Q: What is required from my computer to be able to use F-Secure Online Scanner?
A: To be able to use F-Secure Online Scanner your computer must meet the following minimum requirements to install and run the product:
- Processor: Intel Pentium III 600 Mhz
- Operating system: Windows 2000 and XP
- Memory: 256 MB of RAM
- Browser: Internet Explorer 6 or newer, ActiveX and Javascript enabled
Q: I am trying to open the F‑Secure Online Scanner.
When clicking on the link I just see a window flashing quickly and then nothing
happens. What is wrong?
A: You don't have enough user rights to install the required
ActiveX control. You need to run Internet Explorer once with administrative
rights first. To do this:
- Right
click on the Internet Explorer icon.
- Chose
"Run as..." and select an account with administrator rights.
- After
having run F‑Secure Online Scanner once, you can run F‑Secure
Online Scanner normally until the ActiveX control needs updating.
Q: I am trying to open the F‑Secure Online Scanner.
When clicking on the link a warning is displayed saying that the current security settings
prohibit running ActiveX controls on this page and as a result the page might
not display properly. When clicking OK, the F‑Secure Online Scanner window
closes. Why is this happening?
A: Your security settings in Internet Explorer prevent
ActiveX controls from being downloaded and installed to your computer. You need
to lower your security settings a little in order to run F‑Secure Online
Scanner. In Internet Explorer, select "Internet Options"
from the "Tools" menu and click on the "Security" tab. Then click the "Custom level" button to display the security settings.
In ActiveX controls and plug-ins, change the setting of option "Download signed ActiveX control" from
"Disable" to "Prompt" and then click OK. There is no need to change anything
else. This change will now cause Internet Explorer to prompt you before
installing an ActiveX control instead of just rejecting it. Before you accept
an ActiveX control, always check the signature of the ActiveX control and that
the signature has been verified by a trusted CA.
Warning: Don't select the "Enable" alternative for
downloading ActiveX controls, since it might lead to that harmful content is
installed on your computer without your knowledge.
Q: There is a security warning when I am opening the F‑Secure
Online Scanner page, which asks me if I want to install and run the product. Why is
this happening?
A: The F‑Secure Online Scanner architecture is based
on an ActiveX control. Internet Explorer will most probably (depending on the
security settings) for security reasons ask the user for confirmation before
any ActiveX control can be downloaded, installed and run. This is to prevent
unwanted malicious software from being installed on your computer. To ensure
that the F‑Secure Online Scanner is safe to install, check that:
- It
has been signed by F‑Secure Corporation
- That
a trusted CA like Thawte Code Signing CA has verified the authenticity of
the signature.
Q: Are any other browsers than Internet Explorer supported?
A: No. Only Internet Explorer is supported at the moment.
Q: Do I need a real anti-virus product or is F‑Secure
Online Scanner enough?
A: An Online Scanner solution can never replace a real
anti-virus product which provides real-time protection against
viruses, automatic updates with very quick response time, memory scanning and
usually has a firewall and several other protection mechanisms integrated. The
F‑Secure Online Scanner provides only a limited scanning functionality
for an initial virus check of your computer.
Q: F‑Secure Online Scanner is not able to scan files
in all folders. Why not?
A: You cannot scan files or folders you do not have access
rights to if you are not an administrator. Real anti-virus products are
usually able to give this kind of protection.
Q: F‑Secure Online Scanner found viruses in my
computer. What should I do?
A: The F-Secure Online Scanner should clean your computer. You can also click on the link in the virus found report window.
This will take you to the F‑Secure web site where you can find more information
about the virus and possible manual disinfection instructions or tools. However, it is strongly recommended that you obtain an anti-virus product to prevent future infections.
Q: I am scanning my computer with F‑Secure Online
Scanner where I have a real-time anti-virus product installed. The real-time
product finds a virus (or Eicar) but F‑Secure Online Scanner does not.
Why not?
A: The reason is that the real-time anti-virus product
intercepts the scanning when a virus (or Eicar) is found and blocks access to
it (as it is supposed to do), because the F‑Secure Online Scanner reads
the file and the real-time virus product should scan all accessed files. Try to rename
the Eicar file to eicar.xxx which the real-time scanner might not block.
Q: Are archives scanned?
A: Files with extension .zip are scanned if the user enables "Scan inside archives" in "Custom Scan". The malware, if any, will then be detected inside the archive but it is not, however, removed from the archive file.
Q: Can F‑Secure Online Scanner be used to disinfect
virus infections?
A: Consult the service provider of these web pages in this
question.
Q: The amount of scanned files in a folder does not match
with the amount of files shown by DIR /S in the folder.
A: DIR /S does not count all files. The scanned
amount matches with the amount of files shown in if you right-click on a folder
and select properties when browsing your files and folders.
Q: How do I uninstall F‑Secure Online Scanner from my
computer.
A: Usually you do not uninstall ActiveX controls. This is, however, possible.
1.
In Windows Explorer, open the "Downloaded Program Files" folder under the Windows
folder.
2.
Right-click on "F‑Secure Online Scanner" and select
"Remove".
3.
Delete the anti-virus definitions files from your
%TEMP%\OnlineScanner folder.