AntiVirus Information

What you should know about Antivirus Software

Antivirus software needs to be installed, running and up-to-date. Having your virus definition up-to-date is what is known as having "CURRENT" antivirus software.

Take the time to learn how to use your antivirus software.

New viruses are coming out all the time. The only way to protect yourself against new viruses is to update your virus definitions weekly. Almost all commercial antivirus software updates over the web. Some antivirus software can be set to update automatically, others can be scheduled to update weekly. If you can't find the check boxes for either of these options we recommend visiting the website of your software and look for the manual or FAQs to explain how to customize your antivirus software. You can always MANUALLY update your virus definitions while online.

The important thing to remember is that most antivirus companies are subscription based. This means that the software you purchase from them, allows you a specified time period within which you can update your virus definitions. After your subscription runs out you will need to repurchase a subscription in order to keep your virus definitions CURRENT. The more current the virus definitions the better protected you will be.

L ook at your antivirus control panel to find the expiration date.

You can purchase antivirus software at the Campus Store, computer stores, or over the internet.

Free Online Virus Scanning

If you are not sure you have a virus, OR you have a virus on your machine, look below for links to online Antivirus Companies that provide the free service of scanning your machine with the added bonus that during this scan they will attempt to clean the virus from your machine. Go to either site and set the online scan to automatically clean your machine.

House Call Trendmicro
McAfee.com VirusScan Online
Symantec Security Check

Antivirus Software Companies

McAffee
Trend Micro
Symantec
Sophos - PC
AVG (which has a free product)

Virus Removal Tips

You have a virus and now what do you do?

Removing viruses from your machine can range from easy to difficult. It can get messy and complicated. The hope is that your antivirus software will catch the virus and automatically clean the virus for you. You can use one of the Online scanning services above to remove the virus from your machine. Unfortunately some viruses will take a bit more work to remove. You will need to visit your antivirus website and find the directions for removing the virus from your machine.

You will need to know the full name of the VIRUS infecting your machine.

Antivirus companies have "removal tools" that you can download and run on your computer to remove particular viruses. You can find these tools on your software's website. In order to know which removal tool to download, you will need to know which VIRUS is on your machine. Your antivirus software will alert you to the name of the virus infecting your machine. Look for this name and write it down. Each virus has its own personality and does different things to your computer, requiring differing removal techniques. Some very new viruses will require manual removal and the instructions for manual removal will be available.

We have included a free Virus Cleaning Tool from Trend Micro, that will scan your entire machine looking for viruses and then attempt to remove the virus from your machine.
**The virus definitions in this cleaning tool are CURRENT as of 9/5/03.

Proactive Protection Tips

- Do not download or open any unknown files that are attached to an email; they could be viruses.
If you are NOT sure about the file do not open it.
If you must download an attached file to an email, make sure to save it and scan it for viruses before you open it .
- Scan all downloads
- Virus scan your computer weekly
- Always scan your floppy disk, Zip Disks and CDs before using them.

Fire Wall Information

A Fire Wall is software designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from your computer. All messages entering or leaving your computer pass through the fire wall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.

Test your personal firewall online with Shields Up.

Some Commercial Firewalls

McAfee Security
Symantec
ZoneAlarm Pro
Tiny Personal Firewall
Outpost Firewall
Kerio Personal Firewall
BlackICE PC Protection

F or more information on firewalls, reviews etc. visit:

Shields Up
Home PC Firewall Guide

Spyware Information

GRC.com
The Trouble With Advertising-Supported Software
Adware, Badware & Spyware Profiles

Virus Symptoms

Symptoms of Virus Infection:
- Your system slows down, files disappear; you cannot open certain files.
- Programs that cease to work correctly.
- Continuous system crashes.
- People e-mail you saying they received a virus from you.
- An unusual increase in the size of files of an unusual or impossible date or time.
- Duplicated files.
- On-screen messages.
- Upon booting the system, the screen displays an unexpected graphic such as a famous
person or a holiday symbol you did not create.

Local Companies that Clean Viruses
(for a fee)

Digital Marketplace – 746-8600
Delhi Telephone – 746-1535
ISD – Oneonta – 607-432-7090

Important Windows ME/XP Cleaning Instructions

Windows Millennium Edition (ME) and Windows XP have a feature known as System Restore, which creates backups of certain files in the _Restore folder. The System Restore feature usually backs up files with EXE or COM extensions, which may include infected files and malware programs. Files in the _Restore folder are protected and can only be accessed using System Restore. This feature must be disabled first before Trend Micro antivirus can access and clean these files.

The following procedure disables the System Restore feature:

Windows ME
Right-click the My Computer icon on the Desktop and click Properties.
Click the Performance tab.
Click the File System button.
Click the Troubleshooting tab.
Select Disable System Restore.
Click Apply > Close > Close.
When prompted to restart, click Yes.
Press F8 while the system restarts.
Choose Safe Mode then hit the Enter key.
After your system has restarted, continue with the scan/clean process. Files under the _Restore folder can now be deleted.
Re-enable System Restore by clearing Disable System Restore and restarting your system normally

Windows XP
Log on as Administrator.
Right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop and click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Select Turn off System Restore.
Click Apply > Yes > OK.
Continue with the scan/clean process. Files under the _Restore folder can now be deleted.
Re-enable System Restore by clearing Turn off System Restore.

SUNY Delhi navigation

Navigation

Content

AntiVirus Information