subject: Tips to Make Antivirus Scans Run Faster [print this page] Tips to Make Antivirus Scans Run Faster Tips to Make Antivirus Scans Run Faster
Scanning your hard drives and portable drives using an antivirus firewall software application is very important. It can detect and remove viruses from your computer to keep it running efficiently. Virus scans also help you keep your privacy as they can also detect Internet crimes like password theft of online banking accounts and other accounts you access online. If you are a person who keeps files in your computer without securing any back-up, this will be of big help since it will secure that your files will be intact.
A good virus scanning software can take from 5 to 15 minutes to do a full scan. But, sometimes, it can take a lot of your time. Waiting for a virus scanning procedure to finish up takes forever. If this is the case, there is something wrong with either your scanner or the computer.
For desktop users, make sure that you regularly dust off your computer. Dust might be a minute particle, but it can disrupt computer processes and make your unit function slower. If you think your computer needs a little dusting, go do it.
For faster scanning, you can also do it in Safe Mode (in most Microsoft-based operating systems, that is). Doing this will allow the scanning software to trim down the number of drives, files or programs that it will scan. There are some scanners that scan only the areas where modifications are detected. But, don't worry. It will still make sure that all parts are virus-free.
Another trick is the try-check-continue method of scanning. Do a partial scanning. When there are about 10 to 20 viruses discovered, stop the scan first and remove the viruses. When viruses are detected, they are temporarily stored (or quarantined) somewhere within the software. They take up some memory and slows down the scanning. Gradually removing the viruses will allow more memory to be available, resulting in a faster scanning process.
If the sloppiness is really getting into you already, you can uninstall the old scanner and replace it with a better one. Maybe it does not really work that well. Make sure to properly uninstall the old antivirus firewall software application before installing the new one. In this way, your computer would not get confused when dealing with which scanner to run. Choosing a good scanner would be important if you don't want to experience lags in the scanning process anymore. Get tips from friends on which scanner is best suited for your computer.