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Thread: Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    59

    Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

    I am running Windows XP on my Toshiba laptop and I want to make some settings on the Microsoft Security Essentials so that it starts directly scanning the drive as soon as i connect any drive on my laptop's usb port. So can you guys suggest me that from where i can do this settings and how would it be to use this feature. I feel that user can forget in hurry to execute the data on the usb drive sometime where it makes mistakes of scanning the data before executing it. So this feature would be much useful at that time which releases users to keep on scanning the usb drives each time they connect it.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    2,635

    re: Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

    I haven't seen any such feature on the Microsoft Essential which directly scan an external drive as soon as you connect it with your computer system as i have never tried about the same. But yes, I have activated this feature on my anti virus software which scans any new device whenever it gets recognized my windows xp system. I am using an Avast Anti Virus which has this feature.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    3,792

    re: Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

    Microsoft Security Essentials helps protect your computer from malicious software (malware) such as viruses, spyware, and other potentially harmful software. It offers two ways to help protect your computer from malware and other potentially unwanted software:
    • Real-time protection. Microsoft Security Essentials alerts you when malware, spyware, or potentially unwanted software attempts to install or run on your computer. It also alerts you when programs attempt to change important Windows settings.
    • Scanning options. You can use Microsoft Security Essentials to scan for threats, viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software that might be installed on your computer, to schedule scans on a regular basis, and to automatically remove any malicious software that is detected during a scan.

    So i suggest you to use the Real Time protection feature which will help you to detect the data when the virus tries to infect your system though it does not mean that it will pop ups alerting about the viruses on connecting the usb device but you will get prompted to open the file if it is infected when you try to open it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    3,424

    re: Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

    I think it would be more simpler to keep on scanning your external drive when you connect and it gets detected by your system. It is good habit after all which makes you reminding about an infections that can transfer from the drive. But if suppose any such feature of anti virus software helps you to scan your usb drive then it is for sure that one day that particular software will not do as per your setting, In fact it will do but it won't be able to find out the virus due to updates remaining. So it would be risky to let it scan automatically even if any software has such features. Instead it won't be so hard to right click on the usb drive and click on scan.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    2,945

    re: Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

    I recommend you to not to rely on any such features which scans your usb drive automatically when you connect it as i have used the same feature which was provided by an ESET Smart Security which has been installed on my system. Actually it is not like this feature does not works at all, Initially it worked perfectly but when it stopped scanning the usb drives automatically, I don't know. So ultimately, Now I have to scan an external drive manually when i connect to the port which I guess is best to be safe. At least you can do this much for the sake of security of your computer system, Or should I say Data.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    3,339

    re: Microsoft Security Essentials Auto scan while plugging USB

    USBVirusScan will start any program you give as a command line parameter every time a USB stick is connected. I am using it to begin a full virus scan on the connected USB drive. For example, to begin a cmd.exe on every USB drive you connect, you can begin an USBVirusScan like this:
    Code:
    USBVirusScan cmd /k %d:
    Where ā€œdā€ in the ā€œ%dā€ is the drive letter of usb port to which you have connected the drive. USBVirusScan utilizes a system tray icon and balloons to alert you about detecting the connected USB drive. You can even hide this system tray icon, Begin USBVirusScan with option -i, like this:
    Code:
    USBVirusScan -i cmd /k %d:

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