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ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

Antivirus software works by examining files and looks for known viruses by means of a virus
dictionary. It also identifies suspicious behaviour from any computer program which might not be
normal and indicate infection.

When you switch on the computer, it starts automatically. It works in different ways.

• On-Access Scanning : Antivirus software runs in the background on your computer, checking
every file you open. It scans any device attached to the computer or any file which is being
opened or downloaded from the Internet.

• Full System Scans : Most antivirus programs ask you to set up scheduled full system scans,
often once a week. This ensures that the updated antivirus program files are used to scan your
system for dormant viruses.

• Virus Definitions : Your antivirus software relies on
virus definitions to detect malware. It automatically
downloads new and updated definition files. These
definition files contain signatures or information of
viruses and other malware. In case your computer is
infected with a virus, the antivirus software will try to
remove the harmful files or put it in Quarantine . But
sometimes you may have to reinstall your operating

system to remove the virus.
To make the antivirus effective you should keep updating your computer with the latest version of

the antivirus software, so that it can identify any new virus. You can update the antivirus by going to
its update option.

USING AN ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
The steps to use Antivirus software are as follows :

Here is an example of ESET Nod32 Antivirus software. Likewise, you can use any other antivirus,
like Norton Antivirus, Quick Heal, McAfee, etc which is loaded on your system.

Step 1 : To open ESET Nod32 Antivirus software, click on Start > All Programs > ESET > ESET
Nod32 Antivirus.

Step 2 : The ESET Nod32 Antivirus 4 window appears.
Step 3 : Click on the Computer Scan options.

Step 4 : Two options are displayed under ‘Computer Scan’ section.

i. To scan the whole computer, select Smart scan option.

ii. To scan any particular files or folders, select the Custom Scan.
Step 5 : Click on the Smart Scan option.

Step 6 : The scanning process starts.

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