Configuring Custom sweep options

You can change Custom Sweep settings to customize where the program looks for suspicious items and what types of items the program scans.

To configure options for a Custom Sweep:

1.	In the Icon panel, click Options.

2.	Make sure the Sweep tab is selected.

3.	Under Sweep Type, select Custom Sweep.

4.	Click the Change Settings link.

The Custom Sweep window opens, with a panel in the middle that provides four buttons for selecting custom options: Where to Sweep, What to Sweep, Skip File Types, and Advanced Options. You can select any button, in any order.

5.

In the Where to Sweep panel, you can exclude certain drives, directories, or folders from the sweep by deselecting them (click the checkbox to remove the green check mark next to each folder or file). Typically, most spyware and other threats install on the C: drive, but you should sweep all drives periodically.

If you have Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware, you should sweep all drives regularly. Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware can sweep all internal drives for viruses. Viruses can be found in all types of files and in any location.

6.	In the What to Sweep panel, you can select options as described in the following table. (Items with a check mark are enabled. Click in the box to deselect or select options.)

 

What to Sweep (Custom options)
Sweep for Viruses	Applies only to Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware. Enables virus sweeping in the following areas: Memory Objects, Sweep All User Accounts, Compressed Files, System Restore Folder, and Direct Disk Sweeping (providing those options are also turned on).
Automatically quarantine viruses detected during sweep	Applies only to Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware. After performing virus cleaning, it places files in Quarantine that contain a virus and lists them on the Quarantine panel during the sweep process.
Windows registry	Sweeps the computer’s registry, where spyware and other potentially unwanted programs commonly create entries.
Memory objects	Sweeps the computer’s random access memory (RAM), where spyware and other potentially unwanted programs commonly load into memory.
Cookies	Sweeps for known cookies that are included in the security definitions.
Sweep all user accounts	Sweeps registry entries for all user accounts or login IDs on your computer. If this option is turned off, the Webroot software only sweeps the registry entries for the current user account.
Compressed files	Sweeps compressed files such as .zip, .rar, .lzh, and .cab files, where potentially unwanted programs can hide. You may want to use this option after you have found spyware programs and you want to be sure that you have removed them. Enabling this option increases sweep time significantly. (After the first sweep with this option, the Webroot software will skip compressed files that have not changed, thereby saving time.) If you download a compressed file in the future, you can run a sweep on just that file from Windows Explorer to save time. For more information, see the instructions for setting the Add “Sweep” option to Windows Explorer context menu.
System Restore folder	Applies only to Windows XP. Sweeps the folder where Windows saves system restore files. If a restore point contains a potentially unwanted program, the Webroot software finds it and lets you remove it. After removing the unwanted program, you can still use that restore point in the future.

7.	In the Skip File Types panel, you can specify the file types for the Webroot software to ignore during a sweep. Enter the file extension and click Add to Skip List. For multiple entries, use a comma or semicolon to separate entries (for example: .mp3,.wma).

Do not skip .dll, .exe, or .com file types, because spyware and other potentially unwanted programs typically hide in them. Be very careful when determining file types to skip. Threats can hide in any type of file.

8.	In the Advanced Options panel, you can select additional sweep options, as described in the following table.

 

Advanced Options (Custom Options)
Enable Direct Disk Sweeping including Rootkit detection	Searches for strains of malware that hide themselves from the Windows operating system, including rootkit files. Keep this option selected, unless sweeps do not complete. Some computers need to turn off this option for sweeps to run completely.
Sweep for masked files	Sweeps for items hidden from the operating system. When this option is selected, the time required for the sweep will double. Use this option only if you are particularly concerned about your computer’s security or continue to see unwanted advertising after running a full system sweep. Otherwise, turn off this option for quicker sweeps.
Analyze executable programs in a protected memory space	Performs a thorough analysis of executable programs by running them in a protected memory area. This is an advanced detection technique that may lead to longer scan times.
Enable behavioral detection	Applies only to Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware. Enables Behavioral Detection, which analyzes programs for behavior typical of malware before its code can execute.
Automatically quarantine behavioral detections	Applies only to Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware. Places any items found with the Behavioral Detection feature in Quarantine.
Sweep Speed vs. Processor Usage	Allows you to provide more processing power to other programs as sweeps are running. To do this, move the slider (click with your mouse and drag) toward “Conserve processing power” at the left. This setting slows the sweep process, but provides more processing power for other programs. For the fastest sweeps, leave the slider all the way to the right.

9.	When you are finished selecting options, click OK.

Your Custom Sweep settings are automatically saved and are used any time you select Custom Sweep as your sweep type.