AVG ANTI-VIRUS 2011 - REV 2011.10 User Manual

A V G A nti-V irus 2 0 11 © 201 0 Copyri ght A VG T ec hnologies CZ, s.r.o. A ll rights res erv ed. 1
Document revision 2011.10 (2. 12. 2010)
Copyright AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This product uses RSA Data Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm, Copyright (C) 1991-2, RSA Data Security, Inc. C reated 1991. This product uses code from C-SaCzech library, C opyright (c) 1996-2001 Jaromir Dolecek (dolecek@ics.muni.cz). This product uses compression library zlib, C opyright (c) 1995-2002 Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler. This product uses compression library libbzip2, C opyright (c) 1996-2002 Julian R. Seward.
AVG Anti-Virus 2011
User Manual
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Contents
........................................................................................................................ 7
1. Introduction
........................................................................................................................ 8
2. AVG Installation Requirements
.......................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Operation Systems Supported
.......................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Minimum & Recommended HW Requirements
........................................................................................................................ 9
3. AVG Installation Options
........................................................................................................................ 10
4. AVG Installation Process
.......................................................................................................... 10
4.1 Welcome
.......................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Activate your AVG license
.......................................................................................................... 12
4.3 Select type of installation
.......................................................................................................... 13
4.4 Custom options
.......................................................................................................... 14
4.5 Install the AVG Security Toolbar
.......................................................................................................... 15
4.6 Close running applications
.......................................................................................................... 16
4.7 Install progress
.......................................................................................................... 16
4.8 Installation was successful
........................................................................................................................ 19
5. After Installation
.......................................................................................................... 19
5.1 Product registration
.......................................................................................................... 19
5.2 Access to user interface
.......................................................................................................... 19
5.3 Scanning of the whole computer
.......................................................................................................... 19
5.4 Eicar test
.......................................................................................................... 20
5.5 AVG default configuration
........................................................................................................................ 21
6. AVG User Interface
.......................................................................................................... 22
6.1 System Menu
.......................................................................................................... 22
6.1.1 File
.......................................................................................................... 22
6.1.2 Components
.......................................................................................................... 22
6.1.3 History
.......................................................................................................... 22
6.1.4 Tools
.......................................................................................................... 22
6.1.5 Help
.......................................................................................................... 24
6.2 Security Status Info
.......................................................................................................... 25
6.3 Quick Links
.......................................................................................................... 25
6.4 Components Overview
.......................................................................................................... 26
6.5 Statistics
.......................................................................................................... 26
6.6 System Tray Icon
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.......................................................................................................... 27
6.7 AVG gadget
........................................................................................................................ 29
7. AVG Components
.......................................................................................................... 29
7.1 Anti-Virus
.......................................................................................................... 29
7.1.1 Anti-Virus Principles
.......................................................................................................... 29
7.1.2 Anti-Virus Interface
.......................................................................................................... 30
7.2 Anti-Spyware
.......................................................................................................... 30
7.2.1 Anti-Spyware Principles
.......................................................................................................... 30
7.2.2 Anti-Spyware Interface
.......................................................................................................... 32
7.3 Link Scanner
.......................................................................................................... 32
7.3.1 Link Sc anner Principles
.......................................................................................................... 32
7.3.2 Link Sc anner Interface
.......................................................................................................... 32
7.3.3 Search-Shield
.......................................................................................................... 32
7.3.4 Surf-Shield
.......................................................................................................... 35
7.4 Resident Shield
.......................................................................................................... 35
7.4.1 Resident Shield Principles
.......................................................................................................... 35
7.4.2 Resident Shield Interface
.......................................................................................................... 35
7.4.3 Resident Shield Detection
.......................................................................................................... 40
7.5 E-mail Scanner
.......................................................................................................... 40
7.5.1 E-mail Scanner Principles
.......................................................................................................... 40
7.5.2 E-mail Scanner Interface
.......................................................................................................... 40
7.5.3 E-mail Scanner Detection
.......................................................................................................... 43
7.6 Update Manager
.......................................................................................................... 43
7.6.1 Update Manager Principles
.......................................................................................................... 43
7.6.2 Update Manager Interface
.......................................................................................................... 45
7.7 License
.......................................................................................................... 47
7.8 Remote Administration
.......................................................................................................... 47
7.9 Online Shield
.......................................................................................................... 47
7.9.1 Online Shield Principles
.......................................................................................................... 47
7.9.2 Online Shield Interface
.......................................................................................................... 47
7.9.3 Online Shield Detection
.......................................................................................................... 51
7.10 Anti-Rootkit
.......................................................................................................... 51
7.11 PC Analyzer
.......................................................................................................... 53
7.12 ID Protection
.......................................................................................................... 53
7.12.1 ID Protection Principles
.......................................................................................................... 53
7.12.2 ID Protection Interface
........................................................................................................................ 55
8. AVG Security Toolbar
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1 AVG Security Toolbar Interface
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.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.1 AVG logo button
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.2 AVG Sec ure Search (powered by Google) powered search box
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.3 Page Status
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.4 AVG News
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.5 News
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.6 Delete history
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.7 E-mail Notifier
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.8 Weather Info
.......................................................................................................... 55
8.1.9 Fac ebook
.......................................................................................................... 63
8.2 AVG Security Toolbar Options
.......................................................................................................... 63
8.2.1 Tab General
.......................................................................................................... 63
8.2.2 Tab Useful Buttons
.......................................................................................................... 63
8.2.3 Tab Security
.......................................................................................................... 63
8.2.4 Tab Advanced Options
........................................................................................................................ 67
9. AVG Advanced Settings
.......................................................................................................... 67
9.1 Appearance
.......................................................................................................... 69
9.2 Sounds
.......................................................................................................... 70
9.3 Ignore Faulty Conditions
.......................................................................................................... 71
9.4 Virus Vault
.......................................................................................................... 72
9.5 PUP Exceptions
.......................................................................................................... 74
9.6 Online Shield
.......................................................................................................... 74
9.6.1 Web Protection
.......................................................................................................... 74
9.6.2 Instant Messaging
.......................................................................................................... 78
9.7 Link Scanner
.......................................................................................................... 79
9.8 Scans
.......................................................................................................... 79
9.8.1 Scan Whole Computer
.......................................................................................................... 79
9.8.2 Shell Extension Scan
.......................................................................................................... 79
9.8.3 Scan Specific Files or Folders
.......................................................................................................... 79
9.8.4 Removable Device Sc an
.......................................................................................................... 84
9.9 Schedules
.......................................................................................................... 84
9.9.1 Scheduled Scan
.......................................................................................................... 84
9.9.2 Virus Database Update Schedule
.......................................................................................................... 84
9.9.3 Program Update Sc hedule
.......................................................................................................... 94
9.10 E-mail Scanner
.......................................................................................................... 94
9.10.1 Certification
.......................................................................................................... 94
9.10.2 Mail Filtering
.......................................................................................................... 94
9.10.3 Servers
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.......................................................................................................... 102
9.11 Resident Shield
.......................................................................................................... 102
9.11.1 Advanced Settings
.......................................................................................................... 102
9.11.2 Excluded items
.......................................................................................................... 105
9.12 Cache Server
.......................................................................................................... 107
9.13 Anti-Rootkit
.......................................................................................................... 108
9.14 Update
.......................................................................................................... 108
9.14.1 Proxy
.......................................................................................................... 108
9.14.2 Dial-up
.......................................................................................................... 108
9.14.3 URL
.......................................................................................................... 108
9.14.4 Manage
.......................................................................................................... 115
9.15 Remote Administration
.......................................................................................................... 116
9.16 Temporarily disable AVG protection
.......................................................................................................... 117
9.17 Product Improvement Programme
.......................................................................................................... 119
9.18 AVG Sec urity Toolbar
........................................................................................................................ 120
10. AVG Scanning
.......................................................................................................... 120
10.1 Scanning Interface
.......................................................................................................... 121
10.2 Predefined Scans
.......................................................................................................... 121
10.2.1 Whole Computer Scan
.......................................................................................................... 121
10.2.2 Scan Specific Files or Folders
.......................................................................................................... 121
10.2.3 Anti-Rootkit Sc an
.......................................................................................................... 131
10.3 Scanning in Windows Explorer
.......................................................................................................... 131
10.4 Command Line Scanning
.......................................................................................................... 131
10.4.1 CMD Scan Parameters
.......................................................................................................... 134
10.5 Scan Scheduling
.......................................................................................................... 134
10.5.1 Schedule Settings
.......................................................................................................... 134
10.5.2 How to Scan
.......................................................................................................... 134
10.5.3 What to Scan
.......................................................................................................... 143
10.6 Scan Results Overview
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7 Scan Results Details
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7.1 Results Overview Tab
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7.2 Infections Tab
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7.3 Spyware Tab
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7.4 Warnings Tab
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7.5 Rootkits Tab
.......................................................................................................... 144
10.7.6 Information Tab
.......................................................................................................... 152
10.8 Virus Vault
........................................................................................................................ 154
11. AVG Updates
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.......................................................................................................... 154
11.1 Update Levels
.......................................................................................................... 154
11.2 Update Types
.......................................................................................................... 154
11.3 Update Process
........................................................................................................................ 156
12. Event History
........................................................................................................................ 158
13. FAQ and Technical Support
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1. Introduction
This user manual provides comprehensive doc umentation for AVG Anti-Virus 2011.
Congratulations on your purchase of AVG Anti-Virus 2011!
AVG Anti-Virus 2011 is one of a range of award winning AVG products designed to
provide you with peac e of mind and total sec urity for your PC. As with all AVG products AVG Anti-Virus 2011 has been completely re-designed, from the ground up, to deliver AVG’s renowned and accredited security protection in a new, more user friendly and efficient way. Your new AVG Anti-Virus 2011 product has a streamlined interface combined with more aggressive and faster scanning. More security features have been automated for your convenience, and new ‘intelligent’ user options have been included so that you can fit our security features to your way of life. No more compromising usability over security!
