Learn more about Scans and Risks settings

You can run different types of scans to detect and prevent any virus infection on your computer. The scans are Quick Scan, Full Scan, and customized scans. You can use the various Computer Scans options to customize the scans that Norton performs on your computer. You can also specify scanning of compressed files.

The Computer Scans options also let you specify scans to detect rootkits, other stealth items, tracking cookies, and unknown security threats. Your options are:

• Compressed File Scan

  Scans and repairs the files inside compressed files.

  When you turn on this feature, your Norton product scans and detects viruses and other security risks in the files within compressed files and removes the compressed files.

• USB Drive Scan

  Scans and repairs the files inside the USB drive.

  When you turn on this feature, your Norton product scans and detects viruses and other security risks in the files in your USB drive and removes the infected files. You can choose how you want your Norton product to handle the infected files.

• Rootkits and Stealth Items Scan

  Scans for rootkits and other security risks that might be hidden on your computer.

• Network Drives Scan

  Scans the network drives that are connected to your computer.

  Your Norton product performs a Network Drives Scan during Full Scan and Custom Scan. By default, the Network Drives Scan option is turned on. If you turn off this option, your Norton product does not scan network drives.

• Heuristic Protection

  Scans your computer to protect against unknown security threats.

  Norton uses heuristic technology to check suspicious characteristics of a file to categorize it as infected. It compares the characteristics of a file to a known infected file. If the file has sufficient suspicious characteristics, then Norton identifies the file as infected with a threat.

• Tracking Cookies Scan

  Scans for the small files that programs might place on your computer to track your computing activities.

• Full Scan

  A Full Scan thoroughly examines your entire computer for viruses, spyware, and different security vulnerabilities. You can use the Configure option to schedule the Full Scan.

Protected Ports settings protect the POP3 and SMTP ports of your email program.
You can use this option to manually configure your POP3 and SMTP email ports for email protection. If the SMTP and POP3 port numbers that your Internet service provider (ISP) has provided for your email program is different from the default SMTP and POP3 port numbers, you must configure your Norton product to protect the ports.

Email Antivirus Scan protects you from the threats that are sent or received in email attachments.
You can use the Email Antivirus Scan options to define how your Norton product should behave when it scans email messages. Based on the options you choose, your Norton product automatically scans the email messages that you send or receive.

Exclusions options specify the items such as folders, files, and drives that you exclude from Norton scans. Scan signatures and low-risk items are some items that you can exclude from scanning.

Exclusions options also let you choose which categories of risks you want your Norton product to detect. Your options are:

• Low Risks

  Lets you manage the low-risk items that are found in your computer.

  You can specify how you want your Norton product to respond to low-risk items.

• Items to Exclude from Scans

  Lets you determine which disks, folders, or files you want to exclude from risk scanning.

  You can add new exclusion items or edit the added items in the excluded-items list. You can also remove items from the excluded-items list.

• Items to Exclude from Auto-Protect, Script Control, Behavioral Protection and Download Intelligence Detection

  Lets you determine which disks, folders, or files you want to exclude from Auto-Protect, Script Control, Behavioral Protection scans.

  You can add the new items that need to be excluded or modify the items that you already excluded. You can also remove items from the excluded-items list.

• Signatures to Exclude from All Detections

  Lets you select known risks by name and remove a risk name from the excluded-items list

  You can also view the risk impact that is based on the performance, privacy, removal, and stealth impact.

• Clear file IDs excluded during scans

  Lets you remove the reputation information of the files that are excluded from scanning.

  You can use the Clear All option to clear the reputation information of the files that are excluded from scanning.