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TrendProtect™ Frequently Asked Questions

Overview   Free Download   FAQ   Quick Start Guide

How does TrendProtect help me avoid Web pages with unwanted content and hidden threats?

TrendProtect provides a rating that helps you decide if you want to visit or avoid a Web page. These ratings apply to both the page you currently have open, and to Web pages listed in Google, MSN, or Yahoo search results.

What do the ratings mean?

TrendProtect offers 5 types of rating on a web page:

  •    Safe: The page is safe to visit and does not contain unwanted content.
  •    Unsafe: The page may contain hidden malicious software or shows signs of involvement in "phishing," a kind of fraud in which fake Web pages mimic legitimate sites to gather sensitive personal information.
  •    Content Warning: The page may contain undesirable content. To specify content categories as undesirable, click Options in the TrendProtect menu.
  •    Trusted: You have identified the page as "trusted." To modify your list of trusted pages, click Options in the TrendProtect menu.
  •    Unknown: TrendProtect has not yet evaluated the page, but has automatically submitted the page for testing. TrendProtect also displays this rating if unable to communicate with the rating servers.
How does TrendProtect determine the ratings?

TrendProtect communicates with rating servers to obtain the following information and determine the ratings:

  • Content category
  • Phishing scam detection
  • Site reputation
  • Page reputation
Can I control the way the ratings look?

Yes! You can control whether TrendProtect highlights search results. You can also select whether you get more information about a rated Web page by moving your mouse over the advisory icon, or by clicking the icon.

To modify how TrendProtect displays ratings, select Options from the TrendProtect menu and adjust the settings in the View tab.

Can I influence how TrendProtect rates Web pages?

Yes! You can select the content categories that TrendProtect considers undesirable and maintain your own list of trusted pages.

To do so, select Options from the TrendProtect menu and refer to the Content Categories and Trusted Pages tabs.

Can TrendProtect detect viruses?

No. TrendProtect can help you avoid sites that may contain computer viruses, but it does not detect viruses.

Select Check Your Computer's Security from the menu or click Scan computer for viruses in the page advisory to access free scanning and cleanup services from HouseCall. For comprehensive protection against viruses and other threats, install Trend Micro Internet Security on your computer.

Can TrendProtect block unsafe Web pages?

Currently, TrendProtect only provides safety ratings of the open Web page and pages listed in Google, MSN, and Yahoo search results. We recognize the value of blocking dangerous pages and are considering adding this feature to TrendProtect. For complete computer protection that includes the blocking of unsafe Web pages, you can install Trend Micro Internet Security (PC-cillin).

What do I do if I open a Web page rated unsafe by TrendProtect?

There are many circumstances where you may open an unsafe page. Security experts have reported the compromise of many legitimate sites in a way that, when you visit these compromised sites, you automatically get redirected to unsafe Web pages.

Unsafe Web pages typically trick users into downloading and installing spyware and viruses. Some of these pages can take advantage of system vulnerabilities to automatically install threats. If TrendProtect displays a red icon to indicate that you have opened an unsafe page, you should immediately scan your computer for spyware and viruses.

Can I contribute to the Web page ratings?

Currently, TrendProtect does not accept user-contributed ratings. However, Trend Micro plans to incorporate user feedback into its Web site reputation services.

A message told me that I could not install TrendProtect on my computer. What should I do?

Before installing TrendProtect, make sure that your operating system and Web browser can support TrendProtect. Also, please make sure that you have logged onto Windows using an account with administrative privileges.

Operating System
  • Microsoft™ Windows™ XP Home (Service Pack 2)
  • Microsoft™ Windows™ XP Professional X64 (Service Pack 1)
  • Windows™ 2000 (Service Pack 4)
Web Browser
  • Microsoft™ Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0
  • Mozilla™ Firefox™ 1.5 or 2.0
I do not see the TrendProtect button in the toolbar area of my Web browser. What should I do?
Internet Explorer:
  • Make sure that you have enabled third-party extensions in Internet Explorer by selecting Tools->Internet Options->Advanced. Under Browsing, select Enable third-party browser extensions.
  • Make sure that you have not disabled the TrendProtect add-ons, TrendProtect and BhoMisc Class, by selecting Tools->Internet Options->Programs->Manage Add-ons.
  • For Internet Explorer 7.0, you must enable the TrendProtect toolbar manually by selecting Tools->Toolbars->TrendProtect.
Firefox:
  • Select Tools->Extension or Tools->Add-ons to see if you have successfully installed and enabled TrendProtect.
  • TrendProtect requires a special system file not included in Windows 2000. Computers with Windows 2000 typically acquire the file when installing Internet Explorer 6. You can obtain the file in either of two ways:
    • Upgrade Internet Explorer to version 6.
    • Download and install MSXML 3.0 Service Pack 1 from Microsoft, and then reinstall TrendProtect.
Why does the TrendProtect button display in gray with the red Trend Micro logo?

