Home Edition/ESET Smart Security

• How do I RE-install ESET Smart Security?
• Best Form of Protection is Prevention
• Email, Spamming, Hoaxes, Phishing
• What is Anti-Stealth?
• Installation in test mode (creating nsetup file)
• Does ESET Smart Security scan SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) traffic?
• How to restrict access to specific websites
• How do I access log files and submit them for analysis?
• Upgrading from 2.7 to ESET Smart Security
• How can I specify where my SPAM messages are stored?
• Can I change how often ESET Smart Security attempts to update?
• Unable to send or receive emails after installing ESET Smart Security
• How do I know ESET Smart Security is updating correctly?
• What is the ESET Smart Security Antispam Module?
• How do I remove the notification tags that are appended to my e-mail?
• How do I enable all of the capabilities within the ESET Smart Security On-Demand scanner?
• How to exclude certain files/folders from ESET Smart Security On-Demand Scanner
• How to recognize spam
• Setting up a scheduled scan in ESET Smart Security
• Why am I told that the Virus signature database update failed?
• Adding/Editing/Deleting a Whitelist entry
• Installing ESET Smart Security
• Why am I constantly being prompted for my username and password?
• Do I want the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version?
• After installation, my computer locks up. It freezes on startup. What happened? (Norton Symantec error)

Best Form of Protection is Prevention
When you work with your computer and especially when you browse the internet, keep in my mind that while no antivirus system in the world can completely eliminate the risk caused by infiltrations and attacks, adherence to two key strategies will greatly minimize your risk:

The computer system and antivirus software need to be consistently updated
Basic security rules should be followed

See below for more detail on these concepts.


Update regularly

According to the statistics from ThreatSense.Net, thousands of new, unique infiltrations are created each day in order to bypass existing security measures and bring profit to their authors--all at the expense of other users. The specialists at ESET’s virus lab analyze those threats on a daily basis and prepare and release updates in order to continually improve the level of protection for users of the antivirus program.

An incorrectly configured update decreases the effectiveness of the program. For more information on how to configure updates, click here .



Download security patches

The authors of malicious software prefer exploiting various system vulnerabilities in order to increase the effectiveness of spreading malicious code. That’s why software companies watch closely for new vulnerabilities in their applications to appear and release security updates eliminating potential threats on a regular basis. It's important to download these security updates as they are released. Examples of such applications include the windows operating system or widely-used internet browser Internet Explorer.


Backup important data

Malware writers usually do not care about users’ needs, and the activity of malicious programs often leads to total malfunction of the operating system and the deliberate damage of important data. It's important to regularly backup your important and sensitive data to an external source such as a DVD or external hard drive. Precautions such as these make it far easier and faster to recover your data in the event of system failure.


Regularly scan your computer for viruses

A regular automatic scan of your computer with the proper settings can remove infiltrations that may have been missed due to your computer containing old virus signature updates. For detailed information on creating a regular automatic scan as a scheduled task, click here .


Follow basic security rules

This is the most useful and most effective rule of all – be cautious. Today, many infiltrations require user intervention in order to be executed and distributed. If you are cautious when opening new files, you will save considerable time and effort that would otherwise be spent cleaning infiltrations your computer.

Some useful rules are:

Do not visit websites with multiple pop-ups and flashing advertisements.
Be careful when installing freeware programs, codec packs, etc. Do not download unknown programs from websites with which you are not familiar.
Be cautious when opening email attachments, particularly mass-mailed messages and messages from unknown senders.
Don't use an Administrator account for everyday work with your computer.
Don't open email attachments from unknown recipients.
Don't open email attachments from known recipients if you are not expecting them.
Be cautious of freeware programs.
Be cautious when using Peer-to-Peer file sharing software (BitTorrent, Limewire, etc.).

Click here for more information on prevention.

Email, Spamming, Hoaxes, Phishing
Awareness of Email

Email, or electronic mail, is a modern form of communication with many advantages. It is flexible, fast and direct. Email played a crucial role in the proliferation of the Internet in the early 1990's. Unfortunately, due to the relative ease with which sender addresses can be disguised, email and the Internet leave room for illegal activities such as spamming.

Broadly categorized, spam includes unsolicited advertisements, hoaxes and proliferation of malicious software – malware. The inconvenience and danger to the user is increased by the fact that the costs of sending email are next to zero, and authors of spam have many tools and sources available to acquire new email addresses. In addition, the volume and variety of spam makes it very difficult to regulate. The longer you use your email address, the higher the possibility of it ending up in a spam engine database.


