Exclusion question

[jerryd]

Avast forum,
 Avast Internet Security 7.0.1451

 I would like to exclude an entire folder from being checked
 by Avast.  I tried to do this in Settings/exclusions but
 it won't let me select a folder.  How do I do this?

jerryd

[Lisandro]

Well... It is just this:
C:\Folder_name\*
What's going wrong?

[DavidR]

Why is it that you want to exclude folders ?

I don't know how you are trying to do this, but it is effectively the default action (and I don't like that default) when you use the browse button as that only drills down to folder level. Once you have selected the folder use the enter key and it selects the folder and creates a new exclusion entry for the folder (appends \* at the end of the folder).

Even if you copy and paste a folder path into the new line and use the enter key it also appends the \* to the end.

I just tested both methods and confirm that it is working as I explained above.

~~~~
Why I don't like excluding folders - It leaves a hole in your security as that not only excludes it also includes sub-folders and their contents also. Do that on a large folder and you are driving a coach and horses through your security.

Care has to be taken when using this \* asterisk wildcard, if you must use it, do so at the lowest level and if only for certain file types, delimit the usage using \*.v21 (my large backup images a few GBs each).

Personally my usage is generally for a file and not a folder and I change the \* to \file-name.exe, etc. so it is for the specific file not a huge folder.

[jerryd]

DavidR,
 Thanks for the reply.

 I write programs(nothing to do with the internet) that are stored
 in a local folder and when I run one of these programs Avast pops
 up and says "Avast is analyzing a suspicious program".  Followed
 by another message that says "avast has finished analysis of the
 program".   Now the only options I get are "Continue execution or
 Close".  The next time I run the program I get the same messages.

 I have put the path to the folder in the Settings/Exclusions and
 it shows it correctly but it doesn't exclude it???  The path was
 selected by browsing and there is a \* at the end of the path so
 I don't think there is a typo.

 This doesn't happen with every file in the folder?
Jerryd

[DavidR]

That is the autosandbox and as such wouldn't even be covered by the avastUI, Settings, Exclusions doesn't cover that as it is for on-demand scans and the autosandbox is an on-access scan.

So any exclusion would have to be set in the AutoSandbox, Settings, Exclusions (image1) and that I'm sure wouldn't take folder exclusions as it deals in files, so it is looking for a file name (image2).

What may be of more use to you is why the autosandbox is saying they are being checked ?
I suspect that the reason is 'The file prevalence/reputation is low' or one of the others I have marked in image1.

If it is constantly the same reason you could uncheck that option, that however would lessen the protection across all such files with that reason why it might be pinged by the AutoSandbox.

[jerryd]

DavidR,

 Ok I put the exact file path name in the "AutoSandbox\Settings
 files that will be excluded" list and it didn't work.  There
 are other files in the same folder that don't get checked so
 I'm still confused.

jerryd

[RejZoR]

You always need to add * in the end if you want to exclude entire folder!

C:\EXCLUDED_FOLDER\*

This will effectively exclude all files and all subfolders within that selected folder.
If you use this:

C:\EXCLUDED_FOLDER\*.*

It will only exclude files in this folder but not in subfolders. This should work unless there is an unknown bug that we aren't yet aware of.

[igor]

If you use this:

C:\EXCLUDED_FOLDER\*.*

It will only exclude files in this folder but not in subfolders. This should work unless there is an unknown bug that we aren't yet aware of.

Nope, not true - that mask also matches files in subfolders - with the exception of files that don't have any extension (unless the folder name contains a dot itself).

[RejZoR]

So if you want to exclude just that folder you don't even add "*", you just enter the folder path and that's it?

[igor]

No - there's no way to exclude just a folder without subfolders; the asterisk covers any part of the path.

[jerryd]

Avast forum,
 I've tried every suggestion mentioned here and still get the same results.
 Is there any information I can supply to help solve this?

jerryd

[jerryd]

Avast forum,
 I stumbled onto the solution.
 One of the options I was given was "change" which I clicked
 on.  I changed the AutoSandbox option to "ask".  The next
 time I ran the program I got the "ask" menu where I
 selected "run normal".  This automatically entered the path
 in the exclusion list for AutoSandbox.

 Thanks for all the replies.

jerryd

[DavidR]

Yes, that gives greater interactive control from the default Auto.

There was a very subtly hint towards that in the first image of my Reply #4 above. I have had it set that way for some time and normally recommend it, but got a little side tracked with your looking for a way to exclude folders.

[REDACTED]

I have exactly the same problem: I am a developer and I do development in Visual Studio. When I try to debug my application avast stops it on its tracks (AND ME), to do scanning.
Adding the folder to exclusions it doesn't work just as explained above (May I ask why is this "exclusion capability" there if so many people complain that it just doesn't work? ).
And I don't have a sandbox because I only have avast free edition...
I do think that avast is a very capable piece of software... but if it stops me from doing development (and I make a living out of that, what are my choices:

• wait 40 seconds before debugging every time to scan my executable that I just produced before being able to continue my debug session?
• uninstall

Any suggestions please..?

.
 

[Pondus]

@dgogoasa  you are posting in a 5 year old topic, programs 5 years ago was different

Start your own topic