UPDATE Avast DeepScreen technology has been terminated and replaced by the Avast CyberCapture from the Nitro Update release.
DeepScreen is an advanced technology for running “unknown” applications inside the safe environment. It helps to determine whether the file is malicious or not. It has been introduced in Avast 2014 and it continues to exists in Avast 2015 and 2016. Sometimes it’s also being misspelled as DeepScan or Deep Scan.
It is available in all Avast antivirus solutions, including the free version (Free Antivirus, Pro Antivirus, Internet Security and Premier). In all versions it is turned on by default.
How Avast DeepScreen Works
When you open a program which is not used by many others Avast users, DeepScreen will automatically scan this application to make sure it’s clean. DeepScreen basically executes the file in the virtual environment and monitors its behavior. So it’s definitely an extremely useful security feature.
Avast DeepScreen Runs the Application in the Safe Virtual Environment Before Starting it on Your System
All this happens when the following pop-up notification ‘A program is being analyzed. The analysis takes about 15 seconds‘ appears:
Avast DeepScreen Pop-up ‘A program is being analyzed’ During the File Scan
When file passes the scan as a clean one, it is automatically added to exclusion list so next time Avast won’t run a DeepScreen on it. However DeepScreen may be sometimes a bit annoying because the scan usually takes a really long time, even though the pop-up says it will take only about 15 seconds. Or you know the application is totally safe, so there is no need to scan it.
Avast DeepScreen Pop-up ‘No problems found’ Confirming the Program is Safe to Run
So here are two ways how to disable Avast DeepScreen feature in the 2016 version. First way is to disable the feature completely, second way is skipping DeepScreen for selected files using Avast Exclusions. We definitely recommend keep the DeepScreen turned on and use the exceptions if needed.
1. Disable Avast DeepScreen Completelly Forever
To completely turn off DeepScreen in your Avast antivirus 2016 follow these steps:
- Open Avast user interface and go to settings (cog wheel icon in the top-right corner)
- In the ‘General‘ tab (first item) uncheck ‘Enable DeepScreen‘
- Confirm by clicking the ‘OK‘ button
Disabling the Avast DeepScreen Completely in the Avast 2016
Now Avast DeepScreen is turned off and disabled. To enable it back, just follow the same procedure. Change takes effect immediately, there is no need to restart your computer.
2. Add Program to Avast DeepScreen Exclusion List
Much smarter way then disabling DeepScreen completely is using the exclusion list. When you add the application to the DeepScreen exceptions, it will always pass the scan and open the file without any warning or delay. Unfortunately it is not possible to exclude whole folders from DeepScreen.
Follow these steps to add any file to DeepScreen exclusions in Avast 2016:
- Open Avast user interface and go to settings (cog wheel icon in the top-right corner)
- In the ‘General‘ tab (first item) scroll down to ‘Exclusions‘
- Switch to ‘DeepScreen’ tab and add the application by browsing to its file path. If you are not sure what exactly you should exclude, check the file path on the DeepScreen pop-up
- Confirm by clicking the ‘OK‘ button
Adding the Files to Avast DeepScreen Exclusions in Avast 2016
Now Avast DeepScreen is disabled for the applications you have added to the exception list. To learn check out our full guide about managing exclusions in Avast.
Additional Notes
Although we have used Avast Free Antivirus 2019 screenshots in this article, these steps are also applicable for all Avast Antivirus solutions (i.e. also for Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, or Avast Premier) running the latest version available.
Steps are relevant for all Windows versions – Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (including Anniversary Update).
Managing exceptions or turning off Avast protection may leave your computer at risk.
Avast DeepScreen technology has been terminated and replaced by the Avast CyberCapture from the Nitro Update release.
Virtually every computer user understands that they need protection from online threats. But what is still a common misconception is that you must pay loads of money for it. Norton, McAfee or any of the other big name antivirus companies aren’t the only options. In fact, many reputable free antivirus programsFree Anti-Virus Comparison: 5 Popular Choices Go Toe-To-ToeFree Anti-Virus Comparison: 5 Popular Choices Go Toe-To-ToeWhat is the best free antivirus? This is among the most common questions we receive at MakeUseOf. People want to be protected, but they don’t want to have to pay a yearly fee or use..Read More are just as effective as the ones you would pay for, and avast! Free Antivirus is definitely one that we feel stands with the best Windows antivirus programs.