Some hints for prevention:

If possible, don’t publish your email address on the Internet
Only give your email address to trusted individuals
If possible, don’t use common aliases – with more complicated aliases, the probability of tracking is lower
Don’t reply to spam messages which have already made it into your inbox
Be careful when filling out Internet forms - especially beware of checkboxes such as “Yes, I want to receive information about ... in my inbox.”
Use specialized email addresses – e.g., one for your work, one for communication with your friends, one for online purchases, etc.
From time to time, change your email address
Use an antispam solution such as ESET Smart Security's Antispam module .



Advertisements

Internet advertising is one of the most rapidly growing forms of advertising in the world. A significant percentage of internet advertising uses email as a means of contact. Its main marketing advantages are zero cost and high level of directness/effectiveness. What’s more, messages are delivered almost immediately. Many companies use email marketing tools to communicate with their current and prospective customers. In some cases such advertising is legitimate, as many users may be interested in receiving commercial information about some products.

However, many companies send unsolicited bulk commercial messages. In these cases, email advertising crosses the line and becomes spam. The amount of unsolicited commercial email has become a serious problem, and shows no signs of abating. Use of the ESET Smart Security's Antispam module is an essential aspect of protecting your email address from spam messages.


Hoaxes

A hoax is a message spread across the Internet. Usually it is sent via email and sometimes via communication tools like ICQ and Skype. The message itself is often a joke or Urban Legend.

Computer Virus hoaxes try to generate fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) in the recipients, bringing them to believe that there is an "undetectable virus" deleting files and retrieving passwords, or performing some other harmful activity on their system.

Some hoaxes are meant to cause emotional embarrassment to others. Recipients are usually asked to forward such messages to all their contacts, which perpetuates the life-cycle of the hoax. There are mobile phone hoaxes, pleas for help, people offering to send you money from abroad, etc. In most cases it is impossible to track down the intent of the creator.

In principle, if you see a message prompting you to forward it to everyone you know, it may very well be a hoax. There are many specialized websites on the internet which can verify whether an email is legitimate or not. Before forwarding, perform an internet search on any message you suspect of being a hoax.


Phishing

The term phishing defines a criminal activity which uses techniques of social engineering (manipulating users in order to obtain confidential information). Its aim is to gain access to sensitive data such as bank account numbers, PIN codes, etc. Access is usually achieved by sending email masquerading as a trustworthy person or business (financial institution, insurance company).

The email can look very genuine, and will contain graphics and content which may have originally come from the source that it is impersonating. You will be asked to enter, under various pretenses (data verification, financial operations), some of your personal data – bank account numbers or usernames and passwords. All such data, if submitted, can easily be stolen and misused.

It should be noted that banks, insurance companies, and other legitimate companies will never request usernames and passwords in an unsolicited email.

What is Anti-Stealth?
Rootkits use special techniques to prevent unauthorized files and processes from being detected using conventional means. Anti-Stealth technology is integrated into NOD32 and allows the On-Demand Scanner and Access Monitor (AMON) modules to detect these objects even when their presence has been hidden from the operating system. By default, Anti-Stealth is enabled in NOD32 and is used automatically by the modules which require it.

Installation in test mode (creating nsetup file)
If the installation of NOD32 fails for any reason and you cannot resolve the issue, it may be necessary to run the installation in test mode. Running the installation in test mode will create a log file that you can send to the ESET Customer Care team. This will allow us to more effectively trouble-shoot the issue.

To run the installation in test mode and generate the log file, please follow the steps below:



1. Click Start → Run. The Run window will be displayed.


2. Click the Browse button and navigate to the C:/Program Files/Eset/Install folder. Click setup.exe.


3. The directory path will be inserted into the Run window. Type (space) /test at the end of the directory path, and click OK (See Fig. 1-1 below).







Fig. 1-1


4. Attempt to finish the installation as normal, or proceed until you encounter any errors. The nsetup.txt file will be created in the C:/Program Files/Eset/Install folder. Attach this file to an email and send it to our Customer Care team. Click here to access the Customer Care Support Form and initiate a new case.

Does ESET Smart Security scan SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) traffic?
By default, ESET Smart Security checks the POP3 protocol on TCP port 110 and the HTTP protocol on TCP ports 80, 8080 and 3128 for threats to your system.


Since all SSL communications are encrypted it is not possible for ESET Smart Security to scan them, even if the TCP port is listed above and has been manually entered.


ESET Smart Security is unable to check encrypted traffic (SSL, HTTPS, S/POP3, SSH and so forth). After encrypted traffic has been decrypted, it will be checked for threats by the antivirus components of NOD32. If you are not using a standard port for email, it is scanned by the antivirus component as soon as the mail touches the system, which will protect you from any threats.

How to restrict access to specific websites
The ESET Smart Security Antivirus and antispyware module allows the user to restrict access to specific URL's or domains. See the steps below for details.

