In the Drive drop-down list box, choose a drive letter to represent the folder you’re

Chapter 13 ✦ Accessing the Network Looking at antivirus programs Many antivirus programs are on the market today. Many of them are inexpensive, reliable, and safe to use. You also can get virus upgrades for most programs over the Internet. Before buying an antivirus program, you might want to try a demo version of the software. Usually, you can find a demo version on the Internet. Following are some of the more popular and trusted antivirus programs: Norton AntiVirus from Symantec Corporation is popular and dependable. Norton AntiVirus runs in the background and checks e-mail attachments, Internet downloads, files on floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and network files. You also can retrieve new antivirus definitions from Symantec over the Internet. This program costs about 65 per computer, or you can buy a 5- or 10-pack 200 and 400, respectively. Norton is made for Windows and Macs. Symantec also makes the Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition for clientserver networks. Install the program to the server and the client. The server schedules live updates of the virus definitions and pushes the definitions or downloads automatically to the clients without the users’ knowledge. McAfee VirusScan from Network Associates includes virus detection, removal, and support services. It scans all drives, boot sectors, file allocation and partition tables, and compressed files. McAfee costs about 50 for one computer, and Network Associates also offers multiple license packs. Macintosh also has various antivirus programs. Norton is available for Macs, as is McAfee. Linux distributions also require virus protection. Vexira AntiVirus is one program available for Linux boxes. F-Prot Antivirus, RAV, and other programs are also available. Check your dis- tribution, and then find a program that works best with that. Finding and applying virus fixes If you use an up-to-date antivirus program, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with a virus getting through to your computer or your network. If, however, you miss an update or a new virus does get by your antivirus program, you can usually get a fix for the virus within a cou- ple of days of the appearance of the virus. Again, if one computer on the network contains a virus, disconnect that computer from the network until you get the fix. Symantec’s site — www.sarc.com — offers fixes for most viruses that you can download from the site and apply to your computer. Make sure you check for the Windows or the Mac ver- sion of the fix, and do read all instructions. Many fixes involve just running the fix file you download. Other fixes involve manually removing the virus and its parts from your computer. If you must work in the Registry of Windows, for example, make sure you make a backup of the Registry before beginning. If you think an e-mail that has been sent to you might be a hoax, make sure you check it out before sending it on to everyone in your address book. You can check the Symantec site or check this government site about hoaxes: http:hoaxbusters.ciac.org. Note Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers Summary In this chapter, you learned about accessing and protecting the network. Specifically, you’ve learned about the following: ✦ Logging on to the network ✦ Mapping drives ✦ Using batch files for permanent connections ✦ Logging off of the network ✦ Protecting the network from viruses In the next chapter, you learn about finding and browsing computers on the network. ✦ ✦ ✦