Just by connecting to the Internet we are jeopardizing our security. Thousands of threats are hidden on the network, waiting for the best opportunity to attack, infect computers with viruses, take control and steal our data. Therefore, any security measure that we can have is little. And in addition to making sure we have Windows updated, another fundamental aspect is to use a good antivirus capable of detecting these threats before it is too late.
Gone are the times when we had to worry about installing an antivirus before starting to use the PC. Windows 10 brings with it one of the best free antivirus, Windows Defender , which is in charge of protecting us from all threats that can endanger the security of our computer.
If we do not trust Microsoft‘s antivirus and want to install another one, this antivirus is automatically deactivated to make room for the new security software. And in case of uninstalling this antivirus, or if it fails for any reason, Windows Defender automatically activates again to continue protecting our computer.
If we have installed an antivirus on our computer, we should know which one we have. The same as if we have not installed anything it will be because we trust Windows Defender. However, there are times when some programs can install antivirus without permission, or they can disable Windows 10 security software. And this is where the problems start.
Windows Security Center
There are many ways to find out which antivirus is installed on our computer. For example, we can look for its icon in the system tray, look for it in the list of installed programs and even wait for a warning to appear. But the best way to know what security software is installed on the PC is through the Windows security center.
Security Center is a program that is part of Windows Defender. From this program we will be able to control Microsoft’s antivirus, in addition to knowing the status of any other security software that we have installed on the PC. For example, in case of having Windows Defender, within this security center we will find the analysis options.
We can see the security status of our PC , perform a manual scan and even access advanced settings.
But if we have other security software installed in Windows 10, things change, since Windows Defender will be disabled. Therefore, by entering the Microsoft security center, and clicking on the ” antivirus and threat protection ” section, we will be able to see who is responsible for protecting our PC.
In this case, for example, protection is at Avast’s expense. This antivirus will be the one in charge of protecting our PC against all kinds of threats, and Windows Defender will be a mere spectator that will check that this other antivirus is working properly.
In case the antivirus is deactivated, there are threats that require intervention or if the updates are failing, this security center will warn us that something is not working properly. And it will also allow us to access the antivirus settings to solve the problem.
If we install a different security program, it will appear directly in this security center, in addition to having its own icon in the system tray from which we can also know its status and access its main window.
Manually search for antivirus
If we do not want to use the Windows security center, then there is no way to find out how easy the antivirus we are using is. Therefore, we must carry out a search of all the programs that we have installed on the computer until we find what our security solution is.
To do this, one of the fastest and easiest ways to do it is from the list of programs installed on the computer. This list can be found in the start menu itself, although we will have to review all the programs, one by one, until we find this software.
We can also use the Windows 10 search engine with concepts such as “Antivirus“ or “Security” to see if we have programs that meet these search terms. However, since each antivirus usually has a different name, it is difficult to find it like this.
Finally, we can also resort to the list of programs installed on the PC. Specifically within the section to uninstall applications or programs. Here we can see a complete list with all the programs we have on the PC. Reviewing each of them there will come a time when we come across our antivirus.
Test virus
Another way to know what antivirus we have installed, and if it works well, is through test viruses . These are small harmless files that are present in all databases and that serve to jump-start the antivirus to see if it is really protecting us.
Eicar, for example, is one of these test viruses. From the following link we can download these harmless files to check if our security program is active and working. In case this is the case, we will be able to see a window like the following one in the case of using Windows Defender.
If we have another antivirus, instead of seeing the previous message we will see its corresponding notice. And from this notice we can find out which antivirus we have installed.
Once the protection software of our PC has been identified, now we simply have to search for it in order to reach its main window. Or, if we prefer, uninstall it.