1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in the Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.


2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner of the main window. In the left column, click Setup → Antivirus and antispyware.


3. In the Web Access Protection section, click Configure (See Fig. 1-1 below).



Fig. 1-1

4. The ESET Smarty Security Setup window will appear. Click the '+' next to HTTP to expand the menu tree, and then click Blocked addresses.


5. If there are any currently blocked URL's, they will be displayed. To add a new URL, click Add at the bottom of the window. Enter the URL of the website you wish to block, then click OK (See Fig. 1-2 below).




Fig. 1-2


6. Click OK to add the URL, and click OK again to finish.

How do I access log files and submit them for analysis?
Any significant antivirus function performed by ESET Smart Security is recorded and stored in the log files. Event logs show if the system has been updating properly, Threat logs document threats as they attempt to access your computer, and On-demand computer scan logs display scanning and cleaning events.

In some cases, our analysts can more effectively trouble-shoot your issue if they have access to these logs. The steps below show how to access and email the On-demand computer scan logs, but can be used to access any other ESET Smart Security log (See step 4).



1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in the Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.


2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard.



Fig. 1-1


3. Click Tools → Log files in the left column. The Log Files window will be displayed.






Fig. 1-2


4. From the Log drop-down menu, select On-demand computer scan.

NOTE: If you would like to access a log file other than the On-demand computer scan log, you may select it at this time.




Fig. 1-3


5. Under the Time and Scanned Folders column, double-click on the most recently completed scan.


6. The Log Details window will display. Single-click the (top) Scanning Log line to highlight, and hold down the SHIFT key.


7. Scroll to the bottom of the log and click on the last line. The entire log will be highlighted (See Fig. 1-4 below).


8. Click the Copy button at the bottom left. The log can now be pasted (right-click/paste) directly into the body of an email and sent to our analysts (See Fig. 1-4 below).



Fig. 1-4

Upgrading from 2.7 to ESET Smart Security
In addition to improved virus protection, ESET Smart Security includes a full suite of products, including an Antispam module and Personal Firewall. This added functionality resulted in a significant number of code changes between the two versions. Due to the number and scope of these changes, your current version of NOD32 must be uninstalled before installing ESET Smart Security.

To uninstall, click Start → All Programs →ESET → Uninstall. Once the uninstall process is complete, allow the computer to restart.

When your system has restarted, navigate to and delete the C:/Program Files/ESET folder. Do not delete the Program Files folder, only delete the ESET folder. Once this folder is deleted, you can proceed with installing ESET Smart Security.

Occasionally during installation, you may receive the error “Unable to upgrade from old version. Please Uninstall." If you receive this error, please do the following:

1. Exit the installation.

2. Make sure you have restarted the computer since uninstalling the old version (2.7) of NOD32.

3. Verify that the C:/Program Files/ESET folder has been deleted.

4. Go to Start → Run, type "Regedit", and click OK. Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, delete the ESET key if it exists.

5. Start the installation again

How can I specify where my SPAM messages are stored?
The Antispam module protects users from unsolicited email messages by automatically deleting or redirecting them to a designated email folder. To choose an existing folder or create a new folder for this purpose, follow the steps below:

1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in your Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.


2. Toggle to Advanced mode by pressing Ctrl + M on your keyboard. In the left column, click Setup and then Antispam module.


3. Click Advanced Antispam protection setup at the bottom of the Antispam module window. The ESET Smart Security Setup window will appear.


Fig. 1-1



4. Select the Use this folder check box, and enter a name for the folder where your spam messages are to be directed, such as Deleted Items or Junk E-mail. In the example below, we have created a new folder named SPAM (See Fig. 1-2). Click OK.


Fig. 1-2




5. If the folder you created does not yet exist in Microsoft Outlook, Eset Smart Security will automatically create it once the first spam message is received (See Fig. 1-3 below).



Fig. 1-3




From this point forward, all email messages which are automatically designated by ESET Smart Security as spam, and all messages you manually designate, will be filtered to this folder.

Can I change how often ESET Smart Security attempts to update?
By default, ESET Smart Security checks for virus signature updates every hour. In cases where limited network resources or bandwidth necessitate less frequent updates, this setting can be changed. Changes to the timing of virus signature updates are made through the Scheduler/Planner portion of ESET Smart Security. To access the Scheduler, follow the steps below:

1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in your Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.


2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner of the main window, or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard.


