Scanning Your Computer for Viruses with Norton AntiVirus (Mac OS Panther/Tiger)

You should scan your computer at regular intervals to detect viruses. At minimum, ISC recommends that you scan your computer weekly. Norton AntiVirus provides methods you can use to scan for viruses, such as Scan Computer and Scheduled Scans. No matter which method you choose, your computer must be turned on for the scan to take place. You can also edit or delete any existing scan you've created.

Important: For an update to occur, your computer must be turned on and connected to the Internet by an office, ResNet, or modem connection.

How to Scan Your Computer Manually

Use the Scan/Repair button when you want to scan your computer at any time and perform the scan yourself. You can choose to scan your entire computer or certain files, folders, and drives on your computer.

To scan your computer for viruses at anytime:

1. Launch Norton AntiVirus from your Applications folder (Go → Applications → Norton AntiVirus). The Norton AntiVirus main window displays.
2. You can scan disks, drives, individual files or folders. To scan files or folders, click the File View tab at the top of the window. Or, click the Disk View tab to scan disks or drives.
3. Navigate to, then select, the files, folders, or disks you want to scan.
4. Click the Scan/Repair button. Norton AntiVirus scans the specified items and displays a summary of the scan in the pop-up window. In the bottom of window, Norton AntiVirus lists any problems with files detected during the scan.

Note: To halt a scan after it has opened, click the Pause or Cancel button located at the bottom of the window.

5. Click the Close button when the scan is completed.
6. To exit the Norton AntiVirus program, select Quit from the Norton AntiVirus menu or press Command-Q.

How to Schedule Scans to Run Automatically

Use "Scheduled Scans" when you want to scan your computer on a regular basis but do not want to perform the scan manually. ISC recommends that you scan your computer for viruses weekly.

To schedule a scan to run automatically on a weekly basis:

1. Launch Norton AntiVirus from your Applications folder (Go → Applications → Norton AntiVirus). The Norton AntiVirus main window displays.
2. Click the Schedule icon in the left panel. If the icon isn't visible, click the Show Tools button near the bottom of the window.
3. In the Symantec Scheduler window, click the New... button.
4. Select the AntiVirus Scan icon. The Add AntiVirus Scan Task window displays.
5. In the Add AntiVirus Scan Task window, do the following:
   • Enter a name for the task: Type a descriptive name. For example, type Weekly Virus Scan
   • Select an item to scan: Click the Browse to ... button to navigate to and select the drive, disks, or files to be scheduled. Or, drag the item you want to scan from the Select a Scan Target: window onto the blank box beneath the Browse button.
   • Set a priority: Set the priority to high so that virus scans will take precedence over other processes on your computer.
   • Set a frequency: Set the frequency for the automatic scan as Weekly, and click the day of the week the scan should occur. Then, use the Up and Down arrows to select the exact time the scan should occur.
6. Click Save to preserve your settings. The scheduled scan appears in the Symantec Scheduler window.

Important: Remember, your computer must be turned on for the scheduled scan to take place.

Editing a Scan

To edit an existing scan:

1. Launch Norton AntiVirus from your Applications folder (Go → Applications → Norton AntiVirus).The Norton AntiVirus main window displays.
2. Select the Schedule icon in the left panel. If the icon isn't visible, click the Show Tools button near the bottom of the window.
3. In the Symantec Scheduler window, highlight the scan you will edit, then click the Edit button.
4. Make your changes.
5. Click Save.
6. Close the Symantec Scheduler window.
7. To exit the Norton AntiVirus program, select Quit from the Norton AntiVirus menu or press Command-Q.

Deleting a Scan

To delete an existing scan:

1. Launch Norton AntiVirus from your Applications folder (Go → Applications → Norton AntiVirus). The Norton AntiVirus main window displays.
2. Click the Schedule icon in the left panel. If you don't see the icon, click the Show Tools button near the bottom of the window.
3. In the Symantec Scheduler window, highlight the scan you want to delete, then click the Delete button.
4. At the Delete Task prompt, click Delete again.
5. Close the Symantec Scheduler window.
6. To exit the Norton AntiVirus program, select Quit from the Norton AntiVirus menu or press Command-Q.