Viruses
Viruses, Spyware are a growing problem. Although Information Technology does not have the sources to clean up every student computer, we want to provide resources to help students deal with common problems. Use the resources provided in these pages to solve the problem. (FYI: These pages are targeted at Windows users, since viruses and spyware are currently almost non-existant for the Mac OS.)
Stay Informed
Keep up to date with virus information and warnings at: McAfee’s Virus Info Page
Installing McAfee (the Westmont provided Virus Protection software)
If McAfee Anti-Virus is not installed on your computer, you can install it by clicking here (Note: this link will only work from on campus) and clicking open in the dialogue box that appears. If you’re not sure whether or not it’s installed, click the above link any way and the installer will check for any previous installations and make sure they are up to date. If you experience trouble, bring your computer to the IT office and we can help. Be aware that if you have any other anti-virus software installed it must be removed before you install McAfee.
Summary: Learn how to scan your computer or a disk (floppy or Zip) for viruses using McAfee VirusScan Enterprise on your Windows XP, 2000 computer.
Note: The initial scan of your computer may take a long time to complete.
1. In your system tray (bottom-right corner of your screen), right-click the VirusScan icon (
), then click The VirusScan On-Demand Scan Properties window appears (refer to Figure 1).
Click the button, point to , point to , then click .
On the VirusScan Console, right-click , then click . The VirusScan On-Demand Scan Properties window appears (refer to Figure 1):
Figure 1: The VirusScan On-Demand Scan Properties window
2. If you want to scan a floppy or Zip disk, insert the disk into the proper drive slot.
3. Click (refer to Figure 2).
Figure 2: Click Add
4. On the Add Scan Item window, do the following (refer to Figure 3):
From the drop-down list, select what you want to scan.
If you selected a drive, folder, or file, click and select a location.
Click .
Figure 3: The Add Scan Item window
5. On the the VirusScan On-Demand Scan Properties window, make sure what you want to scan is selected under, then click (refer to Figure 4).
Figure 4: Click Scan Now.
If a virus is found, VirusScan attempts to clean the virus. Depending upon the results of this, one of the following happens:
A. The infected file gets cleaned, so you do not need to do anything else. Your computer is no longer infected.
B. The infected file cannot be cleaned, so the file is moved to the C:/Quarantine folder (refer to Figure 5). Delete the file from the Quarantine folder: Within the VirusScan window, right-click the file name and click .
Figure 5: Example of when a virus file is found and moved to the Quarantine folder
The infected file cannot be cleaned and it cannot be moved to the C:/Quarantine folder (refer to Figure 6). To get rid of the virus, contact the Help Center at 565-6095 or submit a mayday on http://mayday.westmont.edu. Please write down the full name of the virus and submit it with your help request.
Figure 6: Example of when a virus file is found and cannot be moved to the Quarantine folder.
Important: Some viruses can damage files so that they are unusable. In this instance, your file is already beyond repair. VirusScan cleans the file, but may not be able to save it. This is where back-ups come in handy.
Do not use periods when naming your files! In Outlook, VirusScan quarantines attachments that have 2 or more periods in the name (For example: notes.04.01.20.doc). To prevent quarantine, do not use periods when naming your files, and also remind people that send you attachments not to use periods.
7. If necessary, repeat Steps 2-6 for other drives or disks. Make sure to scan all your computer’s drives, files, and memory.
8. When scanning is done, close all McAfee VirusScan windows.