Lifehacker has an interesting tip on testing whether or not your antivirus software is running:
First, create a new text file and paste the following code into it:
X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
Then save the text as a .COM file (any name will do, like eicar.com). To test that your antivirus is doing its job, you should try emailing the file to yourself as-is as well as zipped into an archive. If you just want to test your desktop scanner, right-click the file (again, you may as well try it as-is and zipped) and tell your antivirus program to scan away.
Now, as a disclaimer, this virus test is somewhat old, and most virus detectors will pick it up so this won't be a huge indicator of how effective your AV system is, however, it will tell you if it's running at all. While some of Lifehacker's commenters don't seem to grasp why this is a great idea, consider people running a corporate IT solution that gives no indication of whether or not it's running (such as Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition).
Thanks guys! This is a good one!
via Lifehacker
[tags]EICAR, virus, antivirus[/tags]