AVG 8.0 Free Edition

User Manual

Document revision 80.1 (24.4.2008)

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. Created 1991.
This product uses code from C-SaCzech library, Copyright (c) 1996-2001 Jaromir Dolecek (dolecek@ics.muni.cz).
This product uses compression library zlib, Copyright (c) 1995-2002 Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler.

1. Introduction

This user manual offers a general overview of the tasks and detection technologies provided by AVG 8.0 Free. We will briefly talk about the program installation, initial startup, configuration and use.

AVG 8.0 Free is provided free-of-charge, and its functionality is limited. While using AVG 8.0 Free you might discover you would like to have access to further and extended functionality of AVG as provided within the AVG 8.0 products. Then, please visit the AVG website (www.avg.com ) for information on AVG 8.0 purchase options.

Having confirmed the general AVG license agreement, the specific Acceptance notice dialog will be displayed for <%main_product_name_in_text%:

Again, please press the Accept button to continue the installation process, or press Don't accept to quit immediately.

In the E-mail Scanning dialog you can choose to install the Personal E-mail Scanner to secure your e-mail communication automatically, or you can choose to set up an advanced configuration of e-mail scanning. It is recommended to install the Personal E-mail Scanner in fully automatic mode.

However, if you have a valid reason to do so, you can set up the e-mail scanner manually. In the E-mail Scanning dialog select the Advanced Configuration option and go on to the E-mail Scanning - Plug-in selection dialog. In this dialog you can then select the specific plug-ins that are to be installed:

6. AVG Free User Interface

AVG 8.0 Free 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 section of the window) offer an overview of all installed AVG components - details >>

In the Licence component interface you will find a brief text describing the component's functionality, information on its current status (License component is active.), and the following information:

· License number - provides the exact form of your free license number. For AVG 8.0 Free the license number is preset automatically and you do not have to enter it.

· License type - specifies you are running the free version of AVG.

· License expires - this date determines the period of validity of your license. If you want to go on using AVG after this date you have to renew your license. The license renewal can be performed online on the AVG website.

· Number of seats - how many workstations on which you are entitled to install your AVG.

Control buttons

· Copy license number - press the button to insert the currently used license number into clipboard (just like with CTRL+C), and you can paste it wherever needed

· Buy now - opens the AVG website at the online Store where you can purchase the full version of a selected AVG product

· Back - press this button to return to the default AVG user interface (components overview)

Basic component configuration

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 components, is available via the File/Advanced settings item of the system menu).

The Resident Shield is active option allows you to easily switch 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 impact on the security level, and it only reflects your preferences.

In both cases, you can still select whether you want to Remove cookies automatically. In specific cases you can switch 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 change 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 File / 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 - Directory Excludes dialog where you can define folders 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

· Virus database version - defines the number of the latest virus database version; and this number increases with every virus base update

· Next scheduled update - specifies when and at what time the next update is scheduled to

Basic component configuration

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 switched on and we recommend to keep it that way! Regular download of the latest update files is crucial for proper functionality of any security software!

Further you can define when the update should be launched:

o Periodically - with AVG 8.0 Free you are limited to one update per day so this option is disabled! If you feel you would like to have access to to further and extended functionality within AVG 8.0 full products, please visit the AVG website ( www.avg.com) for information on AVG 8.0 purchase options.
o At a specific time - define the exact day and time

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!

Control buttons

The control buttons available within the Update Manager interface 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

• Advanced - on this tab you can edit the AVG Security Toolbar protection features. By default, both the AVG Search-Shield and AVG Active Surf-Shield features are enabled.

o Update - checks for new updates for your AVG Security Toolbar
o Help - provides options to open the help file, contact AVG technical support , or view the details of the current version of the toolbar

· Yahoo! powered search box - easy and safe way to search the web using

Yahoo! search. Enter a word or phrase into the search box press Search to start the search on the Yahoo! 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 AVG Search-Shield protection.

· AVG Active Surf-Shield button - on/off button controls the status of the AVG Active Surf-Shield protection

· AVG Search-Shield button - on/off button controls the status of the AVG Search-Shield protection

· AVG Info button - provides links to important security information located on the AVG website (www.avg.com )

· 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 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 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 unchecked

with the detected infection. The recommended method is to remove the infected file to the Virus Vault.

· Scan Potentially Unwanted Programs - this parameter controls the Anti- Virus functionality that allows detection of potentially unwanted programs ( executable files that can run as spyware or adware) and these can then be blocked, or removed;

· Scan for cookies - 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 - this parameters defines that scanning should check all files even those stored inside archives, e.g. ZIP, RAR, ...

· Use Heuristics - heuristic analysis (dynamic emulation of the scanned object’ s instructions in a virtual computer environment) will be one of the methods used for virus detection during scanning;

· Scan system environment - scanning will also check the system areas of your computer;

· Scan infectable files only - with this option switched on, files that cannot get infected will not be scanned. These can be for instance some plain text files, or some other non-executable files.

· Scan for rootkits - this item is disabled in AVG 8.0 Free.

