Viruses and antivirus software

written by: Johnny Stenthal; article published: year 2007, month 02;


In: Categories » Computers and technology » Data security » Viruses and antivirus software

Viruses have been around for a very long time, and while the Internet is still rampant with these dangerous programs, they are finally starting to become a little less common in favor of other forms of destructive malware and spyware. Fortunately, out of all of the different computer menaces in existence, computer viruses are one of the easiest to defend yourself from. Because of advances in antivirus software, a good, frequently updated anti-virus utility is really all that is needed.

Initially anti-virus software took a more passive role in protecting your computer. It would scan, on demand, any file you specified. Then anti-virus software vendors realized that a proactive solution was needed. Now anti-virus utilities can be configured to scan all files that the computer attempts to read or execute as well as automatically block the methods most viruses use to spread themselves around. This is very useful, because most anti-virus utilities detect viruses based on virus definitions that constantly must be updated to know about the latest viruses. By blocking certain extensions of files attached to e-mail messages and blocking the running of various types of scripts, anti-virus software can protect you from potential viruses that it does not yet have definitions for.

Tip

If you are working on a computer that does not have any anti-virus software installed and want to do a quick check for viruses, check out Trend Micro's Housecall website located at http://housecall.trendmicro.com for a free online virus scan. Then, get yourself a dedicated AV program that pro-actively protects your PC.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

There are many vendors that provide anti-virus utilities but very few provide the software for free. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition by Grisoft is a standard anti-virus utility. It has all of the basic features of anti-virus applications currently on the market and is also available free of charge for personal use. Grisoft has a professional version of AVG Anti-Virus that is designed for commercial use; however, it is not free.

Nonetheless, if you are looking for a good anti-virus utility for your personal computer and don't want to pay for Norton Anti-Virus or Mcafee Anti-Virus then AVG will get the job done for you.

To get started using AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, you will need to visit http://free.grisoft.com to download a copy of the latest version.

Follow the procedure below to install, configure, and update AVG Anti-Virus:

1.
Download and install AVG Anti-Virus. Once setup finishes, the application will automatically launch and you will see the First Run wizard. You may also see a pop-up notification saying that your internal virus database is out-of-date. Disregard this message for now; you will update the database shortly. On the First Run wizard, click Next.
2.
Now it is time to update the database; just click on the Check for Updates button. Then, click on the Internet button to download updates automatically from Grisoft's web servers.
3.
If new updates are found, they will be listed and you will have to option to select the update (if it is not already selected) and click Update to initiate the downloading and installation of the new update.
4.
After the installations of any updates are finished, you are returned to the First Run wizard. Click on the Next button once again.
5.
At this point, you have the option to create rescue disks that can be used to repair your computer if a virus infects certain system files. This step is not required but I recommend you do it. Just click on the Create Rescue Disks button and follow the wizard. Make sure you have some floppy disks available. Once you are finished, or if you want to skip this step, just click Next.

Note

You cannot create a rescue CD using this process.
6.
If this is the first time you are installing an anti-virus utility on this computer, it is a good idea to do an initial scan that will analyze all of the files on your computer to make sure they are virus free. Click the Scan Computer! Button to start a scan. The initial virus scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour depending on the number of files on your hard drive. Once the scan is finished, you will be presented with the results as well as options to remove any viruses found. When everything is finished, click on the Next button of the First Run wizard to continue.
7.
The final step of configuration is the registration step. This step is up to you, as registering the free version really does not give you any other benefits other than providing your personal information to Grisoft. Click Next when you are finished and Continue on the final screen to close the wizard.

AVG Anti-Virus is now installed and running on your computer. By default, all of its monitoring agents, such as the active file scanner that automatically scans any opened documents in word processors and the email attachment scanner, are operational. If you want to manually configure any of the settings of these agents, just click on Control Center from the main Test Center window of AVG. Once the Control Center is loaded, you will see all of the different protection agents.

Click on any of the agents you want to configure, and then click on the Properties button or any other option in the lower-right portion of the window.

Keeping your virus database up to date is critical to the utility. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition comes with a scheduler that is configured by default to automatically check for updates and scan for new viruses on a daily basis.

Norton AntiVirus 2005

Norton AntiVirus is the leading anti-virus utility for Windows. It has all of the features of AVG Antivirus Free Edition plus a more sophisticated database that also checks for Trojans, worms, and other types of malware. Developed by Symantec, Norton AntiVirus retails for under $50. Using Norton AntiVirus is similar to using any other anti-virus utility, as it monitors files the same way, just with a different engine.

Like all other anti-virus applications, keeping the virus definition database up to date is critical. Norton AntiVirus uses Symantec's LiveUpdate service to update the definitions weekly. Installing and configuring Norton AntiVirus is also fairly simple. Just follow the procedure below to set up Norton AntiVirus on your computer:

1.
After you have purchased and begun installing Norton AntiVirus, it will conduct a pre-setup scan for viruses. Symantec has placed this feature in the setup program so that before Norton Antivirus is installed, the computer is cleared of any existing viruses that may try to sabotage the installation. This step is not required, so you may just click Next to continue. However, it is recommended that you click Start Scan to make sure your computer is clean to ensure a good install.
2.
After the scan is completed, you can continue with the installation by clicking Next. After installation is completed, you will be asked to restart your computer.
3.
When your computer restarts and after you log in, the configuration Wizard will launch. On the initial screen, click Next to begin configuring Norton AntiVirus.
4.
The next screen is where you will need to activate the software and enter in your product key Symantec provided when you purchased the software.
5.
On the security screen, you will have the option to allow Norton AntiVirus the ability to share the status of the software with other software products. It is best to just leave the option checked and continue.
6.
The wizard is now completed but LiveUpdate will be launched to update the software and download the latest virus definitions. Once LiveUpdate checks your software for updates and presents you with a list of available updates, click the Next button to have them downloaded and automatically installed. Depending on your Internet connection speed, this may take a while. And, depending on the updates installed, you may be required to restart your computer afterward.
7.
Usually after your computer restarts, Norton AntiVirus will automatically launch a scan of all files on your computer again, this time using the latest virus/trojan/worm definitions. Once this scan is complete, the configuration is finished.

In most cases, Norton Antivirus will automatically delete any viruses it finds. If you want to see the details of the scan and see exactly what virus was found, click on the More Details button.

If you want to disable any of the extra features such as worm protection and instant messaging protection because they are interfering with your applications by blocking network access, you can permanently disable them by clicking on the Options button at the top of the main screen.

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