Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: topherjohn on April 18, 2014, 12:49:48 PM
-
Periodically I run a boot scan overnight and have been doing this successfully in recent years. This normally ends by booting up my Windows 7 (32 bit). A few days ago when I came to look at my PC in the morning it displayed a black background and a skeleton version of Windows (not Safe Mode) but not my full installation. There were no taskbars, no desktop icons and the barest of Windows Start menu pop-up items. Using Start I can invoke Restart and then Windows 7 loads up properly and all is well again. I've tried 3 boot scans now and the result is always the same. Fortunately I can end up with a proper Windows system but its a concern and I don't know if the boot scan actually ran to completion and worked properly (it does start up correctly and starts listing the files as they are being scanned - running overnight I haven't stayed to watch it to the end). Avast 'system drive & rootkit' scan does run properly from within W7 (it reported a few files it could not scan but I'm aware of these, they are no problem and were there when the boot scan was finishing properly.
Has anyone had the same problem and can you suggest how to fix it?
-
Periodically I run a boot scan overnight and have been doing this successfully in recent years.
boot scan is not meant to be used as a regular scanner, it is a special tool to be used if there is a problem removing a infection....
did the scan detect and remove anything?
-
Thank you Pondus. Yes I realise not normal to regularly use boot scan but of course there are some viruses which are not detectable under Windsows scan hence my boot scan once a week. When eventually I loaded up Avast and looked at the log it did no even report having done a scan which it always used to do. Hence it is possible although it started off OK it did not finish properly. Have you heard of this happening before and do you have any suggestions?
I am incidentally right up to date with latest version of Avast free.
-
Further information after doing another boot scan for investigative reasons.
1 Avast boot scan is now reporting a completed scan with no virus detected. (Previously I had Avast set for report to be deleted after zero days, now set to 10 days).
2 After completing the boot scan Avast loads up my W7 as though Windows had just been installed for the first time. ( can then 'Restart' and W7 loads up properly & system runs OK.
Can anywone suggest why this suddenly started happening about a week ago when previously W7 boot after boot scan was working OK?
-
We've had discussions here before about the AVAST boot time scan. There should be no trouble at all using it if you treat any 'problems' it detects with greatest caution ie. don't delete anything unless you know what you're doing. Hence Pondus' general warning.
If a boot time scan is done and completes, unless they have changed the way it works recently of course, then it shouldn't have resulted in what is described here. I'd be interested in an explanation too.