Among the many programs that we can make use of in Windows or in any other operating system, antivirus programs are among the most important. This is due to a very simple reason, and that is that these are the programs that are responsible for protecting the data stored on our computers.
In fact, as we have commented on countless occasions, this type of specific software is almost mandatory in most current computers. In fact, Windows 10 itself has its own integrated security solution available to users, Windows Defender. But also, for all those who are not convinced by this Microsoft proposal, they can use a good amount of third-party software. In fact, there are many firms that for years have been in charge of offering their security products, some for free, others for a fee.
How could it be otherwise, the functions that these alternatives are able to offer us are one of the most varied depending on several factors. This is where elements such as developer, type of license, version etc. come into play. However, whatever the antivirus, it must undertake some basic protection tasks, otherwise they would be of no use.
It is for all this that below we are going to talk about some basic steps that you must take when launching a program of this type that has just been installed.
Make sure we install the latest version
The first thing we must do is make sure that we have the most recent version of the antivirus . This is something that we can carry out, either from the developer’s own website, or by trying to update the program from its menus. Each works in a different way, but this step is important to take advantage of both the latest features and software protection.
Update database
And it is not only about updating the antivirus as such, but it is also equally important that we have the latest database in it. This is what developers launch and integrate into their projects so that they are capable of detecting the latest types of attacks. It should be noted that as a general rule these databases are updated every so often, so we must be vigilant for greater protection.
Scan the computer in depth
Once we have made sure that everything is correctly updated, we will analyze the status of the Windows computer . Normally we have several types of analysis in antivirus, but since it is the first time, we should opt for the deepest one so that everything is analyzed. This is something that will take a few minutes, but it’s worth it. Thus, once we know that everything is clean, we can take the next step.
Set up periodic scans
Once we have completely analyzed the computer and eliminated the possible existing malware, now we must program the antivirus. This will depend on each one, but we recommend scheduling a quick daily analysis, as well as a deeper one at least once a week. We can also program all this when we are not using the PC, for example, so we will not notice the possible drop in performance of the equipment.
