What is Virex?

Installing Virex 7.7

Using Virex 7.7

Manually updating Virex Virus Definitions

Configuring Virex 7.7 to automatically update its Virus Definitions

What is Virex?

Virex virus-protection software that is available for use on College-owned and personally-owned Macintosh computers of faculty, staff and students. It is standard software on every public and office Macintosh. If Virex is not already on a Mac, you can install the software using the instructions below.

Even if you have Virex installed on your Macintosh, you must still update your Virex virus definition files monthly to keep your virus-protection software up-to-date. The instructions for installing Virex 7.7 will include information on how Virex 7.7 will automatically download and install the latest virus definitions available for your computer.

Installing Virex 7.7

To install Virex 7.7 on your computer, your computer must have one of the following installed:

• Mac OS X version 10.2.6 (Jaguar) or later OR
• Mac OS X v10.3.3 (Panther) or later OR
• Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger) or later.

To make sure that your computer is running a version of Mac OS X that meets the criteria above, go to the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your computer and select "About this Mac." Under the words "Mac OS X" it will list the version number. If you are running an incompatible version of Mac OS X, you can try running Software Update (found in the System Preferences) to update your operating system to version that is compatible. (That may or may not help - you may need to upgrade your operating system to run this version of Virex, or use an earlier version of Virex on your computer.)

This install will take approximately 10-30 minutes, depending on the speed of the computer and the number of files on the computer.

• If you have a previous version of Virex for Mac OS X installed on your Macintosh, it will not affect the installation of Virex 7.7 Virex 7.7 will install over previous versions of Virex for Mac OS X. You will have to remove any aliases to the previous version(s) of Virex you have on your computer (including any Virex icons in the Dock) because they will not work with Virex 7.7.

• If you have virus protection software other than Virex installed on your Macintosh, please refer to the documentation that came with that software to uninstall it.

  Having multiple copies of virus-protection software installed on a computer can cause severe performance problems.

  If you do not have the original software manuals for your existing virus-protection software, you may want to refer to the software manufacturer's web site for instructions.

1. Print a copy of these directions so that you can reference them during the install.
2. Log into Diamond and mount the ResNet Software volume if it isn't already mounted.
1. From the Go menu, select Connect to Server...
2. In the Address field, type diamond and click Connect.
3. When prompted, type in your Saint Mary's login and password. (This is the same login and password that you use to check your Saint Mary's e-mail.) Then click OK. When you are successfully logged in, another dialog box will open.
4. Note that you will need to use the scroll bar on the right of the list of names to see all these items. Some of the items may be greyed out; this is normal. One of the options will be ResNet Software - click once of ResNet Software to highlight it and click OK.
5. The ResNet Software icon will appear on your desktop.
3. Insert a CD-R or CD-RW into your Mac's CD-R or CD-RW drive. If your Mac on campus does not have a CD-R or CD-RW drive, all of the Macs in Trumper have CD-RW drives, and you can complete this section of the Virex instrucations on one of those Macs.

   Double-click on the ResNet Software icon on your desktop.

4. Double-click on the For Mac OS X Users folder.
5. Drag the Virex 7.7 for Mac OS X folder to the icon of the CD you inserted and wait for it to copy over.
6. Eject the CD by dragging the icon of the disk to the Trash/Eject/Disconnect icon in your dock. You will be asked if you would like to burn the data onto the CD. Click OK (or Burn) and wait for the information to be copied onto the CD. When the CD is done burning, you can eject it.
7. Drag the ResNet Software icon on your desktop to the Trash/Eject/Disconnect icon in your dock to unmount the network drive.

1. Restart your Macintosh (and log in when prompted).
2. Insert the CD you burned using the instructions above.
3. Double-click on the icon of the CD.
4. Double-click on the Virex 7.7 for Mac OS X folder.
5. Double-click on the VRX77LML.zip file.It will expand, giving you a VRX77LML folder on your desktop.
6. Double-click on the VRX77LML folder.
7. Double-click on the Virex 7.7.dmg file.
8. Double-click on Virex 7.7 disk that appears on your desktop. (A window for that folder may automatically open.)

9. Double-click on Virex.pkg file.

10. The installer will launch, and you will be asked if you would like to run a program to determine if the Virex software can be installed. Click Continue.

11. In the McAfee Virex 7.7 window, click Continue.
12. In the Release Notes for Virex 7.7 window, click Continue.
13. Read the software license agreement and click Continue.
14. Click Agree.
15. Select a destination volume for Virex by clicking on the icon of the drive you choose and then click Continue.
    (You should select your hard drive as the destination volume. If your hard drive is partitioned or if you have more than one hard disk installed, you should install Virex on the same partition Mac OS X is installed on.)
16. Click Install.
17. Type in the administrator username and password when prompted. Click OK.
18. The software will install and optimize your system performance.
19. When the installation is complete, a Virex Installer Alert will appear, telling you to restart your computer and that after the computer restarts, it will automatically update your virus definition (DAT) files for up-to-date protection. Click OK.
20. Click Restart to restart your computer. Your computer may take a little longer than normal to start up immediately after installing Virex. This is normal.

21. After the computer has restarted, log in as normal.

22. Virex will automatically launch.

23. In the Virex window that apears, click the green Start button to download the latest virus definition (DAT) files available. (This download may automatically start.) Please be patient as this process downloads and installs the update. (This step requires that you have a connection to the Internet.)

24. Virex is installed in your Applications folder. By default, it will automatically check for virus definition (DAT) updates.

