McAfee Avert Stinger...

Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system. Stinger utilizes next generation scan engine technology, including process scanning, digitally signed DAT files, and scan performance optimizations.

How do I use Stinger?

1.      Download Stinger to your desktop [2.5 MB]

2.      This version of Stinger includes detection for all known variants, as of January 18, 2011:

3.      When prompted, choose to save the file to a convenient location on your hard disk (your Desktop is best and easy to find).

4.      When the download is complete, navigate to the folder that contains the downloaded Stinger file, and run it. WindowsME/XP/Vista users read this first.

5.      The Stinger interface will be displayed.

6.      If necessary, click the Add or Browse button to add additional drives/directories to scan. By default the C: drive will be scanned.

7.      Click the Scan Now button to begin scanning the specified drives/directories.

8.      By default, Stinger will repair all infected files found.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1.      What is the List Viruses button used for?

o    A list of the viruses that stinger is configured to detect is displayed when pressing the List Viruses button. This virus list does not contain the results from running a scan.

2.      How do I save the scan results to a log file?

o    Click the File menu and select Save report to file

3.      I know I have a virus, but Stinger did not detect one. Why is this?

o    Stinger is not a substitute for a full anti-virus scanner. It is only designed to detect and remove specific threats.

4.      How can I get support for Stinger?

o    Stinger is not a supported application. Avert makes no guarantees about this product.

5.      Stinger found a virus that it couldn't repair. Why is this?

o    This is most likely due to Windows System Restore functionality having a lock on the infected file. WindowsME/XP users should disable system restore prior to scanning./li>

6.      Are there any command-line parameters available when running Stinger?

o    Yes, the parameters are displayed when passing Stinger the /? switch:

§  /ADL - Scan all local drives.

§  /GO - Start scanning immediately.

§  /LOG - Save the log file after scans.

§  /SILENT - Do not display graphical interface.

7.      I ran Stinger and now have a Stinger.opt file, what is that?

o    When Stinger runs it creates the Stinger.opt file that saves the current Stinger configuration. This way when you run Stinger the next time your previous configuration is what is used, as long as the Stinger.opt file is in the same directory as Stinger