Microsoft Antimalware Engine

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The Microsoft Antimalware Engine identifies and removes spyware and other potentially unwanted software. It uses a definition database that lists the characteristics of known spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Aspects

The following is a list of all aspects that are part of this managed entity:

Name Description

Microsoft Antimalware Engine Scan

A scan is used to invoke the scanning engine and look for spyware and other potentially unwanted software on your computer. Windows Defender can run a quick scan, a full system scan, or a customized scan on a computer:

  • Quick scan - checks only the places on your computer's hard disk that spyware or other potentially unwanted software are most likely to infect.
  • Full scan - checks all of the files on your hard disk and all currently running programs.
  • Customized scan - checks only the drives, files, and folders that you specify.

Microsoft Antimalware Engine Spyware Removal

During a Windows Defender scan, the Microsoft Antimalware Engine quarantines or removes any spyware or potentially unwanted software detected on the computer. When spyware or other potentially unwanted software is quarantined, it is moved to an isolated folder on the computer.

As new definitions are released, items in quarantine can be scanned again to see if the spyware or other potentially unwanted software can be cleaned and released from quarantine. When spyware or other potentially unwanted software is removed, it is deleted from the computer.

Microsoft Antimalware Engine Update

The Microsoft Antimalware Engine version is updated frequently to detect and remove the latest spyware or other potentially unwanted software. The Microsoft Antimalware Engine must be started and functioning correctly for a scan to successfully complete.

Windows Defender