Either you have disabled TrendProtect, or you have not connected to the Internet, or both. To enable TrendProtect, click the TrendProtect button and select Enable TrendProtect. Please make sure that your computer can access the Web.

If the button still does not change, you may need to uninstall and then reinstall TrendProtect.

Why can't I see the page advisory?

TrendProtect uses JavaScript to display a page advisory whenever you move your mouse over the advisory icon or click the icon. To view the page advisory, you must enable JavaScript (called "active scripting" in Internet Explorer) for your browser.

  • In Firefox, click Tools->Option->Content and make sure that you have selected Enable JavaScript.
  • In Internet Explorer, click Tools->Internet Options->Security. Select Internet and click Custom Level. Under Scripting, enable Active scripting. Please note that setting the security level for the Internet zone to High disables "active scripting" and prevents TrendProtect from displaying the page advisories.
Why do I see squares instead of the advisory icons in the search results displayed by Internet Explorer?

You may have set Internet Explorer to hide pictures. To show pictures on Internet Explorer, select Tools->Internet Options->Advanced. In the Advanced tab, make sure that you have selected Show pictures under Multimedia.

Why does TrendProtect tag most of my search results with the question mark icon?

TrendProtect obtains rating information from rating servers. For each Web site, it sends a request to these servers. If unable to receive a response, TrendProtect displays the question mark icon for a Web site.

The following issues can prevent TrendProtect from communicating properly with the servers:

  • Wrong proxy settings: TrendProtect can automatically detect your Web browser's proxy server settings. However, if you use script-based settings, a SOCKS proxy server, or an authenticated HTTP proxy server, you need to specify an unauthenticated HTTP proxy server. To do so, click the TrendProtect button and select Options->Advanced. In the Advanced tab, select Specify proxy server and then type the proxy server information.
  • No Internet connection: TrendProtect requires a reliable connection to the Internet. Please make sure that you have a working connection to the Internet.
  • Slow/No Internet connection: TrendProtect requires a relatively fast, reliable connection to the Internet. Please make sure that you have a working connection to the Internet. We recommend using TrendProtect with high-speed (broadband) Internet access.

If TrendProtect continues to display the question mark icon for most of your search results, you may need to uninstall and then reinstall TrendProtect.

Why can't I see the TrendProtect ratings for my AOL searches?

TrendProtect 1.0 only provides ratings for searches made using English language versions of the following search engines:

  • Google
  • Yahoo
  • MSN
Why doesn't TrendProtect rate the first item in my Google search results?

When searching certain keywords and specialized numbers, Google may automatically display information relevant to the search or suggest a search term as the first item in your search results. Google also provides special results when searching parcel tracking numbers and other specialized numbers, such as telephone area codes and FCC equipment IDs. Google recognizes keywords like "GDP" and "population" as well. TrendProtect does not rate these special search results.

For more information on searching keywords and specialized numbers in Google, visit the Google Help Center.

How do I uninstall TrendProtect?

To uninstall TrendProtect:

  1. Close all browser windows.
  2. Go to Start->Control Panel..
  3. In Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs.
  4. In Add or Remove Programs, select TrendProtect and click the corresponding Remove button.
  5. Click Yes on the confirmation message
Can I contact Trend Micro for technical support on TrendProtect?

Although Trend Micro does not provide free technical support for TrendProtect, you may send feedback to TrendProtect Feedback. We will do our best to incorporate suggestions into future versions of TrendProtect. Trend Micro will also continue to update this FAQ with answers to the most common questions asked about TrendProtect.

Do I need high-speed Internet access to use TrendProtect?

We recommend using TrendProtect with high-speed (broadband) Internet access. TrendProtect connects to rating servers to obtain Web page information. If your Internet connection is slow, TrendProtect may be unable to obtain information and provide Web page ratings. You may need faster Internet access if TrendProtect tags most of the Web pages in your search results with gray question mark icons.