Setting Your Computer Boot Options

Configuration settings associated with your computer's startup sequence. These are important options because you need to be assured that your computer is free of Master Boot Record (MBR) and boot sector viruses (viruses that reside not in files but in the hard drive's master boot record or a floppy disk's boot sector). Also, you want your antivirus program to automatically start up when your computer starts so that protection against viruses begins the minute your computer is up and running.

Antivirus program starts at computer's startup

The option that starts your antivirus software as soon as your computer boots up is nonnegotiable. You have got to have your antivirus program start up automatically. Depending on which version of Windows you are using - and which brand of antivirus software you have - this could mean that the antivirus program is up and running even before you get to the login prompt. This is a very good thing: You want your antivirus program running as soon as possible.

Like starting at bootup, memory scanning is another nonnegotiable item, even though every brand of antivirus software handles this feature a bit differently. For sure memory, because some viruses are memory-resident that means the little monster will quietly sit in your computer's memory, licking its chops and waiting for unwitting victims to ensnare or perhaps it just snoozes until its little alarm clock goes off, and then . . . boom.

Anyway, some antivirus programs will scan your computer's memory at startup, in case any viruses are lurking there. If your particular antivirus program displays this characteristic as an option, then you should definitely turn this option on. Further, some products permit you to scan your computer's memory on demand, much like you would scan a file, directory, or floppy disk.

Scanning floppy disks and CD-ROMs

One nice characteristic of some antivirus programs is that they can scan any removable media for viruses when your computer is shutting down - whether your computer is restarting or going down entirely. If this option is available in your antivirus program, you should enable it.

Here is why scanning removable media is important: If you are restarting your computer, and if your computer has a bootable floppy disk or CD-ROM inserted, then - depending on your computer's configuration - your computer may restart itself from the floppy disk or CD-ROM. If the floppy disk or CD-ROM has a boot-sector virus, then your computer could become infected with that virus before the antivirus program has an opportunity to detect it.