10 5 Scan Scheduling 117 10 5 1 Schedule Settings 117 10 5 2 How to Scan 117 10 5 3 What to Scan 126 10 6 Scan Results Overview 127 10 7 Scan Results Details 127 10 7 1 Results Overview Tab 127 10 7 2 Infections Tab 127 10 7 3 Spyware Tab 127 10 7 4 Warnings Tab 127 10 7 5 Information Tab 134 10 8 Virus Vault 137 11 AVG Updates 137 11 1 Update Levels 137 ...

Page 6: ...ion 2011 you might discover you would like to have access to further and extended functionality of AVG paid products then please visit AVG website http www avg com for information on AVG 10 purchase options All AVG products offer Protection that s relevant to the way you use your computer and the Internet banking and shopping surfing and searching chatting and emailing or downloading files and soc...

Page 7: ...editions and possibly higher service packs for specific operating systems Note The ID Protection component is not supported on Windows XP x64 On this operating system you can install AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 but only without the IDP component 2 2 Minimum Recommended HW Requirements Minimum hardware requirements for AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 Intel Pentium CPU 1 5 GHz 512 MB of RAM me...

Page 8: ...ition 2011 visit the AVG Free website http free avg com and follow the AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 download link Once you have downloaded and saved the installation file on your hard disk you can launch the installation process The installation is a sequence of dialog windows with a brief description of what do at each step In the following we offer an explanation for each dialog window ...

Page 9: ...he language used for the installation process and the default language of AVG user interface In the upper section of the dialog window find the drop down menu with the list of languages you can chose from Attention Here you are selecting the language for the installation process The language you select will be installed as the default language for AVG user interface together with English that is i...

Page 10: ...hts reserved 10 4 2 Activate your AVG license In the Activate Your License dialog you have to fill in your licence number However for the free edition the License Number text field is already filled in Press the Next button to continue the installation process 4 3 Select type of installation ...

Page 11: ...o the following Install the AVG Security Toolbar dialog Custom Install should only be used by experienced users who have a valid reason to install AVG with non standard settings e g to fit specific system requirements Having selected this option press the Next button to proceed to the Custom Options dialog In the right hand section of the dialog you can find the check box related to AVG gadget sup...

Page 12: ...AVG Free edition Highlight any item in the Component Selection list and a brief description of the respective component will be displayed on the right side of this section For detailed information on each component s functionality please consult the Components Overview chapter of this documentation To revert to the default configuration pre set by the software vendor use the Default button Press t...

Page 13: ... Close running applications dialog appears during the installation process only in case there are some other clashing programs running on your computer at the moment Then the list of programs that need to be closed in order to successfully finish the installation process will be provided Press the Exit button over a selected item in the list to terminate the respective application or press the Ret...

Page 14: ...Install progress The Install Progress dialog shows the progress of the installation process and does not require any intervention After the installation process is finished the virus database and program will be updated automatically Then you will be redirected to the next dialog 4 8 Installation was successful ...

Page 15: ...checkbox to state you would like to be informed about what is new in the Internet security sphere and would like to receive information on AVG product special offers improvements and upgrades etc I agree to participate in the AVG 2011 web safety and Product Improvement Programme mark this checkbox to agree you want to participate in the Product Improvement Programme for details see chapter AVG Adv...

Page 16: ...cated in the bottom section of the AVG gadget if installed supported on Windows Vista Windows 7 5 3 Scanning of the whole computer There is a potential risk that a computer virus has been transmitted to your computer prior to AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 installation For this reason you should run a Scan of the whole computer to make sure there are no infections on your PC For instructions on ...

Page 17: ...AVG default configuration The default configuration i e how the application is set up right after installation of AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 is set up by the software vendor so that all components and functions are tuned up to achieve optimum performance Unless you have a real reason to do so do not change the AVG configuration Changes to settings should only be performed by an experienced u...

Page 18: ...G Free program details Quick Links left section of the window allow you to quickly access the most important and most frequently used AVG Free tasks details Components Overview central section of the window offer an overview of all installed AVG Free components details Statistics left bottom section of the window provide you with all statistical data regarding the programs operation details System...

Page 19: ...background and your computer will still be protected 6 1 2 Components The Components item of the system menu includes links to all installed AVG components opening their default dialog page in the user interface System overview switch to the default user interface dialog with the overview of all installed components and their status Anti Virus ensures that your computer is protected from viruses t...

Page 20: ...dition 2011 actions 6 1 4 Tools Scan computer switches to the AVG scanning interface and launches a scan of the whole computer Scan selected folder switches to the AVG scanning interface and allows you to define within the tree structure of your computer which files and folders should be scanned Scan file allows you to run an on demand test over a single file selected from the tree structure of yo...

Page 21: ...cal support Premium Support opens you browser and takes you to AVG Support Center page where you can select your product type to view all support options available for you About AVG opens the Information dialog with five tabs providing data on program name program and virus database version system info license agreement and contact information of AVG Technologies CZ 6 2 Security Status Info The Se...

