In Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
The Indiana University Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) recommends that you run the latest version of Symantec/Norton AntiVirus software (available to IU students, faculty, and staff for free via IUware Online, or for $5 on the IUware CD) for your operating system, being sure that you update your virus pattern files daily and scan your computer weekly.
To configure the LiveUpdate feature so that your software will automatically update your virus definitions, also known as pattern files, follow the appropriate steps below.
On this page:
- Updating virus definitions
- Scheduling weekly virus scans (Norton AntiVirus 10 for Mac OS X)
Updating virus definitions
Norton AntiVirus 10 for Mac OS X
To schedule a time to automatically update your virus definitions, also known as LiveUpdates:
- From the
Applicationsfolder, double-click the Norton AntiVirus icon.
- On the left, click
Schedule.
- In the
Symantec Schedulerwindow that appears, clickNew.
- In the pull-down menu that appears, click
Product Update.
- In the text box, enter a name for the task, such as
Update virus definitions daily.
- From the pull-down menu under "Choose a product to update", select
Virus Definitions.
- From the pull-down menu next to "Set a Frequency", choose
Daily.
- Using the text box and/or the up or down arrows, choose a time of
day for the update.
- Click
Saveand close the window when you're finished.
Norton AntiVirus 9 for Mac OS X
By default, NAV 9 is set to automatically update virus definitions once a month. To change the schedule for updating your virus definitions:
- From the
Applications/Norton Solutionsfolder, openNorton Scheduler.
- In the
Norton Schedulerwindow, under "Scheduled Events", you should findUpdate Virus Protectionchecked by default. To edit this, highlight it and clickEdit.
- In the
Update Virus Protectionwindow that opens, under "Enter a name for the task:", you may type a new name for the event if you wish (e.g.,Daily LiveUpdate).
- From the pull-down menu under "Choose a product to update:", make
sure
Virus Definitionsis selected.
- From the pull-down menu next to "Set a Frequency", select
Daily. Then select the day of the week you would like LiveUpdate to run.
- Next to "Set the time:", select the time of day you would like
LiveUpdate to run.
- To save your changes and close the window, click
Save.
Norton AntiVirus 8 for Mac OS X
Note: NAV 8 is no longer available from IUware. IUware offers NAV 9 for Mac OS X and NAV 7 for Mac OS 9.x and earlier.
- From the
Applications/Norton Solutionsfolder, openLiveUpdate. ClickNorton Scheduler.
- At the top of the window, click the
LiveUpdateicon. In the dialog box that appears, under "Enter a name for the task:", enterDaily LiveUpdate.
- In the pull-down menu, under "Choose a product to update:",
select
Virus Definitions.
- In the pull-down menu beside "Set a Frequency:", select
Daily.
- Click the button for the day on which you wish to schedule
the LiveUpdate.
- In the "Set the time" field, enter the time you would like LiveUpdate to run.
Norton AntiVirus 6 and 7 for Mac OS
- From the Apple menu, choose
Control Panels, and then selectNorton AntiVirus.
- Click the
LiveUpdatebutton.
- In the
LiveUpdatewindow, click the button next to "Schedule Future Updates".
- Click
New.
- In the dialog box that appears, under "Select a Name for the
Event", enter
Daily LiveUpdate. ClickOK.
- Back in the
LiveUpdatewindow, next to "Event Type:", selectUpdate All.
- Next to "How Often:", select
daily.
- Next to "Start Time:", you can choose when Norton AntiVirus will
begin the first LiveUpdate.
- Click
Done.
Scheduling weekly virus scans
Norton AntiVirus 10
- From the
Applicationsfolder, double-click the Norton AntiVirus icon.
- On the left, click
Schedule.
- In the
Symantec Schedulerwindow that appears, clickNew.
- In the pull-down window, click
AntiVirus Scan.
- In the
Add AntiVirus Scan Taskwindow, type a name for the task, such asWeekly hard drive virus scan.
- Select an item to scan, such as your hard drive, either by using the
Browsebutton or by dragging the item's icon into the text box.
- Using the slider tool, set a priority for the task.
- Using the pull-down menu, select
Weeklyas the frequency for the virus scan.
- Select a day of the week for your virus scan by clicking the
corresponding button (
Sun-Sat).
- Choose the time of day your virus scan should run by using the
text box and/or the up or down arrows.
- Click
Save.
Norton AntiVirus will run LiveUpdate automatically at the time and day you set. If you are connected via Ethernet, LiveUpdate will use that existing Internet connection. If you are connected by modem and have a PPP connection, LiveUpdate will automatically get the updates from Symantec. You can also set LiveUpdate to get the information by dialing the Symantec update phone number. In this case, you will be billed for a long distance call.
Also see:
- In Mac OS and Mac OS X, how can I protect myself from viruses?
- Using Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I immediately scan a file, folder, or drive for viruses?
- What is security software?
Last modified on December 07, 2007.






