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Prevx 3.0 Help

Table of Contents

Overview ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0 provides advanced system protection without dragging down system resources or interfering with other antivirus products. It has been designed to be 'set and forget' so that after installing, it will remain up to date and will continue preventing infections automatically, with minimal user interaction.

Although many antivirus products say that they cannot be used with any other antivirus product on the same system, we have designed Prevx 3.0 with compatibility in mind. In our extensive tests, we have not encountered any interference between Prevx 3.0 and other antivirus/antimalware products. Therefore, you can use Prevx 3.0 as a primary endpoint security solution, or, you can use Prevx 3.0 as an important component of a layered security setup.

Prevx 3.0 is compatible with 32bit and 64bit editions of Windows 2000 SP4 Update Rollup 1, Windows XP SP3, Windows 2003, Windows 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 Beta 1.

Why Use Prevx 3.0? ^ back to top

Unlike most antivirus solutions, Prevx 3.0 focuses on difficult threats which are attacking users regardless of the number of users affected by a threat. Therefore, Prevx 3.0 is able to block targeted threats and complex rootkits which are installed polymorphically into unsuspecting user's systems. This new breed of detection capabilities allows Prevx 3.0 to prevent threats which other antivirus products miss, as well as normal malware, making it a perfect complement or replacement for a user's existing antivirus solution.

Installation ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0 offers two types of installations: the default installation and a custom installation. The default installation is recommended and will install Prevx 3.0 into the C:\Program Files\Prevx\ folder. However, if you believe that you are infected and the default installation doesn't appear to be working, it is possible that a malicious infection is preventing Prevx 3.0 from installing, therefore, you may need to use the advanced installation options.

To view the advanced installation options, open the Prevx 3.0 installation program and then click "Options" from the left menu. On this screen, you are presented with various options to customize the installation.

Installation Path ^ back to top

The installation path will configure where Prevx 3.0 will install. Clicking on Change will open a dialog which lets you create a new folder or install to an existing folder. The recommended installation path is C:\Program Files\Prevx\ but it can be configured to be installed to any directory on the local system. Installation to network drives is not supported, and, if your corporation wishes to run Prevx 3.0 on a network basis, our Enterprise product offerings may better suit you.

After selecting a folder in the "Browse For Folder" dialog, Prevx 3.0 will show the folder name in the Installation Path: box. If the folder does not already exist, it will be created on installation.

Create a desktop shortcut ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0 will, by default, install a shortcut into the Start Menu but if you would like an additional shortcut to be placed on the desktop, you can check this box. If you decide later that you would like to add a shortcut to your desktop, you can use the Basic Configuration screen, found under Settings on the Prevx 3.0 side menu to create the shortcut at any time.

The created shortcut will be named 'Prevx 3.0' and will appear on the current user's desktop.

Randomize the installed filename of Prevx 3.0 to bypass certain infections ^ back to top

Recently, infections have begun targeting antivirus software to prevent them from installing at all. Because our software can remove complex infections, the infections prevent our software from installing to its default location. To circumvent most of these infections, you can check the "Randomize" box. Once checked, the Installation Path will change to the word "Randomized" and you will not be able to enter a new folder name for Prevx 3.0 to install into.

When randomized, Prevx 3.0 will install to a completely random named folder and file in the Program Files directory. One potential random filename may be C:\Program Files\xyvjeokd\xyvjeokd.exe. Once installed, you will see two running processes named xyvjeokd.exe if you open Task Manager. After cleaning your system with Prevx 3.0, it may be beneficial to uninstall and reinstall Prevx 3.0 not using a randomized file name, to prevent potential confusion as to why there is a randomly named process running on the system.

License Key (Optional) ^ back to top

You may enter in a license key at this phase of the installation, but it is not necessary. Once installed, Prevx 3.0 will run with a trial license by default and you can enter a license at any time using the License Information page accessible from the Prevx 3.0 side menu. If you have previously installed Prevx 3.0 and purchased a license key, the license key will be automatically retrieved and inserted into this box.

License Agreement Checkbox ^ back to top

Our software license agreement can be accessed by clicking on "View Terms & Conditions" on the front screen of the Prevx 3.0 installation. After reading and accepting the terms and conditions please check the checkbox to continue installation. Installation cannot proceed until you have agreed to the license conditions.