How Can It Be Free?
Great question — avast!, like some of the other popular free antivirus programs such as Avira and AVG, uses its free program as a promotion to get you to like the product enough to upgrade to a premium version. The free version in itself is just as effective and includes excellent antivirus detection technology and real-time protection from all types of malwareWhat Is The Difference Between A Worm, A Trojan & A Virus? [MakeUseOf Explains]What Is The Difference Between A Worm, A Trojan & A Virus? [MakeUseOf Explains]Some people call any type of malicious software a 'computer virus,' but that isn't accurate. Viruses, worms, and trojans are different types of malicious software with different behaviors. In particular, they spread themselves in very..Read More. However, if you’re looking for more than just the essential protection from avast!, you’ll want to upgrade.
Key Features & Highlights
- Background/real-time scanning
- Scheduling and automatic definition updates
- Hands-off, set-and-forget usage
- Intuitive user interface
- Bloatware-free installation
- Light impact on system resources
Additional Useful Features
- Software Updater (manual)
- Browser Cleanup
- Remote Assistance (for both parties)
- Optional Browser Extension
What You Can Expect From avast!
Immediately you’ll appreciate the clean, user-friendly interface which allows for easy navigation around the program to adjust settings and program functions. When avast! is scanning your computer, you won’t even know it. I ran a Quick Scan while writing this article with 12 tabs open in Chrome, and running the other following programs all at once: Windows Live Writer, Evernote, Greenshot, and RIOT in combination with 91 other background processes.
So don’t worry about running avast! on a computer with fewer resources to offer. In fact, I will go as far to say that avast! is the perfect antivirus for those small computers with less RAM and small processors. Although there are some adjustments you will want to make initially, which I’ll cover throughout the article, there isn’t any reason you will need to visit them after setting them once, unless you’re the kind of person who likes to explore programs and tinker around with the details, which avast! allows you to do as well.
Downloading & Installing avast!
Unless you’re starting out with a new computerGetting A New Computer, Part 3: Essential Programs & How To Efficiently Install ThemGetting A New Computer, Part 3: Essential Programs & How To Efficiently Install ThemOne of the great things about a new computer is that you get to reassess what programs you really need and even try new ones that perhaps you haven't tried because you already had a..Read More and using a website such as Ninite.com, go to avast.com, click the blue “Go To Download” button and click the first “Download” button under “Essential avast! Free Antivirus”.
When installing any program, I always recommend choosing the “custom” or “advanced” installation option, rather than the “regular” or “recommended” installation.
Getting in the habit of doing this will all programs will help keep any unwanted tag-along software off your computerA Simple Checklist To Safely Installing Free Software Without All The JunkA Simple Checklist To Safely Installing Free Software Without All The JunkPicture this - you've just found this awesome free software that you are stoked about because of all that it can do for you, but when you install it, you discover that it is packed..Read More and ensure you know exactly what you’re installing. Often times, programs, avast! included, come with additional features or programs such as “avast! Remote Assistance” or “SecureLine”. These are features within avast!, that unless you intend to pay for them, you won’t be able to use. So if you don’t plan on using these, you can simply uncheck the box.
Another option you may or may not want is the “Browser protection” feature which installs an extension into your browser. If you already use a similar tool, such as Web Of Trust, and are happy with it, you can uncheck this option as well.
The rest of the installation is easy and straightforward. Avast! takes it upon itself to make a restore pointHow To Make Sure Windows System Restore Works When You Need ItHow To Make Sure Windows System Restore Works When You Need ItSystem restore is not an automatic feature in Windows 7. Usually it is enabled when you've purchased a new system, but after running updates, installing system tools or running any other list of tasks that..Read More during the installation, which is always nice.
IMPORTANT: As with any antivirus software, be sure you have uninstalled any previous antivirus software prior to starting the avast! installation. The only exception being in Windows 8, where Windows Defender will automatically disable itself and display a prompt asking if you’d like to allow avast! to run.
Registering For avast!
After installing, avast! will automatically run the initial scan, although you will need to set up a schedule scan to accompany the real-time protection. Before you do that though, you must register in order to use avast! for free, which is a quick and painless process.
