Introduction

VirusScan 8.5i is the latest UIUC site-licensed version of antivirus software available to campus Windows users. VirusScan 8.5i will work with the following operating systems:

• Windows NT 4.0
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows Server 2003

(If you are using an older Windows operating system, email securitysupport@uiuc.edu for assistance with finding antivirus software for your system. Note that the campus antivirus software vendor, McAfee, stopped providing support for older versions of VirusScan in June 2005. Archival documentation for VirusScan 8.0i, VirusScan 7 or VirusScan 4.5.1 is available.)

This page explains how to install the software, provides a quick-start summary of a recommended basic configuration, and explains the VirusScan customization options in more detail for those who wish to understand more about the software.

Download and installation

VirusScan is the only antivirus-related package you will need to download from the CITES Software WebStore for Windows NT 4, 2000, or XP machines.

Download the VirusScan package to your machine and double-click the file to begin the installation; follow the prompts you are given by the installation package.

Configuration: Set it and forget it

If you installed VirusScan from the CITES Software WebStore or Antivirus CD, then you have installed a UIUC-configured custom package that checks for new virus definitions several times a day. This package is already configured for campus use. There's nothing else you need to do to it.

After you've installed VirusScan, it runs by itself on a predetermined schedule. It will automatically check for updates and run virus checks at periodic intervals, popping up an alert box if it finds a suspicious file.

In other words, you can basically "set it and forget it." VirusScan will run quietly in the background, alerting you only if something needs more attention.

However, if you find you wish to change the defaults (for example, to make the system scan run overnight rather than through the day), the details of how to do so are explained in Advanced VirusScan Configuration. Note that changing the defaults is not recommended by CITES Security.

Did the latest update or system scan work?

If you'd like to know whether the latest VirusScan update or hard drive scan worked correctly (for example, in reply to a security email warning of a new virus), you can check its status in the VirusScan Console.

Right-click on the VirusScan shield icon:

Right clicking on the shield icon brings up the following menu. Choose VirusScan Console from the top of the list:

(If you don't have a right mouse button, you can also go to Program Files -> Network Associates -> VirusScan Console.)

A window like the following will appear:

The console window will list the status of each option and whether or not the last attempted run was successful. In this case, you can see that the last AutoUpdate was successful.

For more detailed information about an event, or if you get an unexpected failure message, right-click on the item you want to examine and select View Log. A Notepad file will open with the log of the past several events.

If you want to be sure your system has the latest-released DAT file, go to the Help menu, then select About. The engine version and DAT file version are listed here; you can compare them to the release numbers on McAfee's website. You can also select Update Now from the menu that opens when you right-click on the shield icon, and see which version is reported by the update process.

More help

If you need additional assistance with VirusScan, contact the CITES Help Desk:

• Walk-in: 1420 DCL
• Email: consult@illinois.edu
• Phone: (217) 244-7000 or (800) 531-2531
• Interactive chat: http://www.cites.uiuc.edu/help/support/