Avast WEBforum

Other => General Topics => Topic started by: TribeWars on May 19, 2011, 06:07:40 PM

Title: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: TribeWars on May 19, 2011, 06:07:40 PM
Would be nice to find out how many times the forum users scan their machine.
I hope nobody has to press option 8. Please recognize that you can't change your vote.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: bob3160 on May 19, 2011, 06:25:14 PM
The only actual scans I ever do are boot time scans
whenever there is a major update to the program itself.
The rest of the time, I depend on avast to do it's job and scan
anything new added to the system.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: spg SCOTT on May 19, 2011, 06:39:03 PM
Generally...when I remember ;D ;D

I let the shields do the work mostly, and occasionally scan when I remember just in case. (the scan occasionally helps me clear some of my test files - infected site sources that I forget to clean up) ;)

Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Chris Thomas on May 19, 2011, 06:41:25 PM
I do a full scan once a month

It not only keeps you safe but improves your performance by adding data to the persistent cache.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: bob3160 on May 19, 2011, 06:43:38 PM
Quote
improves your performance by adding data to the persistent cache
True but can you actually measure the increase in performance ???
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: spg SCOTT on May 19, 2011, 06:50:10 PM
What's a full scan? ;D

I don't think I have even run a boot scan...well, except when it was introduced to 64 bit and to double check the behavior of the Esc button, so not a real scan ;)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Chris Thomas on May 19, 2011, 06:53:24 PM
Quote
improves your performance by adding data to the persistent cache
True but can you actually measure the increase in performance ???

Hmm, i notice more system responsiveness...less avast animation...I dunno how to measure it, but i notice it...

I think this question was better asked before this persistent cache thing was implemented to Avast developers. How do we measure the increase in performance with this technology?
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Chris Thomas on May 19, 2011, 06:56:31 PM
What's a full scan? ;D

I don't think I have even run a boot scan...well, except when it was introduced to 64 bit and to double check the behavior of the Esc button, so not a real scan ;)

Unless you have other real time software to monitor PUPs, i think full scan can be used to scan for those. Yeah, i haven't done a boot scan for a very long time.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: CraigB on May 19, 2011, 07:59:51 PM
Auto full scan once a week for me, not that it's ever found anything so the realtime is doing its job great  ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: essexboy on May 19, 2011, 09:49:33 PM
Whats a scan  ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Pondus on May 19, 2011, 10:06:25 PM
Whats a scan  ;D
It is what they do on airports   8)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: bob3160 on May 19, 2011, 11:49:35 PM
Whats a scan  ;D
It is what they do on airports   8)
I thought that was called groping ???  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Left123 on May 20, 2011, 12:00:06 AM
Only when my pc acts suspiciously 8)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Dch48 on May 20, 2011, 05:49:39 AM
Automatic Full Scan the first day of every month. It's never found anything.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: BRANDONN2008 on May 20, 2011, 07:04:46 AM
Only when web shield or network shield blocks a site, after a major update, and a full scan once or twice a month. Plus a daily quick scan with MBAM and Hitman Pro.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Lisandro on May 20, 2011, 03:56:27 PM
I run a daily on demand scanning with very reduced settings just for false positive detections in my main files.
It helped to correct detection more than once.
I run it scheduled while I'm not working in the computer.

Of course, it does not add that much in security, just to help other users :)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: pcclean3453 on May 20, 2011, 09:51:34 PM
Every 2-3 days I scan. I'm running a quick scan right this minute! ;D ;D ;D

(P.S. Avast! is great!)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: MikeBCda on May 20, 2011, 11:16:54 PM
I generally do overall cleanup once a week over the weekend:  avast full system scan, SAS and MBAM def updates and quick scans, registry cleaning (essentially just history items), and defrag.  I might also do the three scans if there's suspicious problems with the system, which more often than not are typically just from web servers being unusually busy.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: rdmaloyjr on May 21, 2011, 08:07:28 PM
I do a daily scheduled quick scan with MSE.

I don't use avast! anymore.

I do manage two family members computers with avast! by remote control.

By manage I mean if they have problem with they're computers.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Lisandro on May 21, 2011, 08:45:14 PM
I don't use avast! anymore.
Why not? :'(
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: OrangeCrate on May 21, 2011, 08:46:49 PM
A quick scan with Malwarebytes weekly, and a full scan with avast!, monthly.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: 12-es_csaj on May 21, 2011, 09:34:47 PM
With avast! almost never (I find it totally useless), but with MBAM and ESET online about twice a month.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: JuninhoSlo on May 21, 2011, 09:44:38 PM
Full Scan-Once a week  ;D  8)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Asyn on May 21, 2011, 09:53:07 PM
25 boot time scans a day is the minimum.
Usually I also run 55 full scans and 379 quick scans.
Everyone should do this daily. :P ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Lisandro on May 21, 2011, 10:04:30 PM
25 boot time scans a day is the minimum.
Usually I also run 55 full scans and 379 quick scans.
Everyone should do this daily. :P ;D

I do this in 23457687657645637465 computers daily, one by one ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: JuninhoSlo on May 21, 2011, 10:06:02 PM
25 boot time scans a day is the minimum.
Usually I also run 55 full scans and 379 quick scans.
Everyone should do this daily. :P ;D


 :o :o
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Asyn on May 21, 2011, 10:13:35 PM
I do this in 23457687657645637465 computers daily, one by one ;D

Good. :)

:o :o

 8) ;)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: TribeWars on May 21, 2011, 11:14:40 PM
Thx for all of you replying
anyway is anyone here who needs also charts
I can make Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Doughnut Charts
Whatever you want

Anyway
Whats a scan  ;D
A scan is an action taken by a specific program to check if the computer or his files are infected with malware
also known as virusses. There are several methods which a scanning software can use to identify malware:

Signature-based detection

Traditionally, antivirus software heavily relied upon signatures to identify malware. This can be very effective, but cannot defend against malware unless samples have already been obtained and signatures created. Because of this, signature-based approaches are not effective against new, unknown viruses.