AVG has been designed and developed to protec t your computing and networking activity. Enjoy the experience of full protection from AVG.
All AVG products offer
· Protec tion 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 social networking – AVG has a protection product that’s right for you
· Hassle-free protection that’s trusted by over 110 million people around the
world and fueled by a global network of highly-experienced researchers
· Protec tion that’s backed by round-the-c lock expert support
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2. AVG Installation Requirements
2.1. Operation Systems Supported
AVG Anti-Virus 2011 is intended to protect workstations with the following operating systems:
· Windows XP Home Edition SP2
· Windows XP Professional SP2
· Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1
· Windows Vista (x86 and x64, all editions)
· Windows 7 (x86 and x64, all 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 c an install AVG Anti-Virus 2011 but only without the IDP component.
2.2. Minimum & Recommended HW Requirements
Minimum hardware requirements for AVG Anti-Virus 2011:
· Intel Pentium CPU 1,5 GHz
· 512 MB of RAM memory
· 750 MB of free hard drive space (for installation purposes)
Recommended hardware requirements for AVG Anti-Virus 2011:
· Intel Pentium CPU 1,8 GHz
· 512 MB of RAM memory
· 1400 MB of free hard drive space (for installation purposes)
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3. AVG Installation Options
AVG can be installed either from the installation file available on your installation CD, or you can download the latest installation file from AVG website (http://www.avg.com/).
Before you start installing AVG, we strongly recommend that you visit AVG website (http://www.avg.com/) to check for a new installation file. This way you can be sure to install the latest available version of AVG Anti-Virus 2011.
During the installation process you will be asked for your license/sales number. Please make sure you have it available before starting the installation. The sales number can be found on the CD packaging. If you purchased your copy of AVG on-line, your license number will have been delivered to you via e-mail.
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4. AVG Installation Process
To install AVG Anti-Virus 2011 on your computer, you need to get the latest installation file. You can use the installation file from the CD that is a part of your box edition but this file might be out-of-date. Therefore we recommended getting the latest installation file online. You can download the file from AVG website (http://www.
avg.com/), the Support Center / Download section.
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:
4.1. Welcome
The installation process starts with the Welcome dialog window. Here you select the 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 installed automatically. If you want to have installed other additional languages for the user interface, please define them within one of the following setup dialogs named Custom Options.
Further, the dialog provides the full wording of the AVG license agreement. Please read it c arefully. To confirm that you have read, understood and accept the agreement press the Accept button. If you do not agree with the license agreement press the Decline button, and the installation process will be terminated immediately.
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4.2. Activate your AVG license
In the Activate Your License dialog you are invited to fill in your license number into the provided text field.
The sales number can be found on the CD packaging in your AVG Anti-Virus 2011 box. The license number will be in the confirmation email that you received after purchasing your AVG Anti-Virus 2011 on-line. You must type in the number exactly as shown. If the digital form of the license number is available (in the email), it is recommended to use the copy and paste method to insert it.
Press the Next button to continue the installation process.
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4.3. Select type of installation
The Select type of installation dialog offers the choic e of two installation options: Quick Install and Custom Install.
For most users, it is highly recommended to keep to the standard Quick Install that installs AVG in fully automatic mode with settings predefined by the program vendor. This configuration provides maximum security combined with the optimal use of resources. In the future, if the need arises to change the configuration, you will always have the possibility to do so directly in the AVG application. If you have selected the Quick Install option, press the Next button to proceed to 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 c an find the check box related to AVG
gadget (supported in Windows Vista/Windows 7). If you wish to have installed this
gadget, mark the respective checkbox. AVG gadget will then be accessible from the Windows Sidebar providing you an immediate access to the most important features of your AVG Anti-Virus 2011, i.e. scanning and updating.
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4.4. Custom options
The Custom Options dialog allows you to set up two parameters of the installation:
Destination Folder
Within the Destination Folder sec tion of the dialog you are supposed to specify the location where AVG Anti-Virus 2011 should be installed. By default, AVG will be installed to the program files folder located on drive C:. If you want to change this location, use the Browse button to display the drive structure, and select the respective folder.
Component Selection
The Component Selection section provides an overview of all AVG Anti-Virus 2011 components that can be installed. If the default settings do not suit you, you can remove/add specific components.
However, you can only select from components that are included in your purchased AVG edition!
Highlight any item in the Component Selection list, and a brief description of the respective c omponent will be displayed on the right side of this section. For detailed information on each component's functionality please c onsult the Components
Overview chapter of this documentation. To revert to the default configuration pre-
set by the software vendor use the Default button.
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Press the Next button to continue.
4.5. Install the AVG Security Toolbar
In the Install the AVG Security Toolbar dialog, decide whether you want to install the AVG Security Toolbar. If you do not change the default settings, this component will be installed automatically into your Internet browser (currently supported
browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer v. 6.0 or higher, and Mozilla Firefox v. 3.0 or higher) and to provide you with comprehensive online protection while surfing the
Internet.
Also, you have the option to decide whether you want to c hoose AVG Secure Search (powered by Google) as your default search provider. If so, keep the respective check box marked.
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4.6. Close running applications
The 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 Retry button to confirm you agree to close down the respective applications, and to continue to the next step.
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4.7. 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
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The Installation was successful dialog confirms that your AVG Anti-Virus 2011 has been fully installed and configured.
In this dialog please provide your contact information so that you can receive all product related information and news. Below the registration form you will find the following two options:
· Yes, keep me informed of security news and AVG 2011 special offers via
e-mail - mark the chec kbox 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 spec ial 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 Advanced Settings / Product Improvement Programme) that c ollects
anonymous information on detected threats in order to increase the overall Internet security level.
To finalize the installation process you need restart your computer: select whether you want to Restart Now, or you want to postpone this ac tion - Restart Later.
Note: If using any AVG business license, and in case that you have previously selected the Remote administration item to be installed (see Custom Options), the Installation was succ essful dialog appears with the following interface:
You need to specify AVG DataCenter parameters - please provide the connection string to AVG DataCenter in the form of server:port. If this information is not available at the moment, leave the field blank and you can set the configuration later in within the Advanced Settings / Remote
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Administration dialog. For detailed information on AVG Remote administration
please consult AVG Business Edition user manual; to be downloaded from AVG website (http://www.avg.com/).
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5. After Installation
5.1. Product registration
Having finished the AVG Anti-Virus 2011 installation, please register you product online on AVG website (http://www.avg.com/), Registration page (follow the
instruction provided directly in the page). After the registration you will be able to gain full access to your AVG User account, the AVG Update newsletter, and other services provided exclusively for registered users.
5.2. Access to user interface
The AVG User Interface is accessible in several ways:
· double-click the AVG system tray icon
· double-click the AVG icon on the desktop
· double click the status line located in the bottom sec tion of the AVG gadget (
if installed; supported on Windows Vista/ Windows 7)
· from the menu Start/Programs/AVG 2011/AVG User Interface
· from AVG Security Toolbar via option Launch AVG
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 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 running a Scan of the whole computer please c onsult the chapter AVG Scanning.
5.4. Eicar test
To confirm that AVG Anti-Virus 2011 has been installed correctly you can perform the EICAR test.
The EICAR test is a standard and absolutely safe method used to test antivirus system functioning. It is safe to pass around, because it is not an actual virus, and does not include any fragments of viral code. Most products reac t to it as if it were a virus ( though they typically report it with an obvious name, such as "EICAR-AV-Test"). You can download the EICAR virus from the EICAR website at www.eicar.com, and you will also find all necessary EICAR test information there.
Try to download the eicar.com file, and save it on your local disk. Immediately after you confirm downloading of the test file, the Online Shield will react to it with a
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warning. This notice demonstrates that AVG is correctly installed on your computer.
From the http://www.eicar.com website you can also download the compressed version of the EICAR 'virus' (e.g. in the form of eicar_com.zip). Online Shield allows you to download this file and save it on your local disk but then the Resident Shield detects the 'virus' as you try to unpack it. If AVG fails to identify the EICAR test file
as a virus, you should check the program configuration again!
5.5. AVG default configuration
The default configuration (i.e. how the application is set up right after installation) of AVG Anti-Virus 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 user.
Some minor editing of AVG components settings is accessible directly from the specific component user interface. If you feel you need to change the AVG configuration to better suit your your needs, go to AVG Advanced Settings: select the system menu item Tools/Advanced settings and edit the AVG configuration in the newly opened AVG Advanced Settings dialog.
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6. AVG User Interface
AVG Anti-Virus 2011 open with the main window:
The main window is divided into several sections:
· System Menu (top system line in the window) is the standard navigation that
allows you to access all AVG components, services, and features - details >>
· Security Status Info (upper section of the window) provides you with
information on the current status of your AVG program - details >>
· Quick Links (left section of the window) allow you to quickly access the most
important and most frequently used AVG tasks - details >>
· Components Overview (central sec tion of the window) offer an overview of
all installed AVG c omponents - details >>
· Statistics (left bottom section of the window) provide you with all statistical
data regarding the programs operation - details >>
· System Tray Icon (bottom right corner of the monitor, on the system tray)
indic ates the AVG current status - details >>
· AVG gadget (Windows sidebar, supported in Windows Vista/7) allows quick
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access to AVG scanning and update - details >>
6.1. System Menu
The System menu is the standard navigation used in all Windows applications. It is located horizontally in the very top part of the AVG Anti-Virus 2011 main window. Use the system menu to access specific AVG components, feature, and services.