3. Click on Tools in the left column and then click Scheduler to view the main Scheduler/Planner page.


4. In the Scheduled tasks window, right-click Regular automatic update and select Edit (See Fig. 1-1 below).




Fig. 1-1


5. The Edit task window will appear. Verify that Scheduled task: is set to Update. Click Next twice.


6. The Task interval (min.): field is displayed. Enter the number of minutes the system is to wait between virus signature updates. For example, if the desired interval is 2 hours, enter 120 (See Fig. 1-2 below). After establishing the new interval, click Next.




Fig. 1-2


7. A new window will appear. In the event that the update task cannot be completed at the scheduled time, select Wait until the next scheduled time, and click Next.


8. A summary window of the new settings will be displayed. Click Finish.

From this point forward virus signature updates will be performed according to the newly scheduled interval.



NOTE: Changing the timing of the regular automatic update is not recommended. By lengthening the amount of time between updates, your system is subject to a greater risk of infection.

Unable to send or receive emails after installing ESET Smart Security
If you are experiencing difficulties sending or receiving email after installing ESET Smart Security, first disable the firewall to see if it is affecting email communication. See the steps below for details:



1 Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in your Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security


2 Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner of the main window, or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard.


3 In the left column, click Setup → Personal Firewall → Disable filtering: allow all traffic.


Fig. 1-1




The Firewall is now disabled. Check to see if email can be successfully sent and received.

If the issue is not resolved, the firewall is not the problem. Please verify that:

*
You have an active Internet connection
*
You can send/receive e-mails when accessing your account directly through the website. (ex: http://www.hotmail.com/)
*
Microsoft Outlook has been configured correctly to retrieve your e-mail
*
No other firewall is currently installed



Modifying Personal Firewall Settings

If disabling the firewall resolves the issue, adjustments need to be made to the firewall rules or the rules need to be returned to default. Follow the steps below to adjust the firewall settings.

1 Open ESET Smart Security.


2. While in Advanced mode, click Setup → Personal firewall and then click Advanced Personal firewall setup... at the bottom of the main page (See Fig. 1-2 below).




Fig. 1-2


NOTE: To Return Personal Firewall Settings To Default, skip to 1 of that section. Otherwise, continue with step 3 immediately below.

3. Select Interactive mode from the Filtering mode drop-down menu.


4. In the left column under Personal firewall, click Rules and Zones.


5. In the Zone and rule editor section, click the Setup button (See Fig. 1-4 below).

Fig. 1-3



6. The Zone and rule setup window will appear. Under the Rules tab, edit or delete existing rules to resolve the communication issue. Use the Edit or Delete buttons at the bottom of the window to accomplish this (See Fig. 1-4 below).


Fig. 1-4
For more information on firewall rules and configuration, please refer to our online documentation. If adjusting the settings does not allow you to successfully send/receive email, try returning the firewall configuration back to default settings. See the steps below.



Return Personal Firewall Settings To Default

Starting after step 2 of the "Modifying Personal Firewall Settings" instructions above, follow the steps below:

1 Click the Default button at the bottom-right corner of the ESET Smart Security Setup window.


2 The Default Settings window will appear. Select the Revert only "Personal firewall" settings to defaults option, and click Yes (See Fig. 1-8 below). Click OK to return to the ESET Smart Security main window.


Fig. 1-5

How do I know ESET Smart Security is updating correctly?
By default, ESET Smart Security checks every hour for a new update and is updated at least once a day with new virus definitions and occasional program updates. To verify that the latest virus signature updates have been received, follow the steps below.
Updating the virus signature database

1 Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in your Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.


2 The ESET Smart Security window will appear. Click Update on the left-hand menu.


3 The Update window appears. The Update status should read: Update is not necessary - Virus signature database is up to date. (See Fig. 1-1 below).




Fig. 1-1


4 If the message above is displayed, you are finished. If it is not displayed, click Update virus signature database now.


5 If the virus signature database successfully updates, you are finished. If you receive an error regarding an incorrect username and password, click Cancel and then click on Enter User name and Password.


Verify that your username and password are entered correctly. The following are EXAMPLES only:

Username: AV-1234567

Password: abcde12345

NOTE: Please remember to enter your username and password exactly as they are written. The username and password are case sensitive and the hyphen in the username is necessary. The password is ten characters long and all lowercase. If you are copying and pasting, make sure a blank character is not being included in the string. Also, we do not use the letter L in passwords (use the number one (1) instead), a big 0 is the number zero (0), a little o is the letter o.
6 Click OK and try to update again by clicking Update virus signature database now.

What is the ESET Smart Security Antispam Module?
Antispam behaviour and user interaction

The Antispam module detects unsolicited email in two ways. The first is through a basic set of rules which are designed to automatically filter unwan These rules are by default included in the installation of the program. It is updated along with the virus signature database updates. Second, it is by means of the Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be trained on a per-user basis. The user manually marks a sufficient number of incoming emails as legitimate messages or as spam.