Installed Components ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0 will install three components into your system:

- The Prevx.exe usermode protection/configuration program
- One system service to load Prevx.exe on bootup
- One kernel mode driver named pxsec.sys to provide full system protection

These components may trigger warnings from installed HIPS products, so, be sure to allow Prevx 3.0 access to the system to install properly. During installation, you may experience a UAC popup if you are using Vista with UAC enabled. This is normal and is required for Prevx 3.0 to install all of its components properly into the system.

System Shortcuts ^ back to top

During installation, Prevx 3.0 will create a shortcut under your Start Menu in a folder named Prevx 3.0. If you first installed CSI and then upgraded to Prevx 3.0, the shortcut will remain named 'Prevx CSI' but this will correctly link to Prevx 3.0. If you would like to create a shortcut on your desktop to open Prevx 3.0, you can use the Basic Configuration window found on the Settings screen and then check the box labeled 'Create a Desktop Shortcut.'

Learning Scan ^ back to top

Directly after the installation completes, Prevx 3.0 will begin a learning scan. This learning scan is a one-time process which is mandatory for the installation to complete. During this scan, Prevx 3.0 is analyzing installed programs and executable files on your system, checking them with our Realtime Community Database. The database will automatically determine what programs are known to be good and what programs are known to be bad on your system, simplifying the installation process and improving scan speed.

To ensure that Prevx 3.0 can scan, please allow it past any firewalls or configure any applicable proxy settings to allow it to access the internet to scan with the newest definitions available online.

The Learning Scan generally takes 3-4 minutes to complete and, if aborted, Prevx 3.0 protection will not be enabled. While the Learning Scan is running, your computer will need to remain connected to the internet as Prevx 3.0 will be checking programs with our realtime database.

First Use Dialogs ^ back to top

After the learning scan has completed, Prevx 3.0 will immediately load monitoring without requiring a reboot. A small popup will appear near the system clock which says "Protection: Enabled" for licensed users and "Prevx 3.0 Evaluation Enabled" for trial users. This popup will show on every bootup and can be disabled by unchecking the "Enable the on-bootup splash screen" box on the Settings > Basic Configuration page.

For registered users, protection will immediately start and all attempts for malicious software to load will be prevented. For unregistered users, a popup will show which explains the difference between the Prevx 3.0 trial version and the registered Prevx 3.0 version. The Prevx 3.0 trial version will monitor your system for infections in realtime, demoing the exact system load that the registered version will have and all of the features in the full version except for malware removal. However, if an infection does try and enter your system, the trial version will not block the infection from entering but it will warn you that it exists. The trial version is not time limited, so, you can use Prevx 3.0 to monitor your computer in realtime for as long as you wish. If your system does get infected, you will be notified as soon as the infection enters.

If you are registered and the initial scan detects malicious software on your system, you will be prompted with a dialog asking if you want to handle those files when encountered in the future. You will be able to configure whether Prevx 3.0 should remove the files, clean them, trust them once, or trust them always. Clicking Remove will attempt to remove the files and will set Prevx 3.0 to block them automatically when encountered in the future.

If you click Trust Once, it will allow the program to run once the next time it is encountered, or, if you click Trust Always, it will allow the program to always run on the system and ignore any detection during a scan or in realtime.

After reconciling the reported infections, the main Prevx 3.0 window will be restored and you can then use the other functions of Prevx 3.0. Protection will remain loaded when you are running a scan or performing any actions or configuration within the Prevx 3.0 program.

Uninstallation ^ back to top

If at any point you need to uninstall Prevx 3.0, you will be able to uninstall it from the Start Menu, or by using the Add/Remove Programs applet within Windows. You can find this applet by opening the Control Panel and then clicking 'Programs and Features', 'Add or Remove Programs', or 'Uninstall a program' (depending on your version of Windows) to then remove Prevx 3.0. In some systems, if you have enabled Self Protection, a reboot may be required to remove all of the components of Self Protection but in a vast majority of cases, you will not be required to reboot your system and uninstallation should take place in seconds.

After uninstalling, you can immediately reinstall Prevx 3.0 if wanted.

