IE Bug Invites Phishing Attacks

[Josette]

I didn't realize you could scan individual documents with antivirus software.  I'll have to figure out how to do this without scanning the entire computer.

I had Norton for 3 months when I got my computer last year, and it let me scan an individual file.  With the McAfee that I returned to after that, even if I highlight the one file, it scans the whole directory.  I have a couple of directories that I generally download to.  I make sure that it's a small directory without a lot of other files so it won't take too long.  After downloading, I bring up the scan, choose the appropriate directory and then it just scans that directory.

[victoriawinters]

If you are in a Windows directory where you file is, you should be able to highlight the file.  Be careful not to doubleclick.  Then, right click on it and you should see and option there to scan the file with either Norton or whatever virus scan you happen to have. 

[Mark Rainey]

Right-click on the file or folder you want to scan and see if you don't get the option to scan it with your resident AV program. Otherwise, in most cases, when you select scan your computer in the AV program, it'll give open a window with a list of your folders (just like any other Open or Save As menu) and you select what you want to scan. What AV program do you have?

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

[Philippe Cordier]

Thanks for the information, everyone.  

Wish I had realized before that you can scan an individual file (or directory -- am assuming that's something like "My Documents").

Although I'd seen that "Scan for Viruses" option with the right click, it never really registered with me what that meant -- it was sort of like, I saw it once, wondered what it was, then never really "saw" it again after that.  Guess it's because for years I used only computers at work or at school and never had to worry about virus protection.

I've tried the right clicking on a file deal and it worked!

when you select scan your computer in the AV program, it'll give open a window with a list of your folders (just like any other Open or Save As menu) and you select what you want to scan.

Haven't noticed that possibility, as mine just shows something like "Complete Computer" and then shows two folders below that, the C drive and the CD/DVD drive.  Not sure if it allows you to open up the C folder and select items inside, but will check that out in the future.  (My antivirus is Symantec.)

Last time I did a virus scan I noticed there was some log or something you could read and it listed all sorts of things that it COULDN'T scan.  Not sure what that was all about.

OK, I found my notes on this.  First there was a note that said "Symantec antivirus cannot access D drive."  This shouldn't be a problem since that's just the DVD drive.  But this part seemed strange:  "Event Log -- 'Scan Omission' ".  This listed oodles of files that "can't be accessed."

Should this concern me?