McAfee Antivirus FAQ

Below you will find solutions or answers to the most common and known issues with the installation of the McAfee Software.

Q. What is that 'blue shield' in the my system tray?

A. The small 'blue shield' in your system tray is the ePolicy Orchestrator Agent (ePO Agent). This indicates that your machine's antivirus software will now be centrally deployed, managed and kept up-to-date.

Q. What does the ePolicy Orchestrator Agent do?

A. The ePO agent is the client software which ensures that you are protected from various network security threats. It is responsible for deploying software components such as Virus Scan, and keeping them up to date with current AntiVirus signatures. It enforces local policies to ensure that the settings for the various software components are properly configured and also collects information about the status of those products.

Q. What information does the ePolicy Orchestrator Agent collect?

A. The ePolicy Orchestrator Agent primarily collects information about the installed McAfee Security products like Virus Scan It collects information about the status and functions of those products. For example, it collects information about viruses that have been detected/cleaned by your Virus Scan software. It also collects some system property information similar to what is available in System Properties of My Computer.

Q. How is the information collected by the ePO Agent used?

A. The information collected by the ePO agent is sent back to the ePO server. There the information is stored in a database where it is used to determine actions necessary to ensure that you are protected from various security threats such as viruses. Using policy and reporting tools, it is possible to constantly monitor the protection levels throughout the network. Ultimately, allowing a much quicker response to security threats and outbreaks.

Q. How can I make sure that my AntiVirus is up-to-date?

A. Right click the Blue shield in the tray area and choose About. Look in the window for McAfee Virus Scan, Virus Definitions. Make sure that the virus definitions that it reports are not more than 1 day old.  Virus definitions are updated daily Monday through Friday.

Q. Can I temporarily change settings in my McAfee Products?

A. Yes, local policies are enforced every hour. If you manually enforce the local policies using the ePO Agent Monitor and then make the necessary changes to settings, they will stay in effect for the remainder of the hour interval. This will allow you to do things like temporarily turn off the virus scanner in order to perform a software installation.

Right-Click the blue shield in the tray and select Status Monitor. Click the “Enforce Policies” button. Now temporarily change the settings of your McAfee Product…which will revert back to the default in approximately 20 minutes.

Q. I am having problems, can I remove the ePO Agent?

A. The ePO Agent is the key to our ability to ensure that you are protected from various Network Security threats. Removing it should be coordinated with your IT support staff, and should only be carried out as a last resort where the system is severely impacted by it.

Q. I have a SpyWare program installed, will this interfere with McAfee?

A. Included with McAfee version 8 is a SpyWare module and is updated along with the virus definitions files. With this installed you will no longer need to install third party SpyWare removal products. It is recommended that other SpyWare products not be installed on machines running the McAfee Anti SpyWare agent.

Still having trouble?

If you continue to have trouble with the AntiVirus software package please contact the IT helpdesk on extension 8888, or via email at helpdesk@uvsc.edu