After Installation ^ back to top

After finishing the initial scan and handling any detected threats, Prevx 3.0 can be left alone without any further changes/attention and will be kept automatically updated and continue to protect your computer. However, Prevx 3.0 also provides numerous options for users to configure exactly how it should function.

Status Screen ^ back to top

On the Prevx 3.0 status screen, Prevx 3.0 will give you updated information on the security of your system and statistics on previous scans and detected threats. If your system is clean and Prevx 3.0 is enabled, the Prevx 3.0 status screen will show "Status: Secure" (or "Status: Clean" if you are using the Prevx 3.0 Evaluation).

When an infection is detected, the status will immediately change to Red/Infected. At this point, it is recommended that you block any detected threats and scan your system to ensure that there are no dormant threats remaining. After cleaning all threats, your status will change back to Status: Secure.

If you abort a scan or if you change a configuration option which affects the detection settings, Prevx 3.0 automatically changes the status to read "Status: Scan Required". When this status is active, it is highly recommended that you scan your system as soon as possible.

The status screen shows additional information as well as the status of infections. The Last Scan information on the status screen will tell the user exactly when the last scan occurred and how long the scan took, and if any threats were found. A count of cleaned threats is maintained and once threats have been removed from the system, the status line will note this count so that the user is aware of previous Prevx 3.0 events.

From the status screen, the user is able to scan their system using the default system scanner or address any threats that have been detected. If the status is Secure, Clean, or Scan Required, the user will be given a "Scan My PC Now" button which will start a system scan. In the default configuration, system scans take place daily, but, if you are ever concerned about the state of your system, you can invoke a system scan on-demand.

Settings ^ back to top

This option will allow the user to view another menu of additional functionality. Click HERE to view information on the functions available under Settings.

Tools ^ back to top

This option will allow the user to view another menu of additional functionality. Click HERE to view information on the functions available under Tools.

Help & Support ^ back to top

This function will allow you to contact Prevx Support where our support personelle will assist you in solving any problems or answering any questions you may have about Prevx 3.0 or any of our other software.

Check for Updates ^ back to top

This feature will check to see if you are currently using the newest version of Prevx 3.0 software. Unlike most antivirus software, Prevx 3.0 does not need to download new definition information as it checks for updated signatures automatically online, so, your Prevx 3.0 protection is always up to date.

Settings ^ back to top

Basic Configuration ^ back to top

Basic Configuration provides functionality which will give the user control over how Prevx 3.0 reports infections and how Prevx 3.0 appears on the system.

Enable Enhanced Rootkit Detection

This feature is highly recommended and only adds a small amount of time onto the scan. The Enhanced Rootkit Detection will check your system for rootkits and other hidden malicious software on your disk or in protected areas of the system.

Automatically download and apply updates

This feature will automatically check for and download updates for Prevx 3.0 software. Updates do not require a system reboot, so, it is highly recommended that you leave this feature eanabled to ensure that Prevx 3.0 remains up to date with any new software improvements. (Enabled by default)

Create a desktop shortcut

This function will create a shortcut to Prevx 3.0 on your desktop for easy scanning. This shortcut is not created by default but will be automatically created once you check this box.

Enable "Right Click" Scanning in Windows Explorer

Enabling this option in Prevx 3.0 will create a link whenever you right click a file or folder in Windows Explorer to "Scan with Prevx 3.0". This function will allow you to scan any newly downloaded programs or files without running them. Please note that the detection used to find files with the right click scanner does not guarantee that they are clean. This scan is a simple scan to check for known malicious programs but even if found clean, Prevx 3.0 will still scan the programs if you try and open them, so, as long as Prevx 3.0 is enabled, your system will be protected even if you do open a malicious file.

Show a system tray icon

Enabling this feature will add a Prevx 3.0 icon near the system clock for easy access to scanning and protection configuration information. (Enabled by default)

Enable the on-bootup splash screen

This feature will enable or disable the small screen which shows in the bottom right corner or center of your screen during bootup. This screen will show you the current status of Prevx 3.0 and display whether it is enabled or not. After this screen displays, it will automatically fade out and hide itself within a few seconds.

Password protect configuration options

Password protection will allow you to prevent other users of the computer from modifying Prevx 3.0 settings without your permission. Passwords are stored encrypted and protect all setting screens and warning dialogs. Once you have configured a password, it can be unset only if you enter the correct password so please ensure that you save your password.

