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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 02:49:14 PM

Title: avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 02:49:14 PM
 :'(  I've recently defined my avast preferences to check for viruses in my incoming mail (via Outlook Express). It worked fine for 1 week and revealed all the huge amount of junk which unfortunately were trying to intrude my pc with the NETSKY worm. But yesterday avast stoped to recognize anymore these kind of incoming junk. I have not change anything in my pc longtime and I do not know how to redefine  and correct this avast failure.
Please help me asap
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: shgoh on March 17, 2004, 03:02:07 PM
maybe you can try to re-run the mail wizard again???
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 03:14:26 PM
maybe you can try to re-run the mail wizard again???
I've done it twice (as required, while OE was closed) but it didn't help. I also o tried to use the XP Restore option but it didn't help either. Please please try to help me!  :'( :'(
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: shgoh on March 17, 2004, 03:18:16 PM
try the manual config?

how do you know avast is not scanning anymore?

double-click your avast icon in your system tray and see whether the mail provider is running? scanning any files?
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 03:28:02 PM
mail provider is operative as well as all other providers!
i've checked avast simply by resending to myself some of the junkmail with their Netsky attachment. In addition, I continue to receieve again and again these junk mail from other unknown to me senders!
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: shgoh on March 17, 2004, 03:42:54 PM
try checking your default smtp & pop server in avast.ini?
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 04:51:21 PM
try checking your default smtp & pop server in avast.ini?
DefaultSmtpServer and DefaultPopServer were checked and are correct. the next value: UseDefaultSmtp=0
Should this value realy be 0?
Thanks for your assistance!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: shgoh on March 17, 2004, 04:54:48 PM
If your e-mail program supports SMTP authentication, and also makes it possible to set a different login name for SMTP than for POP, insert the line: UseDefaultSmtp=0.
If your e-mail program does not support SMTP authentication, insert the line: UseDefaultSmtp=1.
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 05:08:43 PM
Since it does support autentication the 0 value is OK, but still avast does not support the email scanning. Now I start to suspect that it also stopped to scan my internet communications and my downloaded files. What should I do more????
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: shgoh on March 17, 2004, 05:39:21 PM
sorry....i ran out of ideas... :-\

maybe someone else can help???...plss...
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: whocares on March 17, 2004, 05:41:03 PM
Hi,

1) test if it really doesn't scan the mails by sending the harmless testfile eicar.com from www.eicar.com to yourself (just to be sure)
You'll probably have to pause avast's resident shield and mailscan providers for this; reenable them when the mail is sent

P.S.: if afterwards you doubleclick on the eicar.com file on your disk avast shield should alert you and block it... This works ? just delete it then

2) have you read the FAQ: http://www.avast.com/i_kat_81.html

3) maybe post the relevant settings in avast and your mailclient here; replace your real username/domain maybe with "username" & "domain" or xxxx

4) have you tried repairing avast (via software -> uninstall avast)

5) what version do you have for avast's programm and VPS ? and for Outlook ?
are all WindowsUpdates applied ?
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 17, 2004, 07:14:51 PM
Hi whocares
Reur remarks:
5) I have avast 4 automatically and regularly updated,
   (build 4.1.342 with VPS file 0403-11)
4) I have tried the repairing process as the first action, but as all other actions ut didn't help.
2) & 3) I'm going to read the FAQ and to test eicar.com file. Then I'll send the results. As for the relevant settings, do you mean  to post the complete avas4.ini file?
I have XP Home updated regularly/automaticly on my Pentium 4, 2.6GHz which works OK.
Thanks for your efforts,

By the way, going through START>PROGRAMS>AVAST>
I don't find the option "Mail Protection Wizard". I am having only three options:
-Avast! Antivirus
-Avast! Website
-Help
Should I reinstall Avast? if positive should I uninstall first or just try to reinstall?
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: Lisandro on March 18, 2004, 12:16:55 AM
I suggest:

First of all: try the option Repair into the Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > avast! antivirus > 'Change'. A window will popup and you will be able to choose the option Repair. You must be connected to the Internet.

Then, check if scanning Inbound and Outbound mail is set into the Internet Mail provider options (if it's not checked you won't have your emails scanned).

Run a full scanning with avast! (better at boot-time). Send files to Chest if you are not sure of deleting them.

Let's try to get rid from that infection...
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: Datagg on March 18, 2004, 02:06:01 AM
mail provider is operative as well as all other providers!
i've checked avast simply by resending to myself some of the junkmail with their Netsky attachment. In addition, I continue to receieve again and again these junk mail from other unknown to me senders!


