Booting from a CD

Note: The instructions here are only intended as a guide. Refer to your computer manual for detailed information about setting BIOS options.

The easiest way to run the virus-cleaning software on the CITES Antivirus CD is to reboot your computer with the CD in your CD or DVD drive and allow CleanBoot (included on the CD) to scan your entire system before Windows starts.

CleanBoot is dependent upon the BIOS in your computer, and if the BIOS is not up-to-date or has missing features, some parts of CleanBoot may not be able to work. BIOSes are constantly being improved and manufacturers release regular updates. You can check with the manufacturer of your computer(s) to make sure that your BIOS is up-to-date.

Computers older than 1998 may not be able to use CleanBoot

If the BIOS date in your computer is earlier than 1998, your computer may not give you the option to boot off of a CD rather than a hard drive. In this case, you won't be able to use the CleanBoot software, and should boot Windows into Safe Mode and read the directions on the CD in order to use Windows-based antivirus scanning and removal tools.

To set your computer BIOS to boot from a CD

1. Restart your computer. Watch the start-up instructions that are displayed on-screen.
   
   A message will be displayed instructing you to press a named key (often F2, F12, or Delete) to go into settings/setup/configuration. (The key and the message will vary according to the type of computer that you are running.)
   
   Press this key to enter the BIOS setup mode.
   
   (If your computer is particularly fast, it may remove the message before you have the chance to press the key; in this case, try pressing the key once a second, starting the moment you reboot.)
   
   Some examples:
   
   • On a Dell computer, you should hit F2 to enter the BIOS.
     
   • Other computers may require you to hit the DEL (Delete) button to enter the BIOS.
     
   • On newer computers, you may be able to hit F12 to select a temporary boot device rather than changing the permanent boot sequence in the BIOS itself. If your computer offers this option, simply select the CD or DVD drive containing the antivirus CD as your temporary boot device, and skip steps 2 and 3.
     
     
2. In the BIOS window, find the area that controls the boot sequence and rearrange the list of devices so that your CD or DVD drive is checked before your hard drive.
   
   For most situations, a suitable sequence is:
   1. A (Floppy)
   2. CDROM (or DVDROM)
   3. HD1 (or C).

   If your drives are listed in this order, then when you keep the CITES Antivirus CD in your CD or DVD drive during a reboot, your computer will be told to run CleanBoot and check for viruses on your system. (If the hard drive is listed earlier than the CD drive, your computer will not detect CleanBoot's presence and will simply boot into Windows.)

3. Save the settings and exit.
   
   
4. When your computer reboots, it will check the CD or DVD drive containing the antivirus disk before it checks the hard drive. At this point, CleanBoot will run and scan your system for viruses.