sav 8.0 admin scan

[visualuser]

Users complain that the scan takes too long on their machines. Most have 40 gb drives and are Windows 98. The one problem is that they only take 30 minute lunch breaks and when they come back, the programs they use run slow.

We have decided that the admin scan has to run during business hours once a week.

Any suggestions on how to speed up.

 

[polymath5]

How about run it at 3am? That's what I do.

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[visualuser]

Noone keeps their machines on.

 

[OUCATS]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doens't NAVCE 8.0 scan any and all files before opening them? If it does, then shouldn't you be fine with running a full scan on a machine once and if the scan runs without finding any viruses then you should be clean from then on? I know when I installed 8.0 and test it, that just trying to copy a "safe" test virus onto the machine alerted the virus scan. It also scans all files when they are created, opened, moved, copied or ran (if you have Realtime Protection turned on).

If I am wrong, please advise because I fell comfortable that we are as safe as possible with our current configuration (NAVCE 8.0 with Intelligent updater passing updates every night).

 

[polymath5]

Short of skipping files or folders to be scanned, there's no way of 'speeding up' a scan.

I think the decsion to do the scan during business hours is ill advised. This is something that should be done outside of normal hours.

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[polymath5]

OUCATS, in theory you might be correct. BUT, if an infected file is saved to the HD, before a definition that includes that virus is downloaded, you have the risk of having a virus sitting there that is undetected.

The problem with testing by using one of the 'safe' virus test files is that 'that' file is already well known.

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[LawnBoy]

If you schedule the admin scan for, say, 8pm, and also set this scan to "catch up" within 4 hours, the scan will run when the users boot up the next morning.

We scan everyday at noon. Some users complain, but it's a neccessary evil.

 

[polymath5]

That's true. But if his users complain about it taking long after it runs for a half hour over lunch, I'm sure they won't be too thrilled about it running in the morning.

I personally think it's better to let the scan run at night. You can always have the computers go into standby mode 2 hours after the scan is set to run.

But different strokes...

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[Boyds]

We made a company policy that all users are required to leave their PC's on thursday evening so that we could run a full system scan once a week.

 

[polymath5]

Sounds like a fair compromise to a daily scan.

But with the scum sucking virus writers out there doing what they do, I feel better scanning daily. My Security blanket.

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[jrjuiliano]

Another option is to set the "niceness" level really low. Takes even longer to scan, but doesn't hog up so many resources. Priority when Idle and Priority when NOT idle settings are under Advanced in SSC's scan options for the client.

Or you can tell your users that you'll disable it, and then THEY will be responsible when they infect the entire network becuase they lost a whole ten minutes after lunch.

OK, option 2 is a little harsh, but I think it'll work!

J.R.

 

[polymath5]

Good point jrjuiliano! IT decisions made by NON IT people are almost always bad.

Anti Virus scans are a pain, but that's the price you have to pay. As you said the small loss of productivity because of the scan is NOTHING compared to an infection.

Leave the machines on, put the monitors on powersave and scan at night.

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