3. USING F-PROT

TASK LIST

The Task List shows the scan tasks currently available to protect your computer from viruses. You can work with this list in any of the several ways provided by Windows 95 described below. These include a drop-down menu, a pop-up menu, buttons, and a toolbar.

DISPLAY

F-PROT Professional for Windows 95 allows you to control the visual display of available scanning tasks. This section covers ways of viewing the scan tasks by sizing of column headers, sorting of display order, icon size, list or detail and changing of task names.

Task List

Sizing

The column headers can be re-sized by dragging the Split bar to the left or right.

Sort Order

The order in which the task names are displayed can be changed by clicking on a Column header. Clicking on the Last results header will group together all the scans that found a virus. Clicking on the Next scan on header will sort the tasks based on next scheduled scans.

Icon Size

Tasks can also be displayed in the task list as large icons with the name under each one or small icons with the task name alongside each one. Select View from the Menu Bar or use the Toolbar buttons to switch between large and small icons.

Neither the large icon view nor the small icon view displays the column headers. However, those views maximize the use of the area for visibility of tasks as shown below.

Large Icons

List or Details

Tasks can be listed or they can be shown with details. Select View from the Menu Bar or use the Toolbar buttons to switch between List and Details.

Select List to display the tasks using small icons and task names in a column. Column headers are not shown.

Details will display your task list using small icons, task names, results of the last scan (if a virus was detected) and the time of the next Scheduled scan. This is the only option that shows column headers.

Changing Names

You can rename any of the tasks by clicking once, pausing and clicking again. This opens a text box around the existing name that you can modify. If you make an error while typing, simply press the escape key and the entry will revert to its original form. Task names can be up to 255 characters: this allows you to create task names that adequately describe the scan task.

OPERATION

There are multiple ways available to accomplish a task. For example, if you prefer to use the Command buttons or the toolbar, each is readily available. You can also point and click on one of the menu titles and drag the pointer to the available items. Alternatively, accessing an item can be accomplished by pressing ALT+ the underlined letter. To execute one of the existing scan tasks from the task list, simply highlight and click on Execute.

The next section, Task Menu, covers task operations.

Main View with Pop-up Menu

Command Buttons

You can use the Command buttons on the right to Execute the highlighted Task, modify the Properties of the highlighted task, or add a New Task. These buttons also provide quick access to virus descriptions.

Pop-up Menu

While any task is highlighted, you can quickly access a pop-up menu by pressing the right mouse button. This menu allows you to execute the task, create a new task, modify the properties of the selected task or delete it.

Menu Bar

You can access the Task drop-down menu with the mouse or a keyboard. The menu provides the ability to perform any of the operations available for creating, modifying, deleting or executing tasks.

Toolbar Buttons

The Toolbar shown below is accessed with the mouse. It provides the ability to perform any of the operations available for creating, modifying, deleting or executing tasks.

Help

This button from the toolbar changes your cursor into an arrow with a question mark. When you point and click on an object, you will bring up a help screen that is relevant to the object you clicked on.

Summary of Operation Options

As the table below shows, you can choose from multiple methods of performing a task operation. For example, you can modify the Properties of a scan task, or Execute a task by using your choice of the Command buttons, Pop-up Menu, Drop-down Task Menu, or the Toolbar.

Shortcut menu

Within F-PROT Professional for Windows 95 you can activate a shortcut menu that allows you to perform fast and efficient virus scans of selected folders or files. The items to be scanned can be located in Windows 95's Explorer, on the desktop or within program groups.

Shortcut Menu Scan

To perform a scan from the shortcut menu, use a right mouse click to highlight a filename or folder to scan. A Windows 95 shortcut menu containing an "F-PROT Virus Scan" option will appear. Select that option by using either a right or left mouse click. The scan will begin immediately.

When you scan a folder from the shortcut menu, its sub-folders are scanned as well. Scanning from the shortcut menu can be performed only on individually chosen files or folders. Groups of files or folders cannot be tagged for scanning.

Task Menu

The Task Menu offers the ability to Execute a pre-defined task, create a New task, Delete a task, or Edit an existing task. Further, the Task Menu allows you access to Properties in order to review or modify an existing task or Exit from the program.

To access the Task drop-down menu you may either point to it and click or press ALT + T.

EXECUTE

You select a task by clicking and highlighting it first. When Execute is chosen, the task will begin. The screen below shows the results of a scan.

Selecting a task and then clicking the Execute button on the toolbar provides a quick way to access this option.

Scan Results View

You will receive a report when the scan is completed. Use the scroll bar on the right to view the entire report. You can use the File menu to save a copy of the report, print the report or send a copy of the report through your e-mail system. You can also use the Edit menu to copy it to the clipboard for pasting into another document.

If a virus is found during the scan and the Action to take setting is Report only, a screen like the one shown below will inform you of the infection. Press OK to continue so you may manually disinfect.

To prompt for disinfection, change the Action to take setting to Disinfect/Query and allow F-PROT to disinfect the virus.

Virus Found

NEW

Choosing New from the Task menu allows you to create a new custom task. A box will appear where you must provide a name. It will then display the Properties menu where you can establish the task parameters.

As an alternative to choosing New from the Task menu, you can choose the New button from the toolbar. The New button provides a shortcut to creating a new custom task.

DELETE

Selecting Delete from the Task menu allows you to remove a pre-defined task.

