Did you know that Windows 8 doesn't need an anti-virus protection? Yes that's right. Users can fire up Windows 8 without ever having to install protection. This is possible because Windows 8 has Windows Defender built in, but not everyone know this.

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A fresh install of Windows 8 will have Windows Defender from the first boot sequence. However, if a user bought a Windows 8 PC/Laptop with pre-installed trial anti-virus software and chose to remove it after the trial is up, Windows Defender will not automatically fire up. This can be a problem for novice users who might not have any idea how to turn on Windows Defender.

Luckily for novice users, we're here to help, or maybe we are only doing this because Christmas is coming up and being on Santa's nice list is top priority, you'll never know for sure.

First step, bring your mouse cursor to the right side of your screen. This should bring up the Charms Bar. If you are using a touchscreen device, swipe from the right to get to the Charms Bar. The next step is to click or touch that Search icon at the top. A search box should appear. Type Windows Defender in the Search box then click or touch Apps if you haven't already. Windows Defender should now pop up.

Take a deep sigh of relief, drink a cup of hot cocoa and eat some chocolate cookies, you deserve it for reaching this far.

Now that you have rested, click on Windows Defender to launch the program. After the program has been launched, it should look something like this.

Click on the big red button that says Turn On. This should do the trick and Windows Defender should be up and running with a vengeance and take down malware and viruses. Next, click on the Settings tab. Then hit Real-Time Protection to make sure it is on. After doing all of that, do a quick scan of your PC with Windows Defender. Then go on ahead with peace of mind knowing that those naughty Web sites you visit at night will have a hard time breaking your computer.

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