Scanning Your Computer for Viruses with Symantec AntiVirus (Windows 2000/XP)

You should scan your computer at regular intervals to detect viruses. At minimum, ISC recommends that you scan your entire computer daily. Symantec AntiVirus offers several methods to scan for viruses: Custom Scan, Scheduled Scans, Startup 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 scan you've created.

How to Scan Your Computer Manually

You can scan your computer at any time and perform the scan yourself. You can choose to scan your entire computer or selected files, folders, and drives on your computer.

To manually scan your computer for viruses at any time:

1. Open Symantec AntiVirus by right-clicking the yellow Shield icon that's located in the Windows' system tray which is on the far right end of your task bar. Then, click Open Symantec AntiVirus... .
2. In the left panel of the window beneath Scan, click Custom Scan. (To read Symantec's brief descriptions about the various types of scans, click Scan.)
3. At the Scan window, select the type of scan you want to perform:
   • Scan a Floppy Disk
   • Custom Scan - To scan specific drives, folders, or files. When choosing this option, you'll need to navigate to and select the items you want to scan.
   • Quick Scan - To scan known locations on your computer that are commonly infected by viruses.
   • Full Scan - To scan your entire computer.
4. Click the Scan button on the right to start the scan.

   Note: Click the Pause (||) or Stop (green) icons at the top of the Scan window if you need to interrupt the scan.

5. When the message "Completed" displays, the scan is done. If no virus-infected files were found, the Scan Computer window is blank. If a virus is detected, details of the infected files are displayed in the window.
6. Click Close to close the Scan window, and then click Exit on the Symantec AntiVirus screen to quit the application.

How to Schedule a Scan to Run Automatically

Use Scheduled Scans when you want to scan your computer on a regular basis but do not want to manually perform the scan yourself. ISC recommends that you scan your computer for viruses daily. Note: If you've installed Symantec AntiVirus from the PennConnect 2006 CD or the Supported Products web site, the software has already been configured to scan your computer on a daily basis.

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

1. Open Symantec AntiVirus by right-clicking the yellow Shield icon that's located in the Windows' system tray which is on the far right end of your task bar. Then, click Open Symantec AntiVirus... .
2. In the left panel, click the plus sign (+) next to Scheduled Scans to expand the menu, then click the New Scheduled Scan icon. The Scan window displays.
3. In the Scan window, select the type of scan to schedule (Quick, Full, or Custom), then click Next.
4. In the Scan window, type a name for the scan in the Name: field and a description of the scan in the Description: field; click Next. The name of your scan appears at the top of the next window.
5. Complete the following:
   • Ensure Enable Scan field is checked.
   • In the Frequency field, select Daily.
   • In the At field, click the down arrow to select the time at which the scan should run each day.
6. Click Next.
7. If you have selected a Custom Scan, then select the areas on your computer that you want scanned. For example, you could scan all files within a specific folder. In this case, click the plus sign (+) to expand each menu until you locate the folder that you want to scan, then select the folder by clicking the blank box next to it. A plus sign (+) and check mark will appear in the box.
8. Click Save to save your settings. The name of the scheduled scan you created appears in the left window beneath Scheduled Scans.
9. Click Exit to close Symantec AntiVirus.
   Important: Remember, your computer must be turned on for the scheduled scan to take place. Icons located at the top of this window enable you to Start, Stop, or Pause the scan.

How to Schedule a Startup Scan

Use Startup Scans when you want to scan for viruses each time you start your computer. You can choose to scan your entire computer or only certain files, folders, and drives.

To schedule a Startup Scan:

1. Open Symantec AntiVirus by right-clicking the yellow Shield icon that's located in the Windows' system tray which is on the far right end of your task bar. Then, click Open Symantec AntiVirus... .
2. In the left window, click the plus sign (+) next to Startup Scans to expand the menu, then click New Startup Scan.
3. In the right window, type a name for the scan in the Name field and a description of the scan in the Description field; click Next. The name of the new startup scan appears at the top of the window.
4. In the Scan window, select the areas you want scanned during startup, then click Save. For example, to scan a specific file within a folder, navigate to the location of the file by clicking the plus (+) next to each menu until you reach the file. Select the file by clicking the blank box next to it. A plus scan (+) and a checkmark will appear beside your selection.
5. Click Save to save your settings. The name of the new startup scan you created appears in the left panel of the Symantec AntiVirus main window. When you start Windows the next time, the scan will begin.
6. Click Exit to quit Symantec AntiVirus.

How to Create a Custom Scan

Use Custom Scans when you want to configure and save an on-demand scan that includes your unique specifications. For example, if you wish to scan all files with a certain extension, you could create a custom scan to locate and scan only those files.

To configure and start a custom scan:

1. Open Symantec AntiVirus by right-clicking the yellow Shield icon that's located in the Windows' system tray which is on the far right end of your task bar. Then, click Open Symantec AntiVirus... .
2. In the left window, click the Custom Scan icon to expand the menu. If you do not see this option,. click the plus (+) sign next to Scan.
3. In the Custom Scan window, select the areas you want scanned. For example, to scan all files with a specific extension, you could scan your entire computer. In this example, you would click My Computer. A plus sign (+) and a checkmark appear in the box next to My Computer.
4. Click the Options.. button to display the Scan Options window.
5. Select the desired options for your Custom Scan, then click Save Settings, and then click OK.
6. In the Custom Scan window, click Save. The name of the new custom scan appears in the left window. You can run this custom scan now or at any time you wish.
7. Click Exit to quit Symantec AntiVirus.

How to Edit a Scan

To edit any existing scan you have created:

1. Open Symantec AntiVirus by right-clicking the yellow Shield icon that's located in the Windows' system tray which is on the far right end of your task bar. Then, click Open Symantec AntiVirus... .
2. In the left window, click the box beside the type of scan: Startup Scans, User-defined Scans, or Scheduled Scans.
3. From the list of scans that displays, click the box beside the specific scan you will edit. The scan appears in the right panel of the window with a description and schedule.
4. In the bottom right window, click the Edit... button to perform any of the following:
   • For Startup scans only, click the Files tab to change the drives, folders, or files you want to scan.
   • Click the Name/Description tab to change the name and/or description of the scan.
   • For Scheduled Scans only, click the Schedule tab to change the frequency of the scan.
5. Click OK to save the changes and return to the Scan window.
6. Click Scan to run the scan immediately, or select Exit from the File menu to close Symantec AntiVirus.

How to Delete a Scan

To delete any existing scan you have created:

1. Open Symantec AntiVirus by right-clicking the yellow Shield icon that's located in the Windows' system tray which is on the far right end of your task bar. Then, click on Open Symantec AntiVirus... .
2. In the left panel, click the plus (+) sign to expand the folder. From the View menu, select the appropriate folder: Startup Scans, Custom Scans, or Scheduled Scans.
3. In the left window, right-click on the scan you want to delete and select Delete from dropdown list. Or, select the scan you want to delete and choose Delete from the Edit menu.
4. At the prompt, click Yes to verify you really want to delete the scan.
5. From the File menu, click Exit to close Symantec AntiVirus.