During this time you may be given the option to upgrade, just continue with the normal registration.
It can be easy to, in the motion of things, accidentally click the “green button” instead of a lighter colored or smaller button and wonder why you’re being asked to pay for a free program. Just remember that avast! is free, but they have to make their money somehow in order to supply a free antivirus app to happy users like us.
On that note, avast! is really not too bad about upgrade prompts. There’s a banner at the bottom of some windows, and some features have an unobtrusive upgrade button for additional options, but other than that, it’s not nearly as bad as some of the other free antiviruses with pop-up windows every time you open the program. There will be the occasional pop-up, but it never has become a nuisance to me. Just click the “X” and go about your business.
If you are using vellum or laser acetate then drop down to 45lpi.If the job is Index Color (no halftone) the art department MUST have the job at the final print size and around 200dpi resolution before they separate it. The resolution will be the size of the small square pixels/dots and these will be VERY SMALL on the films and a typical screen maker comment is “we can’t burn that.” Read the following.Screen MakingAll screens should be properly tensioned.
Familiarizing With Features And Settings
You’ll quickly find that avast! has an awesome, easy-to-use user interface. The collapsible sidebar allows you to quickly navigate through the different sections of the program.
Status Page
The Status page displays the basic information such as whether everything is up to date and if the File System, Mail and Web shields are active. These are all turned on by default, but if you’d like to adjust their individual settings, you can do so via the Settings button and then clicking “Active Protection”. There are four customizable squares on the Status page that you can right click and link to various parts of the program for quick access.
Scan Page
There are several types of scans you can choose and run manually: quick scan, full system scan, removable media scan, select folder scan, and boot-time scan. With each one you select, there is also a settings link (blue) that allows you to access scheduling, sensitivity, scan areas and file types, exclusions, additional actions, and more.
Most of the default settings will suffice, although you will need to set up a scheduled scan. Refer to the image below for some brief instructions. In the bottom right corner of the Scan page there are links to the Quarantine (Virus Chest), scan history and a custom scan.
Tools
By hovering your cursor over the Tools link, a menu of additional features is displayed. Such tools include Software Updater, Browser Cleanup and Rescue Disk. Note that in the screenshot above, SecureLine and AccessAnywhere are also present, but those will cost you in order to take advantage of them (you may remember me mentioning in the beginning that you can choose to uncheck those features if you don’t intend to use them).
Software Updater (not automatic)
Browser Cleanup
Rescue Disk
My Devices Page
In order to access your devices, you must first log in, and if you haven’t created a password for your avast! account, you’ll need to do that. Afterwards though, you’ll be able to see all the different devices you have avast! installed on. Notice that avast! isn’t available solely on PC — there is also an avast! Android appAvast! Introduces Free Mobile Security App For Android 2.1+ [News]Avast! Introduces Free Mobile Security App For Android 2.1+ [News]There are plenty of free mobile security apps available for Android. The market seems to be filled to the brim with them. Yet it’s hard to say if they’re trustworthy because often they’re developed by..Read More, which is one of the 4 must-install apps for your new Android phoneNew Android Phone? Here Are The 4 Apps You Must Install Right AwayNew Android Phone? Here Are The 4 Apps You Must Install Right AwayWere you the lucky recipient of a new Android phone over the holidays? If you were, you are in for a real treat.Read More. If you’re a Mac user, there is a compatible version available for you as well.
Microsoft Quick Scan
Help Pages
Hovering over the “Help” button displays a menu with pages for Support, Feedback, Remote Assistance, About, and Tutorial. As someone who does a bit of technical support, Remote Assistance is an excellent feature that is easy to use without having to tell a client to go to a website and download a program.
Stats Pages
The next button down opens up stats for avast!, both personal and global. From the “Your Stats” button, you can view realtime data, historical data, and component status (pictured below).
Global stats cover Security Statistics, such as Streaming Updates, Infected Domains and Prevented Attacks, and User Statistics including Active Devices, OS Versions and User Demographics.
Settings
The second-to-last button in the sidebar is the settings. Here you can adjust numerous features and set avast! exactly how you would like in the following areas of General, Active Protection, Antivirus, Appearance, Updates, Registration, Tools, and Troubleshooting. Some (not all) of the settings you’ll probably find most useful are highlighted below.
