Author Topic: Some files could not be scanned  (Read 2324 times)

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Offline justinlee

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Some files could not be scanned
« on: February 20, 2013, 01:35:02 AM »
Just scanned a couple of folders and the results showed that some files could not be scanned and gave the following status...

Error: Archive is password protected. (42056)

Should I be concerned about this? The files are from someone reputable, but still want to check.
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) SP1,
Intel Core i5-2410M @2.30GHz, 6GB RAM
AvastFree Antivirus & ZoneAlarm Free.

Offline DavidR

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Re: Some files could not be scanned
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2013, 02:00:06 AM »
Using the forum search function for your topic title would no doubt have returned many hits as this is a frequently asked question.

Files that can't be scanned are just that, not an indication they are suspicious/infected, just unable to be scanned.

Many programs (usually security based ones) password protect their files for legitimate reasons, there are others (and avast doesn't know the password or have any way of using it even if it did know it).

When you run scans with the above programs and you delete harmful entries that they detect, a copy is kept (in quarantine/restore/backup) in case you need to reverse what you did. These are usually password protected, but there are many reasons why files may be password protected.

By examining 1) the reason given by avast! for not being able to scan the files, 2) the location of the files, you can get an idea of what program they relate to. You may need to expand the column headings to see all the text.

If you can give some examples of those file names, the locations of these password protected files ?
Windows 10 Home 64bit/ Acer Aspire F15/ Intel Core i5 7200U 2.5GHz, 8GB DDR4 memory, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD/ avast! free 24.3.6108 (build 24.3.8975.762) UI 1.0.801/ Firefox, uBlock Origin, uMatrix/ MailWasher Pro/ Avast! Mobile Security