Page 22: ...formance a new button named Fix alternatively Fix all if the problem involves more than one component appears next to the security status information Press the button to launch an automatic process of program checkout and configuration This is an easy way to set AVG Free to the optimum performance and reach the maximum security level It is strongly recommended that you pay attention to Security St...

Page 23: ...ts consisting of a panel with the component s icon and the information of whether the respective component is active or inactive Description of a selected component Within the AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 the Components Overview section contains information on the following components Anti Virus ensures that your computer is protected from viruses trying to enter your computer details Anti Spy...

Page 24: ...forms you about the currently installed version of the virus database AVG version informs you about the AVG Free version installed the number is in the form of 10 0 xxxx where 10 0 is the product line version and xxxx stands for the number of the build License type informs that you have currently installed the free version of AVG 6 6 System Tray Icon System Tray Icon on your Windows taskbar indica...

Page 25: ...kit scan and select the required scan it will be launched immediately Running scans this item is displays only in case a scan is currently running on your computer For this scan you can then set its priority alternatively stop or pause the running scan Further the following actions are accessible Set priority for all scans Pause all scans or Stop all scans Run PC Analyzer launches the PC Analyzer ...

Page 26: ...lts please consult the standard Scan results overview dialog the respective item will be listed as sidebar gadget scan Update now click the Update now link to launch the AVG Free update directly from within the gadget Twitter link opens a new AVG gadget interface providing an overview of the latest AVG feeds posted at the Twitter Follow the View all the AVG Twitter feeds link to open your Internet...

Page 27: ...A V G A nti V irus Free Edition 2011 2010 C opyright A V G T echnologies C Z s r o A ll rights reserved 27 PC Analyzer open the user interface in the PC Analyzer component ...

Page 28: ...known virus can run on the computer Where just a single technology might fall short of detecting or identifying a virus Anti Virus combines several technologies to ensure that your computer is protected from viruses Scanning searching for character strings that are characteristic of a given virus Heuristic analysis dynamic emulation of the scanned object s instructions in a virtual computer enviro...

Page 29: ...ime the virus database was last updated Database version defines the number of the currently installed virus database version and this number increases with every virus base update There is just one operating button available within this component s interface Back press the button to return to the default AVG user interface components overview 7 2 Anti Spyware 7 2 1 Anti Spyware Principles Spyware...

Page 30: ...m updates For this reason AVG allows you to fully scan your computer for malware spyware using the scanning feature It also detects sleeping and non active malware i e malware that has been downloaded but not yet activated 7 2 2 Anti Spyware Interface The Anti Spyware component s interface provides a brief overview on the component s functionality information on the component s current status and ...

Page 31: ...ich are known to be dangerous When searching with Google Yahoo WebHledani Yandex Baidu Bing AOL AltaVista EarthLink Ask Seznam eBay Twitter Digg or SlashDot all results of the search are checked according to this list and a verdict icon is shown for Yahoo search results only exploited website verdict icons are shown Surf Shield scans the contents of the websites you are visiting regardless of the ...

Page 32: ...essed by the user via a web browser or any other application that uses HTTP 7 3 3 Search Shield When searching Internet with the Search Shield on all search results returned from the most popular search engines Google Yahoo WebHledani Yandex Baidu Bing AOL AltaVista EarthLink Ask Seznam eBay Twitter Digg and SlashDot are evaluated for dangerous or suspicious links By checking these links and marki...

Page 33: ... link in question Information include additional details of the threat if any the IP address of the link and when the page was scanned by AVG 7 3 4 Surf Shield This powerful protection will block malicious content of any webpage you try to open and prevent it from being downloaded to your computer With this feature enabled clicking a link or typing in a URL to a dangerous site will automatically b...

Page 34: ...oes not allow the virus to activate itself Normally you do not even notice the process as it runs in the background and you only get notified when threats are found at the same time Resident Shield blocks activation of the threat and removes it Resident Shield is being loaded in the memory of your computer during system startup What the Resident Shield can do Scan for specific kinds of possible th...

Page 35: ... value Resident Shield settings In the bottom part of the dialog window you will find the section called Resident Shield settings where you can edit some basic settings of the component s functionality detailed configuration as with all other components is available via the Tools Advanced settings item of the system menu The Resident Shield is active option allows you to easily switch on off resid...

Page 36: ...te The software vendor has set up all AVG components to give optimum performance Unless you have a real reason to do so do not change the AVG configuration Any changes to settings should only be performed by an experienced user If you need to change AVG configuration select the system menu item Tools Advanced settings and edit the AVG configuration in the newly opened AVG Advanced Settings dialog ...

Page 37: ...ns are available Please note that upon specific conditions what kind of file is infected and where it is located not all of the options are always available Remove threat as Power User check the box if you suppose that you might not have sufficient rights to remove the threat as a common user Power Users have extensive access rights and if the threat is located in a certain system folder you might...

Page 38: ...n History Resident Shield detection The Resident Shield detection offers an overview of objects that were detected by the Resident Shield evaluated as dangerous and either cured or moved to the Virus Vault For each detected object the following information is provided Infection description possibly even name of the detected object Object object location Result action performed with the detected ob...

