To follow this Quicknote you need a computer running Windows 8/10, a computer account with administrator rights, and to uninstall any previously installed anti-virus programs (see next section for help on this).īefore starting the install, make sure you have no other anti-virus program installed, be it full, free, or trial versions. This Quicknote is for the benefit of the faculty, staff, and students who would like to know more about computer viruses and the use of Windows Defender. ITS now recommends using Windows Defender that comes installed on all Windows 8/10 devices.

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) was discontinued in January of 2020 along with Windows 7.

Simple sources, such as a banner ad on a site you frequent, to the more devious, hidden downloads that sneak their way through the software you are installing. Although it may not have been intentionally downloaded, a virus or malware can find its way onto your computer from a variety of sources. A virus can also be acquired by downloading infected files from the Internet. Most viruses are obtained by sharing and copying infected software. Computer viruses are software applications that are designed to perform malicious actions, such as destroying or corrupting data.

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