Scan process priority

Within the Scan process priority section you can further specify the desired scanning speed dependent on system resource usage. By default, this option value is set to the medium 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 ...

• Action based - run the scan on computer startup.

Note: More comprehensive options are available in full versions of AVG.

· Advanced schedule options

Run on computer startup if task has been missed - if the scan cannot run at the scheduled time/interval, then it will run the next time the computer restarts.
Run even if computer is in low power mode - this option applies to battery powered computers such as notebooks. The default action is for AVG to postpone scanning when the computer's power resources are low.

· Task settings - in the section you can uncheck the Enable this task item to simply deactivate the scheduled test. Not recommended.

On the How to scan tab you will find a list of scanning parameters that can be optionally switched on/off. By default, most parameters are switched 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 - (switched 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, or if you decide to switch off this option, you will be notified upon virus detection and will have to decide what to do with the detected infection. The recommended action is to remove the infected file to the Virus Vault.

· Scan Potentially Unwanted Programs - (switched on, by default): this parameter controls the Anti-Virus functionality that allows detection of potentially unwanted programs (executable files that can run as spyware or adware) and these can then be blocked, or removed;

· Scan for cookies - (switched on, 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 - (switched on, by default): this parameter defines the scanning should check all files even if they are stored inside an archive, e.g. ZIP, RAR, ...

· Use Heuristics - (switched 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 detection during scanning;

· Scan system environment - (switched on, by default): scanning will also check the system areas of your computer;

· Scan infectable files only - (switched off, by default): with this option switched on, scanning will not be applied to files that cannot get infected. These can be for instance some plain text files, or some other non-executable files.

· Scan for rootkits - this item is disabled in AVG 8.0 Free.

Within the Scan process priority section you can further specify the desired scanning speed dependent on system resource usage. By default, this option is set to the medium 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.

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:

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 is computer is locked).

On the What to scan tab you can define whether you want to schedule scanning of the whole computer or scanning of specific 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.

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 - type in the name of the server or keep the AutoPOP3 default name

· Type of login - defines the method for determining the mail server used for incoming mail:

o Automatic - Login will be carried out automatically, according to your e-mail client settings.
o USER/COMPUTER - the simplest and the most frequently used method for determining the destination mail server is the proxy method. To use this method, specify the name or address (or also the port) as part of the login user name for the given mail server, separating them with the / character. For example, for the account user1 on the server pop.acme.com and the port 8200 you would use user1/pop.acme.com:8200 for the login name.
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 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.com: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 specify in your mail application this port as the port for POP3 communication.
o Use APOP when available - this option provides more secure mail server login. This makes sure that the E-mail Scanner uses an alternative method of forwarding the user account password for login, sending the password to the server not in an open, but in an encrypted format using a variable chain received from the server. Naturally, this feature is available only when the destination mail server supports it.
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 - provides brief information on the configuration settings required to correctly configure your e-mail client (so that the E-mail Scanner will check all incoming mail). This is a summary based on the corresponding parameters specified in this dialog and other related dialogs.

In this dialog (opened via Servers / SMTP) you can set up a new E-mail Scanner server using the SMTP protocol for outgoing mail:

· SMTP Server Name - type in the name of the server or keep the AutoSMTP default name

· Relay Host - defines the method for determining the mail server used for outgoing mail:

o Automatic - login will be carried out automatically, according to your e-mail 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.com) 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.acme.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 specify in your mail application this port as the port for SMTP communication.

o Queue processing - determines the behavior of the E-mail Scanner when processing the requirements for sending mail messages:

Automatic - the outgoing mail is immediately delivered (sent) to the target mail server
Manual - the message is inserted into the queue of outgoing messages and sent later

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.

· Administrative server - shows the number of the port of the server that will be used for the reverse delivery of administration reports. These messages are generated, for example, when the target mail server rejects the outgoing message or when this mail server is not available.

· E-mail client SMTP server settings - provides information on how to configure the client mail application so that outgoing mail messages are checked using the currently modified server for checking the outgoing mail. This is a summary based on the corresponding parameters specified in this dialog and other related dialogs.

safer connection to the Internet. According to the specified network rules you can then access the Internet either directly or via the proxy server; both possibilities can also be allowed at the same time. Then, in the first item of the Update settings Proxy dialog you have to select from the combo box menu whether you want to:

· Use proxy

· Do not use proxy server

· Try connection using proxy and if it fails, connect directly - default settings

If you select any option using proxy server, you will have to specify some further data. The server settings can be configured either manually or automatically.

Manual configuration

If you select manual configuration (check the Manual option to activate the respective dialog section) you have to specify the following items:

· Server – specify the server’s IP address or the name of the server

· Port – specify the number of the port that enables Internet access (by default, this number is set to 3128 but can be set differently – if you are not sure, contact your network administrator)

The proxy server can also have configured specific rules for each user. If your proxy server is set up this way, check the Use PROXY authentication option to verify that your user name and password are valid for connecting to the Internet via the proxy server.