Page 39: ...it with e mail clients that do not have their own plug in in AVG but can be also used to scan e mail messages for e mail clients that AVG supports with a specific plug in i e Microsoft Outlook and The Bat Primarily it is to be used with e mail applications like Outlook Express Mozilla Incredimail etc During AVG installation AVG there are automatic servers created for e mail control one for checkin...

Page 40: ...nfections detected in e mail messages since the last E mail Scanner launch Installed e mail protection information about a specific e mail protection plug in referring to your default installed e mail client E mail Scanner settings In the bottom part of the dialog you can find the section named E mail Scanner settings where you can edit some elementary features of the component s functionality Sca...

Page 41: ...nced configuration is recommended for experienced users only Please note The software vendor has set up all AVG components to give optimum performance Unless you have a real reason to do so do not change the AVG configuration Any changes to settings should only be performed by an experienced user If you need to change AVG configuration select the system menu item Tools Advanced settings and edit t...

Page 42: ... The control buttons available within the E mail Scanner detection interface are as follows Refresh list updates the list of detected threats Back switches you back to the previously displayed dialog 7 6 Update Manager 7 6 1 Update Manager Principles No security software can guarantee true protection from various types of threats unless it is regularly updated Virus writers are always looking for ...

Page 43: ... at what time the database is scheduled to be updated again Update Manager settings In the bottom part of the dialog you can find the Update Manager settings section where you can perform some changes to the rules of the update process launch You can define whether you wish the update files to be downloaded automatically Start automatic updates or just on demand By default the Start automatic upda...

Page 44: ...d user If you need to change AVG configuration select the system menu item Tools Advanced settings and edit the AVG configuration in the newly opened AVG Advanced Settings dialog Control buttons The control buttons available within the Update Manager interface are as follows Update now launches an immediate update on demand Save changes press this button to save and apply any changes made in this ...

Page 45: ... opens the Activate AVG dialog with the data you have entered in the Personalize AVG dialog of the installation process Within this dialog you can enter your license number to either replace the sales number the number you have installed AVG with or to replace the old license number e g when upgrading to a new AVG product Note If using the trial version of AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 the butt...

Page 46: ...ically these will be many kinds of temporary files and files in the Recycle Bin Fragmentation will calculate the percentage of your harddisk that is fragmented i e used for a long time so that most files are now scattered on different parts of the physical disk You can use some defragmentation tool to fix this Broken Shortcuts will notify you of shortcuts that no longer work lead to non existing l...

Page 47: ...s in the Severity column Control buttons Analyze now displayed before the analysis stars press this button to launch the immediate analysis of your computer Fix now displayed once the analysis is finished press the button to get to the AVG website http www avg com at page providing detailed and up to date information related to PC Analyzer component Cancel press this button to stop the running ana...

Page 48: ...Firefox version 3 0 or higher Once you have decided you want to install AVG Security Toolbar during the AVG installation process you were asked to decide whether or not you wish to install the component the component will be located in your web browser just under the address bar The AVG Security Toolbar consists of the following 8 1 1 AVG logo button This button provides access to general toolbar ...

Page 49: ... AVG Security Toolbar Help provides options to open the help file contact AVG technical support send your product related feedback or view the details of the current version of the toolbar 8 1 2 AVG Secure Search powered search box AVG Secure Search powered search box is easy and safe way to search the web using Yahoo search Enter a word or phrase into the search box press the Search button or the...

Page 50: ...essible and so could not be scanned Click the button to open an information panel with detailed data on the specific web page 8 1 4 News Similarly directly from within the AVG Security Toolbar this button opens an overview of the latest news from selected media divided into several sections In the right upper corner you can see two red control buttons the button opens the editing dialog where you ...

Page 51: ...itch between the Basic Advanced option to select the design of the news overview advanced design is set by default see picture above o Hide read messages mark this item to confirm that any read message should not be displayed any longer in the news overview and should be replaced by a new headline o Button shows in this field you can assign what sort of news should be displayed in the AVG Security...

Page 52: ...e from the drop down menu within the Other item at the moment you can use this option if your account is on Yahoo Mail or Hotmail If you are not sure what e mail server type your account uses try to find the information from your e mail provider or your internet service provider Login In the section below provide the exact form of your e mail address and the respective password Keep the Auto Login...

Page 53: ...ck the button to open a new info panel with detailed weather overview Following find the editing options Change location click the Change location text to display a new dialog called Search for your location Fill in the name of your desired location into the text field and confirm by clicking the Search button Next within the list of all locations of the same name select the destination you are lo...

Page 54: ...o allow its functioning therefore make sure you allow it Then the Facebook connection will be activated and the Facebook button within AVG Security Toolbar now offers the standard Facebook menu options 8 2 AVG Security Toolbar Options All AVG Security Toolbar parameters configuration is accessible directly within the AVG Security Toolbar panel The editing interface opens via the AVG Options toolba...

Page 55: ...ry or Delete cookies directly from the AVG Security Toolbar panel E mail Notifier Button the button allows you to have displayed your newly arrived e mail messages within the AVG Security Toolbar interface Weather Button the button offers an immediate information on the weather situation in a selected location Facebook Button the button offers a direct connection to the Facebook social network 8 2...

