How to update antivirus?

An antivirus is an important application that protects your computer from potentially unwanted programs such as viruses, malware, ransomware, and so on. To update antivirus, you need to click the corresponding update button on your antivirus button, such as check for updates, LiveUpdate, etc.

Windows Antivirus update

To update antivirus for Windows, follow these steps.

• Windows antivirus is now a part of an application called the Windows Defender Security Center
• This all-inclusive antivirus application features antivirus and firewall features.
• Open the Windows Defender application on your computer.
• Click the PC's Start menu icon located at the bottom-left side of the desktop.
• Enter the word Windows Defender in the text field and click the Windows search prompt.
• The Windows Defender dashboard appears. Click the Update tab and then click the Update definitions button at the top.
• Wait until the Windows Defender application downloads the virus definition updates.
• Restart the computer.

Importance of updating antivirus software

Antivirus applications are prepared for virus attacks, thanks to a heuristic approach that these programs take.Unfortunately, new viruses are developed each day, which cannot be detected unless virus definitions are updated in the antivirus program

What are the pros?

• Pay more for security and protect your data from hackers.
• Update the antivirus application often and reduce the chances of a virus attack.
• An updated antivirus application is always a safer bet than an outdated antivirus application at defending online threats.

How often should you update your antivirus definitions?

• You need to update antivirus definitions as often as possible to prevent new viruses from infecting your computer.
• Though antiviruses are good at detecting new viruses with older virus definitions, it is a much better decision to update virus definitions whenever updates are available.

How to update antivirus offline?

You can update an antivirus application by downloading the virus updates and placing those files in a specific sub-folder located inside the antivirus application's main folder.For example, in the case of Kaspersky, follow these steps.

• Go to the manufacturer's site and click the Support button.
• Click on the For Business button and then scroll down to the Trending section.
• Click the Update Utility link.
• Click the Download for Windows/Linux x86/Linux x64/ Free BSD link according to your PC's OS.
• The Kaspersky Update Utility is downloaded as a Zip file.
• Extract the Kaspersky files from the Zip file.
• Double-click Kaspersky Update Utility while you're logged into the computer as an administrator.
• Click the Applications button
• Select your Kaspersky application version checkbox.
• Click the Apply button and then click OK.
• Click Start located at the bottom of the Update Utility window.
• Wait until the Kaspersky update files are downloaded.
• Right-click the Kaspersky icon on your system tray and select Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
• Click the Settings icon located at the top.

• Locate the Update button on the left panel of the Kaspersky Settings window and click it.
• Click the Update Source button.
• Left-click the Add button and then select the folder path where you downloaded the Kaspersky update files. Click OK.
• Deselect the Kaspersky Lab update servers checkbox. Click OK
• Click Apply in the Application update settings window.
• Navigate to the Kaspersky application's dashboard and click the Update button.
• Click the Run update button and wait until the virus definitions are updated.
• In the same way, you can download antivirus update files for antivirus applications. Extract them to a specific folder. The antivirus applications have an option called Update from source/directory. Specify the folder where the antivirus update files are downloaded and run the update.

Antivirus auto update

Every antivirus application gives you the option to download updates manually or have them downloaded automatically at a set time.To update an antivirus Avast automatically, follow these steps.

• Launch the Avast application on your computer.
• Click the Menu button at the top and then choose the Settings option from the list.
• Select the General tab from the left pane and then click Update
• Click the More options link found beside the Check for Updates button.
• Choose an update option such as Automatic update, Ask when an update is available, or Enable streaming update.
• These settings will allow Avast to download and apply updates automatically whenever they are available.
• For Kaspersky, follow these steps to configure the auto-update schedule.
• Open the Kaspersky application on your PC.
• Click the Settings button, navigate to Additional and then choose Update
• Ensure that the Download and install new versions automatically radio button is selected.
• Click the Set up update run mode option. Set the schedule and click Save.
• The auto-update feature works similarly for other antivirus applications as well.

Antivirus not updating

If the antivirus does not update, it could mean a couple of things.It could mean that you accidentally disabled updates. For example, in Kaspersky, under the performance tab, there is an option called Battery Saving. If this option is selected, Kaspersky does not run a scan when the system is low on battery. It does not update the applicationvirus definitions either.The other reason why your antivirus application is not updating its database is that there is a virus preventing the antivirus from running the update.This is because a virus will not allow any antivirus application to update. However, there is a workaround to this.Download the Windows Defender Offline application from the manufacturer official site. You can then flash the Windows application to a CD, DVD, or USB drive.

Note: The offline antivirus application, i.e., Windows Defender Offline, runs in a location that exists outside the Windows kernel bypassing the Master Boot Record that the viruses have overwritten.

Steps:

• Download the 32/64 bit version of Windows Defender application on your computer.
• Attach the USB cable to a USB port on your computer.
• Run the Windows Defender Offline application. Click Yes
• Click Next and then the I accept button.
• Choose the USB flash drive that is not password protected option and then click Next.
• Click the Next button after choosing the media.
• Wait until the Widows Defender Offline flashes the file to the USB flash drive. Click Finish.
• Restart the computer.
• Press the function key shown in the Press this function key to enter BIOS message displayed on the screen when Windows boots.
• Choose the BOOT tab and select the USB option as the first priority.
• The computer boots from the USB driver and automatically runs Windows Defender Offline.
• Windows Defender Offline automatically scans the computer and removes the virus.