How to Fix a Defective Scan Tool

Many anti-virus programs have a scan tool installed. This periodically scans the computer's hard drive, searching for any potentially dangerous files (such as viruses or malware). Once the information is detected it takes note of the files and asks if you want to remove the files from your computer. If, however, the scan tool is not working properly you need to troubleshoot the problem in order to determine what exactly is causing the problem.

• 1

  Click "Start," "Control Panel," then select "Internet Options." Once open, disable the system firewall. When both the anti-virus' firewall and the computer's firewall is running at the same time, the anti-virus program is not going to function correctly. Turning off the computer's firewall does not reduce your protection, as long as you leave the anti-virus up and running.

• 2

  Open the anti-virus program and select the "Update" option. The program now connects to the Internet (without opening an Internet browser) and connects to its home server, checking for any updates for the computer. If any are available, the data downloads and installs onto the computer, correcting the scan tool issue you are encountering.

• 3

  Close out other programs when performing the scan. The scan tool is not going to function correctly when other programs are running (as it saves additional content to the hard drive, throwing off the scan).

• 4

  Delete excess files from your computer you do not need. If the hard drive is almost full the scan is not going to run correctly, causing the scan to often stop or crash in the middle of the process.