HP PCs - Installing and Updating Antivirus Software to Protect Your HP PC

This document is for HP PCs and tablets with Windows.

There are thousands of viruses, software programs, and security threats that can harm your computer, allow private information to be accessed by others, or make the computer perform slower. It is important to protect your PC by installing antivirus software and keeping the antivirus definitions up to date.

Many HP computers come with Windows Defender or trial versions of other antivirus software apps already loaded. Before installing antivirus software, use one of the methods below to see if antivirus software is already installed and enabled on your device.

note:

If your computer came with a trial subscription to McAfee VirusScan or Norton Internet Security, HP recommends following on-screen prompts to renew your subscription. Renewing your subscription helps protect your system against new threats.

• If antivirus software is installed and enabled, skip to Update antivirus software definitions.
• If antivirus software is installed, but not on, enable the software, and then skip to Update antivirus software definitions.
• If antivirus software is not installed, continue to the next step.

If antivirus software is not installed, HP recommends you install antivirus software. New viruses are created and released often, and without antivirus software, the files and folders on the computer are at risk. If you found antivirus software on your computer in the previous step, skip to the next step.

Many HP computers with Windows come with Windows Defender. Other HP computers might come with free trial versions of other antivirus software. These trial versions are usually limited versions that can be kept up to date for a specific period. After the period expires, your computer becomes more vulnerable to new viruses and security threats. It is important to upgrade or refresh the subscription to keep virus definitions current and continue protecting your computer.

If your device did not come with antivirus software, check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Many ISPs offer free or inexpensive antivirus software to their subscribers.

note:

If you have antivirus software installed, but want to install different antivirus software, make sure to remove the old antivirus software before installing new software. Having multiple programs installed might make the computer slow, erratic, and potentially unprotected.

Because new viruses are created and released often, regularly update the virus definition files for the antivirus software. A virus definition file is a list of known viruses that the antivirus software uses to find and eliminate viruses.

The following steps offer a general overview for updating antivirus software, but if you need additional help, go to the antivirus software manufacturer website for more information.

For additional help with updating Windows Defender definitions, go to one of the documents below, depending on your operating system.

• Windows 10: Using Windows Defender to Prevent Virus and Spyware Problems (Windows 10)
• Windows 8: Using Windows Defender to Prevent Virus and Spyware Problems (Windows 8)
• Windows 7: Using Windows Defender to Prevent Malware Problems (Windows 7)

1. Open the antivirus software.
2. Click buttons or menu items that read update or live update.
   An update window opens.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to update your antivirus software.