help


What is PCguard and PCguard Total?

Downloading PCguard

Managing PCguard

Troubleshooting

What exactly is PCguard, and how does it protect me?

PCguard is a top of the range internet security package that helps keep you and your family safe and secure online. Its features include firewall, parental control, pop-up blocker, identity theft protection and privacy manager. Plus there’s an extra level of protection with anti-virus and anti-spyware – powered by one of the world’s best internet security providers, Kaspersky.

All our broadband customers get these security features for free:

Anti-Virus - Award winning virus protection that’s safe and fast. Powered by Kaspersky, one of the world’s best internet security providers.
Firewall - Blocks hackers from accessing your PC and your data.
Pop-Up Blocker - Shields against annoying and offensive pop-up ads
Privacy Manager - Helps ensure that your private information stays private.

If you’ve got broadband L, XL or XXL or National broadband bundles 2 or 3 you also get these features included:

Anti-Spyware - One of the fastest on the market, it blocks the spyware software that tries to steal your personal information.


Identity Theft Protection - Helps protect you from online fraud, warning you if you visit a known "phishing" website.
Parental Control - Allows you to control the type of content available to your children on the internet.

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System Requirements and pre-requisites

Operating system

  • Windows XP Home or XP Pro (32-bit & 64-bit)
  • Vista (32-bit & 64-bit)

Browser

  • MS Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later. PCguard requires Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later to be installed on the computer, even if you do not generally use this browser. PCguard uses Internet Explorer to display user interface pages, and to connect to the PCguard servers for updates. However PCguard will still protect you if you use MSN 8, MSN Explorer 6.0 or 7.0, or Netscape Navigator 4.72 or later to browse the internet.

PC hardware

  • 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
  • 85 MB of free hard disk (125 MB recommended)
  • IBM compatible Pentium 233 MHz or higher (300 MHz recommended)

Email

  • Outlook Express 5.x, 6.0
  • Outlook 2000, 2003
  • Netscape 7.x
  • Eudora 5.2.1
If you use one of these email programs, your email will also be protected from viruses.

Display

  • Resolution: Minimum 800x600
  • Colours: 16-bit (65,535) recommended

PCguard is only available to broadband customers and does not work with Macs PCguard is fully compatible with Windows Vista 32-bit & 64-bit, Windows XP - 32-bit & 64-bit operating systems and should not be installed on any other operating systems, including Macs, Windows Me, Windows 98.

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Uninstalling current anti-virus software

PCguard will look for security or other software that conflicts with PCguard at install and ask you to remove these. Running several different anti virus programs, for example, is not recommended as it can cause conflicts and both of them to be inefficient.
The following application may conflict with the installation of PCguard:

  • McAfee
  • Norton
  • Symantec
  • LiveUpdate *
  • LiveReg *
  • Panda
  • AVG
  • PC-cillin
  • Ad Aware
  • Pop-up blockers
  • Anti-Virus software
  • Firewall software
  • Anti-Spyware software
  • Applications that may contain spyware (e.g. Kaaza, Grokster, Net.Net, Hotbar)

Please consult the help files within the conflicting software for advice on how to uninstall it.

*Live Update and Live Reg must be removed only if Norton Security products such as Anti-Virus or System Works are installed. There is no conflict with other (non-security) Symantec products, such as Pcanywhere, Password Manager, Ghost, and Clean Sweep.

If you have PCguard and want to check whether a program is conflicting with it:

  1. Shutdown Radialpoint Security Services by clicking File, then Exit.
  2. Select Start and then select Programs.
  3. From the Programs menu, select Radialpoint Security Services, then click on Diagnostic Utility.
  4. Click on Conflict Detector.
  5. If a conflicting application is found, click on Uninstall.

Conflict Detector will launch the conflicting application's Setup Wizard. You can then uninstall the chosen software.

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Downloading PCguard

How do I check that PCguard is protecting my computer?

There are several ways to check that you are being protected by PCguard.

  • With Firewall enabled, view the log for intrusion activity targeted to your computer.