If you regularly receive spam from a certain address, you can add it to Black List. If you wish to designate that messages from a certain address will never be marked as spam, add the address to White List. By default, the sender address in outgoing messages are automaticaly added to the Whitelist.


The following section is intended to explain how to proceed when an unsolicited message arrives


An unsolicited message has come to my inbox, what should I do?

If the message has not been filtered by the program, it is most likely an unknown type of unsolicited email and should be marked as spam. To do this, click Spam located on the Eset Smart Security Toolbar.


A message was marked as spam, but it's not spam

If a legitimate email was classified as spam, the message must be reclassified. Select Not Spam on the Eset Smart Security Toolbar.


I receive spam from a certain address on a regular basis

In the event that you consistently receive spam from a certain address, you can add the address to the Black List. To add an address to the Black List, click Add to BL on the Eset Smart Security Toolbar. The list of addresses added to Black List can be viewed in the main antispam protection setup window. To add/edit/delete an entry, right-click in the window.


Antispam marks messages from an address which is trusted

You can add addresses you consider trusted to the list of trusted addresses (White List). All addresses marked as trusted will be handled as not spam. To add an address to the list of trusted addresses, click Add to WL on the Eset Smart Security Toolbar.

Bayesian filter

Bayesian spam filtering is a very effective form of e-mail filtering used by almost all antispam products. It is able to identify unsolicited e-mail with a high degree of accuracy. The Bayesian filter can be trained on a per-user basis.


The functionality is based on the following principle: In the first phase, the process of learning takes place. The user manually marks a sufficient number of messages as legitimate messages or as spam (normally 200/200). The filter analyzes both categories and learns, for example, that spam usually contains words “rolex” or “viagra”, and legitimate messages are sent by family members or from addresses in the user’s contact list. Provided that a greater number of messages was processed, the Bayesian filter is able to assign to each message a certain “spam index” and thus decide on whether it is spam or not.

The main advantage is its flexibility. For example, if a user is a biologist, all incoming e-mails concerning biology or a relative fields of study will generally receive a lower probability index. If a message includes words that would otherwise qualify it as being unsolicited, but it is sent by someone from a contact list, it will be marked as legitimate, because senders from a contact list decrease overall spam probability.

The server-side control

The server-side control is a technique for identifying mass spam e-mail based on the number of received messages and the reactions of users. Each message leaves a unique digital "footprint" on the server based on the content of the message. Actually it is a unique ID number which tells nothing about the content of the e-mail. Two identical messages will have identical footprints, while different messages will have different footprints.

If a message is marked as spam, its footprint is sent to the server. If the server receives more identical footprints (corresponding to a certain spam message), the footprint is stored at the spam footprints database. When scanning incoming messages, the program sends the footprints of the messages to the server. The server returns information on which footprints correspond to messages already marked by users as spam.

How do I remove the notification tags that are appended to my e-mail?
ESET Smart Security gives users the ability to append notifications to outgoing or incoming email messages, indicating that the message has been scanned and is not infected. It is very simple to remove these notifications or set them to appear in infected email messages only. To remove the notifications or adjust their settings, follow the steps below:



1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in the Windows system tray, or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → Eset Smart Security.


2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner of the main window, or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard.




Fig. 1-1


3. Click on Setup → Antivirus and antispyware in the left column of the main ESET Smart Security page.


4. At bottom of the main page, click Advanced Antivirus and antispyware protection setup (See Fig. 1-2 below).



Fig. 1-2



5. The Setup window will appear. In the left column toward the top, click Antivirus and antispyware → Email protection.


6. In the Alerts and notifications section, set your personal preferences for incoming and outgoing mail according to Fig. 1-3 below.



Fig. 1-3


7. Click OK to confirm the settings. Any previous emails which have already been tagged will retain the tag.

How do I enable all of the capabilities within the ESET Smart Security On-Demand scanner?
ESET Smart Security's default scan settings are configured to maximize your computer's performance and security protection. However, some options are not enabled within the default profile due to the amount of time required to scan and the possibility of conflicts with existing software. You can enable these options by following the steps below:


1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in the Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → Eset Smart Security.


2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner, or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard..

3. Click Setup in the left column and then click Enter entire advanced setup tree....

4. The Setup window will appear. In the left column under Antivirus and antispyware, click On-demand computer scan..

5. Ensure that the Selected profile is set to In-depth scan. Click the ThreatSense engine parameter setup: button..

6. In the ThreatSense engine parameter setup window, click the Objects branch in the left column. Verify that all options in the Objects section on the right are selected..

7. Click the Options branch in the left column. In the Options section on the right, verify that every check box is selected..

