Windows XP / Getting Started

Configuring Automatic Protection

Most antivirus programs operate in two primary modes:

  • They are used to "scan" your entire computer (or a part of it) for viruses that may already be present there.
  • They are used to actively monitor your computer's activities - in particular, that part of Windows that controls the creating, opening, and closing of computer files - so the antivirus program can examine each active file for signs of a virus.

The latter function is automatic, and it has a variety of names. Symantec calls it Auto-Protect, while McAfee uses the term ActiveShield. But whatever the name, the function is the same: Your antivirus program is actively preventing a file with a virus from being implanted in your computer in the first place. This is a Very Good ThingTM.

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