The system menu is divided into five main sections:
6.1.1. File
· Exit - closes the AVG Anti-Virus 2011's user interface. However, the AVG
application will continue running in the 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 interfac e:
· System overview - switch to the default user interface dialog with the
overview of all installed c omponents and their status
· Anti-Virus ensures that your computer is protec ted from viruses trying to
enter your computer - details >>
· Anti-Spyware ensures that your computer is protected from spyware and
adware - details >>
6.1.3. History
· Scan results - switches to the AVG testing interface, specifically to the Scan
Results Overview dialog
· Resident Shield Detection - open a dialog with an overview of threats
detected by Resident Shield
· E-mail Scanner Detection - open a dialog with an overview of mail messages
attachments detected as dangerous by the E-mail Scanner component
· Online Shield findings - open a dialog with an overview of threats detected
by Online Shield
· Virus Vault - opens the interface of the quarantine space (Virus Vault) to
where AVG removes all detected infections that cannot be healed automatically for some reason. Inside this quarantine the infected files are isolated and your computer's security is guaranteed, and at the same time the infected files are stored for possible future repair.
· Event History Log - opens the history log interface with an overview of all
logged AVG Anti-Virus 2011 actions.
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6.1.4. Tools
· Scan computer - switches to the AVG scanning interface and launches a scan
of the whole c omputer
· 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 your disk
· Update - automatically launches the update process of AVG Anti-Virus 2011
· Update from directory - runs the update process from the update files
located in a specified folder on your local disk. However, this option is only recommended as an emergency, e.g. in situations where there is no connection to the Internet (for example, your computer is infected and disconnected
from the Internet; your computer is connected to a network with no acc ess to the Internet, etc .). In the newly opened window select the folder where
you have previously placed the update file, and launch the update process.
· Advanced settings - opens the AVG advanced settings dialog where you
can edit the AVG Anti-Virus 2011 configuration. Generally, it is recommended to keep the default settings of the application as defined by the software vendor.
6.1.5. Help
· Contents - opens the AVG help files
· Get Help Online - opens AVG website (http://www.avg.com/) at the
customer support center page
· Your AVG Web - opens AVG website (http://www.avg.com/)
· About Viruses and Threats - opens the online Virus Encyclopedia where you
can look up detailed information on the identified virus
· Reactivate - 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).
· Register now - connects to the registration page of AVG website (http://
www.avg.com/). Please fill in your registration data; only customers who
register their AVG product can receive free technical support.
Note: If using the trial version of AVG Anti-Virus 2011, the latter two items appear as Buy now and Activate, alowing you to buy the full version of the program right away. For AVG Anti-Virus 2011 installed with a sales number,
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the items display as Register and Activate. For more information please consult the License section of this documentation.
· 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 Security Status Info section is located in the upper part of the AVG main window. Within this sec tion you will always find information on the current security status of your AVG Anti-Virus 2011. Please see an overview of icons possibly depicted in this section, and their meaning:
- The green icon indicates that your AVG is fully functional. Your computer is completely protected, up to date and all installed components are working properly.
- The orange icon warns that one or more components are incorrectly configured and you should pay attention to their properties/settings. There is no critical problem in AVG and you have probably decided to switch some component off for some reason. You are still protected by AVG. However, please pay attention to the problem component's settings! Its name will be provided in the Security Status Info section.
This icon also appears if for some reason you have dec ided to ignore a
component's error status (the "Ignore component state" option is available from
the context menu opened by a right-c lick over the respective component's ic on in the component overview of the AVG main window). You may need to use this
option in a specific situation but it is stric tly recommended to switch off the " Ignore component state" option as soon as possible.
- The red icon indicates that AVG is in critical status! One or more components does not work properly and AVG cannot protect your computer. Please pay immediate attention to fixing the reported problem. If you are not able to fix the error yourself, contac t the AVG technical support team.
In case AVG is not set to the optimum performance, 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 to the optimum performance and reach the maximum security level!
It is strongly recommended that you pay attention to Security Status Info and in case the report indicates any problem, go ahead and try to solve it immediately. Otherwise your computer is at risk!
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Note: AVG status information can also be obtained at any moment from the system
tray icon.
6.3. Quick Links
Quick links (in the left section of the AVG User Interface) allow you to immediately access the most important and most frequently used AVG features:
· Overview - use this link to switc h from any c urrently opened AVG interfac e to
the default one with an overview of all installed components - see c hapter
Components Overview >>
· Scan now - by default, the button provides information (scan type, date of
last launch) of the last scan launched. You can either execute the Scan now
command to launch the same sc an again, or follow the Computer scanner link to open the AVG scanning interfac e where you can run scans, schedule scans, or edit their parameters - see chapter AVG Scanning >>
· Update now - the link provides the date of the last launch of the update
process. Press the button to open the updating interface, and run AVG update process immediately - see chapter AVG Updates >>
These links are accessible from the user interface at all times. Once you use a quick link to run a specific process, the GUI will switch to a new dialog but the quick links are still available. Moreover, the running process is further graphically depicted.
6.4. Components Overview
The Components Overview section is located in the central part of the AVG User
Interface. The sec tion is divided into two parts:
· Overview of all installed components consisting of a panel with the
component's ic on and the information of whether the respective component is active or inactive
· Description of a selected component
Within the AVG Anti-Virus 2011 the Components Overview sec tion contains information on the following components:
· Anti-Virus ensures that your computer is protec ted from viruses trying to
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enter your computer - details >>
· Anti-Spyware ensures that your computer is protected from spyware and
adware - details >>
6.5. Statistics
The Statistics section is located in the left bottom part of the AVG User Interface. It offers a list of information regarding the program's operation:
· Virus DB - informs you about the currently installed version of the virus
database
· AVG version - informs you about the AVG 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 expires - provides the date of your AVG license expiration
6.6. System Tray Icon
System Tray Icon (on your Windows taskbar) indicates the current status of your
AVG Anti-Virus 2011. It is visible at all times on your system tray, no matter whether your AVG main window is opened or closed:
If in full color , the System Tray Icon indicates that all AVG components are active and fully functional. Also, AVG system tray icon can be displayed in full color if AVG is in error state but you are fully aware of this situation and you have deliberately
decided to Ignore the component state. An icon with an exc lamation mark indic ates a problem (inactive component, error status, etc.). Double-click the System Tray Icon to open the main window and edit a component.
The system tray icon further informs on current AVG activities and possible status changes in the program (e.g. automatic launch of a scheduled scan or update, a component's status change, error status occurrence, ...) via a pop-up window opened from the AVG system tray icon:
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The System Tray Icon can also be used as a quick link to ac cess the AVG main window at any time - double click on the icon. By right-click on the System Tray Icon you open a brief context menu with the following options:
· Open AVG User Interface - clic k to open the AVG User Interfac e
· Scans - click to open the context menu of
· Run PC Analyzer - click to launch the PC Analyzer component
· 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.
· Update now - launches an immediate update
· Help - opens the help file on the start page
6.7. AVG gadget
AVG gadget displays on the Windows desktop (Windows Sidebar). This application is only supported in operating systems Windows Vista and Windows 7. AVG gadget offers an immediate access to the most important AVG Anti-Virus 2011 functionality, i.e. sc anning and updating:
AVG gadget provides the following quick access options:
· Scan now - click the Scan now link to start the whole computer scan
directly. You can watch the progress of the scanning process in the alternated user interface of the gadget. A brief statistics overview provides information on the number of scanned objects, threats detected, and threats healed.
During the scan you can always pause , or stop the scanning process. For detailed data related to the scan results please consult the standard Scan
results overview dialog; the respec tive item will be listed as sidebar gadget
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scan.
· Update now - click the Update now link to launch the AVG 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 browser in a new window, and you will be redirected directly to the Twitter website, specifically to the page devoted to AVG related news:
· Facebook link - opens your Internet browser on the Facebook website,
specifically on the AVG community page
· PC Analyzer - open the user interface in the PC Analyzer component
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7. AVG Components
7.1. Anti-Virus
7.1.1. Anti-Virus Principles
The antivirus software's scanning engine scans all files and file activity (opening/ closing files, etc.) for known viruses. Any detected virus will be blocked from taking any ac tion and will then be cleaned or quarantined. Most antivirus software also uses heuristic scanning, where files are scanned for typical virus characteristics, so called viral signatures. This means that the antivirus scanner can detect a new, unknown virus, if the new virus contains some typical characteristics of existing viruses.
The important feature of antivirus protection is that no known virus can run on the computer!
Where just a single technology might fall short of detecting or identifying a virus, Anti­Virus c ombines several technologies to ensure that your computer is protec ted 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 environment
· Generic detection - detection of instructions characteristic of the given virus/
group of viruses
AVG is also able to analyze and detect executable applications or DLL libraries that could be potentially unwanted within the system. We call such threats Potentially Unwanted Programs (various kinds of spyware, adware etc .). Furthermore, AVG scans your system registry for suspicious entries, temporary Internet files and tracking cookies, and allows you to treat all potentially harmful items in the same way as any other infection.
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7.1.2. Anti-Virus Interface
The Anti-Virus component's interface provides some basic information on the component's functionality, information on the component's c urrent status (Anti-Virus component is active.), and a brief overview of Anti-Virus statistics:
· Number of definitions - number provides the count of viruses defined in the
up-to-date version of the virus database
· Database release - specifies when and at what time 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 is usually defined as a type of malware, i.e. software, that gathers information from a user's computer without the user's knowledge or consent. Some spyware applic ations may also be installed on purpose and often contain advertisements, window pop-ups or different types of unpleasant software.
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Currently, the most common source of infection is websites with potentially dangerous content. Other methods of transmission, such as via e-mail or transmission by worms and viruses are also prevalent. The most important protection is to use an always-on background scanner, Anti-Spyware, that works like a resident shield and scans your applications in the background as you run them.
There is also the potential risk that malware has been transmitted to your computer prior to AVG installation, or that you have neglected to keep your AVG Anti-Virus 2011 up-to-date with the latest database and program 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 ac tivated.
