Don't Let Computer Viruses Take You by Surprise

Make sure you're running the very latest antiviral software with updated viral definitions

Dan Albrich
dalbrich@oregon.uoregon.edu

Over the past few months, Microcomputer Services staff has seen a large number of Windows viruses.

In many cases, affected parties are already running Norton AntiVirus, yet they lack current virus definitions. The best solution in cases like this is prevention. (Note that we have not seen this level of trouble or damage on the Macintosh, so updates on that platform may be less pressing--at least at the moment.)

Here are some recommendations to help you stay on top of virus threats:

1. Install NAV 2001 (see http://micro.uoregon.edu/av)
   
2. Click the "Scheduling" button, then "Add Event"
   
3. Select "Schedule LiveUpdate..." Schedule this event for a time when the computer will not be needed for an hour or so.
   
4. Consider scheduling some additional time to scan the hard disk. Plan ahead, as this can take several hours.
   

Note that once installed, NAV 2001 can work completely in the background and will not interrupt your work to perform a Live Update.

If you have further questions about antiviral protection, contact Microcomputer Services at 346-4412 or microhelp@oregon.uoregon.edu