Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: tigemac on February 11, 2004, 03:55:36 PM
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Brand new install of Windows XP Pro. I started using Avast! yesterday. I did a boot time scan (twice) and after both instances there are some weird, zero-length files in my c:\Temp directory. They look like this:
Note: The filenames really show up in c:\temp as looking like four ascii symbol "squares" followed by a number. Below, they are being converted to numerical (looks like HTML codes?) by this message board.
汣牮搮汬0
汣牮搮汬1
汣牮搮汬2
汣牮搮汬3
汣牮搮汬4
...
汣牮搮汬49
No file extensions either...what the heck are these and why are they in my c:\temp? A better question: I don't like them and how can I prevent Avast! from putting them there (or configure it to clean up after itself)?
Thank you.
TigeMac
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Update:
Installed Avast! on my Windows XP Pro Laptop and did the boot-time scheduled scan. It did the same thing (i.e. dumped these odd files in c:\Temp).
Now I know it isn't system dependent, but rather a function of the software. Seems very strange to me and I would like to make sense of it before deciding whether to purchase the Pro version.
TigeMac
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Be little patient, please... Alwil guys are wonderful and they provide best forum support you've ever seen. It's just the fact that in Czech Republic is middle of the night (almost) right now. They are not at work, but in their warm homes enjoying the company of their wonderful wifes and kids ;D
I'm sure, they will give you appropriate answer as soon as they enter their offices and turn on their computers. You'll see !
Cheers and stick around, please... I'm sure they'll fix that problem if it's just avast! related.
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No problem. I'm not impatient, but I did want to update the issue as I was able to replicate it on my laptop. :)
Thanks for your message...
TigeMac
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No problem my new friend...
I didn't mean like you're impatient in a rude way... I just wanted to inform you that these Alwil guys are like diligent bees, but right now, they're at sleep... ;D Just in case you though, no one wants to answer you... That supose to be helpful information, nothing else.
Cheers and stick around, don't you ever leave !!! ;D
Help will be provided very soon...
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Be little patient, please... Alwil guys are wonderful and they provide best forum support you've ever seen. It's just the fact that in Czech Republic is middle of the night (almost) right now. They are not at work, but in their warm homes enjoying the company of their wonderful wifes and kids ;D
Slightly O/T, but ... There goes another illusion shattered. You mean programmers and associates work ordinary office hours?? ;)
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Be little patient, please... Alwil guys are wonderful and they provide best forum support you've ever seen. It's just the fact that in Czech Republic is middle of the night (almost) right now. They are not at work, but in their warm homes enjoying the company of their wonderful wifes and kids ;D
Slightly O/T, but ... There goes another illusion shattered. You mean programmers and associates work ordinary office hours?? ;)
LOL...Mike...I sure wanted someone awake and ready to fix my problem Right Now...'course, too, I posted it in the off topic forum. But I have gotten some good advice and maybe it will take care of it...
Dell can go to h*** for not giving me any help!! thank God for these forums and good hearted computer smart people...
cojo
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Yeah, they probably don't work ordinary office hours, but still we must understand them... they need to have good sleep too... it's wonderful night, perfect time for sleeping in Czech Republic ;D They work enough during long days...
Cheers !
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So, you are saying that these files appear on every boot scan again?
What were your settings of the scan - all local disks, or just a folder? Did you have "Scan archive files" checked?
Does anything change (like, do the files appear again) if you select only one folder to scan, e.g. an empty one?
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Hello Igor,
So, you are saying that these files appear on every boot scan again?
Yes, every time. I have replicated it now on 3 different XP systems. It's easy to replicate so you can also try it yourself: On WinXP Pro system create a C:\Temp directory (mine was created before installing Avast). Schedule a boot-time scan. Default settings, "Scan all local disks". (NOTE: This occurs whether scan archive files is checked or not!). After the scan look in C:\Temp. There will be 50 files like the above (numbered 0-49).
What were your settings of the scan - all local disks, or just a folder?
All Local Disks.
Did you have "Scan archive files" checked?
Tried it both ways....same result.
Does anything change (like, do the files appear again) if you select only one folder to scan, e.g. an empty one?
After deleting them the files appear again each time I do a boot-time scan regardless of whether it is one folder (full of data) or empty folder (no data) or entire disk, or all local disks. No matter how I configure the boot-time scan those 50 files appear in c:\temp.
Note that this directory (c:\temp) was created *BEFORE* I ever installed Avast!. The Avast! scanner did not create it. It appears Avast is using the temp directory as some sort of holding area for the scan it performs. It's likely in the code somewhere?
Test it and see if you get the same thing...Thanks for the assistance Igor. You guys have great support.
TigeMac
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You are right, I got those strange files as well...
I'll check it tomorrow.
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TigeMac wrote:
Thanks for the assistance Igor. You guys have great support.
TigeMac
Hehe... what have I told ya ? Best forum ever... and what's best... they will digg, and digg, and digg until they find the core of the problem... then, they will solve it and in the very next program update... surprise !!! Just like always, no doubt...
Cheers !
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You are right, I got those strange files as well...
I'll check it tomorrow.
Great! Thanks guys!! ;D
TigeMac
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OK, it seems we found the problem. In fact, it's probably present for quite a long time - since the avast! Virus Cleaner has been added to the VPS, i.e. for about half a year.
It should be fixed in the next avast! update.
Thanks for the report!
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Again... I was so right... Good job Alwil...
But, one more thing... can someone fix my problem too... I mean it's a minor, minor one, very small, tiny problem... But, I don't think it will take up so much time to integrate it into next update... please...
I put it into next release wishlist, but seems like noone responded to my question... Here is the link, and please, reade my post in that thread:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=57;start=210 (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=57;start=210)
I trully hope, someone can make my wish come true...
Cheers !