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 c urrent status, and some Anti-Spyware statistics:
· Spyware definitions - number provides the count of spyware samples defined
in the latest spyware database version
· Database release - specifies when and at what time the spyware database
was updated
· Database version - defines the number of the latest spyware 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).
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7.3. Link Scanner
7.3.1. Link Scanner Principles
LinkScanner protects you from the increasing number of ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ threats on the web. These threats can be hidden on any type of website, from governments to big, well-known brands to small businesses, and they rarely stick around on those sites for more than 24 hours. LinkScanner protec ts you by analyzing the web pages behind all the links on any web page you’re viewing and making sure they’re safe at the only time that matters – when you’re about to click that link.
The LinkScanner technology c onsists of two features, Search-Shield and Surf-
Shield:
· Search-Shield contains list of websites (URL addresses) which are known to
be dangerous. When searc hing 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 searc h results only "exploited website" verdic t icons are shown).
· Surf-Shield scans the contents of the websites you are visiting, regardless of
the websites address. Even if some website is not detected by Search-Shield (e.g. when a new malicious website is created, or when a previously clean website now contains some malware), it will be detec ted and blocked by Surf-
Shield once you try to visit it.
Note: LinkScanner is not intended for server platforms!
7.3.2. Link Scanner Interface
The LinkScanner component interface provides a brief description of the component's functionality and information on its current status. Further, you can find the information on the latest LinkScannerdatabase version number (LinkScanner version).
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LinkScanner Settings
In the bottom part of the dialog you can edit several options:
· Enable Search-Shield - (on by default): advisory notifying icons on searches
performed with Google, Yahoo!, WebHledani, Yandex, Baidu, Bing, AOL, AltaVista, EarthLink, Ask, Seznam, eBay, Twitter, Digg, or SlashDot: having checked ahead the content of sites returned by the searc h 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).
7.3.3. Search-Shield
When searc hing 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 marking the bad links, the AVG Link Scanner warns you before you click on dangerous or suspicious links, so you can ensure you only go to safe websites.
While a link is being evaluated on the search results page, you will see a graphic sign next to the link informing that the link verification is in progress. When the evaluation is complete, the respective informative icon will be displayed:
The linked page is safe (this icon will not be displayed for safe Yahoo! search
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results).
The linked page does not contain threats but is somewhat suspicious (
questionable in origin or motive, therefore not recommended for e-shopping etc.).
The linked page can be either safe itself, but containing further links to positively dangerous pages; or suspicious in code, though not directly employing any threats at the moment.
The linked page contains active threats! For your own safety, you will not be allowed to visit this page.
The linked page is not accessible, and so could not be scanned.
Hovering over an individual rating icon will display details about the particular link in question. Information include additional details of the threat (if any), the IP address of the link and when the page was sc anned 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 block you from opening the web page thus protecting you from inadvertently being infected. It is important to remember that exploited web pages can infect your computer simply by visiting the affected site, for this reason when you request a dangerous webpage containing exploits or other serious threats, the AVG Link Scanner will not allow your browser to display it.
If you do encounter a malicious web site, within your web browser the AVG Link
Scanner will warn you with a screen similar to:
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Entering such web site is highly risky and it cannot be recommended!
7.4. Resident Shield
7.4.1. Resident Shield Principles
The Resident Shield component gives your computer continuous protection. It scans every single file that is being opened, saved, or c opied, and guards the system areas of the computer. When Resident Shield discovers a virus in a file that is accessed, it stops the operation currently being performed and does 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 ac tivation 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 threats
· Scan removable media (flash disk etc.)
· Scan files with specific extensions or without extensions at all
· Allow exc eptions from scanning – specific files or folders that should never be
scanned
Warning: Resident Shield is loaded in the memory of your computer during startup, and it is vital that you keep it switched on at all times!
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7.4.2. Resident Shield Interface
Besides an overview of the Resident Shield functionality, and the information on the component's status, the Resident Shield interface offers some statistic data as well:
· Resident Shield has been running for - provides the time since the latest
component's launch
· Threats detected and blocked - number of detec ted infections that were
prevented from being run/opened (if needed, this value can be reset; e.g. for statistic purposes - Reset 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 c omponents, is available via the Tools/Advanced settings item of the system menu).
The Resident Shield is active option allows you to easily switc h on/off resident protection. By default, the function is on. With resident protection on you can further decide how the possibly detected infections should be treated (removed):
o
either automatically (Remove all threats automatically)
o
or only after the user's approval (Ask me before removing threats)
This choice has no impac t on the security level, and it only reflects your preferences.
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In both c ases, you can still select whether you want to Scan for tracking cookies. In specific cases you can switc h this option on to achieve maximum security levels, however it is switched off by default. (cookies = parcels of text sent by a server to a
web browser and then sent back unchanged by the browser each time it accesses that server. 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).
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 c hange 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.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Resident Shield interface are as follows:
· Manage exceptions - opens the Resident Shield - Excluded Items dialog
where you can define folders and files that should be left out from the
Resident Shield scanning
· Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this
dialog
· Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview)
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7.4.3. Resident Shield Detection
Resident Shield scans files as they are copied, opened or saved. When a virus or any kind of threat is detected, you will be warned immediately via the following dialog:
Within this warning dialog you will find data on the file that was detected and assigned as infected (File name), the name of the recognized infection (Threat name), and a link to the Virus encyclopedia where you can find detailed information on the detected infection, if known (More info).
Further, you have to decide what action should be taken now - the following options 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 c ommon user. Power Users have extensive acc ess rights, and if the threat is located in a c ertain system folder, you might need to use this chec kbox to successfully remove it.
· Heal - this button only appears if the detected infection can be healed. Then,
it removes it from the file, and restores the file to the original state. If the file itself is a virus, use this function to delete it (i.e. removed to the Virus Vault)
· Move to Vault - the virus will be moved to AVG Virus Vault
· Go to file - this option redirects you to the exact location of the suspicious
object (opens new Windows Explorer window)
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· Ignore - we strictly recommend NOT TO use this option unless you have a
very good reason to do so!
In the bottom sec tion of the dialog you c an find the link Show details - click it to open a pop-up window with detailed information on the process running while the infection was detected, and the process' identification.
The entire overview of all threats detec ted by Resident Shield can be found in the
Resident Shield detection dialog accessible from system menu option 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 object
· Detection time - date and time the object was detected
· Object Type - type of the detected object
· Process - what action was performed to call out the potentially dangerous
object so that it could be detected
In the bottom part of the dialog, under the list, you will find information on total number of detected objects listed above. Further you can export the entire list of
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detected objects in a file (Export list to file) and delete all entries on detected objects (Empty list). The Refresh list button will update the list of finding detected by Resident Shield. The Back button switches you back to the default AVG user
interface (components overview).
7.5. E-mail Scanner
One of the most common sourc es of viruses and trojans is via e-mail. Phishing and spam make e-mail an even greater source of risks. Free e- mail ac counts are more likely to receive such malicious e-mails (as they rarely employ anti-spam technology), and home users rely quite heavily on such e-mail. Also home users, surfing unknown sites and filling in online forms with personal data (such as their e-mail address) increase exposure to attacks via e-mail. Companies usually use corporate e-mail accounts and employ anti-spam filters etc, to reduce the risk.
7.5.1. E-mail Scanner Principles
Personal E-mail Scanner scans incoming/outgoing e-mails automatic ally. You can use 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. Mic rosoft 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 checking incoming e-mails and the second one for checking outgoing e-mails. Using these two servers e-mails are automatically checked on ports 110 and 25 ( standard ports for sending/receiving e-mails).
E-mail Scanner works as an interface between e-mail client and e-mail servers on the Internet.
· Incoming mail: While receiving a message from the server, the E-mail
Scanner component tests it for viruses, removes infected attachments, and
adds certification. When detected, viruses are quarantined in Virus Vault immediately. Then the message is passed to the e-mail client.
· Outgoing mail: Message is sent from e-mail client to E-mail Scanner; it tests
the message and its attachments for viruses and then sends the message to the SMTP server (scanning of outgoing e-mails is disabled by default, and c an be set up manually).
Note: AVG E-mail Scanner is not intended for server platforms!
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7.5.2. E-mail Scanner Interface
In the E-mail Scanner component's dialog you can find a brief text describing the component's functionality, information on its c urrent status, and the following statistics:
· Total e-mails scanned - how many e-mail messages were sc anned since the
E-mail Scanner was last launched (if needed, this value can be reset; e.g. for
statistic purposes - Reset value)
· Threats found and blocked - provides the number of infections detected in e-
mail messages since the last E-mail Scanner launch
· Installed e-mail protection - information about a specific e-mail protec tion
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:
· Scan incoming messages - check the item to specify that all e-mails deliver
ed to your account should be scanned for viruses. By default, this item is on, and it is recommended not to change this setting!
· Scan outgoing messages - check the item to confirm all e-mail sent from
your account should be scanned for viruses. By default, this item is off.
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· Display notification window while e-mail is being scanned - chec k the
item to confirm you want to be informed via notification dialog displayed over the AVG icon on the system tray during the scanning of your mail via E-mail
Scanner component. By default, this item is on, and it is recommended not to
change this setting!
The advanced c onfiguration of the E-mail Scanner component is ac cessible via the Tools/Advanced settings item of the system menu; however advanced 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 c hange 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.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the E-mail Scanner interfac e are as follows:
· Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this
dialog
· Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview)
7.5.3. E-mail Scanner Detection
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In the E-mail Scanner detection dialog (accessible via system menu option History / E-mail Scanner detection) you will be able to see a list of all findings detected by the
E-mail Scanner component. 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 object
· Detection time - date and time the suspicious object was detected
· Object Type - type of the detected object
In the bottom part of the dialog, under the list, you will find information on total number of detected objects listed above. Further you can export the entire list of detected objects in a file (Export list to file) and delete all entries on detected objects (Empty list).
