How to use Symantec AntiVirus Liveupdate

June 16, 2009 Computer Tips And Tricks

I use Symantec Antivirus as my primary virus protection software. Like Symantec_Corp__by_CallMeWhatEver any other antivirus tool, Symantec Antivirus is dependent on a virus definitions database in order to be able to recognize virus signatures that sneak up on my computer system.

In this post I will show you how to use the LiveUpdate window to update Symantec’s virus definition files.

- To access live Update open the Symantec Antivirus window and look for the LiveUpdate button at the lower right portion of the screen.
- Before clicking the button first notice the date of the version of the virus definitions file. This way you will see whether your definitions file is old or current.
The older this date, the more urgent the need to update.
- Click the LiveUpdate button to open the LiveUpdate wizard.
- Click Next to begin downloading: Wait for the download to finish.

That’s it! Simple as that – and your virus list definitions are up to date…

In some cases you may need to download up to 40MB of files to successfully comeplete the update process, should your virus definition files be really old.

Be patient with it, your antivirus software is only as good as the virus definition updates.

Dependent on your Internet bandwidth, the download time could take a few minutes to an hour.

By default LiveUpdate should automatically download the relevant virus definitions – from the Symantec server, however in some cases, the manual LiveUpdate needs to be triggered, especially in cases where the user has not been online for a length of time, thus resultign in the need to manually ensure the updates commence.

Good luck – and remember you heard it here first!