8. Click the Cleaning branch in the left column. In the Cleaning section on the right side, set the Cleaning Level slider to Strict cleaning (all the way to the right). Click OK..

9. Click the Scan targets: Setup button. Verify that the Scan targets drop-down menu is set to By profile settings. Select the My Computer check box, and click OK. This will ensure that all drives, as well as operating memory, are scanned..
With these options enabled, you will not be prompted when threats are found. ESET Smart Security will first attempt to clean the threat. If unsuccessful, it will delete it. The scan time might also be increased due to the in-depth scanning that is performed.

How to exclude certain files/folders from ESET Smart Security On-Demand Scanner
In some cases, users may wish to exclude certain files or directories from being scanned by ESET Smart Security, for compatibility or performance reasons. See the steps below for details on this process:


1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in your Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.



2. Click Computer Scan in the left column.



3. The On-Demand computer scan window will be displayed. Click Custom scan.



4. The ESET Smart Security Custom Scan window appears. Click the + symbol next to the drive letter to expand the contents.



5. Locate the files or folders you wish to exclude from the scan process and verify that its check box is
deselected (See Fig 1-1 below).



Fig. 1-1




6. Click the Scan button at the bottom of the window to start the scanning process. All folders (and files within those folders) which have been deselected will not be included in the On-Demand scan.

How to recognize spam
Generally, there are a few indicators which can help you identify spam (unsolicited bulk e-mails) in your mailbox. If a message fulfills some of the following criteria, it is most likely spam.

The sender address does not belong to someone you recognize

You are offered a large sum of money, but you have to provide a small sum first

You are asked to enter, under various pretenses, some of your personal data – bank account numbers, credit card numbers, social security number, usernames and passwords, etc.

The email is written in a foreign language

Product advertised is far below the retail price

Some of the words are misspelled in an attempt to trick your spam filter. For example, "vaigra” may be written as “viagra”, etc.

Inclusion of large blocks of text or images

If you do decide to purchase a product advertised in an unsolicted email message, please verify that the message sender is a reliable vendor.

Setting up a scheduled scan in ESET Smart Security
It’s recommended to have ESET Smart Security perform an in-depth scan of your system and disks on a weekly basis. This scan can be scheduled to run automatically in the background while you are away from your computer. Follow the steps below for detailed instructions on setting up a scheduled scan:


1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in the Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.



2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner of the main window, or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard.



3. In the left column, click Tools and then click Scheduler. The Scheduler/Planner window will be displayed.



4. Click the Add button at the bottom of this window.



Fig. 1-1



5. The Add task window appears. Select On-demand computer scan from the drop-down menu, and click Next.



Fig. 1-2





6. Enter a name for the task (e.g., "Weekly Scan") and select the desired frequency ("Weekly" is recommended). Click Next (See Fig. 1-3).



Fig. 1-3




7. Specify the time of the scheduled scan. To minimize the chance that a scan will be interrupted, it’s best to choose a time when users will be away from the computer (2:00 A.M. in the example below). Click Next.




Fig. 1-4




8. In the event that a scan does not run at the scheduled time (e.g., computer is off) specify an alternate time. To prevent instances of the same task from running on top of each other, choose the option shown in Fig. 1-5 below. Click Next.



Fig. 1-5




9. A Summary window with your chosen settings will be displayed. Review the settings and click Finish.



10. The Custom scan window will be displayed. The Scan profile drop-down menu should be set to In-depth scan.



11. To configure so that all drives on your system are scanned (recommended), select the My Computer check box. Click Setup to finish.



Fig. 1-6





12. The scheduled scan you have just created will appear in the Scheduler/Planner window. (See Fig. 1-7 below) From this point forward, it will run at the time and frequency you’ve requested.


Fig. 1-7

NOTE: If the computer is in “sleep” mode or other power-saving state, the scan will not occur. The computer must be fully powered on.

Why am I told that the Virus signature database update failed?
An update failure can be attributed to many variables. Firewalls, proxies, and other software can interfere with the connection. The internet connection could have failed, or the ESET Smart Security update parameters could be incorrect. Be sure to check the following if you receive a "Virus Signature Update" error.
First, open ESET Smart Security and press CTRL+M to switch into Advanced Mode. Click on Update → Configure update. All of the instructions will take place in this window.


1. Verify that your AV-username and password are entered correctly. The following are EXAMPLES only:.
Username: AV-1234567

Password: abcde12345

NOTE: Please remember to enter your username and password exactly as they are written. The username and password are case sensitive and the hyphen in the username is necessary. The password is ten characters long and all lowercase. If you are copying and pasting, make sure a blank character is not being included in the string. Also, we do not use the letter L in passwords (use the number one (1) instead), a big 0 is the number zero (0), a little o is the letter o.




