Before performing your Online AntiVirus Scan, please disable your own resident antivirus's real-time protection feature, to avoid any conflicts. Even if you have an up-to-date AntiVirus program on your system, it is still important to run an online scan, since some parasites may prevent your own anti-virus program from functioning properly or even disable it. Additionally, it does no harm to "get a 2nd opinion" with antivirus scanners because they often find different types of Spyware.
Preliminary Considerations: - Please do not re-enable your own AV's real time protection, until all the scans suggested in this tutorial have been completed.
- In all cases, choose the option to save the scan report when the scan is complete.
- Supported operating systems are indicated if that information was made available at the vendor's website.
- Vista users
- Must launch Internet Explorer as an Administrator to perform an online scan. To do so, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon in the Start Menu and select "Run as administrator" from the context menu.
- Need to add the website address (url) of the antivirus scanner you are using to the Trusted Zone of Internet Explorer, for the scanner to function properly.
- Launch Internet Explorer and navigate to the Antivirus scanner you have selected from the list of scanners we have suggested. (Vista Users: The ESET Nod32 Scanner is the only Vista compatible scanner that is out of Beta - so that is the scanner you should use)
- On the Internet Explorer Menu or Toolbar, choose Tools | Internet Options and select the Security tab.
- Choose Trusted Sites.
- Click the Sites button.
- Uncheck - "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone".
- The website address of the Antivirus Scanner you are using (for example, http://www.eset.com for the ESET Nod32 scanner) should appear in the open box labeled "Add this website to the zone".
- Click the Add button.
- Verify the url has been added to the trusted zone by inspected the Website listing in the bottom pane.
- For Vista users, this will turn off Internet Explorer Protected Mode for the website you have just added to the trusted zone.
- Click the Close button.
Perform at least one of the following scans:
The following scanners require a browser which supports active-X downloads (i.e. Internet Explorer).:
- The Online Panda Scan flags both viruses and spyware, but will only disinfect viruses.
- Please scan 'My computer' and save the log produced at the end of scan, because the HJT Team may request to see it later.
- 64 bit versions of Windows are supported.
- The scan report is saved by default in C:\Program Files\EsetOnlineScanner\log.txt
The
F-Secure Online Virus Scanner has incorporated rootkit detection capabilities through its BlackLight engine. For Windows 2000 and XP only.
- Javascript must be enabled to run this scanner.
- Beta version supports Vista.
- Bitdefender (Win 98/ME/2000/2003/NT/XP). Please see*Note below.
- Removes viruses, spyware and hard disk clutter
- Beta version supports Vista
The following scanner supports these browsers:
Internet Explorer - Netscape (6+) - Mozilla (1+) - Firefox (all):
Let the online AV scanner(s) auto clean whatever is detected and then reboot your system.
Note: Only if you are so severely infected that you cannot complete an online scan, even when run overnight, you may use a temporary solution, until a full online viral scan can be performed:
- McAfee Stinger detects and disinfects many harmful and prevalent infections.
- The Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) detects and removes many prevalent and malicous threats.
- [url=http://www.nanoscan.com/]Panda's Nanoscan scans your PC for active viruses, spyware and Trojans in about a minute (this scan uses behavioral characteristics to identify Spyware - not signatures, and is not a substitute for a full antivirus scan when it is possible).
Note: regarding the BitDefender Online Scanner: When a threat is detected by the the BitDefender Online scanner, it will first attempt to disinfect (repair) the file, and only if it cannot be repaired, it will delete it. However, you can elect to change the secondary action from delete to "Report Only" or "Prompt for User Action", so an infected system file is not deleted. This is the safest option to guard against false positives and system files that have been "patched" by Spyware. It is also the safest option if heuristics are used in detection, which they are by default.
- The options which are checked (enabled) in the image are the BitDefender default scanning options, and they may be changed.
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