So what are you supposed to do if your antivirus program catches a virus in an incoming mail message? It depends. What’s worse than e-mail spam? How about spam with a virus attached? Spam filters watch for spammers’ favorite words — so spammers use a bizarre mishmash language to get past the filters. In fact, … Read more
The preceding section deals primarily with scanning incoming mail, but what about mail that you are sending? Does your antivirus program automatically scan it for viruses? Viruses and their writers are pretty sneaky; if your antivirus program scans files as they are created (the “automatic” protection), then you can be sure that outbound mail is … Read more
Some well-known makes of antivirus software have introduced Web-based virus scanning. You can go to one of these Web sites and click the Scan my computer for viruses link. The Web page downloads a small program that will then scan your entire computer for viruses — usually for free (such a deal!). While there are … Read more
Because whole-computer scans take so long and make your computer so sluggish, you might schedule your computer to do its scans at a regular time when you’re not using it. Personally, I have my antivirus program scan my entire computer on Mondays at 2:00 a.m. Sometimes I stay up late on the computer on Sunday … Read more
Most antivirus programs, in addition to letting you scan your entire computer for viruses, also give you the ability to scan individual files and directories. Some antivirus programs require you to open the antivirus program, select the scan option, and then browse to the file(s) or directory(ies) you wish to scan. This works, but it’s … Read more
The brute-force method of scanning your computer is to look at the entire hard drive and every file in it. It’s actually pretty easy to tell your antivirus software to do this — just scan drive C:, or all hard drives, or however your antivirus program offers the choices to you. There are probably ten … Read more
Because e-mail is one of the chief means of transporting viruses, most antivirus programs have options that help them work with your e-mail program. This only applies when you are using a “local” e-mail program to read and send mail, and not when you are using a Web browser to handle your mail. The options … Read more
As instant messaging (IM) rises in popularity, it has become the new way for viruses to jump from computer to computer. Consequently, it would be nice if your antivirus program was aware of your IM activity so it could watch for any suspicious activity indicative of a virus. Configuration for IM in your antivirus program … Read more
Most antivirus programs operate in two primary modes: They’re used to “scan” your entire computer (or a part of it) for viruses that may already be present there. They’re used to actively monitor your computer’s activities — in particular, that part of Windows that controls the creating, opening, and closing of computer files … Read more
Before I explain what antivirus software is, it’s worth reviewing the nature of software in general. Understanding software doesn’t mean you have to write computer programs or wear a hat with a propeller on top. The fact is that the word software is at the heart of viruses and the defenses against them. Knowing some … Read more