Analyze Your PC's Security

Follow our easy step-by-step guide to locking down your Windows computer.

By Robert Strohmeyer, PCWorld

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Download Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

With all the viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, and other nefarious troublemakers lurking online, Windows can be a pretty insecure operating system. But Microsoft's Baseline Security Analyzer download lets you take a detailed look at your system's security level and close dangerous security holes.

Install and Run the Analyzer

Once you've downloaded Baseline Security Analyzer, double-click the file to launch the installer. After the installation is complete, launch the application from your Start menu.

Scan a Computer

The Baseline Security Analyzer utility can scan one computer or multiple computers on a network. For a single PC, choose 'Scan a computer' from the Welcome menu.

Pick Your PC

In the vast majority of cases, you'll simply accept the default settings on the 'Pick a computer to scan' screen and click 'Start scan' to begin analyzing your system. If you want to scan a machine other than the one you're running the utility from, however, you can choose it from the 'Computer name' dropdown menu.

Scanning...

Typically, the Baseline Security Analyzer may take up to 10 minutes to scan a single computer. Scanning multiple machines can drag on quite a bit longer, so you may want to get yourself a cup of coffee at this point. When you come back, you'll probably see the security report on your screen.

Security Report

The Baseline Security Analyzer uses various icons to indicate what's solid and what may need tweaking. Where you see green check marks, you're good. A yellow 'X' requires attention. When the analyzer uncovers a security issue, it also offers guidance to help you resolve the problem. Click 'How to correct this' for advice on fixing any problem the utility discovers.

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