Whitelisting the Viewer in Anti Virus Software
For instructions for Phoenix, please refer here.
Introduction
Some anti-virus programs will incorrectly flag a viewer - or necessary components of a viewer - as a virus or threat. They may remove the suspected part completely, rendering all or part of the viewer non-functional. There is nothing we can do about this. However, it should be possible for you to tell your anti-virus that the viewer is safe; you will need to whitelist the viewer program as well as some components.
The following is a list of anti-virus software and how to whitelist. Naturally we cannot provide instructions for all existing anti-virus software, and the information here may be outdated. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you consult the software manual for the specific program you use, for accurate and up to date information.
Reinstalling and Whitelisting
Here are the steps to follow to reinstall and whitelist a viewer in such as way that the anti-virus program doesn't “mangle” the viewer yet again:
Uninstall the viewer normally.
Disable the anti-virus software completely (in a few cases, this requires rebooting to make sure that the AV is not running anymore).
Reinstall the viewer, but make sure you do not install it back to the default folder suggested; install to a new folder. This step is vital.
In your anti-virus program, whitelist the following, per the instructions below (or better, consult the manual for your anti-virus software):
the viewer install folder
inside this, the viewer itself (firestorm.exe), slplugin.exe, slvoice.exe and llceflib_host.exe (for FS 4.7.7 and later).
the viewer cache folder
In its default location, the folder is hidden on most OSs. To find it, you will need to show hidden folders. Now you need to locate the cache folder:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\Local Settings\Application Data\Firestorm
Windows Vista/7/8/10: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Firestorm
Mac: /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Caches/Firestorm
Run the viewer to ensure that it is working correctly; do a test of search and voice to ensure that both work, checking that the respective plugins get loaded. Log out of the viewer.
Re-enable your anti-virus software and run the viewer again, repeating the tests above.
Whitelisting Steps for Specific AV Software
Avast
Open the Avast User Interface
Click Real-time shields
Click File system shield
Click Expert Settings
Click Exclusions
Click Add
Click Browse and navigate to the Firestorm install folder
Click OK
Repeat for the Firestorm cache folder
Click OK all the way out
AVG
Open the AVG user interface.
Click Tools→Advance Settings.
Resident Shield→Exceptions.
The Add the program (or file, directory) you wish to be excluded from scans.
Bit Defender
Please refer to this page.
F-Secure
(derrived from https://community.f-secure.com/t5/Security-for-PC/How-do-I-exclude-a-file-or/ta-p/15398)
Open Computer Security.
On the main page of Computer Security, click Settings.
Select Computer Security > Virus and spyware scanning.
Select Other settings > Manual scanning.
Click the Exclude files from the scan link. The Exclude from scanning dialog is displayed.
Select the Objects tab.
Select the Exclude objects (files, folders…) check box.
Click Add.
Navigate to and select the Firestorm install folder
Click Add again
Navigate to and select the Firestorm cache folder
Click OK to close the Exclude from scanning dialog.
Gatekeeper (Mac OS X)
If Gatekeeper prevents you from opening Firestorm, there is a simple workaround: See “How to open an app from a unidentified developer and exempt it from Gatekeeper” on this page. Once you have allowed Firestorm to open via this method, Gatekeeper will not flag it on subsequent launches (until you reinstall Firestorm again).
For a longer-term method, please visit here for a tutorial on whitelisting using the Gatekeeper software.
Kaspersky
In order to create an exclusion rule:
Open application settings window.
Select Protection on the left.
Click the Trusted Zone button in the Exclusions block.
Go to the tab Exclusion rules and click Add.
Select an exclusion type in the Properties field: Object and/or Threat type.
Object
Click select object and choose a file, folder or a mask to exclude.
Select a Component in the corresponding field. The rule will apply to the selected component.
Threat type. Click enter threat type to select a file, folder or a mask to exclude.
Rules can apply to the following protection components:
Virus scan,
File Anti-Virus,
Mail Anti-Virus (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only),
Proactive Defense (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only),
Web Anti-Virus (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only).