Control buttons
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 protec tion from various types of threats unless it is regularly updated! Virus writers are always looking for new flaws that they
can exploit in both software and operating systems. New viruses, new malware, new hacking attac ks appear daily. For this reason, software vendors are continually issuing updates and security patches, to fix any security holes that are discovered.
It is crucial to update your AVG regularly!
The Update Manager helps you to control regular updating. Within this component you can schedule automatic downloads of update files either from the Internet, or the local network. Essential virus definition updates should be daily if possible. Less urgent
program updates can be weekly.
Note: Please pay attention to the AVG Updates chapter for more information on update types and levels!
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7.6.2. Update Manager Interface
The Update Manager's interface displays information about the component's functionality and its current status, and provides the relevant statistical data:
· Latest update - specifies date and time of the last database update
· Virus database version - defines the number of the currently installed virus
database version; and this number increases with every virus base update
· Next scheduled update - spec ifies the date and time of the next database
update
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 updates option is switc hed on and we recommend to keep it that way! Regular download of the latest update files is crucial for proper functionality of any sec urity software!
Further you can define when the update should be launched:
o
Periodically - define the time interval
o
At a specific time interval - define the exact day time the update should be launched
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By default, the update is set for every 4 hours. It is highly recommended to keep this setting unless you have a true reason to change it!
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 c hange 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.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Update Manager interfac e 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
dialog
· Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview)
7.7. License
In the Licence component interfac e you will find a brief text describing the component's functionality, information on its c urrent status, and the following information:
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· License number - provides the shortened form of your license number (for
security reasons the last four symbols are missing). When entering your
license number, you have to be absolutely precise and type it exactly as shown. Therefore we strongly recommend to always use "copy & paste" method for any manipulation with the license number.
· License type - spec ifies the product type installed.
· License expires - this date determines the period of validity of your license. If
you want to go on using AVG Anti-Virus 2011 after this date you have to renew your license. The license renewal can be performed online on AVG
website.
· Number of seats - how many workstations on which you are entitled to install
your AVG Anti-Virus 2011.
Control buttons
· Register - connects to the registration page of AVG website (http://www.
avg.com/). Please fill in your registration data; only customers who register
their AVG product can receive free technic al support.
· Re-activate - 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 2011, the buttons appear as Buy now and Activate, alowing you to buy the full version of the program right
away. For AVG Anti-Virus 2011 installed with a sales number, the buttons display as Register and Activate.
· Back - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview).
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7.8. Remote Administration
The Remote Administration component only displays in the user interfac e of AVG Anti-Virus 2011 in case you have installed the network edition of your product (see
component License). In the Remote Administration dialog you can find the information on whether the component is active and c onnected to server. All settings of the Remote Administration component is to be done within the Advanced
Settings / Remote Administration.
For detailed description of the c omponent's options and functionality within the AVG Remote Administration system please refer to the specific documentation dedicated to this topic exc lusivety. This documentation is available for download at AVG website (
www.avg.com), in the Support center / Download / Documentation section.
Control buttons
· Back - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview).
7.9. Online Shield
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7.9.1. Online Shield Principles
Online Shield is a type of a real time resident protection; it scans the c ontent of visited web pages (and possible files included in them) even before these are displayed in your web browser or downloaded to your computer.
Online Shield detects that the page you are about to visit includes some dangerous javascript, and prevents the page from being displayed. Also, it recognizes malware contained in a page and stops its downloading immediately so that it never gets to your computer.
Note: AVG Online Shield is not intended for server platforms!
7.9.2. Online Shield Interface
The Online Shield component's interface describes the behavior of this type of protection. Further you can find information on the component's current status. In the bottom part of the dialog you will then find the elementary editing options of this component's functionality:
Online Shield Settings
First of all, you have the option to immediately switch on/off the Online Shield by checking the Enable Online Shield item. This option is enabled by default, and the Online Shield component is active. However, if you do not have a good reason to change this settings, we recommend to keep the component active. If the item is checked, and the Online Shield is running, two more configuration options get activated:
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· Enable Web protection - this option confirms that the Online Shield should
perform sc anning of the website content.
· Enable Instant Messaging protection - check this item if you wish the
Online Shield to verify the instant messaging communication (e.g. ICQ, MSN
Messenger, ...) is virus free.
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 c hange 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.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Online Shield interface are as follows:
· Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this
dialog
· Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview)
7.9.3. Online Shield Detection
Online Shield scans the c ontent of visited web pages and possible files included in them even before these are displayed in your web browser or downloaded to your computer. If a threat is detected, you will be warned immediately with the following dialog:
Within this warning dialog you will find data on the file that was detected and assigned as infected (File name), the name of the recognized infection (Threat name), and a link to the Virus encyclopedia where you can find detailed information on the detected infection (if known). The dialog provides the following buttons:
· Show details - click the Show details button to open a new pop-up window
where you can find information on the process running while the infection was detected, and the process' identification.
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· Close - click the button to close the warning dialog.
The suspect web page will not be opened, and the threat detection will be logged in the list of Online Shield findings - this overview of detected threats is accessible via system menu History / Online Shield findings.
For each detected object the following information is provided:
· Infection- description (possibly even name) of the detected object
· Object - object source (web page)
· Result - action performed with the detected object
· Detection time - date and time the threat was detected and blocked
· Object Type - type of the detected object
· Process - what action was performed to call out the potentially dangerous
object so that it could be detected
In the bottom part of the dialog, under the list, you will find information on total number of detected objects listed above. Further you can export the entire list of detected objects in a file (Export list to file) and delete all entries on detected objects (Empty list). The Refresh list button will update the list of finding detected by Online Shield. The Back button switches you back to the default AVG user
interface (components overview).
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7.10. Anti-Rootkit
A rootkit is a program designed to take fundamental control of a computer system, without authorization by the system's owners and legitimate managers. Ac cess to the hardware is rarely required as a rootkit is intended to seize c ontrol of the operating system running on the hardware. Typically, rootkits act to obscure their presence on the system through subversion or evasion of standard operating system security mec hanisms. Often, they are also Trojans as well, thus fooling users into believing they are safe to run on their systems. Techniques used to accomplish this can include concealing running processes from monitoring programs, or hiding files or system data from the operating system.
7.11. PC Analyzer
The PC Analyzer c omponent is able to scan your computer for system problems, and give you a transparent overview of what might be aggravating your computer’s overall performance. In the component's user interface you can see a chart divided into four lines referring to respective categories: registry errors, junk files, fragmentation, and broken shortcuts:
· Registry Errors will give you the number of errors in Windows Registry. As
fixing the Registry requires quite advanced knowledge, we do not recommend to try and fix it yourself.
· Junk Files will give you the number of files that can be most likely done
without. Typically, these will be many kinds of temporary files, and files in the Recycle Bin.
· Fragmentation will calculate the perc entage of your harddisk that is
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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 shortc uts that no longer work, lead to
non-existing locations etc.
To start the analysis of your system, press the Analyze now button. You will then be able to watch the analysis progress and its results directly in the chart:
The results overview provides the number of detected system problems (Errors) divided according to the respective categories tested. The analysis results will also be displayed graphically on an axis 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-to­date information related to PC Analyzer component
· Cancel - press this button to stop the running analysis, or to return to the
default AVG user interface (components overview) once the analysis is completed
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7.12. ID Protection
AVG Identity Protection is an anti-malware product that is focused on preventing identity thieves from stealing your passwords, bank acc ount details, credit card numbers and other personal digital valuables from all kinds of malicious software ( malware) that target your PC. It makes sure that all programs running on your PC are operating correctly. AVG Identity Protection spots and blocks suspicious behavior on a continuous basis and protects your computer from all new malware.
7.12.1. ID Protection Principles
AVG Identity Protection is an anti-malware component that protec ts you from all kinds of malware (spyware, bots, identity theft, ...) using behavioral technologies and provide zero day protection for new viruses. As malware gets sophisticated and comes in a form of normal programs that can open up your PC to the remote attacker for identity theft, AVG Identity Protection secures you from these new execution based malware. It is a complimentary protection to AVG Anti-Virus that protects you from file based and known viruses using signature mechanism and scanning.
We strongly recommend you have the both AVG Anti-Virus and AVG Identity Protection components installed, in order to have complete protection for your PC.
7.12.2. ID Protection Interface
The Identity Protection component interface provides a brief desc ription of the component's basic functionality, its status, and some statistical data:
· Malware items removed - gives the number of applications detected as
malware, and removed
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· Processes monitored - number of currently running applications that are
being monitored by IDP
· Behaviors monitored - number of specific actions running within the
monitored applications
Identity Protection settings
In the bottom part of the dialog you will find the Identity Protection settings section where you can edit some elementary features of the component's functionality:
· Activate Identity Protection - (on by default): check to activate the IDP
component, and to open further editing options.
In some cases, Identity Protection may report that some legitimate file is suspicious or dangerous. Since Identity Protection detec ts threats based on their behavior, this usually occurs when some program tries to monitor key presses, install other programs or a new driver is installed on the computer. Therefore please select one of the following options specifying Identity Protection component's behavior in case of a suspicious activity detec tion:
o
Always prompt - if an application is detected as malware, you will be asked whether it should be blocked (this option is on by default and it is recommended not to change it unless you have a real reason to do so)
o
Automatically quarantine detected threats - all applications detected as malware will be blocked automatically
o
Automatically quarantine known threats - only those applications that are with absolute certainty detected as malware will be blocked
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Identity Protection interface are as follows:
· Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this
dialog
· Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (
components overview)
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8. AVG Security Toolbar
AVG Security Toolbar is a new tool which works together with the LinkScanner component. AVG Security Toolbar can be used to control LinkScanner functions and to adjust its behavior.
If you select to install the toolbar during the installation of AVG Anti-Virus 2011, it will be added into your web browser (Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, and Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or higher) automatically. Other internet browsers are not supported at the moment.