Save and automatically apply Block actions

This option will tell Prevx 3.0 to remember a Block response and apply it automatically in the future rather than asking you each time that it detects the file. If the infection is encountered again after the first attempt, it will show a window in the bottom right corner which will fade out automatically after it gives the notification and automatically prevents the infection. You can read more about this dialog under "Warning Windows".

Enable Realtime Master Boot Record Scanning

This feature will protect your computer against master boot record (MBR) infections. These infections modify certain core areas of the system so that they load before the operating system and infect the host computer. However, Prevx 3.0 is able to generically identify these types of infections and alert you when a possible MBR infection occurs.

Automatically remove blocked files

This feature is only enabled for registered users of Prevx 3.0 who have malware removal functionality enabled in their license. When Prevx 3.0 encounters a malicious file and you block the file, Prevx 3.0 will automatically remove the file and any associated malicious components. The file will be backed up into the Undo Cleanup database which will allow you to review any detections if wanted.

Automatically block files when detected without prompting

This setting allows autonomous operation by automatically blocking threats as they are discovered and is recommended to be used on a family computer shared with people who do not want to answer any prompts.

Scheduler ^ back to top

The Prevx 3.0 Scheduler allows you to automate the scan process to save time and simplify the use of Prevx 3.0. On installation, Prevx 3.0 will automatically set a scheduled time for the scan which will be configured to the hour which you ran installation. If you wish to manually configure the scheduler time, this utility will allow you to do so.

By default, the scan will take place once every day at the time you have configured. Please note that in order to reduce load on a large network, the scan may not start exactly on the time it is configured, rather, it will start within that hour.

If my computer is not powered on at the scheduled time, scan at the next bootup

This option will instruct Prevx 3.0 to run a system scan around bootup time after missing a scheduled scan. Please note that the scan will start within one hour of bootup, not immediately, as that would cause system delay in the startup process.

Scan automatically after bootup

This option will force Prevx 3.0 to run a scan when the system turns on. This scan is run in the background and is mostly silent unless an infection is found. If an infection is present on your system, Prevx 3.0 will show a warning and the pertinent information about the identified infection.

Do not show any window while scanning

With this box checked, the scheduled scans will run completely silently. If you uncheck this box, the scan will run in a small window in the bottom right corner of your desktop near the system clock. If you wish to view the scan in the full Prevx 3.0 window while the scan is taking place, you can double click on the icon near the system clock and that will expand the small window to the normal Prevx 3.0 window position and size.

Only alert me if an infection is found

This option will supress prompting from Prevx 3.0 when an automated scan is complete and will only prompt you if it detects malicious software.

Detection Overrides ^ back to top

Detection Overrides provide the user with the ability to change the default Prevx 3.0 behavior when it encounters specific files or folders. To add an override, click the "Add Override" button. This will open a dialog which will allow you to browse to a file or folder which you would like to modify the Prevx 3.0 behavior over.

If you select a folder, the folder will continue to be scanned but no detections will be reported. Prevx 3.0 will prevent you from selecting certain system folders from being excluded from the scan to prevent malicious software from exploiting the feature to evade detection.

If you select a file when adding the file to detection overrides, you can configure Prevx 3.0 to Block this file, Always trust this file, or Trust this file once. If you are using the Prevx 3.0 Evaluation, the only options available are to Block this file and to Ignore this file. Once applied, the detection override comes into effect immediately.

To modify an existing override, you can double click on the override entry and it will open the dialog which was shown for Add Override so that you can change the override.

To remove an existing override, select the entry and then click Remove Override.

When adding an override, Prevx 3.0 looks through files which it has scanned already to find duplicate files to the one you have added, allowing you to apply an action over a wide range of duplicate files across the system. When malicious software is detected on your system, it is automatically added into the Detection Overrides list as the type "Detect (Default)". This override can be removed, but it is necessary to change the override to Ignore or Always trust if you want the file to not be detected in subsequent scans.

Proxy Settings ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0 gives the user the ability to configure a proxy server for scanning. To configure a proxy, please first check the 'Activate Proxy Support' and then fill in the login information in the boxes below. After adding the proxy information, click Save Changes and Prevx 3.0 will scan using the proxy settings on the next system scan.

