Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: mst95111 on June 28, 2019, 04:47:10 AM
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Noticed that after completing a full system scan, the report shows that there are some files listed as " unable to scan ".
When I looked at the report from about two years ago, the number of files listed as " unable to scan " were about half as many.
Is there a way to find out which files were " unable to scan"? Why would the system be unable to scan a file? Are there certain types of files that generally fit this category?
Many thanks
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Generally speaking, "unable to scan a file" result is due to that particular file being an archived file and also password protected. Since Avast does not know the password required to open that file to scan it, it reports it is "unable to scan a file" in that instance.
You could put the increased number of "unable to scan" results down to an increased number of similar files you've accumulated over time.
Is an archived file malicious? No, cannot be, at least not until it is opened to, say, run the installation file for a program.
If it [is] not opened, it is inert and presents no danger to your system (even if there is malware inside).
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Many thanks....
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Her's a more indepth (long winded) answer.
https://blog.avast.com/2014/02/28/how-do-i-handle-files-that-avast-cant-scan/ (https://blog.avast.com/2014/02/28/how-do-i-handle-files-that-avast-cant-scan/)