Virus Cleanup and Removal
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Recommended Software
Tulsa's PC Doctor does not officially recommend any particular antivirus package, but in our experience and testing, we are fond of the products sold by Symantec (Norton Antivirus), McAfee (Virus Scan), and Trend Micro (PC-cillin).

We have tested these and other virus packages and have drawn the conclusion that virus software is never 100% effective. (Testing was performed using the latest available virus definition updates.) During our testing, we have seen cases where Norton Antivirus missed viruses when McAfee Virus Scan caught them, and vice versa. Part of this result has to do with how quickly the software manufacturer releases definitions for a known virus. In each case of missed viruses, the next release of virus definitions was successful in detecting the virus. Since new viruses are released daily, there will always be a period of time from the virus's release into the world to its discovery and the corresponding release of the virus definitions. In the meantime, every computer connected to the Internet and receiving email can potentially become infected with an unknown virus, leaving your computer susceptible even if you are diligent in keeping the software updated!

The latest versions of antivirus software are always recommend for the best results in virus detection and removal.

Virus Software Deficiencies
Completing a thorough virus scan of your system may not guarantee that all viruses will be detected or removed. Email clients, such as AOL, are not compatible with virus software's email scanning features, but others, such as Outlook Express, Outlook, Netscape, etc. are compatible, and will scan your email for viruses as it is being downloaded.

If your system has been infected, scanned, and cleaned of viruses, there is also a chance that infected items may still reside in your email folders. Most virus software is not designed to scan existing email in those folders, with some exceptions. If you are using Microsoft Outlook (not Outlook Express), McAfee and Trend products do have options to scan the mail items in your inbox.

For increased certainty of virus removal in your system, it is recommended that all email be deleted or begin using Microsoft Outlook in combination with available tools that can scan your Outlook pst file.