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McAfee Updates VirusScan

New interface, configuration options, and automatic backup bolster antivirus utility.

By Alexandra Krasne, PCWorld   

VirusScan from McAfee--a division of Network Associates--ships in a standard version priced at $29 and a deluxe version for $39. The deluxe edition includes PGP encryption functions and FirstAid, a program designed to solve computer conflicts.

The updated VirusScan includes virus detection, cleaning, and quarantine, plus incremental updates, automatic backup, and a configuration assistant, which takes you through a question-and-answer session to determine the best settings for your needs.

One of the most apparent changes is to the user interface, VirusScan Central. Greeting you when you open the program, VirusScan Central's home screen provides a list of data pertaining to your last scan and your last update, as well as overdue update reminders and settings.

If you're like most folks, you don't think about backing up files until your PC has crashed. McAfee's Safe & Sound utility backs up your files in a protected area of the hard drive. Because your data is stored in an especially "cordoned off" section of your hard drive, McAfee says your data will be protected in the event of a drive failure. Regardless of McAfee's claims, it's always a good idea to save important data on a disk or on the network in case your entire PC is damaged in a catastrophic event, such as a fire.

McAfee's VirusScan supports Windows 3.1, 95 and 98, DOS, and OS/2. In April, McAfee will add support for Windows 2000, and the program will support Windows Millennium Edition, also called Windows Me, when that version of the operating system is released.