If I am reading the above right and you are resending the email that had these attachments in them back to you, they allready had the virus removed, therefore there will be no virus to warn you of.
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 18, 2004, 02:37:17 PM
Here are the last and final tests that I have commited, but still with negative results:
1) I disabled avast standard shield provider and downloaded eicar test file. than i enabled all the providers and sent to myself a letter (thru Outlook Express) with the eicar file attached to it. Avast mail provider didn't activate any alarm.
2) While all providers are on, I downloaded again the eicar test file and this time avast alarm started to scream on the spot!
Before those tests, I have done twice the repair procedure using the Add/Remove. It should also be noted that I don't see the Mail Provider Wizard which is supposed to appear while going thru START>PROGRAMS>AVAST!>...
It seems that the only thing left to do is to reinstall avast.
I want an expert from the avast team to advise me wether it is possible to reinstall avast on itself (without uninstalling the existing one). If the process will not solve the mail scan problems, perhaps I'll have to look for a different antivirus software.  :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: shgoh on March 18, 2004, 02:43:54 PM
pls be patient...you are just encountering a problem too minor to give up on avast... :)

by the way...i'm no expert...but maybe you can try to reinstall avast like what you suggested...i think it's better to do a clean uninstall 1st...

or you can wait more expertise advices from our gurus... ;)
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 18, 2004, 02:57:13 PM
A note to Thecnical (reply #11):
I've followed your sugestions before and more then once, but still without results!!!
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: Lisandro on March 18, 2004, 06:47:15 PM
A note to Thecnical (reply #11):
I've followed your sugestions before and more then once, but still without results!!!


I tryed but I can't understand what is going on right now with your system...
Could you please write the specific trouble that we need to solve?
Would you be so kind to do it... Read all over again... I'm without so much time... sorry  8)
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 18, 2004, 07:06:46 PM
Technical, the problem is simple but severe: avast is defined correctly to scan and clean incoming and outgoing mail but does not do the job!!! All tests, repair procedure results with no change. The problem started after some period that the mail cleaning worked perfectly and without any change of mine (not in avast nor in the pc) avast stopped to do the mail cleaning job.  :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: Datagg on March 19, 2004, 03:00:48 AM
I ask again, are you trying to send yourself emails for test that allready have been cleared out.  ?? More information would be much appreciated here, the lack of info is a strain on the mind.
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: Lisandro on March 19, 2004, 04:12:36 AM
Technical, the problem is simple but severe: avast is defined correctly to scan and clean incoming and outgoing mail but does not do the job!!! All tests, repair procedure results with no change. The problem started after some period that the mail cleaning worked perfectly and without any change of mine (not in avast nor in the pc) avast stopped to do the mail cleaning job.  :'( :'( :'(

I will ignore your previous answers and, besides what asks datagg (which is correct), I need to know:

What do you mean with cleaning the mail?
avast! can automatically scan the messages. If you have the Pro version you will be able to choose the automatic actions that will take place if a virus were found. In Home version, however, it's only posible to set the 'Silent mode' and choose the 'No' answer as default. This will send the email file attach to Chest and no more.

If I remember correct when translating the help files, there is a way to by pass the scanning... but you have to change avast4.ini file. I'm not sure... but read this: Item PassThrough specifies the behavior of the Mail scanner in situations when the message cannot be tested. If the value of this item is set to 1, the Mail scanner lets the messages pass through without testing. If the value is set to 0, the Mail scanner will not let any messages pass through until the resident task is running. Therefore, e-mails can only pass through when the resident task is running or paused. In all other cases, the Mail scanner will not allow the mail program to connect to a mail server, so you may encounter error messages from your e-mail program..

What is the port that your email client is using?
And avast, did you set an specific one or just the default?
Did you change anything in avast4.ini file? (I know you already said that you do nothing... but I'm trying to help)  ;)
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 19, 2004, 09:42:34 AM
Quote
What do you mean with cleaning the mail?
I'm sorry, I mean detecting (without removing).

Quote
If the value is set to 0, the Mail scanner will not let any messages pass through
This was checked before and was find to be correct, i.e. the value is set to 0.

Quote
What is the port that your email client is using?
And avast, did you set an specific one or just the default?
I just used the default port and never changed it. The only change that I've done with avast is raising the detection sensitivity to high for all the providers, but this was done much before the problem started.
By the way, I'm using XP default firewall since the begining!

Quote
Did you change anything in avast4.ini file?
I repeat, I never interfered or changed anything in the ini file.
Since I also didn't installed or changed any definition in my pc many days before the problem arose, could it be that latest windows automatic updates could have cause such problem?
I want to remind you that I've checked the mail provider detection with eicar.com attached to mail posted to myself and avast didn't detect it. it doesn't detect many junk infected mail which I continue to receive by tons.
Do you think that I should reinstall avast?
Thanks again for your efforts to help me.
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: Lisandro on March 19, 2004, 02:54:17 PM
Yes, please...
1. Run Mail Protection Wizard and unprotect all your email accounts.
2. Donwload the setup.exe file
3. Uninstall and boot
4. Install and boot...

Maybe we can solve something 'strange' in your system  :-*
Title: Re:avast does not find mail viruses
Post by: aveitan on March 19, 2004, 04:03:00 PM
Quote
1. Run Mail Protection Wizard and unprotect all your email accounts.
2. Donwload the setup.exe file
3. Uninstall and boot
4. Install and boot...
:) :) :) Hi Technical!
I've followed your a.m. instructions and it seems that now the mail protection returned to be operative again.
I have the feeling that the problem involved a mysterious change of avast server address (127.0.0.1) which caused the mail detection problems. I missed to check this important figure before.
Many many thanks for your help and directions and have a very nice weekend.
 :) :) :)