EDIT

The Edit item on the Task menu allows you to Cut, Copy or Paste a task. For example, if you highlight ScanHard, then Copy it and click on Paste, it will create a new task entitled Copy of ScanHard. You can then rename it or change the properties.

Instead of choosing the Cut item from Task menu, you can use the Cut button located on the toolbar. That button allows you to delete a task and save it to the clipboard. From the clipboard, a subsequent "Paste" will return it to the task list.

As an alternative to using the Copy function on the Task menu, you can choose the Copy button from the toolbar. The Copy button allows you to create a copy of the task in the clipboard. A subsequent "Paste" returns it to the task list.

You can use the Paste button from the toolbar as an alternative to choosing the Paste item on the Task menu. This button allows you to place a task in the task list. After a task has been either cut or copied, it can be pasted to that list. The name of the task will start with the phrase "Copy of". You can then modify and rename the task using the other available options.

PROPERTIES

The Properties menu allows you to modify a pre-defined task. You can select theAction to take, Drive/paths to scan, Files to scan and Schedulewhen the scan will take place. In addition to choosing the Properties item from the Task menu, you can also use that item by selecting a task and then clicking on the Properties button in the toolbar.

Properties Menu

Scan method

Secure scan

This is the default scanning method that searches for code that has been established for over 8,000 viruses and variants.

Action to take

If F-Prot Professional finds a virus, you can have it perform one of the actions listed below.

Report only

This will inform you when a virus is detected; however, no other action will be taken. You may choose Report only in order to verify the type of virus before disinfection.

Disinfect

Disinfecting files automatically causes the least disruption to the user. If disinfection is not possible, F-PROT will ask if you wish to delete the file.

Disinfect/query

The Disinfect/query option will identify a virus and ask if you wish to disinfect it.

Delete

This will automatically delete any file found to contain a virus. While Delete is a powerful option, the potential exists for loss of data. Some rare viruses perform encryption on the hard drive that can make file recovery difficult.

Delete/query

Choosing Delete/query will identify a virus and ask if you wish to delete the file that contains it.

Rename

Selecting Rename will automatically rename an infected file by putting a "V" in place of the first letter of the extension. For example, .COM becomes .VOM and .EXE becomes .VXE.

Rename/query

This will identify a virus-infected file and ask if you want to rename it. If you choose yes it will rename the file as described above. If you choose no you will then need to either disinfect or delete the file.

Drive/paths to scan

You can provide a specific list of drives or paths to scan. For example, you could establish a task that would perform a scheduled scan twice a day on the directory used to store files downloaded from other computers.

Browse

The browse button opens a dialog box that allows you to select the folder you wish to scan.

Include sub-folders

This searches all sub-directories on a selected drive.

Select all floppy drives

This searches all floppy drives.

Select all hard drives

This searches all logical hard drives on the local workstation, including compressed drives.

Select all network drives

This will search all network drives for which you have access rights and have been mapped to.

Select all drives

This searches every drive that you have access rights to.

Files

The list of available file options are described below. The recommended choice is Standard executables. You also have the option of selecting All files but they are mutually exclusive. The compressed file options may be checked individually depending on your needs. Choose the documents option only if you have Microsoft Word 6.0 or later.

Standard executables

These are the files that normally would be attacked by a virus. These extensions include .386, .COM, .DLL, .DRV, .EXE, .FON, .OV?, .SYS, .VXD.

All files

This will scan all files. It is not a recommended option as it increases the probability of getting a false positive from a random string of characters in an otherwise harmless data file. Further, All Files takes much longer than using the other scanning options and it is unlikely to find additional viruses.

Packed files

These are files that have been compressed with PKLITE, DIET or similar programs.

ZIP files

These are files that have been archived using PKWare's ZIP compression utility.

Documents (.DOC)

This checks for the species of macro viruses which can infect Microsoft Word document files by modifying the default template.

Boot Sectors

The most common viruses infect the boot sectors and master boot records of hard drives. Checking this option will cause these areas to be scanned.

User-defined Virus Strings

Occasionally a new virus spreads before we can release an update to F­PROT. You can enter a string of characters (in hex) that provide your current version with the ability to detect the new virus. For more information see the Preferences Menu section.

Schedule

Scheduled execution of the selected task can be a very useful anti-virus tool. After you have defined a scan, you may use Schedule to assign the time for the scan to occur.

F-PROT Professional for Windows 95 does not need to be opened for a scheduled scan to occur. F-Agent, however, needs to be running. This may be confirmed by looking for the blue "F" icon on the Taskbar. When the schedule time is reached, the report window will open and the scan will begin.

You may create schedules for several different scans, but they can not be run concurrently.

Schedule Menu

Enable scheduling

Checking this box turns scheduling on. If this box is not checked, scheduled scanning will not occur.

Scan frequency

Select how often a scheduled scan should occur. You may select only one option.

Daily

Select the Daily option if you want a scan to take place each day.

Weekly

When you select the Weekly option, you may then select the day or days on which you want a scan to occur.

Monthly

If you select the Monthly option you will then have access to the drop-down dialog box which allows you to select the day of the month you want the scan to occur.

Time to scan

Specify time of day in 24 hour format with 00 indicating midnight. Scheduled scans will be skipped if the computer is not on during the time you have entered.

Scan after inactivity

You can choose to scan after a specified period of inactivity.