McAfee Security Scan is a free tool that automatically checks and reports if your PC is protected. Your PC's security status is determined by the state of your anti-virus and firewall protection. Your security software may be switched off or become out of date without you realizing. Or, you may not have security software installed on your PC. McAfee Security Scan lets you know if your PC is at risk and what you can do to protect it. Feel confident knowing that McAfee works behind the scenes to protect you by automatically starting the scan every week so that you are kept informed if your PC's security changes.
McAfee checks your PC for anti-virus and firewall software and the state of each. With this information, we determine your PC's security status. Knowing if your PC is at risk allows you to do what you need to protect your PC. And we go one step further by guiding you in getting that protection. Checking your PC for protection status is easy—McAfee Security Scan keeps track of when it last checked your PC so you don't have to. Or, you can use it any time to make sure your PC is protected. To check your protection status, your PC must be connected to the Internet so that McAfee Security Scan can check for software updates. If your McAfee Security Scan is not the latest version, we'll ask you to update your software before we start the security scan.
When it's time to check, McAfee automatically opens McAfee Security Scan.
You can start a check any time. Before you start, make sure you are connected to the Internet.
The top section of the Security Scan Report shows your overall security status. The overall security status indicates if your PC has anti-virus and firewall protection. A Rescan button in the security status section lets you manually recheck your PC any time to check if it's protected.
There are three status types that you may see in the Overall Security Status bar:
The status types give an overall picture of your PC's security, based on the states reported by your security software. You can perform various actions to protect your PC, depending on your security status.
When your status type is... |
Your PC is... |
So, do this... |
Your computer is at risk |
At risk because anti-virus and firewall protection is not found, out of date, or turned off. |
|
No issues found |
Running anti-virus and firewall protection, but only one or neither is a McAfee product. |
Look in the drawers to get detailed information about your anti-virus and firewall protection status, and what you can do to protect your PC. |
Your computer is protected |
Protected because you're running up to date McAfee anti-virus and firewall protection |
Let McAfee Security Scan continue to check your PC and monitor your security status. |
The second section of the Security Scan Report shows your anti-virus protection and firewall states. Each security feature's state is shown in the bar. You can open the drawer by clicking the down arrow on the far left of the bar. In the drawer you can find detailed information about the results of the security scan and, where applicable, useful next steps.
You can perform various actions to protect your PC, depending on your anti-virus protection and firewall states.
When your software state is... |
Do this... |
Not Found |
Click the link in the drawer that takes you to the McAfee website where you can purchase anti-virus protection against viruses, spyware and other threats and firewall protection from intruders who can hijack your PC. |
On |
If your McAfee software is turned on, you can just relax. Continue to use McAfee Security Scan to keep you protected. If your other anti-virus and firewall software is on, let McAfee Security Scan continue to check your PC and monitor your security status. Click the link in the drawer that takes you to the McAfee website. There you can easily purchase anti-virus software to protect your PC from viruses, spyware and other threats. As well, you can purchase firewall software to protect you from intruders who can hijack your PC. |
Off |
If your McAfee software is turned off, turn it on to stay protected. If your other anti-virus and firewall software is turned off, click the link in the drawer that takes you to the McAfee website. There you can easily purchase anti-virus software to protect your PC from viruses, spyware and other threats. As well, you can purchase firewall software to protect you from intruders who can hijack your PC. |
Out of Date |
If your McAfee software is out of date, check for updates to stay protected. If your other anti-virus and firewall software is out of date, click the link in the drawer that takes you to the McAfee website. There you can easily purchase anti-virus software to protect your PC from viruses, spyware and other threats. As well, you can purchase firewall software to protect you from intruders who can hijack your PC. |
Unknown |
In the Overall Security Status bar, click Rescan to manually check your PC . Note: McAfee cannot check your security status because your anti-virus or firewall software is not reporting correctly or there is an unexpected error. Your protection software should let us know its state. |
Q: Why does my PC have to be connected to the Internet?
A: The Internet must be available so that McAfee Security Scan can check if there are security scan updates.
Q: Do I need to be logged into WIndows as an administrator to uninstall McAfee Security Scan?
A: Yes, only Windows administrators on your PC can uninstall McAfee Security Scan.
Q: How do I uninstall McAfee Security Scan?
A: If you are an Windows administrator, you can uninstall McAfee Security Scan from the Start menu.
Q: Do I need to be a Windows administrator to use McAfee Security Scan?
A: No, you don't—anyone who logs in to Windows can use McAfee Security Scan to check your PC.
Q: What do I do if an Internet Connection Unavailable error message appears?
A: This error message will be displayed at the start of a security scan if your PC is not connected to the Internet, or during a scan if your Internet connection is lost. Check your Internet connection and click Retry. If you can't connect to the Internet, click Cancel and try again later. However, we recommend that you scan when asked, so you can fix any security issues right away.
Q: I fixed the problem that McAfee Security Scan reported, but when I rescan, the status still displays that my computer is at risk. What should I do?
A: Some security products don't immediately update their status report. Wait a few minutes and then try rescanning. If your computer is still at risk, your anti-virus or firewall product may have other problems. We recommend that you visit the McAfee website (http://www.mcafee.com) to learn about our security products.
|
Copyright © 2009 McAfee, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means without the written permission of McAfee, Inc. McAfee and other trademarks contained herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. McAfee Red in connection with security is distinctive of McAfee brand products. All other registered and unregistered trademarks and copyrighted material herein are the sole property of their respective owners.
|