General Settings
Here you will be able to set a password to protect various parts of avast!, toggle Silent/Gaming Mode, manage some maintenance settings and backup/restore previous settings.
Active Protection
Shield status was mentioned towards the beginning of the article when covering the Status page. This is where you can adjust the File System, Mail and Web shields individually. The defaults for these should suffice, but should you want to explore their settings more, this is where you can do that.
Antivirus
A new feature in avast! Free Antivirus is Hardened Mode (pictured above). Hardened Mode is unchecked by default, but created in mind of inexperienced users who could get themselves into trouble and for administrators who want to lock down settings while still enabling accounts. This mode only allows for known, whitelisted software to install, based the avast! community database.
Appearance
The defaults here all are likely what you’ll want. However, there is one setting that will concern most users and is also slightly difficult to find — the sound. You will notice that avast! has audible alerts and this can be annoying to many. The confusing thing is that the setting to adjust this is under Appearance.
“Sounds” will be second in line under “Language” and there will be a check box to toggle sounds as well as a dropdown menu titled “Sound settings” that will be collapsed by default. I don’t recommend disabling all sounds. Instead what I recommend is unchecking the “Scan complete” and “Automatic update” check boxes, and leaving the other three checked. If you ever need to change it, it’s always a few clicks away and now you know where to go. You can also disable voiceover sounds if you don’t want to hear the woman’s voice.
Update
By default, avast! updates virus definitions on its own without you needing to set anything. For program version updates, the default is set to “ask when an update is available”, but this can be changed to automatic as well.
Auto-update will occur every 240 minutes, but you can adjust this as well. And remember those ad popups mentioned earlier in the article? Those can be prevented by unchecking “Show notification box after automatic update.” The trade-off for this is that any sort of notification of when avast! is updated is also disabled.
Browser Protection
Paired with avast!’s real-time scanning is an optional browser extension to protect you from malicious websites. As stated earlier, this is a very similar tool to Web Of Trust, which is probably the number one browser extension for safeguarding against harmful websitesBrowse Safely With Your Own Internet Bodyguard Called WOTBrowse Safely With Your Own Internet Bodyguard Called WOTRead More. The extension comes with an intuitive interface, which is triggered when you click the avast! logo button in the browser. The settings are easy to adjust too. For more settings, there’s a convenient button in the bottom right corner of the extension sidebar.
Final Thoughts
Since Microsoft Security Essentials got some negative feedback on missing infections, avast! has become my antivirus of choice, as well as what I recommend to anyone who asks. Coupling its very reputable presence among security experts with an intuitive design, what more could you ask for?
Do you use avast! or do you prefer another antivirus program?
Download:avast! Free Antivirus
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- Avast let me down and I didn't have the free version. Full of Malware and in fact it turned OFF the Avast. Nice. guess all good things must come to an end.
- You can get lots of softwares from http://www.gfxhead.com undesr softwares category
- There is secure hunter as well not sure they out yet
- Bundle this with HitmanPro! One beast of a secondary scanner!
- Having just given up Norton .. slowed down my system a lot.. I am trying to decide between Avast and Trend... any comments?
- Had TrendMicro Didn't Like, Went to McAfee FREE from my ISP Service ..
- avg's cleaning capacity is very poor. Better to use ms security essentials as it cleans malware very well than avg but ms is resource intensive. I mostly saw positive reviews regarding avast but does it fare well in cleaning than ms security essentials?
- i have used Avast for almost 5 Years and I m totally impressed with it!
Minimal Impact on System Resources and great detection. i never need an another antivirus ever:) - I've used a lot of Anti-Viruses for the past few years and Avast and Avira are the once I alternately use. Norton turned me off before what a bloatware and it tells you everything has virus XD ESET NOD32 on the other note is very noisy. Kaspersky not a fan also a bloatware. AVG detects fake viruses.
- Had Avast but got Norton since we got it as a package deal.