  • Set up weekly Anti-virus and Anti-spyware scans to scan your computer's entire hard drive.
    • Add some text such as your address to the Personal Information Protection feature within the Privacy Manager, and then try to send it out, on an email for instance. You should receive a prompt asking for permission to allow or block the message before releasing it over the Internet.Run the Privacy Manager and see how much disk space is recovered.Enable Anti-spyware. Surf the Internet, and then view the detected spyware in quarantine. Watch for notices when tracking cookies are deleted from your computer.

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What does PCguard do automatically?

PCguard offers the following protection automatically; you don’t have to do anything:

  • PCguard Anti-Virus offers real-time protection that runs transparently in the background to protect your computer from online threats like viruses, Trojans and worms. Infected files are simply detected and repaired, or just blocked whilst you work. To make sure you are constantly protected against new threats, our virus definitions database is continuously updated with the latest virus information. All updates are sent to your computer automatically.


  • PCguard Anti-Virus scans POP3 (e.g. Outlook Express) email attachments to provide additional security to protect your system from viruses, worms and Trojans. When your PCguard Anti-Virus scans an incoming email, it scans the body of the message as well as any attachments.


  • If a virus is found, the text of the message is replaced by information about the virus and all the attachments are deleted. The original email header (From:, To:, CC:, Subject: ) remains intact.


  • Virgin Media automatically scan all emails before they arrive at in your inbox for viruses and spam.


  • PCguard firewall offer 'Always-on' Protection (XP users only): with the ability to be continuously connected to the Internet, it is important to ensure that you have protection against malicious hackers. Even when you are not logged in, 'Always on protection' continues to keep your computer safe.


  • Intrusion Detection: PCguard Firewall monitors the connectivity to your system ports. Your system's ports are used by programs to channel information to and from your computer. PCguard Firewall will detect if your port is being scanned and will block the port to prevent malicious programs from accessing your system.


  • Virgin Media PCguard Anti-Spyware protects your privacy on the Internet by eliminating spyware software. It works in a similar way to the PCguard Anti-Virus by scanning the memory and drives on your computer. If spyware is found then it can be deleted and recorded in a log.
  • PCguard comes with Anti-Spyware already turned 'on' and will pick up any spyware that appears as you use your computer but you will need to run a full system scan as soon PCguard is installed to pick up any dormant spyware files that may already reside on your computer.


  • To make sure you are constantly protected against new threats, our spyware definitions database is continuously updated with the latest spyware information. All updates are sent to your computer via automatic updates system over the Internet.

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Running manual checks

  • Anti virus - You can run an anti-virus scan whenever you want. We strongly recommend that you do a complete scan of your computer by clicking on Scan Now at least once a week. PCguard Anti-virus is also accessible from Windows Explorer; simply right-click on the file or folder that you would like to scan.


  • Within PCguard, there is an excellent help manual that explains how to configure PCguard to the settings you prefer. It is recommended that you use this manual to guide you through any steps or changes you want to make.

    To access the Anti-Virus information in the help manual, click on Tell Me More on the main Anti-Virus screen in PCguard.

    PCguard Anti-spyware updates the spyware database according to the frequency you select. You can choose to update it automatically, daily, weekly or manually. We recommend that you use the Automatic option, which will check for updates every 3 hours.

    To access the Anti-Spyware information in the help manual, click on Tell Me More on the main Anti-Spyware screen in Virgin Media PCguard.

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Managing PCguard

How do I schedule a scan or change the scheduling of a scan?

To supplement the real-time protection, schedule full system scans for at least once a week. To schedule a scan or change the schedule of a scan:

  1. Open PCguard.
  2. Click Anti-Virus then select Scheduled Scan.
  3. Check the Enable Scheduled Scan box.
  4. Select local hard drive (usually C:) or the drives you wish to scan.
  5. Select a Time and Frequency.
  6. Click OK to accept the changes.

How do I use the Parental Controls?