If a scan aborts, the user is generally prompted to configure proxy settings if they wish, as it is common that Prevx 3.0 will be unable to connect out to the internet to scan if the user is under a proxy. However, it is possible that a firewall is blocking Prevx 3.0 from scanning as well, so, be sure that all security software and firewalls are properly allowing Prevx 3.0 to scan and connect to the internet.

Self Protection ^ back to top

This feature is recommended if you suspect that your system is infected. It will prevent any malicious software or user from terminating the Prevx 3.0 protection by blocking any modifications to the Prevx 3.0 program or memory. This feature could cause some incompatibilities between other security software, so, it is recommended that you use it only if you do not experience system instability when it is active.

If you have enabled Self Protection in Prevx 3.0 and then another product tries to disable the self protection of Prevx 3.0 or tries to modify certain system entries, Prevx 3.0 will automatically start a "Protective Scan". This scan will ensure that no infections have tried to enter into your system and will then update the internal self protection status to prevent possible incompatibilities between the other software and Prevx 3.0.

Heuristics Settings ^ back to top

The Prevx 3.0 Heuristics Settings allow you to configure finer details on how Prevx 3.0 detects new malicious software. Please note that these options are for advanced users and may impact how Prevx 3.0 performs on your system.

Advanced Heuristics ^ back to top

This slider bar allows you to configure exactly how Prevx 3.0 will behave when analyzing new programs. If a program is unknown on your system and performs suspicious actions, you can use this function to control how strict Prevx 3.0 will be when it identifies suspicious behavior. The levels of protection include:

Disabled

No heuristics. Prevx 3.0 will not protect your computer against advanced new threats, however, the community database will still apply heuristics to known threats and will continue to detect mutating malicious software.

Low

This setting will tell Prevx 3.0 to ignore more suspicious behavior and allow programs to run. A program will only be detected with these heuristics if it displays a high level of malicious activity.

Medium

This is the recommended setting and balances detection versus false alarms by using our tuned heuristics in the centralized community database.

High

This setting is recommended if you think that your system is infected or at a very high risk for infections. While it may generate marginally more false alarms, this setting will protect against a wide range of new threats.

Maximum

This is the highest security setting for the Prevx 3.0 Advanced Heuristics and will block a large amount of malicious software but may generate false alarms on unpopular or uncommon software.

Additional Advanced Heuristics Options ^ back to top

Advanced Heuristics allows you to configure the prescedence of the application of the heuristic rules. If you set Prevx 3.0 to "Apply before Age/Popularity detection", heuristics will warn against new programs as well as old programs which exhibit suspicious behavior. However, if you select "Apply after Age/Popularity detection", Prevx 3.0 will only warn about an Advanced Heuristic detection if it is also deemed suspicious based on your Age/Popularity settings (described below).

Program Age Heuristics ^ back to top

These settings allow you to configure how sensitive Prevx 3.0's heuristics are to the age of a program. Generally, a majority of programs exist in the community for a while before they are used by a large number of users. However, most infections tend to have a very short lifespan and try and spread as quickly as possible. Our Prevx 3.0 Program Age Heuristics analyze the age of the program and compare it against similar programs within the subset of the community to determine if it is statistically less trustworthy than should be allowed.

We offer granular control over the Program Age Heuristics which will allow you to best suit it to your needs and browsing habits.

Disabled

No Program Age Heuristics.

Low

Only alert about programs which have been created or modified very recently "(Recommended)".

Medium

Alert about programs which are fairly new and not trusted, preventing zero-day and zero-hour attacks. This setting is recommended if you do not frequently install relatively unpopular programs and want an extra degree of security to prevent mutating threats.

High

Alert about programs which have been created or modified within a relatively short period of time and are not trusted. This setting is recommended only if rarely install new programs and if you feel that your system is relatively constant. It may generate a higher level of false alarms on more obscure or unpopular software.

Maximum

Alert about all untrusted programs which have been created or modified fairly recently. This setting should only be used if you computer is in a high risk situation or if you think that it is currently infected.

Program Popularity Heuristics ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0's Program Popularity Heuristics analyze the popularity of a program within the context of your subset of the Prevx Community and see if a program is statistically unpopular. Generally, infections tend to mutate very quickly and normal programs do not, therefore, Program Popularity Heuristics can identify programs which are frequently changing or are being installed as a unique copy on every user's PC.

