In Windows 8 how to schedule a virus scan built-in antivirus

After studying the interface of Windows Defender on Windows 8, you may notice that there is no scheduled scan. However, this function is available in the «task Scheduler», and in this guide we will talk about how to schedule a scan through it. The process is quite long, so please be patient.

Press Win + R, type taskschd.msc and click OK (or press Enter on the keyboard).

Then the screen will appear the tool «task Scheduler» that his appearance would scare many ordinary users. However, Microsoft somehow wants to make its interface more friendly, but now not about it.

Now, when the «task Scheduler» is running, we need to find a task in the list of preconfigured tasks. Use the folder tree in the left part of the window to locate the folder «Windows Defender» (you need to follow the following path: «task scheduler Library» — > Microsoft — > Windows — > «Windows Defender»). Under «Windows» you will have to scroll quite a lot of records to get to the folder «Windows Defender», but they are arranged in alphabetical order, so you can easily Orient.

Once the folder «Windows Defender» is found, select it, and then in the center window pane, right-click the task called «Windows Defender Scheduled Scan» and from the context menu choose «Properties».

Task properties are divided into several tabs.

To configure the task execution, we will use the first five tabs.

General settings

First, make sure the «General» tab under «security Options» as the user account specified.

Also make sure that you have selected the option «Run with highest privileges».

Trigger setup

Tab «Triggers» allows you to set the run scheduled scan. By default, there will be no triggers, so will only work if it is run manually.

To create a trigger, click on the «Create»button.

In the dropdown list, choose «schedule» as shown in the screenshot below.

If you want the task to run daily or every few days, select «Daily» and enter the corresponding number in the «Repeat every». Also don’t forget to set the start date and time.

You can also choose the option «Weekly», if you want the task run on a certain day every week. Just select the desired day and enter a number in the «Repeat every». I recommend to perform a task once a week and recommend not to use triggers «Once» or «Monthly».

When you’re finished configuring the schedule, make sure that you have activated the option «Enable» under «Additional options». The remaining parameters can not touch.

Again check the schedule, and if you are sure that everything is in order, click «OK».

Action configuration

When you go to the Actions tab, you will see a default action. You can leave the value intact, so feel free to skip to the next step.

Custom terms and conditions for the scheduled virus scan

The tab «Terms» allows you to specify the conditions under which the task will run only when you want it.

If you are worried that the task will interfere with your work on the computer, choose the option «Run the task when the computer is idle» and specify the time period.

If you are using a portable device, I recommend you choose «Run only when powered from the mains and Stop when switching to battery power».

If you want the task to run even if the computer is in sleep mode, will choose the condition «Wake the computer to run this task».

The parameters of the scheduled scan for viruses

On the Settings tab, I recommend that you leave enabled the option «run task if a scheduled start is missed». This ensures that, for example, if the computer was off during the scheduled launch. Also, make sure that the drop down list at the bottom of the window select «do Not start new instance». So the computer will not start just two checks. For the rest of these settings you can leave default values.

Next, click «OK» to save all entered settings. In the main window «Scheduler» check your trigger and the next time you start. If information is present, then a check will be performed.

That’s about it. If you did everything correctly, the built-in Windows 8 antivirus will perform a routine inspection. Unfortunately, all this cannot be done directly in the interface of Windows Defender, but let’s hope that in the future Microsoft will fix this misunderstanding.