A scan if a disk or folder containing excluded objects scans the entire disk/folder except the excluded objects. Yet you can force scan excluded objects from the contextual menu (by right-clicking).
Also you can create an exclusion rule from within a report window:
Right-click the report object you want excluded.
Choose the option Add to Trusted Zone.
An Exclusion rule window will open. Make sure that you are satisfied with the new exclusion rule settings. Object name and threat type fields are assigned automatically on the basis of the report data. Click OK to create the rule.
Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender
For Win 10 (possibly also Windows 8.x):
Open Settings and in the search field at the top right enter defender
Click the Windows Defender Settings option.
Exclude the cache
Click Add an Exclusion
Click Exclude a folder
Click in the address bar and type %LOCALAPPDATA% and press Enter
Click the Firestorm folder
Click the Exclude this folder button
Repeat this if you have more than one Firestorm folder (64-bit and 32-bit, for example)
Exclude the viewer executables
Click the Exclude a .exe, .com or .scr process button
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Firestorm-Release64
Click Firestorm-bin
Click the Exclude This file button
Repeat this for SLPlugin and SLVoice - and llceflib_host (for FS 4.7.7 and later).
Repeat this for 32-bit Firestorm ( C:\Program Files (x86) )
Norton
Add exclusion to Auto-Protect and Risk scan
Start Norton 360.
Click Settings.
Click Antivirus Protection.
On the Scans and Risks tab, under Exclusion/Low Risks, click Configure next to Scan Exclusions.
Under Scan Exclusions, click Add.
Browse and select the disk drive or folder or file you would like to exclude and click OK. If you want to include subfolders within the folder, check Include Subfolders.
Under Auto-Protect Exclusions, click Add.
Browse and select the disk drive or folder or file you would like to exclude and click OK. If you want to include subfolders within the folder, check Include Subfolders.
Click Apply > OK.
Click Apply > Close
Download Intelligence
Norton Internet Security includes a feature called Download Intelligence. This works such that the user community reports downloads as good or bad. While this may be very helpful, it can also be unfairly detrimental to programs, especially when they are updated as they are then treated as totally new.
Therefore, if you use Download Intelligence, you are urged to disable it before attempting to download any of our viewers, in order to avoid them being incorrectly reported as infected with a virus. Refer to this page for instructions.
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free (version 2.1.1)
Click on the “Antivirus” section of the UI.
Click on “Advanced Settings” (bottom of the panel current version)
Click on “Exclusions” tab
Choose “Add”, then navigate to your Firestorm installation folder and put a check in the box to the left of slplugin.exe (and llceflib_host.exe for FS 4.7.7 and later), and everything else you want to exclude. Once you've checked something, the “exclude” button at the bottom of the panel is enabled. Click it when you've finished checking off everything you want to exclude.
Click “OK” at the bottom of the “Exclusions” tab.
See this page for additional Panda tips for whitelisting files and folders: http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/downloads/docs/product/help/is/2012/en/709.htm The page is out of date but the methods may still work.
PC Tools Spyware Doctor
Right click PC Tools icon in taskbar → Open
Go to Settings → Global action list
Click “Add”, choose “File” & browse to your Firestorm installation folder & choose slplugin.exe - and llceflib_host.exe (for FS 4.7.7 and later).
This will add the plugin(s) to the global whitelist.
WebRoot
To date (August 2015), there is no way to whitelist the entire cache folder in WebRoot. Therefore WebRoot may continue to cause severe problems including slow rezzing and viewer freezing.
If you test with WebRoot off and find your SL experience greatly improved, the only suggestion we have is to choose another antivirus program.
Some more more info on Webroot and the problems it has been known to cause, see this page.
For additional information:
https://community.webroot.com/t5/Webroot-for-Business/how-to-set-file-and-folder-exclusions-in-the-webroot-console/td-p/189775
https://community.webroot.com/t5/Webroot-SecureAnywhere-Antivirus/How-to-exclude-a-folder-from-being-scanned-in-the-latest-WSA-AV/td-p/78063