hello. a few questions...

[techmoron]

if you hadn't guessed from my username i'm not much of a tech guy. basically use my laptop for internet browsing.

just bought a vaio and bought avast internet security to protect it. it's downloaded and installed.

heres my questions...

do i have to do anything? or once it's installed does it just work on its own?

should i adjust any settings? i have no clue if i'm getting optimal protection.

how often should i run a full system scan? should i schedule a regular one?

how do i do that sandbox thing in case i decide to look at some, ahhh, adult oriented sites?

thanks in advance to anyone who decides to help my dumb ass.

[Asyn]

1. do i have to do anything? or once it's installed does it just work on its own?
2. should i adjust any settings? i have no clue if i'm getting optimal protection.
3. how often should i run a full system scan? should i schedule a regular one?
4. how do i do that sandbox thing in case i decide to look at some, ahhh, adult oriented sites?
5. thanks in advance to anyone who decides to help my dumb ass.

1. It pretty much works on it's own..! (if updates are set to automatic)
2. No. The preferences work well.
3. It depends on user behavior. But as the full scan gets much faster after the first run, once a week should be a good choice. (Or anytime on demand in between, if needed)
4. It works on its own. Even on adult sites.
5. You're welcome.
asyn

[GloobyGoob]

Hello, to use Sandbox you have to right click the program you want sandboxed, and click "Run virtualized." You can also right click and choose "Always run in sandbox" so you don't have to manually sandbox it every time you open the program.

Edit: You know a program is running in the Sandbox if there are red borders around it.

[Asyn]

Hello, to use Sandbox you have to right click the program you want sandboxed, and click "Run virtualized." You can also right click and choose "Always run in sandbox" so you don't have to manually sandbox it every time you open the program.

Edit: You know a program is running in the Sandbox if there are red borders around it.

Thanks GloobyGoob for setting this clear..!! I really have to sleep now.
asyn

[techmoron]

thanks again for your helpful responses. if you can think of anything else i should know, i'm all ears

[GloobyGoob]

No problem, I'm glad I can help

For the scanning, I think that once a month is enough. I rarely scan my computer. Avast is more focused on prevention, so if you keep all the real-time shields+firewall on, leave auto updates on, and sandbox your browser, you shouldn't have any problems.

Also, if you are downloading stuff from the internet frequently, it is a good idea to sandbox suspicious files that you think may contain viruses. You can run/scan the program inside the sandbox to determine whether or not it is safe while remaining completely protected against any malicious actions that it may try to carry out. If it's clean, it'll be safe to download them again, but to your computer. By default you download things directly to your system. To make downloads go into the sandbox, go to Real-Time Shields>Process Virtualization>Expert Settings and uncheck the first option "Automatically detect safe locations and exclude them form virtualization." Check it again for normal downloading.

I hope this advice helps  

[Asyn]

thanks again for your helpful responses. if you can think of anything else i should know, i'm all ears

You're welcome..!!
Interesting informations and downloads here: http://www.avast.com/download-documentation
asyn