Now I can't get Avast off my PC. Won't uninstall and is bugging me silly because it has expired,
How the heck do I axe it without totally 'nuking' the hard drive?? - The download button on the Avast home page takes you to CNET download.com CNET has a rep for bundling downloads with spyware, downloaders, toolbars. Is the download a clean one? CNET has been know to bundle spyware with antivirus software downloads.http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/cnet-download-com-not-so-spyware-free/2148
http://insecure.org/news/download-com-fiasco.html
http://www.billhartzer.com/pages/cnet-downloads-now-come-with-a-bonus-unwanted-programs-and-spyware/ - Perhaps this product has improved. I installed it on three Macintosh computers several years ago. After a short time, I noticed all three machines seemed to be reacting slower, and occasionally hanging up - a behavior highly uncharacteristic of Mac OS X. I removed Avast from one of the machines. As I recall that took some doing. The problems disappeared. So, I removed it from the other machines and again no more slow response and no more hanging up. As I said, the product may be better now. This is just a caution. Having been burned once ..
- I have been using Avast for several years and have found it to be effective and lightweight. And fun - I switched the language to Pirate Talk, so many of the messages are much more exciting now!
- I've used avast! for the last 2 years and find it works great with my older PC and doesn't take up the room that AVG did.
Annoying pop ups? I guess I turned that off as I don't get them at all!
Last night it found a huge virus I hadn't realized I picked up somewhere and automatically but it into it's 'vault', not on my PC and it's gone.
I highly recommend the free Version. - You need to ask yourself if you are getting the same protection with Bitdefender as you got with Avast. The fact that Bitdefender is not slowing down your PC may just mean that it is not searching as throughly as Avast.I am just asking a question, I am not partial to either product. I use Linux.
- I had used avast for years, but it does slow computers down I had nothing running on my laptop apart from Skype and it slowed my computer down and even made skype's video block up. I now use bit defender with the most simple interface it has it is so easy to use and does not have a annoying pop ups or any annoying voices to say 'avast database upgraded'
- Thanks very useful review i agree with you.
- Last time I'd used Avast, I had a hard time figuring out how to uninstall it. Mac users, should use the installer dmg to uninstall Avast.Also if you have ClamXav installed, you'll to remove it to install Avast.
- I am also Aast user from past 2 years , One thing that I likes in Avast is Advanced Site Blocking , you can list any site which you don't like to see you can list that and avast will block that on you pc.
- Here's what is really SICK! Downloaded the latest Windows 8.1 upgrade and started to install. Up pops a window that tells me I need to uninstall several programs and apps before I can finish the Windows upgrade! And guess what one of their needed uninstalls was? Avast Antivirus! WTF?!!
- Many AVs might get in the way of a system upgrade/update as it tries to modify system files or terminate services to do it.
Its normal and its a preventive mechanism because if your install blue screens after installation because avast quarantined a file, you will be quite angry and also probably blame windows as you are doing now, and everyone does..
Video drivers crashes on linux, people say 'f u nvidia and your bad drivers'.
Video drivers crashes on windows, people say 'f u windows, why you no work?'So I've been given permission by i2Bros to act as an exceptional tester, and provide some. Jan 13, 2019 - The aim of this project is to give Star Wars Battlefront II players the feeling. Conquest mode with Phase 2 clones and late seasons heroes (3-6). I got the chance to get early access to a pretty cool mod for Star Wars: Battlefront 2 that adds in a bunch of. Jan 5, 2019 - Star Wars Battlefront II mod Released 2016. The Star Wars Battlefront Clone Wars Era Mod focuses on. BattlefrontII 2018 12 08 19 58 2. Star wars battlefront 2 youtube. Mod: Graphics Mod: https://www.moddb.com.
- Using Avast for 5 years. it's the best antivirus ever. i likes that sounds and popups too…
- There is no doubt that Avast is the best free anti-virus around. I have used AVG and Avast is significantly better. The boot time scan is probably its best feature for dealing with an infected computer. After running malwarebytes, install Avast and run that boot-time scan. You will see that it finds and eradicates malware that malwarebytes misses. That being said, it is imperative to do a custom install and remove most of the extras, specifically the software updater which can become a real PITA when it slows the system down for the sake of updates you really don't need. I have also experienced problems installing or updating Avast on some computer configs, including one of my own where after the lamest support ever from Avast, I was forced to get Avira free instead. I'd rather have Avast, but for some unknown reason it screwed everything up after the last major program update and had to be uninstalled.
- Avast user here. I like it so much I pay for the Pro version. Recommend it to anyone / everyone!!!
