AVIRA FREE ANTIVIRUS User manual

Avira Free Antivirus
User Manual

Introduction
Avira Free Antivirus - User Manual (Status: 23 Sep. 2011) 2
Trademarks and Copyright
Trademarks
Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Protected trademarks are not marked as such in this manual. This does not mean, however, that they may be used freely.
Copyright information
Code provided by third party providers was used for Avira Free Antivirus. We thank the copyright owners for making the code available
to us.
For detailed information on copyright, please refer to "Third Party Licenses" in the Program Help of Avira Free Antivirus.

Introduction
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................................................6
1.1 Icons and emphases............................................................................................................... 6
2. Product information.........................................................................8
2.1 Delivery scope.......................................................................................................................... 8
2.2 System requirements............................................................................................................... 9
2.3 Licensing and Upgrade.........................................................................................................10
3. Installation and uninstallation.......................................................... 11
3.1 Overview................................................................................................................................. 11
3.1.1 Installation types.........................................................................................................................................11
3.2 Pre-Setup................................................................................................................................ 11
3.3 Express installation................................................................................................................ 13
3.4 Custom Installation................................................................................................................ 15
3.5 Configuration Wizard.............................................................................................................16
3.6 Change installation................................................................................................................ 17
3.7 Installation modules...............................................................................................................18
3.8 Uninstallation..........................................................................................................................19
4. Overview of Avira Free Antivirus...................................................... 20
4.1 User interface and operation................................................................................................ 20
4.1.1 Control Center.............................................................................................................................................20
4.1.2 Starting and closing of Control Center................................................................................................21
4.1.3 Operate Control Center............................................................................................................................22
4.1.4 Control Center overview..........................................................................................................................22
4.1.5 Configuration...............................................................................................................................................23
4.1.6 Accessing the Configuration...................................................................................................................24
4.1.7 Configuration operation............................................................................................................................25
4.1.8 Tray icon.......................................................................................................................................................26
4.1.9 Entries in the context menu....................................................................................................................27
4.2 Toolbar.................................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.1 Overview.......................................................................................................................................................27
4.2.2 Use.................................................................................................................................................................28

Introduction
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4.2.3 Options..........................................................................................................................................................29
4.2.4 Uninstallation...............................................................................................................................................32
4.3 How to...?................................................................................................................................ 33
4.3.1 Perform automatic updates.....................................................................................................................33
4.3.2 Start a manual update..............................................................................................................................34
4.3.3 Using a scan profiles to scan for viruses and malware..................................................................35
4.3.4 Scan for viruses and malware using drag & drop............................................................................36
4.3.5 Scan for viruses and malware via the context menu......................................................................36
4.3.6 Automatically scan for viruses and malware.....................................................................................37
4.3.7 Targeted scan for Rootkits and active malware...............................................................................38
4.3.8 React to detected viruses and malware..............................................................................................39
4.3.9 Handling quarantined files (*.qua)........................................................................................................41
4.3.10 Restore the files in quarantine...............................................................................................................43
4.3.11 Move suspicious files to quarantine.....................................................................................................44
4.3.12 Scan profile: Amend or delete file type in a scan profile................................................................45
4.3.13 Create desktop shortcut for scan profile.............................................................................................45
4.3.14 Filter events.................................................................................................................................................46
5. System Scanner ............................................................................ 47
6. Updates........................................................................................ 48
7. FAQ, Tips...................................................................................... 50
7.1 Help in case of a problem..................................................................................................... 50
7.2 Shortcuts................................................................................................................................. 52
7.2.1 In dialog boxes............................................................................................................................................52
7.2.2 In the help.....................................................................................................................................................53
7.2.3 In the Control Center.................................................................................................................................54
7.3 Windows Security Center...................................................................................................... 56
7.3.1 General..........................................................................................................................................................56
7.3.2 The Windows Security Center and your Avira product..................................................................56

Introduction
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8. Viruses and more........................................................................... 60
8.1 Threat categories................................................................................................................... 60
8.2 Viruses and other malware................................................................................................... 63
9. Info and Service............................................................................. 67
9.1 Contact address..................................................................................................................... 67
9.2 Technical support................................................................................................................... 67
9.3 Suspicious file........................................................................................................................ 67
9.4 Reporting false positives....................................................................................................... 68
10. Reference: Configuration options.................................................... 69
10.1 System Scanner..................................................................................................................... 69
10.1.1 Scan...............................................................................................................................................................69
10.1.2 Report............................................................................................................................................................78
10.2 Realtime Protection............................................................................................................... 79
10.2.1 Scan...............................................................................................................................................................79
10.2.2 Report............................................................................................................................................................85
10.3 Update .................................................................................................................................... 86
10.3.1 Product update............................................................................................................................................86
10.3.2 Restart settings...........................................................................................................................................88
10.3.3 Web server...................................................................................................................................................89
10.4 Web Protection....................................................................................................................... 91
10.4.1 Scan...............................................................................................................................................................91
10.4.2 Report............................................................................................................................................................98
10.5 General................................................................................................................................... 99
10.5.1 Threat categories.......................................................................................................................................99
10.5.2 Security...................................................................................................................................................... 100
10.5.3 WMI............................................................................................................................................................. 102
10.5.4 Events......................................................................................................................................................... 102
10.5.5 Reports....................................................................................................................................................... 103
10.5.6 Directories................................................................................................................................................. 103
10.5.7 Acoustic alerts.......................................................................................................................................... 104
10.5.8 Alerts........................................................................................................................................................... 105

Introduction
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1. Introduction
Your Avira product protects your computer against viruses, worms, Trojans, adware and
spyware and other risks. In this manual these are referred to as viruses or malware
(harmful software) and unwanted programs.
The manual describes the program installation and operation.
For further options and information, please visit our website:
http://www.avira.com/free-av
The Avira website lets you:
access information on other Avira desktop programs
download the latest Avira desktop programs
download the latest product manuals in PDF format
download free support and repair tools
access our comprehensive knowledge database and FAQs for troubleshooting
access country-specific support addresses.
Your Avira Team
1.1 Icons and emphases
The following icons are used:
Icon /
designation
Explanation
Placed before a condition which must be fulfilled prior to
execution of an action.
Placed before an action step that you perform.
Placed before an event that follows the previous action.
Warning
Placed before a warning when critical data loss might occur.

