• How to start Sophos Anti-Virus
• How to scan your I: Drive
• How to scan a Floppy Disk
• How to scan downloaded files and e-mail attachments
• Viruses and Worms - why we need Anti-Virus Software

How to start Sophos Anti-Virus

There is a shortcut icon on the desktop which will launch Sophos Anti-Virus when you double-click on it. If for some reason you cannot find the icon (shown right) then you can also start Sophos by clicking on the Windows Start Button > Programs > Sophos Anti-Virus > Sophos Anti-Virus. This will bring up a window similar to the one below, from which you can configure and run your own scans.

You are free to add or delete any of the tasks in the window. The system has been configured to scan all hard disks daily (which you are unable to disable), regardless of what you see under the "Immediate" tab. It is therefore not necessary for you to keep the "Local Hard Drives" task in the window. This can be removed by clicking on "Local Hard Drives" to highlight it, and then click on the "Remove" button.

In order to make life easier for you to scan your files quickly, it is then necessary for you to set up two new tasks. Once done, these will be stored in your roaming profile so will be set up which ever workstation you next log on to. How to do this is described below.

How to Scan your I: Drive

It is advisable to scan all files (and not just executables) so check "All" under "File types". In the "Area" space type "I:\" (without the quotes.) Alternatively you can hit the "Browse" button and select the I: Drive from the list of available drives. Keep the "Subfolders" checkbox selected and click on "OK". This will return you back to the main window which will show the newly created task.

Next you need to configure how Sophos will treat the infected files it may find. Click on the Configuration button (which has a picture with tools on, as shown above.) This will bring up the Immediate Mode Configuration window as shown below. You should change the options to look like the picture:

Next click on the "Action" tab and change the options to look like the following window, then hit the "OK" button:

You are almost ready to scan your I: Drive but first you need to de-select any other tasks which have a bright green light to the left of them. This is done simply by clicking once on the light. When only the I:\ task is selected, click once on the green "Go" button near the top of the Sophos window.

It may take some time to scan the entire drive. Obviously this will depend on the number and size of files you have stored there. While the scan is in progress Sophos will keep a running tally on the number of items swept, any viruses detected and any errors encountered. The blue status bar will give you an indication of how long the scan will take. When the scan has completed, if no viruses have been found, the bottom of the window will look something like this:

This tells you how many viruses or suspicious files/boot sectors were found. If an infected file had been found you would see something like the following:

If Sophos has been unable to disinfect the file it will rename it, as it has done with this virus test file. You will also get a window informing you that an infected file has been found, and that a report has been sent to the Crystallography Computer Support Group:

At this stage you need do no more since if Sophos has been able to disinfect the file then all when and good but if not then the file will be inaccessible and the Computer Support Group will have been made aware of the problem. Should you have any questions or concerns you can contact CCSG.

How to scan a Floppy Disk

Start Sophos as outlined above and highlight the "A:\" icon in the paths pane. Click on the "Edit..." button and select "All Files" under File Types. Click "OK". If you have not already configured the scan options as outlined above then do so. De-select any drives with a green light next to it, click on the light next to the "A:\" icon and then hit "Go".

See here to find out what to do when the scan has finished.

How to scan downloaded files and email attachments

You should never directly open a file that you have downloaded form the web or received as an email attachment, regardless of whether the file is from someone you know. Create a local folder on your PC's hard disk and save the file there first. Then you can use Sophos to scan it before you attempt to open it. In the following example I have created a directory called "downloads" in C:\Temp. You will need to configure Sophos to scan this directory which can be done clicking on the "Add..." button, as shown before in How to Scan your I: Drive. If you have not already configured the scan options as outlined above then do so. De-select any drives with a green light next to it, click on the light next to the "C:\Temp\downloads" icon and then hit "Go".

See here to find out what to do when the scan has finished.

Final Note: You should scan your i: drive at least once a week, and any e-mail attachments, downloaded files and files on floppy disks before you open them. Always keep a recent back-up of your work.