Virus Scan

A virus scan is perhaps the most essential function of an anti-virus program. In order for threats to be removed from a system, they must first be located. A virus scan runs a check of all files on the hard drive and system directories. It has the ability to seek out mistakes, programming errors and serious threats such as viruses, worms, Trojans and other malicious codes. Once errors or system infections have been detected, a scan returns an electronic report in which a user can examine and determine what action should be taken next. The capability of a virus scan often relies on configurations. Adjustments can be made in which files are automatically quarantined or deleted upon detection. Quarantined files remained isolated in a directory of the anti-virus program and cannot spread infections to the hard drive. This is a good option for questionable files that may not pose a direct threat. A virus scanner should be frequently updated in order to maintain its capability in detecting the latest system threats.