| Virus Protection for
Windows
Almost all viruses we see on campus are spread through
email applications (like Outlook) or unsecured file shares (like through
Network Neighborhood) on computers running some version of
Microsoft Windows. Because of this, the University provides
excellent antivirus software for to all students, faculty, and staff for
free. It is very important to make sure that the latest antivirus
software is installed on every computer you interact with, and that its
virus information ("virus definitions") is kept up to date
every day.
Where to Download
All Windows operating systems should use
Symantec AntiVirus 8.0, which is available for free on the UConn FTP server:
Symantec Antivirus v8 (SAV)
(You must be on the UConn network to
download this application.)
How to Install
The UITS Help Desk has installation
instructions available on their website. IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to
uninstall any other anti-virus applications you may have installed before
installing Norton AntiVirus.
CLICK
HERE for instructions on Windows 95 / 98 / ME
CLICK
HERE for
instructions on
Windows NT / 2000 / XP
How to Configure Daily Updates
It is important that your
antivirus software update itself against new viruses automatically
every day.
Once Symantec Anti-Virus is installed properly, you will
see a small gold shield in the system tray (near the clock).
Double-click on it to open the main application window, or right-click
on it and select "Open Symantec AntiVirus...".
Go to "File" -> "Schedule
Updates...", click the "Schedule..." button, and select the "Daily"
radio button. Pick a time early in the day when the computer will be
turned on. Click "OK" twice to return the the main Symantec
Antivirus window.
Your computer will now protect
itself against new viruses every day. If you are worried about
a new virus you may have heard about run Live Update to make sure
you are protected against it.
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How to Use Live Update
Once Symantec Anti-Virus is installed properly, you will
see a small gold shield in the system tray (near the clock).
Double-click on it to open the main application window, or right-click
on it and select "Open Symantec AntiVirus...".
Now press the button titled "Live
Update" in the lower right-hand corner of the application
window. Click "Next >" all the way through the Live
Update process, and it will download and install the latest virus
definitions.
When it is done with Live Update it should display
a new date next to the Live Update button. If that date is
more than a few days old, run Live Update again to be sure you have
have the latest update. If it says "Update not
Necessary" you know you have the latest virus definitions that
are available.
It is strongly recommended that you
configure Symantec Antivirus to automatically update its virus
definitions every day. See above for more details.
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How to Scan
| If you think you may have gotten a
virus, or if your computer is acting strangely, it is a good idea to
scan it completely for viruses. To do this, first open the
application by double-clicking on the small gold shield in the
system tray. Then select "Scan Computer" in
the left-hand pane (under "Scan").
Now select each drive you want to scan by clicking
once in the small box next to the drive icon. Most computers
will have one or two hard drives ("Local Disk") to scan, usually called
"C:" and "D:". You do not need to scan any
CD or network drives, which are usually listed after your hard
drives. Selecting all drives that are after the floppy drive
icon and before the CD drive icon works best for most
computers.
Once your have selected the drives you want to
scan, click the "Scan" button in the lower-left
corner. This will take a long time, and it is important to let
is scan completely. Once it is finished it will display a
summary of what it did and what it found.
It is strongly recommended that you do a full
system scan anytime you think you may have come in contact with a
virus, or once per month even if you think you have not been infected. |
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What to do if you get Infected
Symantec AntiVirus is very good at intercepting any
viruses that may try to infect your computer. If you do get a
message saying it has found a virus, or it detects a virus after a system
scan, do not panic! It will either clean the file for you, or quarantine
the file if it is unable to clean it. It will never spread the virus
or allow it to infect other files, and there is no danger in reading the
alert it pops up.
If you have any questions about what to do after Norton
AntiVirus finds, cleans, or quarantines a virus for you, call the UITS
Help Desk at 486-HELP.
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