Introduction
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Note
Placed before a link to particularly important information or a tip
which makes your Avira product easier to use.
The following emphases are used:
Emphasis
Explanation
Italics
File name or path data.
Displayed software interface elements (e.g. window section or
error message).
Bold
Clickable software interface elements (e.g. menu item,
navigation area, option box or button).

Product information
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2. Product information
This chapter contains all information relevant to the purchase and use of your Avira
product:
see Chapter: Delivery scope
see Chapter: System requirements
see Chapter: Licensing and Upgrade
Avira products are comprehensive and flexible tools you can rely on to protect your
computer from viruses, malware, unwanted programs and other dangers.
Please note the following information:
Note
Loss of valuable data usually has dramatic consequences. Even the best virus
protection program cannot provide one hundred percent protection from data
loss. Make regular copies (Backups) of your data for security purposes.
Note
A program can only provide reliable and effective protection from viruses,
malware, unwanted programs and other dangers if it is up-to-date. Make sure
your Avira product is up-to-date with automatic updates. Configure the program
accordingly.
2.1 Delivery scope
Your Avira product has the following functions:
Control Center for monitoring, managing and controlling the entire program
Central configuration with user-friendly standard and advanced options and context-
sensitive help
System Scanner (on-demand scan) with profile-controlled and configurable scan for all
known types of virus and malware
Integration into the Windows Vista User Account Control allows you to carry out tasks
requiring administrator rights.
Realtime Protection (on-access scan) for continuous monitoring of all file access
attempts
Avira SearchFree Toolbar (powered by Ask.com), a search toolbar integrated in the
web browser providing quick and convenient search options.

Product information
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Web Protection (for Avira Free Antivirus users, only in combination with the Avira
SearchFree Toolbar) for monitoring data and files transferred from the Internet using the
HTTP protocol (monitoring of ports 80, 8080, 3128)
Integrated quarantine management to isolate and process suspicious files
Rootkits protection for detecting hidden malware installed in your computer system
(rootkits)
(Not available under Windows XP 64 bit)
Direct access to detailed information on the detected viruses and malware via the
Internet
Simple and quick updates to the program, virus definitions, and search engine through
Single File Update and incremental VDF updates via a web server on the Internet
Integrated Scheduler for planning one-off or recurring jobs such as updates or scans
Extremely high virus and malware detection via innovative scanning technology (scan
engine) including heuristic scanning method
Detection of all conventional archive types including detection of nested archives and
smart extension detection
High-performance multithreading function (simultaneous high-speed scanning of
multiple files)
2.2 System requirements
The system requirements are as follows:
Computer Pentium or later, at least 1 GHz
Operating system
Windows XP, SP2 (32 or 64 bit) or
Windows Vista (32 or 64 bit, SP1) or
Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit)
At least 150 MB of free hard disk memory space (more if using quarantine for temporary
storage)
At least 512 MB RAM under Windows XP
At least 1024 MB RAM under Windows Vista, Windows 7
For the program installation: Administrator rights
For all installations: Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
Internet connection where appropriate (see Installation)
Avira SearchFree Toolbar
Operating system
Windows XP, SP3 (32 or 64 bit) or

Product information
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Windows Vista (32 or 64 bit, SP 1 recommended)
Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit)
Web browser
Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, or
Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or higher
Note
If necessary, please uninstall any previously installed search toolbars before
you install the Avira SearchFree Toolbar. Otherwise you will not be able to
install the Avira SearchFree Toolbar.
Information for Windows Vista users
On Windows XP, many users work with administrator rights. However, this is not desirable
from the point of view of security because it is then easy for viruses and unwanted
programs to infiltrate computers.
For this reason, Microsoft is introducing the "User Account Control" with Windows Vista.
This offers more protection for users who are logged in as administrators: thus in Windows
Vista, one administrator only has the privileges of a normal user at first. Actions for which
administrator rights are required are clearly marked in Windows Vista with an information
icon. In addition, the user must explicitly confirm the required action. Privileges are only
increased and the administrative task performed by the operating system after this
permission has been obtained.
The Avira product requires administrator rights for some actions in Windows Vista. These
actions are marked with the following symbol: . If this symbol also appears on a button,
administrator rights are required to carry out this action. If your current user account does
not have administrator rights, the Windows Vista dialog of the User Account Control asks
you to enter the administrator password. If you do not have an administrator password,
you cannot carry out this action.
2.3 Licensing and Upgrade
In order to be able to use your Avira product, you require a license. You thereby accept the
license terms.
The license is issued via a digital license code in the form of the file hbedv.key. This digital
license code is the key to your personal license. It contains exact details of which
programs are licensed to you and for what period of time. A digital license code can
therefore also contain the license for more than one product.
If you purchased your Avira product on the Internet, or via a program CD/DVD, the digital
license code is sent to you by email.