25. It is recommended that you place an alias to Virex in your Mac OS X Dock. To do this, locate the Virex application icon (double-click on the Macintosh HD, double-click on the Applications folder). Click once on the Virex icon and drag it to the Dock. Release the mouse button to place the icon for Virex in the Dock.

26. Congratulations! You finished the Virex installation.

27. Scan your computer now that you have the latest virus protection.

• You can initiate a scan on your Mac at any time by opening Virex, making sure the Clean & Scan button in the window is selected, and dragging the file(s) you wish to scan into the center pane of the console, dropping them into the Drop items or click here box, then clicking the Start button. You can drag the icon of your hard drive (Macintosh HD) to scan your entire hard drive. Please be patient as the scans run - the length of time it takes to scan your files will vary based on the speed of your computer and the number of files you are scanning.

Using Virex

Launching Virex

1. Double-click on the Macintosh HD (or the drive you installed Virex 7.7 on).
2. Double-click on the Applications folder.
3. Double-click on the Virex icon.

OR

1. Click on the Virex icon in your Dock.

• Locate the Virex application icon (double-click on the Macintosh HD, double-click on the Applications folder). Click once on the Virex icon and drag it to the Dock. Release the mouse button to place the icon for Virex in the Dock.

Manually scanning your hard drive and disks

Whenever Virex is newly installed or updated you should scan your hard drive immediately. Information Technology recommends scanning your hard drive regularly, at least once a week.

Manually scanning your hard drive and disks

Whenever Virex is newly installed or updated you should scan your hard drive immediately. Information Technology recommends scanning your hard drive regularly, at least once a week.

To scan for viruses after launching the Virex application:

1. Launch Virex 7.7.
2. Making sure the Clean & Scan button in the Virex window is selected.
3. Drag the file(s) you wish to scan into the center pane of the console, dropping them into the Drop items or click here box. You can drag the icon of your hard drive (Macintosh HD) to scan your entire hard drive.
4. Click the Start button.
5. Please be patient as the scans run - the length of time it takes to scan your files will vary based on the speed of your computer and the number of files you are scanning.

To scan for viruses without launching the Virex application first:

1. Select one or more items you want to scan with Virex 7.7.
2. Drag the item(s) onto the Virex icon in the Dock. You can drag many types of items, including documents, files, folders or volumes. You can also scan files by dragging them onto the Virex icon in the Applications folder.
3. Click the Start button.
4. Please be patient as the scans run - the length of time it takes to scan your files will vary based on the speed of your computer and the number of files you are scanning.

To configure your computer to automatically scan for viruses with Virex 7.7 on a schedule:

The Virex Schedule Editor allows you to create repetitive scans on a group of files or folders. You can schedule daily, weekly, and monthly scans.

1. Launch Virex 7.7.
2. Go to the View menu and select Scheduled Tasks... The VirusScan Schedule Editor dialog box appears.
3. Click the New Scan Task button. The New Scan Task window appears.
4. Name the task you will be creating. Use a name that describes the scan you are scheduling ("My Weekly Virus Scan").
5. Click on the Set button to specify the Date & Time of the first scheduled scan. You can choose Local Time (Eastern time) or UTC. UTC is Universal Time Coordinated (Greenwich Mean Time). VirusScan for Mactel 8.0 uses a 24-hour clock, so scheduling a scan to start at 5:00pm would be set to start at 17:00.
6. Identify the items you want scanned. You can do this by:
• Dragging and dropping items into the Scan Items box.
• Clicking on the Scan Items pane. A Choose Item dialog box appears. Click Choose when you have selected the file(s) to scan.
7. Choose how often you want the scan to run from the Recurrence pop-up menu. Choose from:
• Daily: Type the sequence of days that the scan will perform.
• Weekly: Select the day(s) of the week on which you want the scan to occur.
• Monthly: Select the day(s) of the month the scan will occur, and the sequence of months.
• Never: Select this option if you do not want the scan to reoccur.
8. Specify when the schedule will end (or select No end date).
9. Click OK.
10. Your new scan task appears in a list of all scheduled scans and eUpdates in the VirusScan Schedule Editor. To enable or disable scheduled tasks, select the check box next to the task item.
11. Close the VirusScan Schedule Editor window.

Note: If the computer is turned off during a scheduled task, VirusScan will skip the task when the computer is turned back on.

12. Please be patient as the scans run - the length of time it takes to scan your files will vary based on the speed of your computer and the number of files you are scanning.

Quitting Virex

While in the Virex application, go to the Virex menu and select Quit Virex.

Manually updating Virex Virus Definitions

A new virus definition is written for every new virus. New virus definitions are available on a regular basis by McAfee (the writers of Virex) in order to be effective against the latest viruses. You need a connection to the Internet to obtain virus definition (DAT) files.

To check which virus definitions you have, launch Virex 7.7 and note the date of the Virus Definitions in the Results box in the center of the window. Virex 7.7 will let you know if there are newer virus definition files available and allow you to download and install them.

You can also force an update of your virus definition files by launching Virex. In the Virex window that apears, make sure that eUpdate is selected. Click the green Start button to download the latest virus definition (DAT) files available. Please be patient as this process downloads and installs the update.

Configuring Virex to automatically update its Virus Definitions

If you installed Virex 7.7 from Saint Mary's College and left the preferences at their default settings, the software should automatically update its virus definitions.

To restore the default preferences for Virex 7.7:

1. Launch the Virex 7.7 application.
2. In the Virex window that apears, click the Preferences icon.
3. Check the box next to Automatically check for virus definition updates. (You may need to click on the lock icon in the lower left corner of that window and type in your administrator username and password before you can check the box.)
4. Close the Preferences window.