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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: REDACTED on October 01, 2017, 08:47:26 PM

Title: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 01, 2017, 08:47:26 PM
Hi Avast Community.
I'm a very soft user, and practically if any I just enjoy the free antivirus version with occasional scan-thru's. However, currently I need to add some files to the Exceptions list of my antivirus. From the Support desk of the publisher of my newly purchased game "Cities:Skylines", which has given me a few technical troubles since its run on here, I was lately instructed as follows: "What antivirus app do you use? Add steam.exe and cities.exe to its Exceptions list". I have honestly zero idea how to do this, and should need your basic guidance for tampering with it because it's just Greek to me. I'm a non-hitech person. Could somebody help?
Many thanks
Orrling
West Jerusalem, Israel
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: Pondus on October 01, 2017, 09:05:19 PM
FAQ section?   https://support.avast.com/support/home

Search word: excluding

Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 01, 2017, 10:50:04 PM
Thanks, pls just tell me - was it OK that I simply pasted the file name (no path!) in there, followed by clicking "Add"?
I mean, will it be fine like this - or should I have included the whole path?? Cause I couldn't browse thru to the actual file in the folder hierarchy!
/o
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: Pondus on October 01, 2017, 11:00:22 PM
I guess you will find out if it worked or not     ;)

As I can see from reading instructions, it say enter location / file path

Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: DavidR on October 01, 2017, 11:26:10 PM
Thanks, pls just tell me - was it OK that I simply pasted the file name (no path!) in there, followed by clicking "Add"?
I mean, will it be fine like this - or should I have included the whole path?? Cause I couldn't browse thru to the actual file in the folder hierarchy!
/o

You need to give the full path and file name or have wildcards for the other element of the path.

The ? is a single character and the * is a multi character wild card.
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 02, 2017, 12:01:55 AM
Oh well,
I assumed the wizard accepted my entries allowing me to click OK without any word said and quit... :-(
Sorry to realize I did eventually have to include the full path. I have little understanding in this theme, except I know what a file path is - but I somehow couldn't locate the pathtrack back down to the two files needed as exclusions: steam.exe and cities.exe; when I click "Browse", it will let me track thru the folders but not all the way to singling the file itself, just showing folders...  :-[  :-\
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: DavidR on October 02, 2017, 12:38:27 AM
You can simply select the folder and enter, so have the entry, now go back into the exclusion and add the file name, change the \* at the end to \FileName.exe (\steam.exe and \cities.exe in your case).
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: Cluster-Lizard2014 on October 02, 2017, 12:52:51 AM
Yes ^ but what a stupid way of having to do it.

Its one of poorly designed elements of the GUI AVAST which has never been addressed.

You should be able to add Global Exceptions from the scan list of supposed 'threats' which aren't (like "Path Not Found Items") but no you aren't allowed to do that because that would be naughty.

So instead you have to do it manually by finding the threat as there is no option to even copy and paste the path from the scan list so you actually have to find the damn file.

As explained if you try to use the Browse option in the Global Exceptions you can only add the folder that contains it then edit that to point at the particular file AVAST doesn't like. Daft.

Alternatively you might as well find the file, sometimes a hidden system file when AVAST gets it really wrong, and then use Copy As Path to Add it to the Global Exceptions list.

Maddeningly, pointlessly user unfriendly and I wish they would fix this sort of thing rather than give us features we haven't asked for and usually don't want.   
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: DavidR on October 02, 2017, 12:57:14 AM
Stupid or not, that's the way it currently is (I'm only interested in helping the user add the exclusion), several versions ago it was possible to drill down to file level.

If there are alerts then there is also the possibility you can add an exclusion from there.  You can also select the file path from within windows explorer and paste that directly into the exclusion.
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 02, 2017, 12:02:48 PM
Lol thanks I went simply for the last option you've mentioned. Result ---> successful with Steam.exe, but not with cities.exe as this file I cannot find anywhere...  :-/ I don't seem to be able to attach a screenshot here
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: Pondus on October 02, 2017, 12:08:31 PM
Quote
I don't seem to be able to attach a screenshot here
below the box you write in  >>   Attachments and other options
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: DavidR on October 02, 2017, 01:31:22 PM
Lol thanks I went simply for the last option you've mentioned. Result ---> successful with Steam.exe, but not with cities.exe as this file I cannot find anywhere...  :-/ <snip>

You're welcome.

I don't know if cities.exe is created on the fly as such or downloaded, but any alert should show its location and you should be able to create the exclusion manually.
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 02, 2017, 02:19:50 PM
Create manually how, if I don't know which folder it's in? (it apparently isn't in the folder where the other file is. A hidden one?)
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: bob3160 on October 02, 2017, 02:34:48 PM
You need to wait for an alert that should tell you the full path.
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 02, 2017, 08:23:51 PM
Thanks but what is meany by "wait for an alert"?
Something just will pop up?
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: bob3160 on October 02, 2017, 08:37:30 PM
Thanks but what is meany by "wait for an alert"?
Something just will pop up?
If it wasn't an alert that prompted you to ask for help, then what was it that prompted you
to ask about adding exceptions ???
If you went directly to the manufacturer, then they should also be able to give you the default Path
for the program in question.

Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 03, 2017, 12:54:10 AM
Oh I see, no, it was no alert,
as I said in the initial post opening this thread I had the support guy of a software that I recently installed telling me to create that exception as he's detected (by checking logs I provided) malfunctioning in how the product runs on my system. He advised me then to add the software to my antivirus' Exceptions. And so I apparently need to find the path of cities.exe to just add this one... No particular alerts involved so far I understand..
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: bob3160 on October 03, 2017, 12:56:20 AM
Oh I see, no, it was no alert,
as I said in the initial post opening this thread I had the support guy of a software that I recently installed telling me to create that exception as he's detected (by checking logs I provided) malfunctioning in how the product runs on my system. He advised me then to add the software to my antivirus' Exceptions. And so I apparently need to find the path of cities.exe to just add this one... No particular alerts involved so far I understand..
Support from the software should have no problem in telling you the path of the default installation of the program in question.
Title: Re: Adding to Exceptions
Post by: REDACTED on October 03, 2017, 09:37:16 AM
Ah, will try that. Thanks.
Orrling