Patent ID: 7836505

Claim:
A method of testing a plurality of files for a computer virus in which each file has one or more file portions, the method comprising: generating a list of file portions with corresponding physical address data for file portions to be tested; reading in data content corresponding to a set of multiple entries in the list of file portions, said reading performed in a data streaming manner consisting of up to three data streaming operations, comprising a first data streaming operation in a first drive head radial movement direction starting at a given cylinder and progressing to an extreme cylinder, followed by a second data streaming operation in a second radial movement direction starting from the extreme cylinder to an opposite extreme cylinder, and followed by a third data streaming operation in the first drive head radial movement direction starting from the opposite extreme cylinder; and testing the read data content against a set of virus definitions; wherein each one of said up to three data streaming operations comprises: testing a current cylinder to determine whether data content is for a file portion in said generated list; for first data content corresponding to a file portion in said generated list, reading said first data content from the tested cylinder as the drive head moves along the tested cylinder when the tested cylinder is found to include said data first data content; for second data content not corresponding to any file portion in said generated list, not reading said second data content from said tested cylinder; advancing the drive head in a radial direction to a next cylinder; and repeating the testing, reading, not reading, and advancing for duration of said one data streaming operation.