Note: In case you are using some alternative Internet browser (e.g Avant Browser) you can meet unexpected behavior.
8.1. AVG Security Toolbar Interface
The AVG Security Toolbar is designed to work with MS Internet Explorer (version
6.0 or higher) and Mozilla 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 c omponent), 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 items. Click the logo button to get redirected to AVG website. Clicking the pointer next to the AVG icon will open the following:
· Toolbar Info - link to the AVG Security Toolbar home page with detailed
information on the toolbar's protection
· Launch AVG - opens the AVG Anti-Virus 2011 user interface
· AVG Info - opens a context menu with the following links leading important
security information related to AVG Anti-Virus 2011:
o
About Threats - opens the AVG website at page providing most important data on top threats, virus removal recommendations, AVG update information, access to Virus database and more relevant info
o
AVG News - opens the web page providing the latest AVG related press release
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o
Current Threat Level - opens the virus lab web page with a graphical display of the current threat level on the web
o
AVG Threat Labs - opens the AVG Site Reports website where you can search the specific threats by name and get detailed information on each one
· Options - opens a configuration dialog where you can adjust your AVG
Security Toolbar settings to suit your needs - see the following chapter AVG
Security Toolbar Options
· Delete History - allows you within AVG Security Toolbar delete complete
history, or separately to delete search history, delete browser history, delete download history and delete cookies.
· Update - checks for new updates for your 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 by Google) powered search box
AVG Secure Search (powered by Google) box is easy and safe way to search the web using AVG Secure Search (powered by Google). Enter a word or phrase into the search box press the Search button, or the Enter key, to start the search on the AVG Secure Search (powered by Google) server directly, no matter what page is currently displayed. The search box also lists your search history. Searches done through the search box are analyzed using the Search-Shield protection.
Alternatively, within the search field you can switc h to Wikipedia, or some other specific search service - see picture:
8.1.3. Page Status
Directly in the toolbar, this button displays the evaluation of the currently displayed web page base on criteria of the Surf-Shield component:
· - The linked page is safe
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· - Page is somewhat suspicious.
· - Page containing links to positively dangerous pages.
· - The linked page contains active threats! For your own safety, you will
not be allowed to visit this page.
· - The page is not accessible, 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. AVG News
Directly from within the AVG Security Toolbar, this button opens an overview of the latest Headline news related to AVG, both news from the press and company press release:
In the right upper corner you can see two red control buttons:
· - the button opens the editing dialog where you can specify parameters of
the AVG News button displayed within the AVG Security Toolbar:
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o
Show messages - change the desired number of messages that are to be displayed at a time
o
RSS design - select between Advanced/Basic mode of the current display of the news overview (by default, the Advanced mode is selected
- see picture above)
o
Hide read messages - mark this item to confirm that each read message should not be displayed any longer, so that new messages c an be supplied
· - click this button to c lose the currently opened news overview
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8.1.5. 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 can specify parameters of
the News button displayed within the AVG Security Toolbar:
o
Button name - you have the option of changing the button name as it is displayed within AVG Security Toolbar
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o
News edition - c hose a country from the list to have displayed news from the selected region
o
Show messages - specify the desired number of messages that are to be displayed at a time
o
RSS design - switch 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 Toolbar news overview
· - click this button to c lose the currently opened news overview
8.1.6. Delete history
Using this button you can delete the history of your browser just like via the AVG logo
-> Delete history option.
8.1.7. E-mail Notifier
The E-mail Notifier button allows you to activate the option of being informed about newly arrived e-mail messages directly in the AVG Security Toolbar interface. The button opens the following editing dialog where you can define parameters of your e­mail account and the e-mail display rules. Please follow the instructions in the dialog:
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· Account type - Specify the protocol type your e-mail account uses. You can
select among the following alternatives: Gmail, POP3, or select the server name 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 option marked so that you do not have to fill in the data repeatedly.
· Test account - Use this button to test the entered details.
· Reset Settings - Quickly removes the above entered e-mail address details.
· Check for new e-mails every ... minutes - Define the time interval to be
used to check for new e-mail messages (in the range of 5-120 minutes), and specify whether and how you want to be informed about the new message arrival.
· Allow new e-mail alerts - Uncheck this to disable visual notifications of new
e-mail messages arrival.
o
Play a sound when new e-mails arrive - Uncheck this to disable sound notifications of new e-mail messages arrival.
o
Close notification window after 5 seconds - Check this to automatically close the visual notification window of new e-mail messages arrival after 5 sec onds.
8.1.8. Weather Info
The Weather button displays the information on the current temperature (updated every 3-6 hours) in your selected destination directly within the AVG Security
Toolbar interface. Click the button to open a new info panel with detailed weather overview:
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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 c onfirm by clicking the Search button. Next, within the list of all locations of the same name select the destination you are looking for. Finally, the info panel will be displayed again providing the weather information for the selected location.
· Fahrenheit / Celsius converter - in the upper right-hand corner of the info
panel you can chose between the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales. Based on your selection, the temperature information will be further provided in the selected scale.
· Full Forecast - if interested in full and detailed forecast, use the Full
Forecast link to get to the spec ialized weather website.
8.1.9. Facebook
The Facebook button allows you connect to the Facebook social network from the AVG Security Toolbar directly. Click the button, and the login invitation appears; clic k again to open the Facebook login dialog. Provide your access data, and press the Connect button. If you do not have a Facebook account yet, you can create one
directly using the Sign up for Facebook link.
Once you get through the Facebook registration process, you will be invited to allow the AVG Social Extension application. This applic ation functionality is essential for the toolbar - Facebook connection, therefore it is recommended to 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.
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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 toolbar menu item in a new dialog called Toolbar Options divided into four sections:
8.2.1. Tab General
On this tab you c an specify toolbar control buttons that should be displayed or hidden within the AVG Security Toolbar panel. Mark any option in case you want to have displayed the respective button. Further find described the functionality of each of the toolbar buttons:
· Page Status Button - the button offers the possibility of having displayed the
information on the currently opened page security status within AVG Security
Toolbar
· AVG News Button - the button opens a web page providing the latest AVG
related press release
· News Button - the button provides a structured overview of current news
from the daily press
· Delete History Button - this button allows you to Delete c omplete history, or
Delete search history, Delete browser history, Delete download history, 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
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· 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
8.2.2. Tab Useful Buttons
The Useful Buttons tab allows you to select applications from a list and have their icon displayed in the toolbar interface. The icon then serves as a quick link enabling to launch the respective application immediately.
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8.2.3. Tab Security
The Security tab is divided into two sections, AVG Browser Security and Ratings, where you can mark specific check-boxes to assign AVG Security Toolbar functionality you want to use:
· AVG Browser Security - check this item to activate or switch-off the
Search-Shield and/or Surf-Shield service
· Ratings - select 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, display of the red mark assigned to pages containing active and dangerous threats cannot be switched-off. Again, it is
recommended to keep the default configuration set by the program vendor unless you have a real reason to change it.
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8.2.4. Tab Advanced Options
On the Advanced Options tab first select what search engine you want to use as default. You have the choice of AVG Secure Search (powered by Google), Baidu, WebHledani, Yandex and Yahoo!. Having changed the default search engine, please restart your internet browser for the change to take effect.
Further, you can activate or switch-off further specific AVG Security Toolbar settings
(the listed caption refers to the default AVG Secure Search (powered by Google) settings):
· Set and keep AVG Secure Search (powered by Google) 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 Google service will be used automatically to search for relevant websites.
· Let AVG make suggestion on browser navigation errors (404/DNS) - if
when searching the web you run into a non-existing page, or a page that cannot be displayed (404 error), you will be automatically redirected to a web page that allows you to select from an overview of alternative topic-related pages.
· Set and keep AVG Secure Search (powered by Google) as the default
search provider - Google is the default search engine for web search within AVG Security Toolbar, and activating this option it can also become your web
browser default search engine.
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9. AVG Advanced Settings
The advanced c onfiguration dialog of AVG Anti-Virus 2011 opens in a new window named Advanced AVG Settings. The window is divided into two sections: the left part offers a tree-arranged navigation to the program configuration options. Select the component you want to change the configuration of (or its specific part) to open the editing dialog in the right- 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 menu only offers those languages you have previously selected to be installed during the installation process (see chapter Custom Option) plus English (that is installed by default). However, to finish switching the application to another language you have to restart the user interfac e; follow these steps:
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· Select the desired language of the application and confirm your selection by
pressing the Apply button (right-hand bottom corner)
· Press the OK button confirm
· New dialog window pops-up informing you the language change of AVG user
interface requires the application restart:
Balloon tray notifications
Within this section you c an suppress display of system tray balloon notifications on the status of the application. By default, the balloon notifications are allowed to be displayed, and it is recommended to keep this configuration! The balloon notifications typically inform on some AVG component's status change, and you should pay attention to them!
However, if for some reason you decide you do not wish these notifications to be displayed, or you would like only certain notifications (related to a specific AVG component) to be displayed, you can define and specify your preferences by checking/unchec king the following options:
· Display system tray notifications - by default, this item is checked (
switc hed on), and notifications are displayed. Uncheck this item to c ompletely turn off the display of all balloon notifications. When turned on, you can further select what specific notifications should be displayed:
o
Display tray notifications about update - decide whether information
regarding AVG update process launch, progress, and finalization should be displayed;
o
Display components state change notifications - decide whether information regarding component's activity/inactivity or its possible problem should be displayed. When reporting a c omponent's fault status, this option equals to the informative function of the system tray icon (color changing) reporting a problem in any AVG component;
o
Display Resident Shield related tray notifications (automatic action)
- decide whether information regarding file saving, copying, and opening processes should be displayed or suppressed (this configuration only demonstrates if the Resident Shield Auto-heal option is on);
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o
Display tray notifications about scanning - decide whether
information upon automatic launch of the scheduled scan, its progress and results should be displayed;
o
Display E-mail Scanner related tray notifications - decide whether information upon sc anning of all incoming and outgoing e-mail messages should be displayed.
