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Perform or schedule a virus scan with AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee

If you'd like to perform of schedule a virus scan with AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee, please follow the instructions below. For other antivirus software, please refer to that software documentation.  If you are using the Microsoft operating system (OS), choose from the following.

INSTRUCTIONS & INFO

Perform or schedule a virus scan

Perform a scan for viruses on your computer after updating definitions

To perform a scan for viruses on your computer after updating your virus definitions, follow the steps below:
  1. Right-click the M icon in your system tray, which is usually at the bottom of your screen.
  2. Select Scan.
  3. Select the type of scan you want to run and click Start. The scan options are:
    • Quick Scan - Scans only the most susceptible parts of your computer for known threats.
    • Full Scan - Scans your entire computer for known threats.
    • Let Me Choose - Allows you to use an explorer style window to manually select the drives, folders, and other locations you want to scan.
  4. When the scan finishes, you will see a message box showing you the details of the scan. To see the scan results of any suspicious files, click View Results. If View Results does not display, then the computer is virus free.
  5. Click OK.

Scan options you can manually choose

  • Location - The Location to scan contains a list of files, folders and drives that can be scanned. Select or deselect the items to be scanned or ignored.
  • All threats in all files - Use this option to thoroughly scan all file types. Deselect All threats in all files to shorten the scanning time and allow checking of program files and documents only.
  • Unknown Viruses - Use this option to scan for new, potential viruses. This option uses advanced techniques that try to match files to the signatures of known viruses. This option provides the most thorough scan, but is generally slower than a normal scan.
  • Archive Files - Use this option to scan .zip and other compressed files. Sometimes virus authors plant viruses in a .zip file and insert the .zip file into another .zip to bypass anti-virus scanners. This scan can detect these viruses as long as you leave this option selected.
  • Spyware and Potential Threats - Use this option to detect spyware, adware, dialers, and other potentially unwanted application. By default, this option is enabled for maximum protection.
  • Tracking Cookies - Cookies are small text files saved on your computer. Websites use cookies to identify users on subsequent visits for managing subscriptions, customizing preferences, and tracking interests.
  • Stealth Programs - Rootkits are programs that alter existing Microsoft Windows system files to escape detection. They can include spyware and other stealth programs that might create additional security or privacy to your computer data and personal information.

AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee offers several options to scan your Mac for viruses. If you are using the Mac operating system (OS), choose from the following:
  • Full Scan - Runs a thorough scan of your Mac.
  • Scheduled Scan - Tells you when your scan will automatically run and allows you to specify a schedule.
  • Custom Scan - Allows you to specify locations and files to be scanned

Additional options

Manually start a virus scan
To manually start a virus scan, follow the steps below:
  1. Select the red M on the top bar.
  2. Select McAfee Internet Security Console.
  3. Select Full Scan on the left side menu.
  4. Select Start to begin the scan.

Schedule a virus scan
To schedule a virus scan, follow the steps below:
  1. Select the padlock and enter your profile password.
  2. From the drop-down menus select the frequency for your scan:
    • Weekly: Runs a scan on one specific day each week
    • Monthly:Runs a scan on one specific day of each month
    • Never: Disables the scheduled scan (Not Recommended)
  3. Click the padlock again to lock in your changes.

Set up a custom virus scan
To set up a custom virus scan, follow the steps below:
  1. Select the padlock and enter your profile password.
  2. From the drop-down menu select the location you want to scan.
  3. Select the + sign to add that location to the list.

Repeat this process as many times as needed to add multiple locations.
Last updated: March 24, 2017

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