spyware General term for software that performs behaviors such as advertising, collecting personal information, or changing the configuration of your computer, usually without obtaining consent.
The Windows Live Safety Center protection scan checks your computer for and removes spyware, viruses, and other potentially unwanted programs. It also checks your computer for common open ports that might make your computer more vulnerable to online threats and hackers.
The protection scan will check your computer for spyware, viruses, Trojan horses, and worms, as well as four common open ports. It will automatically attempt to clean any infected files that it finds on your computer, make recommendations for any that it couldn’t clean, and identify any open ports.
When the scan is done, you’ll see a report with:
·the number of files scanned
·the number of infected files found (if any)
·the number of potentially unwanted files found (if any)
·the type of infection and virus name (if any)
·whether or not the scanner removed or cleaned the infected files (if any)
·the number of common open ports
What the recommendations mean
For the virus and spyware scan: If viruses, spyware, or other potentially unwanted programs are detected on your computer, you’ll see a red shield and you should take the recommended action to fix infected files. Severe and High threats may indicate a threat of something particularly bad, such as a loss of computer control, and should be removed.
A yellow shield indicates a Medium or Low threat. By default, Low threats are not selected to be removed. These items generally do not represent a serious threat to your computer, but could be used by other malicious software to do damage.
If any viruses or spyware are found on your computer and the scanner automatically fixes them during the scanning process, you’ll see a green shield along with the number of infected files found and cleaned. If, however, no viruses or spyware are detected on your computer, you’ll see a green shield and no further action is necessary.
For the open ports scan: If none of the four ports scanned is open, you’ll see a green shield and no further action is necessary.
If, however, any of the four ports scanned is open, you’ll see a yellow shield along with the number of open ports. In this case, you should click the Learn more link for more information about ports to determine whether these ports should be open or not.
How often should I do this?
We recommend a complete Windows Live Safety Center scan once a month, which includes the protection scan. Keep in mind, though, that the protection scan only finds and removes existing problems and does not protect your PC against new malware or threats. If your computer is running slower than usual or isn’t working properly, or if you suspect that your computer has been infected by a virus, you might want to run the scanner sooner.
For always-on security service, check out Windows Live OneCare (U.S. only), which provides a two-way firewall, virus protection, and monthly tune-ups for routine maintenance and optimal PC performance.