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
Within the Sounds dialog you can spec ify whether you want to be informed about specific AVG actions by a sound notification. If so, check the Enable sound events option (off by default) to activate the list of AVG actions:
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Then, select the respective event from the list and browse (Browse) your disk for an appropriate sound you want to assign to this event. To listen to the selected sound, highlight the event in the list and push the Play button. Use the Delete button to remove the sound assigned to a specific event.
Note: Only *.wav sounds are supported!
9.3. Ignore Faulty Conditions
In the Ignore faulty 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 c omponent 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 a yellow exclamation mark,
· text description of the existing problem in the Security Status Info section of
the AVG main window
There might be a situation that for some reason you need to switch a c omponent off temporarily (this is not recommended, you should try to keep all components
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permanently on and in default configuration, but it may be happen). In that case the system tray icon automatic ally reports the component's error status. However, in this very case we cannot talk about an actual error since you have deliberately induced it yourself, and you are aware of the potential risk. At the same time, once being displayed in grey color, the icon cannot actually report any possible further error that might appear.
For this situation, within the above dialog you can 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 c omponents 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 Virus Vault:
· Limit Virus Vault size - use the slider to set up the maximum size of the Virus
Vault. The size is specified proportionally compared to the size of your local
disk.
· Automatic file deletion - in this section define the maximum length of time
that objects should be stored in the Virus Vault (Delete files older than ... days), and the maximum number of files to be stored in the Virus Vault (
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Maximum number of files to be stored)
9.5. PUP Exceptions
AVG Anti-Virus 2011 is able to analyze and detect executable applications or DLL libraries that could be potentially unwanted within the system. In some cases the user may wish to keep certain unwanted programs on the computer (programs that were installed on purpose). Some programs, especially free ones, include adware. Such adware might be detected and reported by AVG as a potentially 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 c an
edit the list, delete existing items, or add new exceptions. The following information can be found in the list for every single exception:
· File - provides the name of the respective application
· File Path - shows the way to the application's location
· Checksum - displays 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
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generated and displayed after successful addition of the file.
Control buttons
· Edit - opens an editing dialog (identical with the dialog for a new exception
definition, see below) of an already defined exception where you can c hange
the exception's parameters
· Remove - deletes the selected item from the list of exceptions
· Add exception - open an editing dialog where you can define parameters of
the new exception to be created:
o
File - type the full path to the file that you want to mark as an exception
o
Checksum - displays the unique 'signature' of the c hosen 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 full path - if you want to define this file as an exception only for the specific location, then leave this checkbox unchec ked. If the checkbox is marked, the specified file is defined as an exception no matter where it is located (however, you have to fill in the
full path to the specific file anyway; the file will then be used as a unique example for the possibility that two files of the same name appear in your system).
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9.6. Online Shield
The Online Shield dialog allows you to activate/deactivate the entire Online Shield component via the Enable Online Shield option (ac tivated by default). For further advanced settings of this component please continue to the subsequent dialogs as listed in the tree navigation:
· Web Protection
· Instant Messaging
Threat notification mode
In the bottom sec tion of the dialog, select in which way you wish to be informed about possible detected threat: via standard pop-up dialog, via tray balloon notification, or via tray icon info.
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9.6.1. Web Protection
In the Web Protection dialog you can edit the component's configuration regarding the scan of the website c ontent. The editing interface allows you to configure the following elementary options:
· Enable Web protection - this option confirms that the Online Shield should
perform sc anning of the www pages content. Provided this option is on (by default), you can further switch on/off these items:
o
Check archives - (off by default): scan the content of archives possibly included in the www page to be displayed.
o
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 c ategory: even though it usually represents a security risk, some of these programs can be installed intentionally. We recommend to keep this feature activated as it increases your computer security.
o
Report enhanced set of Potentially Unwanted Programs - (off by default): mark to detect extended package of spyware: programs that
are perfectly ok and harmless when acquired from the manufacturer directly, but can be misused for malicious purposes later. This is an
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additional measure that increases your computer security even more, however it c an possibly block legal programs, and is therefore switched off by default.
o
Use heuristic analysis - (on by default): scan the content of the page to be displayed using the heuristic analysis method (dynamic emulation of the scanned object’s instructions in a virtual computer environment).
o
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.
o
Maximum part size of a file to be scanned - if included files are present in the displayed page you can also sc an their content even before these are downloaded to your computer. However, scanning of large files takes quite some time and the web page download might be slowed significantly. You can use the slide bar to specify the maximum size of a file that is still to be scanned with Online Shield. Even if the downloaded file is bigger than specified, and therefore will not be scanned with Online Shield, you are still protected: in case the file is infected, the
Resident Shield will detect it immediately.
o
Exclude host/IP/domain - into the text field you c an type the exact name of a server (host, IP address, IP address with mask, or URL) or a domain that should not be sc anned by Online Shield. Therefore exclude only host that you can be absolutely sure would never provide dangerous website content.
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9.6.2. Instant Messaging
In the Instant Messaging Shield dialog you can edit the Online Shield components settings referring to instant messaging scanning. Currently the following three instant messaging programs are supported: ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo - tick the respec tive item for eac h of them if you want the Online Shield to verify the on-line c ommunication is virus free.
For further specification of allowed/blocked users you can see and edit the respective dialog (Advanced ICQ, Advanced MSN, Advanced Yahoo) and specify the Whitelist (list of users that will be allowed to communicate with you) and Blacklist (users that should be blocked).
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9.7. Link Scanner
The LinkScanner settings dialog allows you to switch on/off the elementary features of the LinkScanner:
· Enable Search-Shield - (on by default): advisory notifying icons on searches
performed with Google, Yahoo!, WebHledani, Yandex, Baidu, Bing, AOL, AltaVista, EarthLink, Ask, Seznam, eBay, Twitter, Digg, or SlashDot having checked ahead the content of sites returned by the searc h 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' ... - mark this item to c onfirm you wish to
enter the certification notice on Link Scanner check into all messages containing active hyperlinks, that were sent from Facebook and MySpace social networks.
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9.8. Scans
The advanced scan settings is divided into four categories referring to specific scan types as defined by the software vendor:
· Whole Computer scan - standard predefined scan 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 devic es attached
to your computer
9.8.1. Scan Whole Computer
The Whole Computer scan option allows you to edit parameters of one of the sc ans predefined by the software vendor, Scan of the whole computer:
Scan settings
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The Scan settings section offers a list of scanning parameters that c an be optionally switc hed on/off:
· Automatically heal/remove infection (on by default) - if a virus is identified
during scanning 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 represents a security risk, some of these programs can be installed intentionally. We recommend to keep this feature activated as it increases your computer security.
· Report enhanced set of Potentially Unwanted Programs (off by default) -
mark to detec t extended package of spyware: programs that are perfec tly ok and harmless when acquired from the manufacturer directly, but can be misused for malicious purposes later. This is an additional measure that increases your computer security even more, however it can possibly block 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) - this parameters defines that scanning
should chec k all files stored inside archives, e.g. ZIP, RAR, ...
· Use Heuristics (on by default) - heuristic analysis (dynamic emulation of the
scanned object’s instructions in a virtual computer environment) will be one of
the methods used for virus detec tion during scanning;
· Scan system environment (on by default) - scanning will also check the
system areas of your computer.
· 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.
Further you should decide whether you want to have scanned
· All file types with the possibility of defining exceptions from scanning by
providing a list of comma separated (having been saved, the commas c hange into semicolons) file extensions that should not be scanned;
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· Selected file types - you can specify that you want to scan only files that
are possibly infectable (files that cannot get infected will not be scanned, for instance some plain text files, or some other 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 spec ify by
extensions which files are those that should always be scanned.
· Optionally, you can decide you want to Scan files without extension - this
option is on by default, and it is recommended that you keep it so unless you have a real reason to change it. Files with no extension are rather suspicious and should be scanned at all times.
Adjust how quickly Scan completes
Within the Adjust how quickly scan completes section you can further specify the desired scanning speed dependent on system resource usage. By default, this option value is set to user sensitive level of automatic resource usage. 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 your other 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 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 findings should be reported:
9.8.2. Shell Extension Scan
Similar to the previous Whole Computer scan item, this item named Shell extension scan also offers several options for editing the sc an predefined by the software
vendor. This time the configuration is related to scanning of specific objects launched
directly from the Windows Explorer environment (shell extension), see chapter
Scanning in Windows Explorer:
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The list of parameters is identical to those available for the Scan of the whole
computer. However, the default settings differ (for instance, Whole Computer scan
by default does not check the archives but it does scan the system environment, while with the Shell Extension Scan it is the other way).
Note: For a description of specific parameters please consult the chapter AVG
Advanced 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 spec ify 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 infec tion is detected during scanning.
9.8.3. Scan Specific Files or Folders
The editing interface for Scan specific files or folders is identical to the Whole
Computer scan editing dialog. All configuration options are the same; however, the
default settings are more stric t for the Scan of the whole computer:
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All parameters set up in this c onfiguration 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.
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9.8.4. Removable Device Scan
The editing interface for Removable device scan is also very similar to the Whole
Computer scan editing dialog:
The Removable device scan is launched automatically once you attach any removable device to your computer. By default, this scanning is switched off. However, it is crucial to scan removable devic es for potential threats since these are a major source of infec tion. 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.
9.9. Schedules
In the Schedules section you can edit the default settings of:
· Scheduled scan
· Virus database update schedule
· Program update schedule
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9.9.1. Scheduled Scan
Parameters of the sc heduled scan can be edited (or a new schedule set up) on three tabs:
On the Schedule settings tab you can first check/uncheck the Enable this task item to simply deactivate the sc heduled test temporarily, and switch it on again as the need arises.