PCguard Parental Controls allow you to:

  • Manage, create and delete users
  • Block websites based on categories of content
  • Allow or block specific websites
  • Restrict programs or groups of programs from accessing the internet
  • Schedule internet access timeslots
  • View logs of internet activity

For detailed advice on using each feature:

  1. Open PCguard
  2. Click Parental Control
  3. Select Tell me more from the top left hand corner

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Managing the Firewall settings

You can configure the Pcguard fire wall to:
  • Give you warnings and notification according to whether and how often you want to see these
  • Add remove and change internet access rules
  • View current active internet connections
  • View the log to see what’s been blocked

For detailed advice on configuring the firewall:

  1. Open Pcguard
  2. Click on Firewall
  3. Select Tell me more from the top right hand corner

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Managing the Privacy Manager

PCguard Privacy Manager allow you to:

  • View and delete tracking information
  • Remove all tracking information on your PC
  • List words or information you wish to be notified about if being sent from your PC
  • Manage cookies

For detailed advice on configuring Privacy Manager:

  1. Open PCguard
  2. Select Privacy Manager
  3. Click the Tell me more link from the top right hand corner

Viewing logs
You can view the firewall log by selecting Firewall, and then View Log. To view previous logs, click Firewall > Preferences, and then Open Log Directory.

Changing your PCguard password.
In the PCguard menu, select the General option, and then select Password. Please note that you must know the existing password to change it.

Uninstalling PCguard/uninstalling individual components
There are two ways that you can remove the program from your computer. The recommended method is to use the “Add or Remove” feature in Windows.

To remove PCguard using Add or Remove in Windows XP or Windows Vista:

  1. Click on Start > Control Panel
  2. Double-click on Add or Remove Programs
  3. Select PCguard Security
  4. Click on Remove

The alternative method is to use the uninstall option found by clicking Start > Programs > PCguard Security > Uninstall PCguard Security.

You can also use a special utility developed by Microsoft in order to remove any older versions of PCguard.

  1. Download the utility by clicking msicuu2.exe in the Downloads section.
  2. Double-click on the installer downloaded at step 1 and follow the instructions.
  3. Remove PCguard.
    a) Once the installation is complete go to Start, point to Program then select Windows Install Clean Up.
    b) A list of programs will appear. PCguard should be on that list, possibly more than once.
    c) For each entry of PCguard in the list, click Remove.
    To learn more about the Windows Install Cleanup utility, you may do so on Microsoft's website.
  4. Restart your computer and reinstall PCguard.

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Troubleshooting

Installation

To install PCguard You must have administrator rights, and your computer must meet the system requirements. You should also ensure that your computer is not using any other anti-virus software, which may cause conflicts that could make your computer crash.

To verify if you have administrator privileges:

Windows XP:

  1. Click on Start, point to Settings then Control Panel.
  2. Click on Users and Passwords.
  3. On the page that appears, choose the Users tab.
  4. Under the Group column, your user must appear as part of the Administrators group.
  5. If Administrator does not appear under Group, contact the computer administrator to gain privileges or do the update.

Windows Vista:

  • You must have User Account Control (UAC) enabled to install or repair PCguard.
  • While using a Standard User profile, a user must provide the Administrator password to install PCguard.

To verify if you have the Administrator privileges:

  1. Click on Start, then Control Panel
  2. Click on User accounts
  3. Under the user name, Administrator, Password Protected should appear.
  4. When the User Account Control is enabled, all users must provide the administrative password to upgrade or install an application.

Download taking too long
Download should not take more than around 5 minutes if you have a Broadband connection. If it is taking a lot longer, this could be because you have lost your connection to the download server. Please try starting the download again if this happens. If you receive an error regarding contacting the download server there may be an outage. Please call 0800 0524 329 if your email address end @virgin.net to see if we are onto it . If not contact us.

Virus stopping installation
A virus may prevent you from installing PCguard. In this case you may need to try running other virus removal tools such as Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, which can clean a variety of viruses in circulation. For further information, visit the general virus information page on our website.

