Frequently asked questions about the automated portion of the Microsoft Protect Your PC Web site

This article contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the automated portion of the Microsoft Protect Your PC Web site.

Q1: What is the Protect Your PC Web site?

A1: The Protect Your PC Web site is a Microsoft Web site that you can use to help you improve the security of your computer. The Protect Your PC Web site contains three steps that help to protect and update your computer.

To visit the International English-language version of the Protect Your PC Web site, visit the following International Web site:On a Windows XP-based computer, the Protect Your PC Web site can automatically detect and configure Internet Connection Firewall / Windows Firewall (ICF/WF) and configure Automatic Updates settings. This feature is the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site. The website will tell you how to turn on Automatic Updates for future updates. The following steps describe what you can do with the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site:

• Step 1: Use an Internet Firewall
• Step 2: Get computer updates
• Step 3: Use up-to-date antivirus software

Q2: How do I access the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site for Windows XP?

A2: To access the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site. To do so, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Q3: What versions of Windows does the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site support?

A3: The automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site can automatically configure certain security improvements on a computer that runs Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition. The automated portion of the Protect Your PC runs in Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you use a third-party Web browser, Protect Your PC redirects you to a Web page that contains instructions to manually configure your settings to help improve the security of your computer.

On a computer that runs Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, or Windows 95, the Protect Your PC Web site can make suggestions about how to help improve the security of your computer.

Q4: Who should use the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site?

A4: The automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site is intended for home users. If your computer is on a network, Microsoft recommends that you do not use the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site.

Q5: What credentials must my account have to use the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site?

A5: To use the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site, you must log on to the computer with an account that has administrator credentials.

Q6: What does each step of the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site do?

A6: The following list describes the Windows Security Advisor ActiveX control's actions:

• Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) and Windows Firewall (WF):
  
  The ActiveX control detects the current ICF/WF configuration on your Windows XP-based computer, and then recommends that you turn on ICF/WF for any network connections that do not use it. To turn on ICF/WF, click Turn on Internet Connection Firewall.
• Automatic Updates:
  • The ActiveX control recommends that you run Windows Update (if you have not already done so) to obtain the latest updates for your computer.
  • The ActiveX control detects whether your computer is configured to automatically receive Windows updates. If your computer is not configured to automatically receive Windows updates, you can turn on the Automatic Updates feature. To do so, click Turn on Automatic Updates. As a result, the Automatic Updates feature is configured to use the Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule that I specify option. By default, the schedule is set to Every day at 3:00 AM.
    
    If an update requires that you restart the computer, you are prompted to do so. Additionally, if you shut down your computer, the Automatic Updates feature prompts you to install the updates the next time you restart your computer.
    
    After you use the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site to turn on and configure Automatic Updates, you can change the schedule settings if you want. For additional information about how to change the schedule settings, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    306525  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525/ ) How to configure and use Automatic Updates in Windows XP
• Information about antivirus software:
  
  The Protect Your PC Web site contains information about antivirus software and provides information about how to find more information about antivirus software. The ActiveX control does not detect whether an antivirus program is installed on your computer, and it does not install an antivirus program on your computer.

Q7: After I turn on ICF/WF, some of my games and other programs do not work correctly. How can I work around this?

A7: To work correctly, some programs and games must receive information over the network. The information enters your computer through an inbound port. Your computer must have the correct inbound ports open so that ICF/WF can allow this information to pass through. For additional information about how to open ports in ICF/WF, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q8: Where can I find more information about the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site?

A8: The following sections contain links to Web sites and to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that give you more information about the automated portion of the Protect Your PC Web site, ICF/WF, Windows Update, the Automated Updates feature, and antivirus software.

Protect Your PC Web site

For additional information about the Protect Your PC Web site, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites, as appropriate to your situation:

• English-language version:
  http://www.microsoft.com/protect/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/default.mspx)
• International language versions:
  http://www.microsoft.com/protect/worldwide/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/worldwide/default.mspx)

Internet Connection Firewall and Windows Firewall

For additional information about ICF/WF and ICF/WF Setup, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites, as appropriate to your situation:

• English-language version:
  http://www.microsoft.com/protect/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/default.mspx)
• International language versions:
  http://www.microsoft.com/protect/worldwide/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/worldwide/default.mspx)

For additional information about ICF/WF compatibility issues, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Windows Update

For more information about Windows Update, visit one of the following Microsoft Web site, as appropriate to your situation:

Automatic Updates

For additional information about the Automatic Updates feature, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Antivirus Software

For more information about antivirus software, visit the following Microsoft Web site: The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.