Automatic configuration

If you select automatic configuration (mark the Auto option to activate the respective dialog section) then please select where the proxy configuration should be taken from:

· From browser - the configuration will be read from your default internet browser (supported browsers being Internet Explorer, Firefox, Mozilla, and Opera)

· From script - the configuration will be read from a downloaded script with

Scan configuration editing

You have the option of editing the predefined default settings of the Scan of the whole computer. Press the Change scan settings link to get to the Change scan settings for Scan whole computer dialog. It is recommended to keep to the default settings unless you have a valid reason to change them!

· Scanning parameters - in the list of scanning parameters you can switch on/off specific parameters as needed. By default, most of the parameters are switched on and these will be used automatically during scanning.

· Scan process priority - you can use the slider to change the scanning process priority. By default, the priority is set to medium level (Automatic scan) that optimizes the scanning process speed and the use of system resources. Alternatively, you can run the scanning process slower which means the system resources load will be minimized (useful when you need to work on the computer but you do not care so much how long the scanning takes), or faster with increased system resources requirements (e.g. when the computer is temporarily unattended).

· Set additional scan reports - the link opens a new Scan Reports dialog where you can select what types of possible findings should be reported:

computer .

Scan configuration editing

You have the option of editing the predefined default settings of the Scan of specific files or folders. Press the Change scan settings link to get to the Change scan settings for Scan of specific files or folders dialog. It is recommended to keep to the default settings unless you have a valid reason to change them!

· Scanning parameters - in the list of scanning parameters you can switch on/off specific parameters as needed (for detailed description of this settings please consult chapter AVG Advanced Settings / Scans / Scan Specific Files or Folders ).

· Set additional scan reports - the link opens a new Scan Reports dialog where you can select what types of possible findings should be reported:

· /EXCLUDE Exclude path or files from scan · /@ Command file /file name/ · /EXT Scan these extensions /for example EXT=EXE,DLL/ · /NOEXT Do not scan these extensions /for example NOEXT=JPG/ · /ARC Scan archives · /CLEAN Clean automatically · /TRASH Move infected files to the Virus Vault · /QT Quick test · /MACROW Report macros · /PWDW Report password-protected files · /IGNLOCKED Ignore locked files · /REPORT Report to file /file name/ · /REPAPPEND Append to the report file · /REPOK Report uninfected files as OK · /NOBREAK Do not allow CTRL-BREAK to abort · /BOOT Enable MBR/BOOT check · /PROC Scan active processes · /PUP Report " Potentially unwanted programs " · /REG Scan registry · /COO Scan cookies · /? Display help on this topic · /HELP Display help on this topic · /PRIORITY Set scan priority /Low, Auto, High/ (see Advanced

· Schedule running - specify the intervals for the scheduled scan launch.

Run every - run the scan every 'n' number of hours. E.g. every 4 hours.
Run at specific time - select Every day, or select a specific day of the week, and specify what time of day the scan should start.
Action based - run the scan on computer startup.

Note: More comprehensive options are available in full versions of AVG.

· Advanced schedule options

Run on computer startup if task has been missed - if the scan cannot run at the scheduled time/interval, then it will run the next time the computer restarts.
Run even if computer is in low power mode - this option applies to battery powered computers such as notebooks. The default action is for AVG to postpone scanning when the computer's power resources are low.

· Task settings - in the section you can uncheck the Enable this task item to simply deactivate the scheduled test. Not recommended.

Control buttons of the Settings for scheduled scan dialog

· Save - saves all changes you have performed on this tab or on any other tab of this dialog and switches back to the AVG scanning interface default dialog . Therefore if you wish to configure the test parameters on all tabs, press the button to save them only after you have specified all your requirements.

· Cancel - cancels any changes you have performed on this tab or on any other tab of this dialog and switches back to the AVG scanning interface default dialog .

· Scan inside archives - (switched on, by default): this parameters defines that the scanning should check all files even if these are packed inside some type of archive, e.g. ZIP, RAR, ...

· Scan system environment - (switched on, by default): scanning will also check the system areas of your computer;

· Scan infectable files only - (switched off, by default): if this option is switched on, then scanning will not be applied to files that cannot get infected. These can be for instance some plain text files, or some other nonexecutable files.

· Scan for rootkits - This option is disabled in AVG 8.0 Free.

Within the Scan process priority section you can further specify the desired scanning speed dependent on system resource usage. By default, this option value is set to the medium level of automatic resource usage. If you want the scan to run faster, it will take less time but system resources usage will increase significantly during its run, 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.

Additional scanning options are available via the following hyperlinks:

· Set additional scan reports - the link opens a new Scan Reports dialog where you can select what types of possible findings should be reported:

· Additional scan settings - the link opens 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).

Note: By default, the scanning configuration is set up for optimum performance. Unless you have a valid reason to change the scanning settings it is highly recommended to stick to the predefined configuration. Any configuration changes should be performed by experienced users only. For further scanning configuration options see the Advanced settings dialog accessible via the File / Advanced setting system menu item.