An installed antivirus client is usually displayed in the Windows system tray (systray). This is the area that is found on the lower right hand pane of the task bar, on an unmodified desktop. At Mesa Community College we have two antivirus installations that were used over the past several years.  The old install is McAfee antivirus and has an icon with a blue shield with an inset red 'V'. Another version of McAfee shows a red square with a white 'M'. The current Mesa Community College install is Symantec antivirus, also known as Norton antivirus. It has an icon that resembles a gold shield.

If your Windows based system is running McAfee it is most likely out of date and does not provide adequate protection. If the system is an MCC asset and is connected to the campus network, please call the Technology Support Services immediately for an upgrade.

Examples:

 or icons for McAfee.    

This is an example of McAfee on the system tray.

 icon for Symantec.

This is an example of Symantec on the system tray.

How is your computer systems antivirus kept up to date?

If you double click the Symantec shield it will open a user window. This window shows the parent server, how many virus files have been quarantined, the program versions and virus definition file dates.

The antivirus parent server gets an automatic update daily from the Symantec internet site. All product updates are downloaded and passed remotely to the clients on a daily basis. The parent server is set to communicate daily to the client and retry every six hours on any missed communication. It is good practice to leave the computer turned on overnight at least once a week to ensure proper antivirus communications.

If an antivirus update is out of date by more than two weeks or if you are instructed via email from the Technology Support Services, click the Live Update button on the lower right.  A window similar to the one pictured below will expand and list which programs can be updated via Live Update. Click next and the antivirus client will communicate with the parent server and obtain any files it may need.

A green check mark in the Live Update window indicates a successful download or that the current files on the client are up to date. A red 'X' will indicate a failure to communicate with the parent server or that the antivirus client has been compromised. If a red 'X' is present call the Technology Support Services area for assistance. Click finish to close the window.

What if a virus is detected?

If at anytime your system displays a warning box about an infected file, please do not be alarmed. This is the antivirus program doing its job. Under ideal circumstances, the antivirus software will stop the file from running and quarantine it on your local drive. It will attempt a repair of the file. If a repair is not possible it will forward the infected file to the parent server quarantine area.

ATTENTION Windows XP users!!! A feature of Windows XP allows installed files to be copied into a hidden file structure and used upon demand when your system crashes or fails. These files are capable of storing a virus and hiding it from antivirus scans. Please follow this link below to deactivate the system restore archive.

http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~lmcgrew/XPOffDocument.htm

Windows 95 or 98 users: Contact the Technology Support Services area to have the system evaluated for an upgrade to Windows 2000. Windows 9x systems require a unique install package and may not respond to network management instructions from the parent antivirus server.

Macintosh users: Mesa Community College does not currently have a managed client available. One is due for release from Symantec and will be implemented as soon as we can obtain a copy. Until then, each Macintosh user must update their antivirus clients manually.

To update Norton antivirus, launch the Norton Antivirus executable in the applications folder, click on Live Update and then on Update Everything Now.

The program will check the internet server for the latest updates and download them directly to your system. Click OK to close the window.

For any further instructions or questions regarding the Mesa Community College antivirus server please contact Loren McGrew at the email signature below. For virus issues or installation contact Technology Support Services area at tss@mcmail.maricopa.edu. 480-461-7217

Loren McGrew

Systems Administrator

Campus Antivirus Coordinator

Mesa Community College

('lmcgrew@mail.mc.maricopa.edu')