Know How
Easy when you
74 Next issue: Robert tries to turn off his PC from his phone
Need help with security across
your devices? Let us know: noproblem@
computeractive.co.ukAdd devices
to Microsoft
Defender
Preview to
monitor the
protection of
your PC, phone
and tablet in
one placeDefender isn’t available in your region’.
In my reckless haste, I’d forgotten that
my phone was still located in the UK. I
quickly installed the ProtonVPN app for
Android (www.snipca.com/41804), chose
a US server and tried again. This time it
worked and directed me to the Microsoft
Defender page in the American branch of
the Google Play Store, where I tapped
Install to download the app to my phone.
I opened it, signed into my Microsoft
account and followed the instructions to
activate Defender’s protection on my
mobile device. I then ran a quick scan to
confirm that my phone was clean of
malware.
Back in Defender Preview on my
laptop, my Android phone was now listed
under ‘Other devices’. I added my iPad,
too, remembering to use a VPN this time
when installing the Defender app, and all
three devices were then shown as
protected. This means I can monitor
them all in one place, and instantly see if
any threats are afoot.
Currently, there isn’t much else you can
do with Microsoft Defender Preview – the
option to scan devices remotely isn’t yet
available – but at least I didn’t have to fly
to America to try it. I’m still going
though, obviously!25 May – 7 June 2022 • Issue 632Protect multiple devices in one place
Impatiently waiting for Microsoft Defender Preview
to reach the UK, Robert Irvine tries to...
A
fter a two-year delay caused by
the Covid pandemic, I’m
delighted to announce that I’m off
to America next month. Not permanently- I couldn’t live in a country where you
can’t easily buy Scotch eggs, Marmite and
pickled onion Monster Munch – but for a
10-day sojourn of eating huge portions,
pointing at landmarks and being
encouraged to have a nice day. Plus, I’ll be
able to stay safe using Microsoft Defender
Preview, which is currently only available
in the US. In theory, at least – I won’t be
taking my laptop, as it’s not a busman’s
holiday. Besides, I found a workaround
that let me try this new security tool in
the UK.
As you may be aware, Microsoft
Defender Preview (www.snipca.
com/41702) lets you protect all your
desktop and mobile devices via a single
‘dashboard’, similar to paid-for security
suites from Norton and McAfee.
In the US, it’s been available to try for
free since February, but may require a
Microsoft 365 subscription by the time it
reaches “additional markets”, which is
why I – a penny-pinching Brit – wanted
to try it now.
First, I needed to fool Microsoft that I
was on the other side of the Atlantic, so I
opened the Settings app in Windows 10,
clicked ‘Time & Language’, then Region
and chose United States in the ‘Country
or region’ menu. Suspecting that thissubterfuge might not be enough, I also
used ProtonVPN (https://protonvpn.com)
to connect to a free US server. I then
searched for Defender Preview in the
Microsoft Store and was able to install
and launch the app from dear old Blighty.
I signed into my Microsoft account,
accepted the licence terms and was
immediately told that my laptop was
protected. Conversely, when I clicked ‘Go
to dashboard’, I was told that my device
was “not fully protected”, because I
hadn’t run a malware scan for a while
using my antivirus program – which is
Windows Security.
To remedy this, I clicked the ‘Manage in
Windows Security’ button on the ‘Device
details’ page, and chose the option to
perform a quick scan. Twenty-five
minutes and one ‘quick’ scan later, with
no threats detected, Defender Preview
concluded that my computer was now
protected, freeing me to spread that
protection to other devices.
On the home screen, I clicked ‘Add
devices’ in the ‘Protect all your devices’
section (see screenshot above) and was
given three options: to copy a link to
download Defender, to share that link by
email or to scan a QR code. To save time, I
chose the latter and scanned the QR code
with my Android phone’s camera. This
opened my mobile browser but displayed
an error message that ‘MicrosoftUsing ProtonVPN,
I was able to install
Defender Preview
from dear old Blighty