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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: john75 on June 22, 2012, 05:11:28 PM

Title: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: john75 on June 22, 2012, 05:11:28 PM

I scanned my laptop using avastfree antivirus. This worried me a little because I never saw this before. I decided to upgrade to the trial version of avast internet security in an attempt to see if it could detect a virus. It comes back with the same finding that some files can not be scanned. Can this be related to a virus that is blocking avast from working correctly.

Any help really appreciated

John
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Pondus on June 22, 2012, 05:16:49 PM
no...files that can not be scanned is not detection...just a error report and the reason

if you give more info....

what file?...... full path   
what does the error report say.....reason for not scanning ?

can you attach a screenshot of the scan result ?


Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: john75 on June 22, 2012, 09:12:46 PM
Hey,

Thanks for the reply

It says Error some files can not be scanned


 C:\Program files (x86) \...\ Evernote 3.5         Error the system can not found the path specified (3)
 C:\ Users\ All users                                         Error the system can not found the path specified (3)


Thats all it say thanks again

John
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: compmanio36 on June 22, 2012, 09:23:27 PM
Avast is probably trying to scan an entry in the Registry pointing to files that no longer exist.  If you have uninstalled something in recent months, dead links to files can be left behind.  It's nothing to worry about, Avast is just letting you know that it couldn't find where the Registry was pointing to.
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Para-Noid on June 23, 2012, 12:28:50 AM
Avast is probably trying to scan an entry in the Registry.
avast does "not" scan the registry. avast "does" scan files. For the registry use CCleaner.
@ OP    What are you using for scan settings? Are you using the default settings or did you create a custom scan?
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Charyb-0 on June 23, 2012, 12:53:55 AM
avast does "not" scan the registry. avast "does" scan files.
What? Please explain this.
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: john75 on June 23, 2012, 12:55:09 AM
Avast is probably trying to scan an entry in the Registry.
avast does "not" scan the registry. avast "does" scan files. For the registry use CCleaner.
@ OP    What are you using for scan settings? Are you using the default settings or did you create a custom scan?

I used the default settings
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: compmanio36 on June 23, 2012, 12:57:37 AM
Doesn't Avast scan the registry as far as startup items, etc to ensure it removes any entries put there by malware?  I'm pretty sure it does at least that.  Either way, "file not found" errors are not anything to be worried about when scanning.
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: nokomis on June 23, 2012, 01:09:47 AM
I'm getting this too. All the files that could not be scanned are located on my desktop and the scan log for all those files says -"Error: Archive is password protected".
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: DavidR on June 23, 2012, 01:28:51 AM
Doesn't Avast scan the registry as far as startup items, etc to ensure it removes any entries put there by malware?  I'm pretty sure it does at least that.  Either way, "file not found" errors are not anything to be worried about when scanning.

As far as I'm aware avast doesn't specifically scan the registry, should an avast scan make a detection then it may well look for associates registry entries (but this seems to be the reverse of that).

The problem here may be more to do with - following links - Scan settings, Sensitivity, Links > Follow links during scan (unchecked by default I believe, I have it off) - with references to other locations. But I can't say this with certainty as I don't know what scan it was nor what settings the OP used.

But in any case there is nothing to be concerned with.
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Para-Noid on June 23, 2012, 02:29:40 AM
I'm getting this too. All the files that could not be scanned are located on my desktop and the scan log for all those files says -"Error: Archive is password protected". I just installed IE 8, but other than that I have not downloaded or changed anything else on my computer and nothing on my desktop is password protected.
A lot of files are password protected. Especially security software ie; avast, MalwareBytes,etc. The reasons for this are obvious. Others are password protected by their authors to protect copywrite materials. For this reason avast has no way of knowing or any reason to know their passwords. These "archive" files are inert by nature and pose no problems. It's the executable files that may or may not be problematic. And that's when avast does its best work.  :)
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Lisandro on June 23, 2012, 02:47:55 AM
I wish avast! add an explanation to this log entry... Why not adding "This is just an info, not an infection" or whatever... We need to explain this ad nauseam...
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Para-Noid on June 23, 2012, 03:04:10 AM
I wish avast! add an explanation to this log entry... Why not adding "This is just an info, not an infection" or whatever... We need to explain this ad nauseam...
+1 It's not an actual error. If there is no infection, why say anything. All it does is keep the same question popping up time and time again. There is no reason, IMO, to say "error: archive is password protected". I wonder if some users create custom scans, then make too deep of scan. I cannot see any reason to do a full memory scan or to deep scan for rootkits or to scan all packers.  :)

Thanks to many users on this forum I learned the hard way. But I did learn.  8)
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: nokomis on July 01, 2012, 06:09:37 AM
I continue to get the 'some files could not be scanned' with the status of those file paths showing as 'Error: Archive is password protected'. This happens after a full scan. I'm using the free version, and I have IE 8 by the way. Here is a screen shot (I whited out my name in the file paths)
Is there any way to fix this so I can get back to the good old days when I'd do a full scan and the result was 'no threat found'.
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: AntiVirusASeT on July 01, 2012, 07:10:21 AM
currently there is no automatic way to do that. dun worry, theres nothing wrong with ur system  ;)
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Pondus on July 01, 2012, 11:21:23 AM
I wish avast! add an explanation to this log entry... Why not adding "This is just an info, not an infection" or whatever... We need to explain this ad nauseam...
+1.    and same thing with the memory scan
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: Lisandro on July 01, 2012, 08:31:24 PM
+1.    and same thing with the memory scan
Exactly... and password protected files and so on...
Title: Re: Some files can not be scanned! Is this a virus?
Post by: AntiVirusASeT on July 02, 2012, 04:57:41 AM
I wish avast! add an explanation to this log entry... Why not adding "This is just an info, not an infection" or whatever... We need to explain this ad nauseam...
+1.    and same thing with the memory scan

+1