In addition to detecting frequently changing or polymorphic threats, Program Popularity Heuristics also works alongside other detection methods to block targeted threats. When a suspicious program is found and about to be loaded into memory, Program Popularity Heuristics will prevent it if it determines that the program is extremely unpopular - an attribute which would be present in a targeted threat where a unique infection is sent to the victim with the direct intent of evading conventional antivirus technology which requires individual signatures to be created for each sample.

You can configure the intensity of Program Popularity Heuristics with the following options:

Disabled

Do not use Program Popularity Heuristics

Low

Only alert about programs which have only recently been seen for the first time. This is recommended for users which frequently install new programs, beta programs, or are software developers who frequently create new programs.

Medium

Alert about unpopular and mutating programs, preventing zero-day and zero-hour attacks. This is recommended for users who do not frequently install new programs and want an extra level of protection over the standard settings.

High

Only allow programs which have been seen by a significant percentage of the Prevx Community. This is recommended for users who do not install new programs and who are concerned about the current security of their system, suspecting that they might have an active infection.

Maximum

Only allow programs which have been seen by a very large percentage of the Prevx Community. This is recommended only for users who feel that they are at a very high risk for infection and are willing to accept the possibility for an increased level of false alarms due to the very strict heuristics in place.

Tools ^ back to top

Save Scan Results ^ back to top

This function will save a scan log which you can use to further investigate the security of your system or receive help from a Prevx Researcher.

Undo Cleanup ^ back to top

This function will allow the user to undo any system changes made by the malware removal process. When a program is cleaned, it is automatically backed up into a secure repository which is only accessible by Prevx 3.0. This repository will hold the complete contents of all malicious programs in the event that the system requires one of these programs to operate properly and the user is forced to wait for a manual fix. In the Undo Cleanup screen, the user is given a list of files and the user can select any of them to restore them to their previous location on the system. If the file has already been restored, a copy is still saved and the status of the file changes from Quarantined to Restored. After being restored once, the file can be restored again if it is removed accidentally. If there are no entries in the Undo Cleanup repository, Prevx 3.0 will say: "Prevx 3.0 has not moved any files into the Cleanup Undo/Quarantine".

Within the Undo Cleanup feature, you can also view a log of all of the previously cleaned infections and their detections at the time of removal. To view this log, click View Cleanup Log and Prevx 3.0 will open a Notepad window with the contents of the log showing on screen.

Suspend Protection ^ back to top

Suspend Protection will temporarily disable the protection of Prevx 3.0. By default, it will recommend that you Enter Install Mode for 15 minutes if you wish to disable Prevx 3.0. This setting will turn off only the heuristics settings of Prevx 3.0 and will leave the standard detection in place to prevent further infections. It is highly recommended that if you do need to disable Prevx 3.0 that you only enter Install Mode so that you will not be vulnerable to most threats.

However, if you are experiencing a conflict between Prevx 3.0 and other software, you can completely disable Prevx 3.0 by using the drop down menu in the Suspend Prevx 3.0 screen and selecting "Enable in x mins/hours". After selecting the duration, click Stop Prevx 3.0 Protection and Prevx 3.0 will show a window in the bottom right corner of the screen which will now read Prevx 3.0 Protection Disabled.

If you wish to re-enable Prevx 3.0 at any time before the disabled period expires, you can right click on the Prevx 3.0 icon near your system clock and select "Enable Prevx 3.0 Protection" or you can go to the Prevx 3.0 Settings menu within the main window and select Enable Prevx 3.0.

Advanced Scan ^ back to top

Most of the features of the Advanced Scanner are available only to registered users. Advanced Scan should only be used by technical users who need to scan specific areas of the system rather than use the general and optimized scan of Prevx 3.0, accessed via the Scan Now button on the front screen.

These scans will not analyze behavior of all programs, so, the detection rates do not completely reflect the actual protection provided by Prevx 3.0.

Quick Scan

This scan will perform a surface scan of files loaded into memory. This scan is the fastest of the scan types but it will also miss many types of inactive samples which could become active on bootup.