Authentication signature not found
This can occur if your Internet Explorer browser settings have been changed from their default settings. You may find that you need to visit Microsoft Update to ensure that you have all the up to date available patches. You should also check that your computer's system date is correct so that the PCguard installation certificates will be valid.

Anti-virus/anti spyware fails to load
This advice if for PCguard version 5.5. If the PCguard Anti-virus program fails, there are two possible fixes:

Fix 1:

  1. Shut down PCguard by selecting PCguard then Shut down.
  2. Next, click Start and select Programs.
  3. From the Programs menu, select PCguard then click Diagnostic Utility.
  4. Ensure the Perform all tests option is selected then click Next to start the tests.
  5. When the tests are complete, click the Repair Options drop down menu on the bottom left and select Reinstall anti-virus.
  6. Click on Repair.
  7. When the repair is complete click Next then click Finish.
  8. Restart PCguard.

Fix 2:

  1. Using the File -- Search option, locate and run this file: C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information\{791BCCA6-12B9-4472-9E04-C364D1246625}\ppsdkredistributables.msi. You will need to allow hidden files and folders to be searched by selecting this option in the advanced search options.
  2. Choose the Remove option. This will remove all the files associated with the Anti-virus software.
  3. If Windows asks to restart, click No.
  4. Run the 'ppsdkredistributables.msi' file again, accepting the default location and choosing the Everyone option. This will reinstall the Anti-spyware files.
  5. Restart your PC.
  6. Run PCguard Anti-spyware. It should now load properly.

Error 1935 received
This is a known error seen during the .NET Framework installation. Refer to the following Microsoft article for more information. Restart the computer then retry the installation. If the problem persists, install an updated version of MSXML.

Error 1607 received
This error message shows up because there is not enough space on your computer's hard drive (70MB is required).

You should uninstall any unnecessary applications on your computer to free up space.

To make sure that no traces are left by applications you have deleted, you may require the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility available from Microsoft. This is in the event of failed installs leaving behind any entries in the system registry.

For issues related to space on your PCs hard drive, it is advisable to refer to the Help section of Windows, contact Microsoft technical support, or check with your PC vendor, as Virgin Media cannot support the use of this utility.

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Using

My computer or internet connection seem to be running slower after installing PCguard
Make sure your computer meets the system requirements, ideally the recommended rather than the minimum specification. PCguard carries out many tests and scans on data going in and out of your computer, and the short time added in order to do this is worth it in order to keep your PC safe

Please also read the advise regarding optimising your connection here.

I can’t browse any web pages – what should I check
Firstly check that your browser is not set to blocked in your firewall settings. To do this

  1. Start PCguard.
  2. Click on Firewall.
  3. Choose Internet Access Rules.
  4. Search the Application's Name column for your Browser. Ensure it has been allowed to Connect to the Internet.
  5. Click on OK.

Then if you have Parental Controls enabled - verify that the Browser is not blocked in the Restricted Programs portion of the Parental Control.

  1. Open PCguard.
  2. Click on Parental Control then Restricted Programs.
  3. Make sure Internet Explorer or the user's browser does not appear. If it does, select it and click on Delete.
  4. After deleting, try to access the Internet once again. Press F5 on the keyboard to refresh the page.
  5. If this did not resolve the issue, click on Back then select Parental Control Schedule.
  6. Make sure there is no schedule currently in effect with Security Level set at High.

I Can’t use it with my anti-spam program
PCguard is not compatible with some anti-spam clients such as SpamPal. You may have to switch off the PCguard "scan mail" option to receive your mail, and then scan it manually. To do this go to the Anti-virus preference in PCguard and untick the Scan Incoming email messages and attachments (POP3) box.