- Why should I choose Avast! over AVG Free 2014? I don't see anything to specifically recommend Avast!, aside from the nagging upgrade popups in AVG, and I like the fact that AVG doesn't require my email address, and it upgrades to the newest version regularly (sometimes an engine upgrade, sometimes the annual version upgrade).
- AVG is much more more resource intensive on the same hardware. Avast Free is relatively lightweight for an antivirus product. AVG was a solid product that has gotten steadily worse. Current versions are pretty much in the same 'turn your PC in to a boat anchor' category as many other common Windows security products.Avast's for-pay version also suffers from that issue, but the free version is a big step up.
- I apologize, replace the 'Web Of cane' on 'Web Of Trust'
- I once stood Web Of cane, but started having problems with flash in Mozilla Firefox and had to abandon it
- Awesome write-up! I'm going to send this guide to people who I recommend avast! to from now on, because there is a lot to do once it's installed. I love avast! - it hasn't disappointed me yet.
I'd definitely recommend turning off the pop-ups for automatic updates. You surely want to be notified about malware, but not every time the database updates itself. - Avast user for many years.Seems like the pop ups have become more numerous over the past year, but not enough to make me switch to something else.You can set the duration of most popups. Security popups I have set to 30 seconds, while I try to keep anything else to about 5 seconds.Do agree, that it feels light on resources though.I like it a lot.
- I have used Avast for many years, and I recommend it to anyone who doesn't currently have an anti-virus. That said, the pop-ups really annoy me. They show me the same pop-up several times a day, often for several days. I have a pet peeve futility, and dismissing the exact same pop-up so many times is torture for me.
Avast Antivirus provides a range of scans to protect your PC from malware. You can also create your own scan and specify the parameters. Refer to the sections in this article for details about the following Virus Scans:
- Smart Scan: a comprehensive scan that detects malware, out-of-date software, browser add-ons with poor reputations, network threats, and performance issues.
- Full Virus Scan: a predefined, in-depth scan of your system that checks your storage drives and memory for malware (including rootkits).
- Targeted Scan: scans the folders you select when you initiate the scan.
- Boot-Time Scan: scans your PC during the next system startup before any malware is launched. Running a Boot-Time Scan during startup improves the chances of detecting and removing malware before it can attack your PC.
- Custom scans: scans your PC according to the parameters that you specified for your scan.
- Explorer Scan: scans specific files or folders directly from your desktop via File Explorer.
Run a scan
- Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
- Run your preferred scan:
- Smart Scan: Click the Run Smart Scan button.
- Full Virus Scan: Click the Full Virus Scan tile.
- Targeted Scan: Click the Targeted Scan tile, then select the file or folder you want to scan, and click OK.
- Boot-Time Scan: Click the Boot-Time Scan tile, then click Run On Next PC Reboot.
- Custom scans: Click the Custom scans tile, then click Scan Now on the panel for the scan you want to run.
To run Explorer Scan, right-click a file or folder on your desktop or in File Explorer, then select Scan selected items for viruses in the menu that appears.
Create a custom scan
To create a custom scan:
- Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
- Click the Custom scans tile.
- Click Create A New Scan.
- Define the scan parameters. The following parameters are available:
- Scan name: type a name for your scan into the text box.
Customize your scan
- Scan type: select either Full Virus Scan or Targeted Scan depending on what you want your scan to check on your PC.
- Frequency: define how often your scan runs.
Advanced settings
- Sensitivity (Medium by default): the higher the sensitivity, the higher the protection and potential for false positive malware detection. Lower sentivity reduces the potential for false positive detections, but may reduce the effectiveness of the scan.
- Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
- Follow links during scan: enables Avast to scan other files used by the files being scanned for potentially harmful content.
- Test whole files: enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
- Scan priority: use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (Medium priority by default).
Scan areas
- All Harddisks: enables Avast to scan all hard drives on your PC.
- System drive: the options in this section apply to data that is stored on physical devices such as hard drives and USB sticks.
- All Removable media: enables Avast to scan applications that launch automatically when you insert a USB or other removable device into your PC. Scanning removable media may take a long time due to speed limitations.
- Rootkits: enables Avast to scan for hidden threats in the system.