Page 56: ...elect graphical symbols used for search results ratings by the Search Shield component that you want to use o page is safe o page is somewhat suspicious o page containing links to positively dangerous pages o page contains active threats o page is not accessible and so could not be scanned Mark the respective option to confirm you want to be informed about this specific threat level However displa...

Page 57: ...rch as the search provider for Address bar if marked this option allows you to type a search keyword directly into the address bar into your Internet browser and the AVG Secure Search service will be used automatically to search for relevant websites Let AVG make suggestion on browser navigation errors 404 if when searching the web you run into a non existing page or a page that cannot be displaye...

Page 58: ... hand section of the window 9 1 Appearance The first item of the navigation tree Appearance refers to the general settings of the AVG user interface and a few elementary options of the application s behavior Language selection In the Language selection section you can chose your desired language from the drop down menu the language will then be used for the entire AVG user interface The drop down ...

Page 59: ... be displayed you can define and specify your preferences by checking unchecking the following options Display system tray notifications by default this item is checked switched on and notifications are displayed Uncheck this item to completely turn off the display of all balloon notifications When turned on you can further select what specific notifications should be displayed o Display tray noti...

Page 60: ...isplayed Gaming mode This AVG function is designed for full screen applications where possible AVG information balloons displayed e g when a scheduled scan is started would be disturbing they could minimize the application or corrupt its graphics To avoid this situation keep the check box for the Enable gaming mode when a full screen application is executed option marked default setting 9 2 Sounds...

Page 61: ...ty components conditions dialog you can tick those components that you do not want to get informed about By default no component is selected in this list It means that if any component get to an error status you will be informed about it immediately via system tray icon while all parts of AVG are working properly the icon is displayed in four colors however if an error occurs the icon appears with...

Page 62: ...select components that may be in an error state or switched off and you do not wish to get informed about it The same option of Ignoring component state is also available for specific components directly from the components overview in the AVG main window 9 4 Virus Vault The Virus Vault maintenance dialog allows you to define several parameters regarding the administration of objects stored in the...

Page 63: ...lly unwanted program If you wish to keep such a program on your computer you can define it as a potentially unwanted program exception The Potentially Unwanted Programs Exceptions dialog displays a list of already defined and currently valid exceptions from potentially unwanted programs You can edit the list delete existing items or add new exceptions The following information can be found in the ...

Page 64: ...splays the unique signature of the chosen file This checksum is an automatically generated string of characters which allows AVG to unequivocally distinguish the chosen file from other files The checksum is generated and displayed after successful addition of the file o File Info displays any additional information available about the file license version information etc o Any location do not use ...

Page 65: ...Bay Twitter Digg or SlashDot having checked ahead the content of sites returned by the search engine Enable Surf Shield on by default active real time protection against exploitive sites as they are accessed Known malicious site connections and their exploitive content is blocked as they are accessed by the user via a web browser or any other application that uses HTTP Add Secured by LinkScanner m...

Page 66: ...of the entire computer Shell Extension Scan specific scanning of a selected object directly from the Windows Explorer environment Scan Specific Files or Folders standard predefined scan of selected areas of your computer Removable Device Scan specific scanning of removable devices attached to your computer 9 7 1 Scan Whole Computer The Whole Computer scan option allows you to edit parameters of on...

Page 67: ...lock legal programs and is therefore switched off by default Scan for Tracking Cookies off by default this parameter of the Anti Spyware component defines that cookies should be detected HTTP cookies are used for authenticating tracking and maintaining specific information about users such as site preferences or the contents of their electronic shopping carts Scan inside archives off by default th...

Page 68: ... scanning speed dependent on system resource usage By default this option value is set to User sensitive level which means that minimum resources are used while you work with your PC and the scan runs in the high priority mode while you are away If you want the scanning to run faster it will take less time but system resources usage will increase significantly during the scan and will slow down yo...

Page 69: ...d Settings Scans Whole Computer scan Compared to Whole Computer scan dialog the Shell extension scan dialog also includes the section named Other settings related to AVG User Interface where you can specify whether you want the scan progress and scan results to be accessible from the AVG user interface Also you can define that the scan result should only be displayed in case an infection is detect...

Page 70: ...A ll rights reserved 70 All parameters set up in this configuration dialog apply only to the areas selected for scanning with the Scan of specific files or folders Note For a description of specific parameters please consult the chapter AVG Advanced Settings Scans Whole Computer scan ...

Page 71: ... computer By default this scanning is switched off However it is crucial to scan removable devices for potential threats since these are a major source of infection To have this scanning ready and launched automatically when needed mark the Enable Removable device scan option Note For a description of specific parameters please consult the chapter AVG Advanced Settings Scans Whole Computer scan 9 ...

Page 72: ... schedules there is the name assigned to this very schedule by the program vendor For newly added schedules you can add a new schedule by mouse right click over the Scheduled scan item in the left navigation tree you can specify your own name and in that case the text field will be open for editing Try to always use brief descriptive and apt names for scans to make it easier to later recognize the...

Page 73: ...y defining an exact date and time Run at specific time interval or possibly by defining an event that the scan launch should be associated with Action based on computer startup Advanced schedule options This section allows you to define under which conditions the scan should should not be launched if the computer is in low power mode or switched off completely Once the scheduled scan is launched i...

Page 74: ...anning it can be healed automatically if a cure is available If the infected file cannot be healed automatically the infected object will be moved to the Virus Vault Report Potentially Unwanted Programs and Spyware threats on by default check to activate the Anti Spyware engine and scan for spyware as well as for viruses Spyware represents a questionable malware category even though it usually rep...

Page 75: ...tion to activate the most thorough scanning algorithms that will scan even those areas of your computer that can hardly get infected just to be absolutely sure Remember though that this method is rather time consuming Scan for rootkits off by default tick this item if you want to include the rootkit detection into scanning of the entire computer The rootkit detection is also available on its own w...

Page 76: ... activities on the PC this option can be used when your computer is switched on but nobody is currently working on it On the other hand you can decrease the system resources usage by extending the scanning duration Set additional scan reports Click the Set additional scan reports link to open a standalone dialog window called Scan reports where you can tick several items to define what scan findin...

Page 77: ...n the What to scan tab you can define whether you want to schedule scanning of the whole computer or scanning of specific files or folders If you select scanning of specific files or folders in the bottom part of this dialog the displayed tree structure activates and you can specify the folders to be scanned ...

Page 78: ...nent Within this dialog you can set up some detailed parameters of the virus database update schedule In the text field called Name deactivated for all default schedules there is the name assigned to this very schedule by the program vendor Schedule running In this section specify the time intervals for the newly scheduled virus database update launch The timing can either be defined by the repeat...

Page 79: ...the internet connection is restored Once the scheduled update is launched in the time you have specified you will be informed on this fact via a pop up window opened over the AVG system tray icon provided that you have kept the default configuration of the the Advanced Settings Appearance dialog 9 8 3 Program Update Schedule On the Schedule settings tab you can first check uncheck the Enable this ...

Page 80: ...uld should not be launched if the computer is in low power mode or switched off completely Other update settings Check the Run the update again as soon as the Internet connection is available option to make sure than if the internet connection gets corrupted and the update process fails it will be launched again immediately after the internet connection is restored Once the scheduled update is lau...

Page 81: ... all e mail messages delivered to your e mail client Check outgoing e mail off by default mark to switch on off the option of scanning of all e mails sent from your account Modify subject of virus infected messages off by default if you want to be warned the scanned e mail message was detected as infectious mark this item and fill in the desired text into the text field This text will then be adde...

Page 82: ...sibly block legal programs and is therefore switched off by default Scan inside archives on by default check to scan contents of archives attached to e mail messages Enable thorough scanning off by default in specific situations e g suspicious of your computer being infected by an virus or exploit you may check this option to activate the most thorough scanning algorithms that will scan even those...

Page 83: ...be notified via e mail about password protected archives password protected documents macro containing files and or files with hidden extension detected as an attachment of the scanned e mail message If such a message is identified during scanning define whether the detected infectious object should be moved to the Virus Vault 9 9 1 Certification In the Certification dialog you can specify the tex...

Page 84: ...n Language used for the e mail certification text 9 9 2 Mail Filtering The Attachment filter dialog allows you to set up parameters for e mail messages attachment scanning By default the Remove attachments option is switched off If you decide to activate it all e mail message attachments detected as infectious or potentially dangerous will be removed automatically If you want to define specific ty...

Page 85: ...the name of newly added servers to add a POP3 server click the right mouse button over the POP3 item of the left navigation menu For automatically created AutoPOP3 server this field is deactivated Type of login defines the method for determining the mail server used for incoming mail o Automatic Login will be carried out automatically according to your e mail client settings o Fixed host In this c...

Page 86: ...plication should be expected You must then specify in your mail application this port as the port for POP3 communication o Connection in the drop down menu you can specify which kind of connection to use regular SSL SSL default If you choose SSL connection the data sent is encrypted without the risk of being traced or monitored by a third party This feature is also only available when the destinat...

Page 87: ...ell as an IP address for example 123 45 67 89 for a name If the mail server uses a non standard port you can type this port behind the server name using a colon as the delimiter for example smtp acme com 8200 The standard port for SMTP communication is 25 Additional settings specifies more detailed parameters o Local port specifies the port on which the communication from your mail application sho...

Page 88: ...e of login defines the method for determining the mail server used for outgoing mail o Automatic login will be carried out automatically according to your e mail client settings o Fixed host in this case the program will always use the server specified here Please specify the address or name of your mail server You may use a domain name for example smtp acme com as well as an IP address for exampl...

Page 89: ...ure is available only when the destination mail server supports it E mail client IMAP server activation check uncheck this box to activate deactivate the above specified SMTP server 9 10 Resident Shield The Resident Shield component performs live protection of files and folders against viruses spyware and other malware In the Resident Shield Settings dialog you can activate or deactivate the Resid...

Page 90: ...sibly block legal programs and is therefore switched off by default Scan files on close off by default on close scanning ensures that AVG scans active objects e g applications documents when they are being opened and also when they are being closed this feature helps you protect your computer against some types of sophisticated virus Scan boot sector of removable media on by default Use Heuristics...

Page 91: ...xtensions Decide whether you want all files to be scanned or just infectable files if so you can further specify a list of extensions defining files that should be excluded from scanning and also a list of file extensions defining files that must be scanned under all circumstances The below section called The Resident Shield will scan further summarizes the current settings displaying a detailed o...

Page 92: ...y directories to be excluded from the scanning by selecting them one by one from the local disk navigation tree Add File specify files to be excluded from the scanning by selecting them one by one from the local disk navigation tree Edit Item allows you to edit the specified path to a selected file or folder Remove Item allows you to delete the path to a selected item from the list 9 11 Cache Serv...

Page 93: ... off the Cache Server and empty the cache memory Please note that scanning might slow down and overall performance of your computer decrease as every single file in use will be scanned for viruses and spyware first Enable adding new files into cache on by default uncheck the box to stop adding more files into the cache memory Any already cached files will be kept and used until caching is turned o...

Page 94: ...ected since this way AVG can secure the maximum safety level Scheduling an update for the next PC restart can only be recommended if you are sure the computer gets restarted regularly at least daily If you decide to keep the default configuration and launch the update process immediately you can specify the circumstances under which a possible required restart should be performed Require confirmat...

Page 95: ... in its original configuration from this point This option is accessible via Start All Programs Accessories System tools System Restore but any changes can be recommended to experienced users only Keep this check box ticked if you want to make use of this functionality Use DNS update on by default with this item marked once the update is launched your AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 looks up the ...

Page 96: ...n in the first item of the Update settings Proxy dialog you have to select from the combo box menu whether you want to Use proxy Do not use proxy server default settings Try connection using proxy and if it fails connect directly If you select any option using proxy server you will have to specify some further data The server settings can be configured either manually or automatically Manual confi...

Page 97: ...Use PROXY authentication option to verify that your user name and password are valid for connecting to the Internet via the proxy server Automatic configuration If you select automatic configuration mark the Auto option to activate the respective dialog section then please select where the proxy configuration should be taken from From browser the configuration will be read from your default intern...

Page 98: ...et The dialog s fields are inactive until you check the Use dial up connections option that activates the fields Specify whether you want to connect to the Internet automatically Automatically open this connection or you wish to confirm the connection manually every time Ask before connection For automatic connection you should further select whether the connection should be closed after the updat...

Page 99: ...n be downloaded The list and its items can be modified using the following control buttons Add opens a dialog where you can specify a new URL to be added to the list Edit opens a dialog where you can edit the selected URL parameters Delete deletes the selected URL from the list Move Up moves the selected URL one position up in the list Move Down moves the selected URL one position down in the list...

Page 100: ...s Delete temporary update files press this button to delete all redundant update files from your hard disk by default these files are being saved for 30 days Revert virus database to previous version press this button to delete the latest virus base version from your hard disk and to return to the previously saved version new virus base version will be a part of the following update ...

Page 101: ...down first to make sure there are no unwanted interruptions during the installation process Should you really experience problem during installation try to deactivate the Resident Shield component first If you do have to temporarily disable AVG you should re enable it as soon as you re done If you are connected to the Internet or a network during the time your antivirus software is disabled your c...

Page 102: ...d dangerous websites are very innovative and new kinds of threats emerge quite often the vast majority of which are on the Internet Here are some of the most common A virus is a malicious code that copies and spreads itself often unnoticed until the damage is done Some viruses are a serious threat deleting or deliberately changing files on their way while some viruses can do something seemingly ha...

Page 103: ...mming a trustworthy and well known organization Usually the potential victims are contacted by a bulk e mail asking them to e g update their bank account details In order to do that they are invited to follow the link provided which then leads to a fake website of the bank Hoax is a bulk e mail containing dangerous alarming or just bothering and useless information Many of the above threats use ho...

Page 104: ...anced settings interface via the Enable AVG Security Toolbar option The Repair button will put all parts of AVG Security Toolbar to fully functional state revert to default settings and make sure that AVG Security Toolbar will work faultlessly in all supported internet browsers If you have previously deactivated AVG Security Toolbar whether within this dialog or directly in the internet browser pr...

Page 105: ...er quick link Click this link to switch to the Scan for threats dialog In this dialog you will find the following overview of predefined scans three types of scans defined by the software vendor are ready to be used immediately on demand or scheduled o Whole computer scan o Scan specific files or folders o Anti Rootkit scan scan scheduling section where you can define new tests and create new sche...

Page 106: ...Edition 2011 you will find the following types of scanning predefined by the software vendor 10 2 1 Whole Computer Scan Whole Computer scan scans your entire computer for possible infections and or potentially unwanted programs This test will scan all hard drives of your computer will detect and heal any virus found or remove the detected infection to the Virus Vault Scanning of the whole of your ...

Page 107: ...ting the predefined default settings of the Whole computer scan Press the Change scan settings link to get to the Change scan settings for Whole Computer scan dialog accessible from the scanning interface via the Change scan settings link for the Whole computer scan It is recommended to keep to the default settings unless you have a valid reason to change them ...

Page 108: ...hat increases your computer security even more however it can possibly block legal programs and is therefore switched off by default o Scan for Tracking Cookies off by default this parameter of the Anti Spyware component defines that cookies should be detected HTTP cookies are used for authenticating tracking and maintaining specific information about users such as site preferences or the contents...

Page 109: ...r non executable files including media files video audio files if you leave this box unchecked it will reduce the scanning time even more because these files are often quite large and are not too likely to be infected by a virus Again you can specify by extensions which files are those that should always be scanned Ø Optionally you can decide you want to Scan files without extension this option is...

Page 110: ...e scanning progress in case of virus detection and its treatment is the same as with the scan of the whole computer any virus found is healed or removed to the Virus Vault Specific files or folders scanning can be used to set up your own tests and their scheduling based on your needs Scan launch The Scan of specific files or folders can be launched directly from the scanning interface by clicking ...

Page 111: ...on editing You have the option of editing the predefined default settings of the Scan of specific files or folders Press the Change scan settings link to get to the Change scan settings for Scan of specific files or folders dialog It is recommended to keep to the default settings unless you have a valid reason to change them ...

Page 112: ...at increases your computer security even more however it can possibly block legal programs and is therefore switched off by default o Scan for Tracking Cookies off by default this parameter of the Anti Spyware component defines that cookies should be detected HTTP cookies are used for authenticating tracking and maintaining specific information about users such as site preferences or the contents ...

Page 113: ... executable files including media files video audio files if you leave this box unchecked it will reduce the scanning time even more because these files are often quite large and are not too likely to be infected by a virus Again you can specify by extensions which files are those that should always be scanned Ø Optionally you can decide you want to Scan files without extension this option is on b...

Page 114: ...as the default configuration to be used for all further scans of specific files or folders Also this configuration will be used as a template for all of your newly scheduled scans all customized scans are based on the current configuration of the Scan of selected files or folders 10 3 Scanning in Windows Explorer Besides the pre defined scans launched for the entire computer or its selected areas ...

Page 115: ...arameter with multiple parameters these should be lined in a row and separated by a space and a slash character if a parameters requires specific value to be provided e g the scan parameter that requires information on what are the selected areas of your computer that are to be scanned and you have to provide an exact path to the selected section the values are divided by semicolons for instance a...

Page 116: ...ble for the command line scanning SCAN Scan specific files or folders SCAN path path e g SCAN C D COMP Whole Computer scan HEUR Use heuristic analyse EXCLUDE Exclude path or files from scan Command file file name EXT Scan these extensions for example EXT EXE DLL NOEXT Do not scan these extensions for example NOEXT JPG ARC Scan archives CLEAN Clean automatically TRASH Move infected files to the Vir...

Page 117: ...you suspect an infection has been dragged to your computer or based on a scheduled plan It is highly recommended to run the scans based on a schedule this way you can make sure your computer is protected from any possibility of getting infected and you will not have to worry about if and when to launch the scan You should launch the Whole Computer scan regularly at least once a week However if pos...

Page 118: ...ologies C Z s r o A ll rights reserved 118 Schedule scans Click the graphical icon within the Schedule scans section to open a new Schedule scans dialog where you find a list of all currently scheduled scans You can edit add scans using the following control buttons ...

Page 119: ...e if you have already previously selected an existing test from the list of scheduled tests This test can then be deleted from the list by pressing the control button However you can only remove your own tests the Whole computer scan schedule pre defined within the default settings can never be deleted Back return to AVG scanning interface 10 5 1 Schedule Settings If you wish to schedule a new tes...

Page 120: ...ther be defined by the repeated scan launch after a certain period of time Run every or by defining an exact date and time Run at specific time or possibly by defining an event that the scan launch should be associated with Action based on computer startup Advanced schedule options this section allows you to define under which conditions the scan should should not be launched if the computer is in...

Page 121: ...d action is to remove the infected file to the Virus Vault Report Potentially Unwanted Programs and Spyware threats on by default check to activate the Anti Spyware engine and scan for spyware as well as for viruses Spyware represents a questionable malware category even though it usually represents a security risk some of these programs can be installed intentionally We recommend to keep this fea...

Page 122: ...ter Enable thorough scanning off by default in specific situations suspicious of your computer being infected you may check this option to activate the most thorough scanning algorithms that will scan even those areas of your computer that can hardly get infected just to be absolutely sure Remember though that this method is rather time consuming Then you can change the scan configuration as follo...

Page 123: ... and should be scanned at all times Adjust how quickly Scan completes you can use the slider to change the scanning process priority By default this option value is set to User sensitive level which means that minimum resources are used while you work with your PC and the scan runs in the high priority mode while you are away Alternatively you can run the scanning process slower which means the sy...

Page 124: ...efault dialog 10 5 3 What to Scan On the What to scan tab you can define whether you want to schedule scanning of the whole computer or scanning of specific files or folders In case you select scanning of specific files or folders in the bottom part of this dialog the displayed tree structure activates and you can specify folders to be scanned expand items by clicking the plus node until you find ...

Page 125: ...r C Users user AppData Local Temp Windows Vista 7 o Temporary Internet Files C Documents and Settings User Local Settings Temporary Internet Files Windows XP or C Users user AppData Local Microsoft Windows Temporary Internet Files Windows Vista 7 Control buttons of the Settings for scheduled scan dialog There are two control buttons available on all three tabs of the Settings for scheduled scan di...

Page 126: ...s or a name you have given to your own scheduled scan Every name includes an icon indicating the scan result green icon informs there was no infection detected during the scan blue icon announces there was an infection detected during the scan but the infected object was removed automatically red icon warns there was an infection detected during the scan and it could not be removed Each icon can e...

Page 127: ...ss it to switch to the Scan results dialog to view detailed data on the selected scan Delete result press it to remove the selected item from the scan results overview Back switches back to the default dialog of the AVG scanning interface 10 7 Scan Results Details If in the Scan Results Overview dialog a specific scan is selected you can then click the View details button to switch to the Scan Res...

Page 128: ...not be scanned e g password protected archives 10 7 1 Results Overview Tab On the Scan results tab you can find detailed statistics with information on detected virus infections spyware removed virus infections spyware the number of virus infections spyware that cannot be removed or healed In addition you will find information on the date and exact time of the scan launch on the total number of sc...

Page 129: ...irus Encyclopedia online Result defines the current status of the infected object that was detected during scanning o Infected the infected object was detected and left in its original location for instance if you have switched off the automatic healing option in a specific scan settings o Healed the infected object was healed automatically and left in its original location o Moved to Virus Vault ...

Page 130: ...three control buttons available in this dialog View details the button opens a new dialog window named Detailed object information In this dialog you can find detailed information on the detected infectious object e g infected object name and location object type SDK type detection result and history of actions related to the detected object Using the Previous Next buttons you can view information...

Page 131: ...rus Encyclopedia online Result defines the current status of the object that was detected during scanning o Infected the infected object was detected and left in its original location for instance if you have switched off the automatic healing option in a specific scan settings o Healed the infected object was healed automatically and left in its original location o Moved to Virus Vault the infect...

Page 132: ...ntrol buttons available in this dialog View details the button opens a new dialog window named Detailed object information In this dialog you can find detailed information on the detected infectious object e g infected object name and location object type SDK type detection result and history of actions related to the detected object Using the Previous Next buttons you can view information on spec...

Page 133: ...for loading custom website layout pre filling user name etc Suspicious registry keys Some malware stores its information into Windows registry to ensure it is loaded on startup or to extend its effect on the operating system 10 7 5 Information Tab The Information tab contains data on such findings that cannot be categorized as infections spyware etc They can neither be positively labeled as danger...

Page 134: ...ent for the management of suspect infected objects detected during AVG tests Once an infected object is detected during scanning and AVG is not able to heal it automatically you are asked to decide what is to be done with the suspect object The recommended solution is to move the object to the Virus Vault for further treatment The main purpose of the Virus Vault is to keep any deleted file for a c...

Page 135: ...name of an e mail attachment that does not respond to the actual content of the attachment it will be provided in this column Date of storage date and time the suspected file was detected and removed to the Virus Vault Control buttons The following control buttons are accessible from the Virus Vault interface Restore removes the infected file back to its original location on your disk Restore As i...

Page 136: ...A ll rights reserved 136 Delete removes the infected file from the Virus Vault completely and irreversibly Empty Vault removes all Virus Vault content completely By removing the files from the Virus Vault these files are irreversibly removed from the disk not moved to the recycle bin ...

Page 137: ...heduled program update and scheduled scan occurs the update process is of higher priority and the scan will get interrupted 11 2 Update Types You can distinguish between two types of update On demand update is an immediate AVG update that can be performed any time the need arises Scheduled update within AVG it is also possible to pre set an update plan The planned update is then performed periodic...

Page 138: ...re the AVG program update launch a system restore point is created In case the update process fails and your operating system crashes you can always restore your OS in its original configuration from this point This option is accessible via Start All Programs Accessories System tools System Restore Recommended to experienced users only ...

Page 139: ...eration History records the following types of events Information about updates of the AVG application Scanning start end or stop including automatically performed tests Events connected with virus detection by the Resident Shield or scanning including occurrence location Other important events For each event the following information are listed Event date and time gives exact date and time the ev...

Page 140: ...right A V G T echnologies C Z s r o A ll rights reserved 140 Event description gives brief summary of what actually happened Control buttons Empty list deletes all entries in the list of events Refresh list updates all entries in the list of events ...

Page 141: ...e FAQ section of AVG website http free avg com faq You can also use the discussion forum for AVG Free users accessible at http forums avg com Unfortunately using AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 2011 you are not entitled to technical support provided to full versions of AVG products You may want to consider buying the full version of AVG then please visit the AVG website http www avg com for informatio...