McAfee AVDCDE-BA-CA User Guide - Page 65

Removing Infections From Your System Responding to viruses or malicious software Because VirusScan software consists of several component programs, any one of which could be active at one time, your possible responses to a virus infection or to other malicious software will depend upon which program detected the harmful object, how you have that program configured to respond, and other circumstances. The following sections give an overview of the default responses available with each program component. To learn about other possible responses, see the chapter that discusses each component in detail. Responding when the VShield scanner detects malicious software The VShield scanner consists of four related modules that provide you with continuous background protection against viruses, harmful Java and ActiveX objects, and dangerous websites. A fifth module controls security settings for the other four. You can configure and activate each module separately, or use them together to provide maximum protection. See Chapter 4, "Using the VShield Scanner," to learn how to configure each module. Because each module detects different objects or scans different virus entry points, each has a different set of default responses. Responding when the System Scan module detects a virus How this module reacts when it finds a virus depends on which operating system your computer runs and, on Windows 95 and Windows 98 systems, on which prompt option you chose in the module's Action page. To learn more about these options, see "Choosing Action options" on page 105. By default on Windows 95 and Windows 98 systems, this module looks for viruses each time you run, copy, create, or rename any file on your system, or whenever you read from a floppy disk. On Windows NT Workstation v4.0 and Windows 2000 Professional systems, the System Scan module looks for viruses whenever your system or another computer reads files from or writes files to your hard disk or a floppy disk. Because it scans files this way, the System Scan module can serve as a backup in case any of the other VShield modules does not detect a virus when it first enters your system. In its initial configuration, the module will deny access to any infected file it finds, whichever Windows version your computer runs. It will also display an alert message that asks you what you want to do about the virus (see Figure 3-11 on page 75). The response options you see in this dialog box come from default choices or choices you make in the System Scan module's Action page. As this dialog box awaits your response, your computer will continue to process any other tasks it is running in the background. User's Guide 65