Using Virex 7.2 for Mac OS X
Introduction
System requirements
Obtaining Virex
Installing Virex
Using Virex
Updating Virex
Getting help
Introduction
Virex 7.2 is anti-virus software for detecting, removing, and preventing computer viruses on MacOS X computers. Malicious viruses are becoming increasingly prevalent and spread rapidly over the Internet. Aside from the possiblity of losing files on your computer, viruses can also overload mail and network systems, so that you cannot check your e-mail or access Web sites.
On behalf of the University of Calgary community, Information Technologies (IT) has purchased a site license from Network Associates Inc. that allows Virex to be used on all university-owned Macintosh computers. Under the Home Use Option, faculty, students and staff may also use Virex on their home computer free of charge.
Virex uses an installer to install all files automatically. Virex also has a feature called eUpdate to keep Virex updated automatically as new viruses appear. Virex will detect Macintosh viruses as well as Windows and Unix-based viruses. Virex is a native OS X application that does not use Classic (MacOS 9x).
System Requirements
Virex 7.2 has the following minimum system requirements:
- PowerMac G3 (Beige) or later processor
- MacOS X 10.0.3 or later
- 12 MB of free hard disk space
Obtaining Virex
IT distributes Virex from the IT Anti-Virus Software Web page. To download the software:
- Start a Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.
- Go to the Anti-Virus Protection webpage.
- GoScroll down to the Macintosh section and locate Virex 7.2 for MacOS X.
- Click the Download link.
- Download the Virex7.2.gz file to the Desktop or a temporary folder on your hard disk.
- StuffIt Expander should uncompress the Virex7.2.gz file automatically (if not, double-click the file to launch Expander).
Figure 1: The Virex package file.
Installing Virex
The package file is used to install Virex on your computer. Administrator access is also required in order to install and update Virex.
To install Virex 7.2:
- Double-click the Virex7.2.pkg file.
- In the "Authenticate" window, enter your administrator password, and click OK
(i.e., the account password created when MacOS X was first installed) - In the "Install Virex" window, click Continue.
- Click Continue twice, then click Agree.
- Click the MacOS X hard disk icon, and then click Continue.
- Click Install
- When told the software was successfully installed, click Close button.
Virex is now installed and running in the background in MacOS X.
Using Virex
Virex was installed in a folder called Virex 7 in the Applications folder on your hard disk. The Virex 7 folder contains the Virex application and documentation files.
To use Virex 7.2:
- Double-click the MacOS X hard disk icon on the Desktop
- Locate and open the Applications folder
- Locate and open the Virex 7 folder
- Double-click the Virex application icon.
The Virex main window will then appear (see Fig. 2).
Figure 2: The Virex main window.
Some of the icons available in the Virex main window are:
- Preferences - changes various Virex default settings.
- Virex Info - launches Internet Explorer and connects to McAfee's online virus information library.
- eUpdate - launches the automatic update feature.
- Scan - scans your system for viruses.
Scan is used to detect but not clean infected files. If an infected file is found, you will be asked to clean or remove it.
When the Clean any files infected with a virus option is selected, the Scan icon turns into the Scan & Clean icon. This option will scan and clean automatically any infected files it finds.
The Scan: pop-up menu is used to select which volume, folder, or file to scan.
Virex will display the results of a scan in the Results box in the bottom half of the Virex window (see Fig. 2).
The Save, Clear, Print icons are used for saving, clearing, and printing the results of a scan. When you click the Save icon, Virex will store the scan results as a text document in RTFD (rich text format with attachments). You can view it later with TextEdit or another application. You can also Print the results. Clicking Clear will delete the contents of the Results window.
Virex comes configured with default settings under the Preferences icon (see Fig.3).
Figure 3: The Preferences default settings.
To change the Virex default settings:
- In the Virex main window, click the Preferences icon.
- In the Preferences window, select the options you want.
- To revert back to the default settings, click the Reset to Defaults button in the window.
In the Scan section, make sure "Show detailed results information" and "Scan inside compressed..." are selected. The option "Automatically scan at login" will run automatically at startup and scan the volume or files selected under the Scan: pop-up menu. This option can be disabled and run manually by clicking on the Scan icon in the Virex window instead.
In the Clean section, the "Remove macros from potentially infected files" option will remove the macros from all Microsoft Office documents. If you use macros, do not select this feature. If "Automatically delete infected files" is selected, Virex will attempt to clean an infected file and, if it cannot, will delete the file instead.
In the Advanced Scan section, the option "Perform an advanced scan..." feature will provide some proactive protection against viruses by scanning for "virus-like" activities in programs and macros. This heuristic feature should be selected when the computer activity is low since it may interfere with software installations and the normal operation of your computer.
In the Virus Update section, the option "Check for new virus definitions at launch" will run at startup and attempt to connect to the eUpdate server to see if a new virus definitions (DAT) file is available. If one is found, Virex will ask for your administrator password and then download and install the file automatically. This is a useful feature for keeping Virex up-to-date automatically.
The option Customize my eUpdate server settings is used to change the default FTP server settings (see Updating Virex section below).
When finished selecting options, click the OK button.
To quit the Virex application, select Quit Virex under Virex 7.2 on the menu bar.
Updating Virex
Virex needs be updated regularly in order to protect your computer from new viruses.
Every few weeks, Network Associates releases a new virus definition file (DAT) for detecting these new viruses. You can automate updating by using the eUpdate feature.
To use eUpdate manually, click the eUpdate icon in the Virex applicaton window. Virex will then connect to the server designated under eUpdate and check to see if a new virus definitions (DAT) file is available. If a new file is found, you will be asked to enter your administrator password. Virex will then download the file and install it automatically.
By default, eUpdate has been configured to connect to the McAfee FTP server (ftp.nai.com) to obtain the latest virus definition (DAT) file (see Fig 4).
Figure 4: Default eUpdate settings for connecting to McAfee server.
To check if the connection works, click the eUpdate icon in the Virex main window. Virex will then connect to the McAfee server and download a new DAT file if required.
Getting help
There are several sources of help provided with Virex:
For virus help, click the Virus Info icon in the Virex application window and connect to the McAfee Virus Information Library.
For online help while in the Virex application window, select Virex Help under Help on the menu bar.
For troubleshooting information see, the "Known Issues" section of the Release Notes (the README.RTF file in the Virex7 folder).
For installation and usage information see the Virex 7 Manual (the Virex 7.2 Product Guide.pdf file in the Virex7 folder).