2. If you are using a third-party firewall (such as Norton Personal Firewall, ZoneAlarm, Outpost, Kerio, or others), please ensure that these are allowing NOD32 to connect to the internet to receive updates. If you are using the built-in ESET Smart Security firewall, disregard this step..



3. Configure your Proxy settings..
If you are not using a proxy (using a proxy server is uncommon), please click on Advanced Setup -> HTTP Proxy and set the option to Do not use proxy server. Click OK to confirm settings.




4. Make sure the Update server is set to Choose Automatically..



5. Test communications with our update server by following steps a-e.


a) From your desktop click Start then select Run. The Run window appears.

b) Type "cmd" (no quotes) in the text field and click OK.

c) Enter the following text:

ping u20.eset.com

d) Press the Enter key on your keyboard:

e) If you are able to connect to the update server, you will see Reply from... followed by the IP address of the
server to which you are trying to connect.




If you do not receive replies, it is likely that a firewall is preventing communication with ESET's servers, or your internet connection is not active. Open up a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) and make sure you are able to browse web pages. If you are able to browse web pages, there is either software on the computer blocking ESET Smart Security from updating, or your ISP is using a firewall on the connection which could also block the update process.

Adding/Editing/Deleting a Whitelist entry
A Whitelist is a list of email addresses or domains which you have designated as legitimate email contacts. Messages from these contacts will not be automatically blocked, and will be successfully delivered to your inbox.

To more effectively filter spam, use your Whitelist in conjunction with a Blacklist. A Blacklist is a list of specific email addresses or domains considered to be associated with spam. For more information on Blacklists, click here.


Adding an email address to Whitelist


1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in your Windows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.



2. Switch to Advanced Mode by clicking Toggle Advanced mode in the lower left corner of the main window, or by pressing CTRL + M on your keyboard.




Fig. 1-1



3. In the left column, click Setup and then click Antispam module (See Fig. 1-2).



4. The Antispam module will be displayed. In the middle of this window, click Whitelist (See Fig. 1-2).



Fig. 1-2



5. The White list window will appear. From this location, you may Add, Edit, or Remove Whitelist entries. To add an email address to the Whitelist, click the Add button.



6. The New Item window will appear. In the Email address field, enter the email address that is to be whitelisted. In the Name field, enter the company or individual associated with this address.



7. If you wish to whitelist the entire email domain, select the Whole domain checkbox at the bottom of the window (See Fig. 1-3 below). This can be useful if you wish to allow email from all individuals in a specified organization.



Fig. 1-3


8. Click OK to finish..





Editing a Whitelist entry


1. While at the White list window from step 5 above, select one or more currently whitelisted addresses to edit, and click the Edit button.


2. The Item change window will appear, allowing you to change the email address or name of the entry. Click OK to finish. If you have selected multiple entries to edit, a new Item change window will continually appear until you have edited all selected entries (See Fig. 1-4 below).




Fig. 1-4





Removing a Whitelist entry

1. While at the White list window from step 5 above, select one or more currently whitelisted addresses to remove, and click the Remove button.

2. A dialog box will ask you to verify the action. Click OK to confirm the removal (see Fig. 1-6 below).




Fig. 1-5


3. Close the White list window when you are finished adding, editing, or removing entries.

Installing ESET Smart Security
To install ESET Smart Security, please follow the steps below. It should be noted that if you are running Windows Vista with User Account Control (UAC) turned on, you may be prompted with additional dialog boxes not shown in the steps below. If prompted, please confirm that you wish to install ESET Smart Security, as well as any associated device drivers.


1. To begin your installation, double-click the ESET Smart Security installer icon or insert the installation disk. If you are prompted by Windows to open the file, click Open. If you have an installation CD, click Install.


2. The ESET Smart Security Setup window will appear. Click Next to continue.





3. On the next screen, click I accept the terms in the License Agreement to accept the ESET Smart Security License agreement and then click Next to continue.





4. The Installation Mode window will appear. Select Typical and then click Next to continue.

NOTE: Selecting Custom install gives you access to additional configuration parameters such as firewall rules and password protection of ESET Smart Security settings. If you select Typical (recommended) the additional configuration parameters can be accessed after installation is complete.





5. On the next screen, enter your ESET-provided Username and Password and click Next to continue.

(NOTE: Please enter your username and password exactly as they are written in your ESET registration email. The username is in the format EAV-99999999 and the hyphen is required. Both the username and password are case sensitive. The password should be ten characters long and all lowercase. If you are copying and pasting, make sure a blank character is not being included in the string. Also, we do not use the letter L in passwords (use the number one (1) instead), a big 0 is the number zero (0), a little o is the letter o.)





