questions, again!

[dragonladyc]

My computer just ran it's first scheduled scan. There is an icon on the progress screen and when I clicked on it, it said pin the message on the screen, what does this mean? Also, on the antivirus screen, there is SCAN PUP, what is this? Can you tell I'm new to Avast.....LOL

[iroc9555]

Hi Dragonladyc.

Finally Uhmmm. Your schedule scan is working

If you click the pintap, the alert will stay up. All Avast! alerts have that option in case you need to read what it says or to take a screenshot. see image

PUP is Potentially Unwanted Program. There are some kind of programs that can be used for good or evil. eg; Keyloggers. You can install it yourself to keep taps of what is going on your comp, but at the same time others can do it to you to find out what you are doing.

[dragonladyc]

Thank you iroc! Right now the PUP is turned off, should I turn it on? You'll have to forgive me, I don't know very much about computers!!

[DavidR]

If you turn it on, you have to be able to make an informed decision on what to do if you get a PUP alert. You first have to understand what a PUP is, what the program does that avast is calling a PUP and crucially why what it does might be considered a PUP.

Many users aren't comfortable with these decisions, so there could be a lot of files/programs sat in the virus chest.

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- See http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci1066761,00.html. Not included in this definition are tools which can be used for good or evil, some have been legitimately installed for a specifically good purpose, but could have been unknowing installed for a malicious purpose.

Not all antivirus programs scan for PUPs and avast has it turned off by default (an exception being the boot-time scan). So if you get this you have been tweaking the avast settings without knowing what the impact might be.