- CD-ROM & DVD drives: enables Avast to scan CD and DVD drives for malicious content.
- Modules loaded in memory: enables Avast to scan applications and processes that launch after system startup or run in the background.
Packers and Archives
- Scan most common used types: archive commonly used file types such as .zip, .rar, and other executable or installer archives.
- Scan all types of archives: the scan analyzes all archive files, which significantly increases the scan duration.
- Don't scan archives: disables Full Virus Scan from scanning archive files.
File Types
- Content based types (slow): scans files that are typically most vulnerable to malware attacks.
- Name extension based types (fast): scans files with only risky extensions, such as .exe, .com, .bat.
- Scan all files (very slow): scans all files on your PC for malware.
- Perform automatic actions during this scan: tick this option to enable it, then define the automatic action Avast will perform when an infected file is found.
- Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your PC after your scan completes.
- Generate report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically after the scan completes.
- Exceptions: click View exceptions, click Add Exception, then locate a file, folder, or web page that will not be scanned by your new custom scan.
Parameters for new Custom scans will save automatically and can be reconfigured at any time. To run a new Custom scan, go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Custom scans, then click Scan Now next to the scan you want to run.
Process scan results
After a scan completes, Avast displays all found issues. You can resolve the issues directly on the results screen, or configure each Virus Scan to resolve issues automatically upon detection.
Some detections may require a separate paid license to resolve.
Smart Scan
To learn more about resolving found issues after Smart Scan completes, refer to the following article:
Other Virus Scans
You can define how each scan automatically reacts to a found issue.
- Open the Avast user interface and go to ☰Menu ▸ Settings.
- Click Protection in the left panel, and ensure Virus Scans is selected.
- Click the scan you want to define automatic behavior for.
- Scroll down, tick the box next to Perform automatic actions during this scan, then select which action you want Avast to perform when an issue is found. The following actions are available:
- Fix automatically: Avast attempts to repair the file. If unsuccessful, the file is moved to the Virus Chest. If that fails, Avast deletes the file.
- Move file to Virus Chest: Avast sends the file directly to the Virus Chest where the file cannot harm your system.
- Delete file: Avast permanently removes the file from your PC.
If you want Avast to do nothing when an infected file is found, untick the box next to Perform automatic actions during this scan (not recommended). To manage unresolved scan detections at any time, go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Scan history.
Special cases
For incomplete scans, an error message indicating the reason the scan was unable to complete is visible on the scanning screen. Although there are many different reasons a scan may be unable to complete, some of the most common reasons are:
- Archive is password protected: indicates that the file is password protected. Some programs use password protected archives to store their data even if you did not set the password. Depending on your scan settings, only the 'wrapper' file is scanned while the archive content is not.
- Archive is corrupted: indicates that the file may be corrupt because it was only partially downloaded or saved to your harddisk, or that it is a special type of archive.
- The process cannot access the file because of another process: indicates that another process or program was accessing the file during the scan.
- The file is a decompression bomb: indicates that the file was too large to be decompressed for malware analysis. Decompression of large files generates vast amounts of data which can cause your system to be unstable or cause it to crash.
Files that are stored in archives cannot harm your system unless they are decompressed.
Adjust scan settings
Although customizable settings are available for some Virus Scans, we recommend you only modify settings for Custom scans. To configure scan settings:
- Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
- Click Settings (the gear icon) in the top-right corner of the Virus Scans screen.
- Select the scan you want to adjust settings for.
- Configure your preferred settings.
For more information about Virus Scan settings, refer to the following article:
Create and use Rescue Disk
If you suspect your PC is infected with malware and all other Virus Scans (including the Boot-Time scan) were unable to resolve the issue, you can use Rescue Disk. Rescue Disk enables you to scan your PC when your system is not running. This method significantly increases your chances of detecting and removing malware because the malware is detected before it is able to counteract.
For more information about Rescue Disk, refer to the following article:
Review scan history
To review scan history:
- Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
- Click Scan history.
- Hover your cursor over a scan panel, then click the down arrow to see the scan details.
Click the red X in the top-left corner to return to the main Virus Scans screen.
- Avast Ultimate 19.x
- Avast Premier 19.x
- Avast Internet Security 19.x
- Avast Pro Antivirus 19.x
- Avast Free Antivirus 19.x
- Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit