VirusScan Version 8.5 Vista, XP, and 2000

About VirusScan 8.5

What is VirusScan 8.5?

VirusScan 8.5 is Wellesley College's newest anti-virus package for computers running Windows Vista, XP, or 2000.  Wellesley College has a site license allowing students, faculty and staff associated with the College to install VirusScan on College-owned computers as well as their personally-owned computers.

The VirusScan package consists of several components, including the:

1. On-Access Scan  (or VShield), which guards your computer against virus infection
2. On-Demand Scan, which allows you to manually scan diskettes and hard drives.
3. VirusScan Console, which allows you to schedule automatic updates and scans

Where can I find VirusScan at Wellesley College?

• VirusScan 4.0.3 was pre-installed on College-owned PCs with Windows 98 before April 2001.
• VirusScan 4.5.0 was pre-installed on College-owned PCs with Windows 98 starting April 2001.
• VirusScan 4.5.1 was pre-installed on College-owned PCs with Windows 98 starting October 2001.
• VirusScan 4.5.1 SP1 was pre-installed on College-owned PC with Windows 98 starting September 2002.
• VirusScan 7.0 was pre-installed on College-owned PCs with Windows 2000 or XP starting Summer 2003.
• VirusScan 8.0 was pre-installed on College-owned PCs with Windows XP starting Wintersession 2005.
• VirusScan 8.5 will be pre-installed on College-owned PCs with Windows XP starting Summer 2007.

How do I tell which version of VirusScan is installed on my computer?

In addition to the VirusScan software package, your Windows PC should have the latest available virus definitions (the library of virus descriptions upon which VirusScan relies to recognize viruses) and scan engine (the piece of the VirusScan package which actually does the scanning).

To determine which version of McAfee VirusScan you are running, and which virus definitions and scan engine are installed:

• Right-click on the VShield icon ( or ) in the system tray at the lower right corner of your screen, near the clock. From the menu which appears, choose About or About VirusScan Enterprise.
• The About McAfee VirusScan window will appear. The following should be shown:
  • VirusScan Enterprise 8.0.0
  • Scan engine 4.3.20 Note: If you do not have scan engine 4.3.20, VirusScan will not be capable of detecting many common types of viruses.
  • Virus Definitions whose creation date falls within the last two weeks.

If your computer does not meet any of the information in the About McAfee VirusScan window, please check the postings in the Computing Questions > Anti Virus Updates conference on FirstClass to get your install of VirusScan up to date.

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Install Virus Scan

Which version of VirusScan should I install?

• If the VShield icon does not appear in your system tray, VirusScan is probably not installed on your computer.
• If you have VirusScan 8.0 or older on a 2000 or XP computer, you should upgrade to VirusScan 8.5.

What are the system requirements for VirusScan 8.5?

• Operating system: Windows Vista, XP SP2, or 2000 SP4.
• Processor: Pentium-class or later (processor speed of at least 800MHz recommended)
• Hard drive space: At least 100MB free space on hard drive for installation
• RAM: At least 64MB available RAM, 128 MB recommended
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher

How do I install VirusScan 8.5?

To install VirusScan 8.5, please login to FirstClass and go to the Computing Questions > Anti Virus Updates conference and follow the directions in the Installing VirusScan 8.5 for Windows Vista/XP/2000 message.

If you do not have internet access, after April 9th, 2007, you may check out a VirusScan CD from Knapp or the Science Library for up to three days to install VirusScan 8.5.

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Update VirusScan

How do I update my anti-virus definitions and scan engine?

McAfee releases anti-virus definitions daily, each business day of the week. To make sure your computer always has the latest definitions you need to configure and schedule AutoUpgrade. Directions on how to do this can be found in the installation documentation on FirstClass in the Computing Questions > Anti Virus Updates conference. Look for the post Configuring VirusScan to automatically update its anti-virus definitions.

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Scan for Viruses

How do I scan for viruses?

The standard settings for VirusScan will automatically scan:

• Floppy disks on access and at shutdown
• The boot sector and startup files at startup
• Program files and documents (including Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) when they are accessed

You may change these settings at any time by double-clicking on the VShield icon in the lower right corner of your screen (near the clock), and then clicking Properties.

To scan your entire hard drive for viruses:

1. Double-click on My Computer (in Windows XP, from the Start menu, choose My Computer). In the My Computer window, right-click on the icon for your hard drive (usually C: or Local Disk). From the menu which appears, choose Scan for threats .
2. A VirusScan window will appear and the scan will automatically start.
   
   

   The VirusScan window will expand to include information about any viruses which are detected.

For more information about scanning, see VirusScan's Help menu.

How do I automate scanning for viruses?

You can configure the VirusScan Console to scan your hard drive on a regular basis.  We recommend that you schedule a weekly scan of all files on your hard drive, especially if you have configured AutoUpgrade to download SuperDATs automatically.

NOTE: When VirusScan automatically scans your computer, the scanning window does not appear, unlike the scanning window for VirusScan 4.5.1. To check if it is scanning, right-click on the VShield icon and next to the Scan All Disks tasks it should say Running.

1. Right-click on the VShield  in the lower right corner of your screen (near the clock) to and select VirusScan Console.
2. In the Console, double-click on Full Scan .
3. In the On-Demand Scan Properties - Full Scan window, click on the Advanced tab.
4. For System utilization, move the slider all the way to the left side to the 10% end of the slider bar.



5. Click on the Schedule button.
6. In the Task tab, check the box for Enable (schedule task runs at specified time).
7. Next click on the Schedule tab.



8. In the Schedule Task drop-down menu, select Weekly.
9. In the Start Time field, type the time when you want the scan to take place. In the Schedule Task Weekly section, check the box for the day you want the scan to take place. Make sure to choose a day and time when your computer will be left on but will not be heavily used (e.g., lunch time or a regularly scheduled meeting time). If you use AutoUpgrade, it is best to schedule the scan to take place one and one-half hours after you have scheduled AutoUpgrade to run.
10. Check Run missed task.
11. In the Delay missed task by section, choose a time between 5-30 minutes.
12. Click Apply and then OK.
13. In the VirusScan On-Demand Scan window, click Save as Default. In the Scan Configuration Confirmation window, click Yes.
14. Click Apply and then OK.
15. Close the VirusScan Console window.

Be sure to leave your computer on at the scheduled scan time each week.

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• Doug Chudzik
• Information Services
• Last modified: April 10, 2009
• Expires: July 1, 2007