The new stable GnuPG 1.4.9 has been recently released. This is the maintenance release that will assist you in fixing the possible vulnerabilities that were introduced with the 1.4.8. The GNU Privacy Guard is the tool that GNU produced for the secure communication and data storage of its users. It is complete and a free replacement of PGP and can be used for encrypting data and creating digital signatures. Included is an advanced key management facility, smartcard support and is also compliant with the OpenPGP Internet standard that is described by RFC-4880 which is the recently released update of the RFC-2440.
Remember, this version is from the GnuPG-1 series and is considerably smaller than those form the GnuPG-2 series. It is easier to build and very portable. When compared to the GnuPG-2, like the version 2.0.8, it does not come with support for S/MIME or any other tools that can be useful for desktop environments. On the bright side, you can install both of these versions alongside each other on the same system without encountering any problems.

The steps that will be covered tackle the proper way to install the GnuPG in a modern Windows environment. This is so that you will be aware of the ground for sending of encrypted e-mails.

Your Very Own GnuPG 1.4.9 on Windows
1. First you must download the GnuPG 1.4.9 from the website:
ftp://ftp.gnupg.org/gcrypt/binary/gnupg-w32cli-1.4.9.exe
Or you can visit their download page at the main website on:
http://www.gnupg.org/download/
2. After you have finished Step 1, you can now run the GnuPG installation file. After that, you are supposed to add the GnuPG working directory to your path which will be shown in the next step.
3. This is for Windows XP users. First, you must go to the My Computer and click on the Properties option. Select the Advanced tab and then proceed to the Environment Variables.
For those of you who are using Windows 7 and Vista, you must first right click on Computer which can be found on your desktop or on the Start menu. Choose Properties and then select the Advanced system settings. After that, click on Environment Variables.5. Under the System Variables, you must scroll down and choose the Path variable. Click on Edit once you have located it.
4. Proceed to the end of the line entitled Variable value and add the following text:C:\Program Files\GNU\GnuPG\
This is normally done after you have installed GnuPG to the default directory and also that you are running a 32-bit system. If you are running on a 64-bit system and had to choose the directory, you can use this text instead: C:\Program Files (x86)\GNU\GnuPG\
5. After you have done all of this, reboot your computer. This is a necessary step and has no room for error. The change to the PATH variable will be ineffective unless you reboot your computer.
This is fairly easy and can be done by most beginners. With these steps you can finally install a GnuPG 1.4.9 system in your personal computer like a professional.