McAfee VIRUSSCAN 4.5 Administrator's Manual page 117

Selecting this checkbox also makes the Backup the existing DAT
files, the Force Update, and the Reboot system, if needed, after
a successful update checkboxes unavailable.
You might want to use this option if you download new .DAT files
to a central server on your network and want individual client
computers to download, extract and install the new files locally.
• Force Update. Select this checkbox to tell the AutoUpdate utility to
download and install whichever .DAT file package it finds on the
target server, whether that package is more recent than your
existing .DAT files or not.
You might use this option to "refresh" .DAT files stored in your
VirusScan program directory periodically, in case your existing files
have become corrupted. This option will also circumvent any error
messages that VirusScan software might return if it doesn't find
new files on the target server at the time you have your update task
scheduled.
+
WARNING: McAfee recommends that you use this option
with extreme caution. If you have configured your
AutoUpdate task to connect to a server that stores older .DAT
file versions, you can reduce the effectiveness of your
VirusScan software and expose your computer or network to
infection from newly emerging viruses and other malicious
software. Upgrades to VirusScan program components can
also cause incompatibilities with older .DAT file versions.
These incompatibilities can, in turn, cause VirusScan software
to behave unpredictably.
2. Tell the AutoUpdate utility what you want it to do after it successfully
downloads, extracts, and installs new .DAT files. Your options are:
• Reboot system, if needed, after a successful update. Select this
checkbox to have the AutoUpdate utility restart your system after it
installs new .DAT files.
In most cases, you will not need to restart in order for VirusScan
software to use new .DAT files, but some systems will require that
you do so in order for the new files to activate. If you want to restart
your system at a more convenient time, clear this checkbox. If you
plan to run a program after updating your .DAT files, you should
also leave this checkbox clear.
Updating and Upgrading VirusScan Software
User's Guide 117