As new viruses are being created each day, the signature-based detection approach requires frequent updates of the virus signature dictionary. To assist the antivirus software companies, the software may allow the user to upload new viruses or variants to the company, allowing the virus to be analyzed and the signature added to the dictionary.

Although the signature-based approach can effectively contain virus outbreaks, virus authors have tried to stay a step ahead of such software by writing "oligomorphic", "polymorphic" and, more recently, "metamorphic" viruses, which encrypt parts of themselves or otherwise modify themselves as a method of disguise, so as to not match virus signatures in the dictionary.

Heuristics

Some more sophisticated antivirus software uses heuristic analysis to identify new malware or variants of known malware.

Many viruses start as a single infection and through either mutation or refinements by other attackers, can grow into dozens of slightly different strains, called variants. Generic detection refers to the detection and removal of multiple threats using a single virus definition.
For example, the Vundo trojan has several family members, depending on the antivirus vendor's classification. Symantec classifies members of the Vundo family into two distinct categories, Trojan.Vundo and Trojan.Vundo.B.

While it may be advantageous to identify a specific virus, it can be quicker to detect a virus family through a generic signature or through an inexact match to an existing signature. Virus researchers find common areas that all viruses in a family share uniquely and can thus create a single generic signature. These signatures often contain non-contiguous code, using wildcard characters where differences lie. These wildcards allow the scanner to detect viruses even if they are padded with extra, meaningless code. A detection that uses this method is said to be "heuristic detection."
 
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: TribeWars on May 21, 2011, 11:17:17 PM
Thx for all of you replying
anyway is anyone here who needs also charts
I can make Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Doughnut Charts
Whatever you want
I love Doughnuts
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: jadinolf on May 21, 2011, 11:20:10 PM
On my main computer, full scan at 8 P.M. on Friday.

Never found anything.

On the other computers, just once in a while.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: rdmaloyjr on May 22, 2011, 01:23:07 AM
I don't use avast! anymore.
Why not? :'(

Tech,

We have discussed this before.

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=74170.msg626409#msg626409

Read replies  151 thru 156.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Lisandro on May 22, 2011, 03:12:22 AM
Thanks rdmaloyjr, respect your point of view.
Sorry, but I don't share it :)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Dch48 on May 22, 2011, 03:41:27 AM
Me neither, MSE was a failure here.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: rdmaloyjr on May 22, 2011, 05:07:24 AM
MSE works for me, use whatever works for you. :)

If the problem with avast! and Opera gets fixed, I might go back to avast!.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: pcclean3453 on May 22, 2011, 01:40:18 PM
25 boot time scans a day is the minimum.
Usually I also run 55 full scans and 379 quick scans.
Everyone should do this daily. :P ;D

How many times has your hard drive burned out with this many scans? ;D ???
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: disPlay on May 22, 2011, 06:55:34 PM
Usually I scan once a week(In Fridays).
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Asyn on May 22, 2011, 09:35:56 PM
25 boot time scans a day is the minimum.
Usually I also run 55 full scans and 379 quick scans.
Everyone should do this daily. :P ;D

How many times has your hard drive burned out with this many scans? ;D ???

Never, I change the HD daily. ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Lisandro on May 22, 2011, 11:03:40 PM
Never, I change the HD daily. ;D
I use underwear HDs and also change them daily ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: DarkMasters on May 25, 2011, 01:56:25 PM
Scan only when I feel the needs.

MSE works for me, use whatever works for you. :)

If the problem with avast! and Opera gets fixed, I might go back to avast!.

MSE is nice but it still eat more resource than Avast and Avira do. Avast better than Avira in resource usage and feature. So, it's Avast for me.

I'm using Opera and having no problem with it. Web shield scan anything that I download using Opera. What kind of problem that you have by using Avast in your machine?
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: justinlee on May 27, 2011, 06:33:44 PM
I used to do daily quick scan then realised that was just not necessary. Now, i do a weekly quick scan and a monthly full scan.
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Para-Noid on May 28, 2011, 02:09:09 AM
Just a thought what type of scan are you asking about? There are Quick scans, Full scans, Custom scans and boot-time scans. I scan 3-4 time a week using a quick scan. And once or twice a custom scan. The only time I use a boot-time scan is when suggested by avast. Other variables include individual settings.  :)
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: Para-Noid on May 28, 2011, 02:14:17 AM
25 boot time scans a day is the minimum.
Usually I also run 55 full scans and 379 quick scans.
Everyone should do this daily. :P ;D

Asyn You couldn't resist being silly. Thank you. After all someone had to.  ;D
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: TribeWars on May 29, 2011, 02:13:48 PM
Just a thought what type of scan are you asking about? There are Quick scans, Full scans, Custom scans and boot-time scans. I scan 3-4 time a week using a quick scan. And once or twice a custom scan. The only time I use a boot-time scan is when suggested by avast. Other variables include individual settings.  :)

The type of scan doesn't matter
I thought it would be nice to know how the community here is using the scan function
I only scan every 2 weeks
I trust avast!' shields
Title: Re: Poll: How often do you scan?
Post by: justinlee on May 29, 2011, 07:29:09 PM
I think you only really need to perform a full scan upon installation of Avast anytime after that appears to be unnecessary as the shields do their job well. After that quick/custom scans should suffice. Although with that said i do like to do a full scan every so often just to be sure :)