My computer says I have a virus, what do I do now?

First, make sure that your antivirus product is as up to date as possible.  If you are using UT's antivirus product, McAfee (available from http://antivirus.utk.edu), you can right-click on the McAfee shield in the task bar and select "About Virus Scan Enterprise" - the "DAT Created On" field should be sometime around the present day. If you need to update McAfee, right-click on the McAfee Shield in the task bar and select "Update Now". If you are using UT's antivirus product Forefront (available from http://antivirus.utk.edu), you can get the latest definitions by using Microsoft Updates.

Next, begin a full system scan.  In McAfee, this can be initiated through the VirusScan Console.  This will search your computer disk and memory for malicious programs and delete or quarantine them. In Forefront, a scan can be initiated by double clicking the X-red icon in the task bar and then double clicking on the Smart Clean button (refer to Forefront article 1338 for more options).

After your scan is complete (it could take several hours), if any viruses were found it's a good idea to reboot your machine and scan again.  It is also a good practice to schedule regular scans, either weekly or daily.

If your virus problems are persistent, please contact the HelpDesk or bring your computer to the Service Center in the Commons at Hodges Library for assistance.