Next, in the text field called Name (deactivated for all default 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 scan from others.
Example: It is not appropriate to call the scan by the name of "New sc an" or "My scan" since these names do not refer to what the sc an ac tually checks. On the other hand, an example of a good descriptive name would be "System areas scan" etc. Also it is not necessary to specify in the scan's name whether it is the scan of the whole of the computer or just a scan of selected files or folders - your own scans will always be a spec ific version of the scan of selected files or folders.
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In this dialog you can further define the following parameters of the sc an:
Schedule running
Here, you can spec ify time intervals for the newly scheduled scan launch. The timing can either 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 interval ...), or possibly by defining an event that the scan launch should be assoc iated 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 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:
A new AVG system tray icon then appears (in full color with a flash light) informing a scheduled scan is running. Right-click on the running scan AVG icon to open a context menu where you can decide to pause or even stop the running scan, and also change the priority of the currently running scan:
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On the How to scan tab you will find a list of scanning parameters that c an be optionally switc hed on/off. By default, most parameters are switc hed on and the functionality will be applied during scanning. Unless you have a valid reason to change these settings we recommend to keep the predefined configuration:
· Automatically heal/remove infection (on by default): if a virus is identified
during scanning 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): chec k 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 feature activated as it increases your computer security.
· Report enhanced set of Potentially Unwanted Programs (off by default):
mark to detec t extended package of spyware: programs that are perfec tly ok and harmless when acquired from the manufacturer directly, but can be misused for malicious purposes later. This is an additional measure that increases your computer security even more, however it can possibly block legal programs, and is therefore switched off by default.
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· Scan for Tracking Cookies (off by default): this parameter of the Anti-
Spyware component defines that cookies should be detected during scanning;
(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): this parameter defines the scanning
should chec k all files even if they are stored inside an archive, e.g. ZIP, RAR, ...
· Use Heuristics (on by default): heuristic analysis (dynamic emulation of the
scanned object’s instructions in a virtual computer environment) will be one of
the methods used for virus detec tion during scanning;
· Scan system environment (on by default): scanning will also check the
system areas of your computer;
· 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.
· Scan for rootkits (off by default): tick this item if you want to include the
rootkit detection into sc anning of the entire computer. The rootkit detection is also available on its own within the Anti-Rootkit component;
Further you should decide whether you want to have scanned
· All file types with the possibility of defining exceptions from scanning by
providing a list of comma separated (having been saved, the commas c hange into semicolons) file extensions that should not be scanned;
· Selected file types - you can specify that you want to scan only files that
are possibly infectable (files that cannot get infected will not be scanned, for instance some plain text files, or some other 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 spec ify by
extensions which files are those that should always be scanned.
· Optionally, you can decide you want to Scan files without extension - this
option is on by default, and it is recommended that you keep it so unless you have a real reason to change it. Files with no extension are rather suspicious and should be scanned at all times.
Adjust how quickly Scan completes
Within the Adjust how quickly Scan completes section you can further spec ify the desired scanning speed dependent on system resource usage. By default, this option
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value is set to user sensitive level of automatic resource usage. If you want the scanning to run faster, it will take less time but the system resources usage will increase significantly during the scan, and will slow down your other 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 findings should be reported:
Additional scan settings
Click the Additional scan settings ... to open a new Computer shutdown options dialog where you can decide whether the computer should be shut down automatically once the running scanning process is over. Having confirmed this option (Shutdown computer upon scan completion), a new option activates that allows the computer to shut down even if it is currently locked (Force shutdown if computer is locked).
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On the What to scan tab you can define whether you want to schedule scanning of
the whole computer or sc anning of spec ific 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.
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9.9.2. Virus Database Update Schedule
On the Schedule settings tab you can first check/uncheck the Enable this task item to simply deactivate the sc heduled virus database update temporarily, and switch it on again as the need arises. The basic virus database update scheduling is covered within the Update Manager component. 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 sec tion, specify the time intervals for the newly scheduled virus database update launch. The timing can either be defined by the repeated update launch after a certain period of time (Run every ...) or by defining an exact date and time (Run at specific time ...).
Advanced schedule options
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This section allows you to define under which conditions the virus database update should/should not be launched if the computer is in low power mode or switc hed off completely.
Other update settings
Finally, c heck 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 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).
9.9.3. Program Update Schedule
On the Schedule settings tab you can first check/uncheck the Enable this task item to simply deactivate the sc heduled program update temporarily, and switch it on again
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as the need arises. 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
Here, specify the time intervals for the newly scheduled program update launch. The timing can either be defined by the repeated update launch after a c ertain 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 update launch should be associated with ( Action based on computer startup).
Advanced schedule options
This section allows you to define under which conditions the program update should/ 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 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).
Note: If a time coincidence of a scheduled program update and scheduled scan
occurs, the update process is of higher priority and the scan will get interrupted.
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9.10. E-mail Scanner
The E-mail Scanner dialog is divided into three sec tions:
E-mail scanning
In this sec tion, you can set these basics for incoming and/or outgoing e-mail messages:
· Check incoming e-mail (on by default) - mark to switch on/off the option of
scanning of 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 ac count
· Modify subject of virus infected messages (off by default) - if you want to
be warned the sc anned 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 added to the "Subject" field for eac h detected e-mail message for easier identification and filtering. The default value is ***VIRUS*** which we recommend to keep.
Scanning properties
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In this sec tion, you can specify how the e-mail messages will be scanned:
· Use Heuristics (on by default) - check to use heuristics detection method
when sc anning e-mail messages. When this option is on, you can filter e-mail attachments not only by extension but also the actual contents of the attachment will be considered. The filtering can be set in the Mail Filtering dialog.
· 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 feature activated as it increases your computer security.
· Report enhanced set of Potentially Unwanted Programs (off by default) -
mark to detec t extended package of spyware: programs that are perfec tly ok and harmless when acquired from the manufacturer directly, but can be misused for malicious purposes later. This is an additional measure that increases your computer security even more, however it can possibly 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 c omputer being infected by an virus or exploit) 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.
E-mail attachments reporting
In this sec tion, you can set additional reports about potentially dangerous or suspicious files. Please note that no warning dialog will be displayed, only a certification text will be added to the end of the e-mail message, and all such reports will be listed in the E-mail Scanner detec tion dialog:
· Report password protected archives – archives (ZIP, RAR etc.) that are
protected by password are not possible to scan for viruses; check the box to report these as potentially dangerous.
· Report password protected documents – documents protected by password
are not possible to scan for viruses; check the box to report these as potentially dangerous.
· Report files containing macros – a macro is a predefined sequence of steps
aimed to make certain tasks easier for a user (MS Word macros are widely known). As such, a macro can contain potentially dangerous instructions, and
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you might like to check the box to ensure that files with macros will be reported as suspicious.
· Report hidden extensions – hidden extension can make e.g. a suspicious
executable file "something.txt.exe" appear as harmless plain text file "something.txt"; check the box to report these as potentially dangerous.
· Move reported attachments to Virus Vault - specify whether you wish to 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 infec tious object should be moved to the Virus Vault.
9.10.1. Certification
In the Certification dialog you can specify the text and language of the certification for both incoming mail and outgoing mail:
The certification text consists of two parts, user part and system part - see the following example: the first line represents the user part, the rest is generated automatically:
No virus found in this message.
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Checked by AVG.
Version: x.y.zz / Virus Database: xx.y.z - Release Date: 12/9/2010
If you decide to use c ertification of either incoming or outgoing e-mail messages, further in this dialog you c an spec ify the exact wording of the user part of the certification text (E-mail certification text), and chose what language should be used for the automatically generated system part of the certification (Language used for the e-mail certification text).
9.10.2. 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 dec ide to activate it, all e-mail message attachments detec ted as infectious or potentially dangerous will be removed automatically. If you want to define specific types of attachments that should be removed, select the respective option:
· Remove all executable files - all *.exe files will be deleted
· Remove all documents - all *.doc, *.docx, *.xls, *.xlsx files will be deleted
· Remove files with these comma separated extensions - will remove all
files with the defined extensions
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9.10.3. Servers
In the Servers section you can edit parameters of the E-mail Scanner component servers, or set up a new server fusing the Add new server button.
In this dialog (opened via Servers / POP3) you can set up a new E-mail Scanner server using the POP3 protocol for incoming mail:
· POP3 Server Name - in this field you c an spec ify the name of newly added
servers (to add a POP3 server, c lick 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, acc ording to your e­mail 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. The login name remains unchanged. For a name, you may use a domain name (for example, pop.acme.com) as well as an IP address (for
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example, 123.45.67.89). If the mail server uses a non-standard port, you can specify this port after the server name by using a colon as the delimiter (for example, pop.acme.c om:8200). The standard port for POP3 communication is 110.
· Additional settings - specifies more detailed parameters:
o
Local port - specifies the port on which the communication from your mail application should be expected. You must then spec ify 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 destination mail server supports it.
· E-mail client POP3 server activation - c heck/uncheck this item to activate
or deactivate the specified POP3 server
In this dialog (opened via Servers / SMTP) you can set up a new E-mail Scanner server using the SMTP protocol for outgoing mail:
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· SMTP Server Name - in this field you can specify the name of newly added
servers (to add a SMTP server, click the right mouse button over the SMTP item of the left navigation menu). For automatically created "AutoSMTP" server this field is deactivated.
· Type of login - defines the method for determining the mail server used for
outgoing mail:
o
Automatic - login will be carried out automatically, ac cording to your e­mail 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.c om) as well 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.ac me.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 should be expected. You must then spec ify in your mail application this port as the port for SMTP communication.
o
Connection - in this 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 available only when the destination mail server supports it.
· E-mail client SMTP server activation - check/unchec k this box to activate/
deactivate the above specified SMTP server
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