U-M Virus Busters: Before Installing VirusScan 8

Download Antivirus Software

What to Do If You Have a Virus

Virus Filtering

Viruses Seen at U-M

Hoaxes, Hooey, and Hogwash

Urban Legends

U-M Resources

Other Resources

Before Installing VirusScan 8.0—Detailed Instructions

NOTE: If you are installing VirusScan on a departmental computer, please check first with your departmental IT support person.

For best results, there are several steps to take before installing VirusScan:

1. Check for, and uninstall, incompatible software

Look, in particular, for the following:

If you have a Dell D420, D620, or D820 and perhaps other models: Dell may have pre-installed "Wave Systems EMBASSY Trust Suite", and installing VirusScan on top of it without taking the proper steps may result in a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death). Contact virus.busters@umich.edu for instructions on how to modify or remove EMBASSY Trust Suite before installing VirusScan.
If you have an IBM ThinkPad or an HP computer. Your computer may have drivers that are incompatable with VirusScan. To resolve this, see our VirusScan 8 FAQ.
If you have a SoundBlaster Audigy II card. The "Creative MediaSource Go!" and "Creative RemoteCenter" software may have been installed. This software can cause conflicts with several antivirus products; we recommend that you uninstall "Creative MediaSource Go!" and "Creative RemoteCenter". Contact your vendor or virus.busters@umich.edu if you need assistance.
Adware and Spyware. These can interfere with antivirus software. We recommend that you check for and uninstall all Adware and Spyware before installing VirusScan; see the Adware/Spyware removal section of our Security Recommendations.
Viruses. Some viruses, if they are on your computer before you install VirusScan, can interfere with installation of VirusScan; they may even attack VirusScan before it can be properly installed. If your computer is infected, use Stinger, a free tool available from McAfee, to remove the viruses. Download it from McAfee's Stinger page; it is small enough to fit on a CD (you could also use a USB keychain drive or ZIPdisk, of course). Please download Stinger using a machine that you are sure is uninfected—say, a computer already protected by VirusScan 8.
Follow the directions on the Stinger page; in particular, be sure to disable System Restore first if you use Windows XP, and I recommend that you boot in Safe Mode, then running Stinger. If you do not know how to boot in Safe Mode, use Start/Help, then search for Start Windows in Safe Mode and follow the procedure you find there. Alternately, use Google to search for instructions or call 764-HELP.

2. Make sure you have a C: drive

During installation, VirusScan itself will be installed on your boot drive—which might be C:, D:, or whatever. However, the U-M part of the installer ALWAYS stores its report files on the C: drive. Hence, if you do not have a C: drive at all, contact virus.busters@umich.edu for a workaround. If your C: drive is not your boot drive, all should work fine as long as the installer can write its reports to C:. So if you have a C: drive that is (a) not your boot drive and (b) not a non-removable hard drive, be sure to put writable media in the C: drive (e.g., that removable drive, or a writable CD/DVD).

Clear your web browser's cache (optional)

If you'd like to speed the installation process, clear your web browser's cache. This is typically done in your browser's preferences. Check your browser's built-in help (under the Help menu) for details.

3. Download the VirusScan 8 installer.

Now you are ready to download the U-M PreConfigured VirusScan 8 Installer -- again, we recommend downloading it on an uninfected machine. The installer is about 13 MB, so it will take a while to download over a slow modem line. Be sure that your browser has cookies enabled; otherwise the download will fail.

DO NOT attempt to install VirusScan over the web!. You must download it, then save it to your hard drive, and, finally, double-click the installer file to launch the installer.

If you downloaded VirusScan installer on another computer, copy the installer onto your hard drive.

4. Disconnect from the Internet.

Now, disconnect your computer from the Internet so that it cannot be attacked before VirusScan is installed. You can unplug the Ethernet cable if you are connected directly, or physically turn off the power to your modem.

5. Uninstall any anti-virus software that is currently on your computer.

One last step before installing VirusScan is to uninstall any other anti-virus products you have installed. For most products, this will involve opening the Start menu, then selecting Control Panel, then selecting Add & Remove Software. I recommend restarting your machine after uninstalling any such products.

Note: You need not uninstall anti-Adware/Spyware tools like SpyBot S&D or Ad-Aware.

See next:

Getting Help

If you have any questions or problems, please let us know (virus.busters@umich.edu).

by Bruce P. Burrell (bpb@umich.edu)
for the U-M Virus Busters (virus.busters@umich.edu)

Last Modified: 23 June 2005

This information can be freely reproduced in any medium, as long as the information is unmodified.

virus.busters@umich.edu

visits since this site was redesigned 5/21/04

This page last updated August 31, 2006