Why can some files not be scanned by PCguard, for example password-protected files?
Certain compressed files and Encrypted files are not be checked by the Scan incoming email messages and attachments (POP3) option. Attachments that are not recognized as supported types and Encrypted files that are password protected will not be scanned. However, these attachments will still be let through and can be downloaded normally. Also, during a system scan, the Anti-Virus will not scan the contents of Encrypted files; these password protected files must first be decrypted in order to be scanned. Likewise, some compressed files will need to be extracted to perform a scan on the contents. The Anti-Virus Scanning Report will list the files that were not scanned.

If an infected attachment was not scanned by the email protection and downloaded to the computer, the Real-Time protection and system scans will detect the infection when the file is decrypted, thus you will remain protected.

Why hasn't MSN Messenger worked since I installed PCguard?
You must allow MSN Messenger in the Ad Blocker, or else disable the Ad Blocker in PCguard to continue using MSN Messenger.

“SMTP authentication failed” error received
This error message appears because you do not have Microsoft networks installed on your computer. Microsoft suggests the following solution for this error. You will need to install the Client for Microsoft Networks.

For Windows XP/Vista:

  1. Open the LAN Settings by clicking on Start, point to Settings then choose Control Panel.
  2. Click on Network Connections, then right click on your Local Area Connection and select Properties.
  3. Click on Install then make sure Client is selected and click on Add.
  4. Select Client for Microsoft Networks and click on OK.
  5. When the operation is complete, please reboot your computer.

Can’t receive email attachments
PCguard creates a proxy for email scanning. In order to receive email attachments via POP3, you must disable this. To disable this please follow these steps:

  1. Open PCguard.
  2. Click on the Anti-virus section.
  3. Remove the tick next to Scan incoming email messages and attachments (POP3).
  4. Click on OK.

This will disable the proxy but not the real-time scanning for viruses. If a virus is activated from an email, it will still be detected.

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Managing

Forgotten password – cannot log into My Virgin Media to get PCguard
If you have lost the main account holder username or password you need to access My Virgin Media. Please follow the onscreen instructions or contact us.

Forgotten password – forgotten PCguard password
If you have set a PCguard password, you must enter it in order to shut it down or make any changes to your preferences. This prevents against unauthorised changes to your settings. If the password is lost, it cannot be recovered. However, it can be deleted and a new password created. For instructions on how to do this, please contact us on the usual number. After we have established that you are the main Internet account holder, we will email you instructions on how to download a tool from the Internet that will reset your PCguard password.

A PCguard scan seems to have stalled what should I do?
The PCguard scan can appear to freeze while scanning large files. It can take a long time to scan certain compressed files (often found in games), and PCguard may appear to stall while actually still scanning. It is a good idea to defragment your disk to help speed up PCguard. This will also benefit your PC in general. Instructions on how to do this can be found in your Windows help screens.

What do I do if PCguard Anti-virus finds a virus but doesn't delete it?
PCguard will automatically provide information on how to deal with the infected file. The infection may be in the System Restore files, which are more difficult to disinfect as they are protected by your operating system. It is sometimes necessary to disable the "System Restore" feature in Windows and run another scan. If you disable the System Restore feature, you should create a new restore point. For more information on System Restore, it is advisable to refer to the Help section of Windows or check with your PC vendor, as this is not something that Virgin Media can support.

Anti-virus/anti-spyware fails to update automatically
You Receive a spyware.dat error and a message saying "The setting we were attempting to process are corrupted and unusable".

This occurs when the Anti-spyware engine has detected that the spyware.dat file is corrupted. An error message 'The settings we were attempting to process are corrupted or unusable' is displayed, and Anti-spyware cannot start.To fix this:

  1. Choose PCguard then shut down
  2. Click on My Computer.
  3. Click on Tools at the top, and then Folder Options.
  4. Choose View and make sure that Show Hidden Files and Folders is selected.
  5. Now go back to My Computer and select the C drive under Hard Disk Drive
  6. Click Document and Settings choose Your username or Owner and click Application Data.
    If you do not see Application Data ensure that steps 3 and 4 were done correctly.
  7. Select Virgin and choose PCguard
  8. Delete the spyware.dat file.

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PCguard support

PCguard features

19-03-2009