Deep Scan

This scan is a very deep analytical scan of the system and will detect rootkits, inactive malware, active malware, and malware which will start the next time that the system is booted up. This is the same scan which is invoked when the user clicks "Scan Now" on the front screen of Prevx 3.0 and it is the same scan which will run when the scheduled scan starts.

Full Scan

The full scan will scan all files on all drives within the system. This scan is only recommended for users that frequently switch between system partitions or have a number of programs on their system which have never been scanned before. Generally, users do not need to run this scan at all and will receive complete protection from the Deep Scan and realtime scanning.

Custom Scan

This scan will allow the user to add files or folders to be scanned. The folders which the user chooses are stored and will be scanned in the future if an infections is detected.

Use Smart Scanning to improve speed

This function is highly recommended if it benefits your scan time, which will vary depending on the system. Use of this function applies only to the current scan and after running the scan, the option is not recalled for future scans unless explicitly set.

Manual File Cleanup ^ back to top

Manual File Cleanup will allow you to use Prevx 3.0 to remove any offending file from your PC, regardless of if it is detected as malicious or not. The removal will generally require a system reboot to completely remove any trace of the file but once you reboot, the file will be detected during subsequent Prevx 3.0 scans in the event that it shows up in the future so that you can be notified about its existence and choose to remove it if wanted.

Renew My License ^ back to top

This function will allow you to extend or upgrade your Prevx 3.0 protection to ensure that your computer's security is not threatened if your license expires. Clicking this button will open a browser window where you can use your secure website to extend your license.

License ^ back to top

Prevx 3.0 uses a license key to enable certain functionality within it, including infection blocking and advanced malicious software removal. The License Information screen allows you to see what functionality is currently enabled in your license and allows you to connect to the Prevx website to obtain a new license which has additional functionality.

Under the caption License Key, Prevx 3.0 will display the current license key which you are using. If you do not have a license key installed, it will read "Unlicensed". Below the license key, it will display information on the remaining duration of your license as well as the type of license which you currently have.

If you wish to get a new license, please click the Get a License button which will take you to the Prevx website. Once your transaction is completed, you will receive a license key which you can enter into the Activate a License Key section. This license key will be in an alpha numeric format, including numbers 0-9 and letters A-F. Please note that there are not any letter 'O's within the license and only numeric zeros.

To install your license, copy and paste or type the license you receive on screen or by email into the Activate box and then click Activate. If you are currently using Prevx CSI and enter a Prevx 3.0 license key, it will automatically upgrade your software to Prevx 3.0. The License Information area will update automatically to reflect the newest information about your license key.

Warning Windows ^ back to top

If Prevx 3.0 does block an infection from entering your PC, it will show a warning window which will give you options as to how to direct Prevx 3.0 to respond to this threat. In the warning window, Prevx 3.0 will show a default option of "Block" which is highly recommended. However, if you do not want to block the program, you can click Options which will extend the menu and provide you with two other choices - Trust Once and Trust Always. Clicking Trust Once will allow you to run the program once and after that, any further attempts to run the program will result in the blocked dialog again. If you click Trust Always, the file will be trusted permanently and will not be detected during the scans. To remove a Trust Always detection, you will need to open the Detection Overrides dialog which is found in Prevx 3.0 Settings > Detection Overrides where you can remove or change the override.

If you select Block in this dialog, the infection attempt will be blocked and if you have the "Automatically remove blocked files" option checked, it will be automatically removed from your system. If you have "Remember actions on detected files" checked, any further attempts from this infection to access your system will be automatically responded to with a Block action. When this occurs, a different warning dialog will show in the bottom right corner of your system.

In this dialog, you will be told the infection name and offending file name which was producing the infection. The dialog will fade out and disappear automatically after some seconds so that it does not disrupt your work. If you do wish to change or remove the automatic block action, you can click Change Settings on the automatic block dialog which will open up the Detection Overrides screen where you can remove or change the automatic block action.

System Modification Warning ^ back to top

When it loads, Prevx 3.0 analyzes your system for integrity and to see if any suspicious changes have taken place. If Prevx 3.0 detects a suspicious change within your HOSTs file or Layered Service Provider (LSP) chain, two important areas which are frequently targeted by malicious software, Prevx 3.0 will report them to you and provide you with options to fix them automatically. If a program has maliciously modified your LSP chain, it will be necessary to reboot your system to correct this problem.