6. In the ThreatSense.Net Early Warning System window, select the Enable ThreatSense.Net Early Warning System option and click Next to continue.





7. In the next window, Detection of potentially unwanted applications, select the Enable detection of potentially unwanted applications option and click Next to continue.




8. In the next window, Ready to Install, click Install to continue.






9. Once you click Install, you will see the Installing ESET Smart Security Screen (below) for a few minutes.




10. The New Network Detected window will appear if you have an ESET product that includes the Firewall feature. This window allows you to select your desired protection mode. Most users should select Allow sharing. See the figure below for an explanation on both modes.





11. When you see the Completing the ESET Smart Security Setup Wizard window, click Finish to complete your installation.

Why am I constantly being prompted for my username and password?
ESET Smart Security checks every hour for a new update, and it is updated at least once a day with new virus definitions and occasional program component upgrades. The update will fail if your username and password is invalid or entered incorrectly. You can make sure the username and password information is correct by following the steps below.


1. Open ESET Smart Security by clicking the icon in the Wndows system tray or by clicking Start → All Programs → Eset → ESET Smart Security.


2. Click the Update button and click on User name and Password setup.

Verify that your username and password are entered correctly. The following are EXAMPLES only:

Username: AV-1234567

Password: abcde12345

3. Click OK and try updating again.

NOTE: Please remember to enter your username and password exactly as they are written. The username and password are case sensitive and the hyphen in the username is necessary. The password is ten characters long and all lowercase. If you are copying and pasting, make sure a blank character is not being included in the string. Also, we do not use the letter L in passwords (use the number one (1) instead), a big 0 is the number zero (0), a little o is the letter o.

Maintaining current virus definitions and program builds is the most important aspect of any security software. Always check to make sure ESET Smart Security is up-to-date to ensure continued protection. For more information on this topic, click here.

If you are still unable to update, contact the ESET Customer Care Department to verify that the username and password you are trying to use is valid.

Do I want the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version?
You most likely want the 32 bit version - it is far more common than the 64 bit version. To be certain, please follow the steps below.

Windows has a useful FAQ on this matter - below is an excerpt.



1. What is the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows?

The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows are designed for use in computers with 32-bit or 64-bit processors, respectively.


2. Can my computer run a 64-bit version of Windows?

To run a 64-bit version of Windows, your computer must have a 64-bit processor. To find your computer's processor speed, do the following:


1. Open System by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Performance and Maintenance, and then clicking System. You might have a slightly different configuration - look under "Settings" for the Control Panel if you do not see that. If you do not see "Performance and Maintenance," just go straight to "System."

2. Under System, you can view the processor type and speed. It will mention if the processor is 64 bit - it might not mention if the processor is 32 bit.


3. Why wouldn't Windows mention if my processor was 32 bit?

Back when 32 bit processors were first in use, they were the only option. There was no need to distinguish between '32-bit' and '64-bit,' so many processors do not self-identify as a 32-bit processor.

To view the full article, please click here.

After installation, my computer locks up. It freezes on startup. What happened? (Norton Symantec error)
This error is caused by installing ESET NOD32 antivirus or ESET Smart Security onto a computer that already has Symantec Norton Antivirus on it. On a rare occasion, it can be cause by installing version 3 over version 2.7 without uninstallion version 2.7 first.

THE EXPLANATION:
An antivirus program is, by its nature, looking for something else on the computer that fits the following criteria.

1. May change computer's data.

2. Activates without user's knowledge.

3. Connects to internet frequently.

This describes most viruses, but it also describes most antivirus programs as well. When you have two antivirus programs on the computer, they check each other for these criteria, and occasionally mis-label each other as a virus. This can cause a lockup, as can the heavy use of your computer by two different antivirus programs.


THE FIX
1. Put your computer into safe mode. You can read about how to do that at either of the following two links.
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsafe.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_mode

2. Uninstall NOD32 by going into Start, All Programs, ESET, and then selecting Uninstall.

3. Next, click Start, go to the Control Panel, and select Add or Remove Programs. Browse through this list for any references to Symantec or Norton, then click Change / Remove. Uninstall these files.

4. Now to may restart the computer normally.

5. You will need to make certain Norton is entirely off your computer - to do this, please use Norton's official removal tool, found at

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039
It will ask you what version of Norton you have - this is irrelevant, as the download tool is the same regardless of which option you select.
6. You may now safely re-download ESET NOD32 antivirus or ESET Smart Security. Visit our download site at
http://www.betterantivirus.com/download/

Thank you for choosing Computer Security Solutions LLC!