McAfee AVDCDE-AA-AA - Active Virus Defense Suite, User Manual, Page: 62 / 344

Removing Infections From Your System
62 McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
As your next step, locate and delete the infected file or files. You will
need to restore any files that you delete from backup files. Be sure to
check your backup files for infections also. Be sure also to use the
VirusScan application at your earliest opportunity to scan your system
completely in order to ensure that your system is virus-free.
Deciding when to scan for viruses
Maintaining a secure computing environment means scanning for viruses
regularly. Depending on the degree to which you swap floppy disks with
other users, share files over your local area network, or interact with other
computers via the Internet, scanning “regularly” could mean scanning as little
as once a month, or as often as several times a day. Other good habits to
cultivate include scanning right before you back up your data, scanning before
you install new or upgraded software—particularly software you download
from other computers—and scanning when you start or shut down your
computer each day. Use the VShield scanner to examine your computer’s
memory and maintain a constant level of vigilance between scan operations.
Under most circumstances this should protect your system’s integrity.
If you connect to the Internet frequently or download files often, you might
want to supplement regular scan operations with tasks based on certain
events. Use the VirusScan Console to schedule a set of scan tasks to monitor
your system at likely points of virus entry, such as
• whenever you insert a floppy disk into your computer’s floppy drive
• whenever you start an application or open a file
• whenever you connect to or map a network drive to your system
Even the most diligent scan operation can miss new viruses, however, if your
virus definition (.DAT) files are not up to date. Your VirusScan software
purchase entitles you to free virus updates for the life of your product, so you
can update frequently to keep current. The VirusScan Console includes
AutoUpdate and AutoUpgrade tasks you can use to update your .DAT files
and the VirusScan engine. To learn how to update your software, see
Chapter
7, “Updating and Upgrading VirusScan Software.” .