How to avoid or minimize the risk of getting computer virus when using Kazaa

Most files that are accessible using Kazaa originate from other users. This means that there will always be the risk of irresponsible users introducing viruses. The Sharman Networks team works hard to develop solutions that make Kazaa a safe peer-to-peer application. There are also several things you can do to protect yourself.

Kazaa includes Built-in Virus Protection - Turn it on!

Kazaa is the only peer-to-peer application that contains built-in virus protection. BullGuard P2P virus protection.

  1. Kazaa v2.5 and above* comes with BullGuard P2P, default enabled. Read more.
  2. Kazaa v2.1.1 and below* comes with BullGuard Lite, default disabled. *To check the version you are using go to the Help option in the main toolbar and select About Kazaa.
BullGuard is a world class personal virus and security application which has been developed for use with peer-to-peer computing.

Stay Up To Date

Always make sure you have the latest version of Kazaa. Most new version releases contain virus definition updates.

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Files marked with Gold icons come directly from our premium content providers and are of high quality.

Turn On Your Virus Filter

Go to Tools > Options > Filter and check the 'Filter file types that can potentially contain viruses' box under 'Miscellaneous'. This will prevent the following file types appearing in search results: .EXE, .SCR, .LNK, .BAT, .VBS, .COM, .DLL, .BIN and .CMD.

BullGuard P2P

How to ensure BullGuard P2P Virus Protection is enabled
  1. Click on 'Tools' on the menu bar.
  2. Select 'Options'.
  3. Select the 'Anti-Virus' tab.
  4. Check the check box next to 'Enable BullGuard P2P Anti-Virus'.
  5. Check the check box next to 'Scan files when download is complete'.
How does BullGuard P2P protect my computer?

BullGuard P2P is a scaled-down version of the full BullGuard virus protection program. BullGuard P2P scans the files you download and share through Kazaa. It can be set to warn you about viruses, quarantining and deleting files that may be infected by viruses when you download them from other Kazaa and Kazaa Plus users. When enabled, you can set how often BullGuard P2P scans the files in your 'My Shared Folder' directory. Notification of suspicious files found will appear in a dialog window.

You may notice that your computer slows down during this because the files are being scanned, but it shouldn't last long. The scanning time will depend on the amount and size of your files in your shared folders. You can stop the scanning by clicking 'Stop'.

To choose how often BullGuard P2P Virus Protection scans your shared folders:
  1. Click on 'Tools' on the menu bar.
  2. Select 'Options'.
  3. Select the 'Anti-Virus' tab.
  4. In the drop-down menu next to 'Scan for viruses', select your preferred frequency (each time Kazaa is started, once per week, or never).
We recommend you also use full-version anti-virus protection for your email and Internet computing. Click here to download a free trial of the full version of BullGuard to protect your PC.

Automatic anti-virus protection

You can also help protect the files in 'My Shared Folder' by choosing how often BullGuard P2P automatically updates its virus definitions. BullGuard P2P automatically downloads updates to keep working effectively. By updating regularly, you increase BullGuard P2P's ability to identify new viruses.

To choose how often BullGuard Virus Protection updates virus definitions:

  1. Click on 'Tools' on the menu bar.
  2. Select 'Options'.
  3. Select the 'Anti-Virus' tab.
  4. In the drop-down menu next to 'Update virus definitions', select your preferred frequency (each time Kazaa is started, once per week, or never)