How can I tell if Avast is working properly?

[zephyrs]

Hi!    How can I tell if Avast is working properly, if it has never informed me of having found a viruse, ever since I installed Avast Pro about a  week ago?     I use the internet a whole, lot, too.    I also use Adaware and Spybot.     Neither Spybot or Adaware ever find any more viruses, ever since I downloaded Avast.   Is this a sign that Avast is working very well, or maybe that something is not "quite right?"  I never get informed of viruses being found, in spite of running the most through cyce and scanning all parts of the computer.
              Bye.   
                                    Debby

[Eddy]

This has been explained many times on this board.
Please use the search option before asking.

http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm

[Lisandro]

This has been explained many times on this board.
Please use the search option before asking.

Eddy, I did not understand the Zephyrs' problem... Did you?  What's going on with him?

http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm

What's the relation between the user post and eicar test?   

[Eddy]

I think you missed this part

How can I tell if Avast is working properly

[Lisandro]

I think you missed this part

How can I tell if Avast is working properly

Sorry. You're right Eddy.

Besides this, if the user wants to test email provider and Outlook pluggin, i.e., to see if avast! is scanning emails, checks one of these points:

1) Is the avast icon (the special one of email scanning) be shown in the system tray?

2) Is your email header with the lines X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 0XXX-X, XX/XX/2005), Inbound message and X-Antivirus-Status: Clean? (Right click the message, choose Properties and Details)

To see the Standard Shield and other protection:
1) Is the 'a' blue icon swirling?
2) Right click the icon once and see what are the 'last scanned files'...
3) Use eicar virus test.

3) Are clean notes added at the bottom of the email? (Internet Mail provider settings)

You can test the security of your email system here: http://www.gfi.com/emailsecuritytest/

[fredra]

Hi
If I can add to the knowledge base of the gurus.... lol..j/k guys, no offense intended.
If Webshield is enabled he can go http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm  . At the bottom of the page he can try to d/l each of the files listed.....webshield will prevent the d/l.. just adding my .0000002 cents.
Cheers 

[szc]

Hi
If I can add to the knowledge base of the gurus.... lol..j/k guys, no offense intended.
If Webshield is enabled he can go http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm  . At the bottom of the page he can try to d/l each of the files listed.....webshield will prevent the d/l.. just adding my .0000002 cents.
Cheers 

That's exactly what Eddy already mentioned in his first reply in this thread. See here (quote by Eddy):

This has been explained many times on this board.
Please use the search option before asking.

http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm

Quote by Zephyrs:

I also use Adaware and Spybot. Neither Spybot or Adaware ever find any more viruses, ever since I downloaded Avast.   Is this a sign that Avast is working very well, or maybe that something is not "quite right?"

Spybot and/or Ad-aware are not antiviruses and their function never was finding viruses. They are searching for spyware and adware, but not viruses. Why those two wonderful programs can't find anything else on your computer since you installed avast!, I have no clue... it could be that you haven't downloaded latest definitions lately... anyway, at least Ad-aware should report some cookies if nothing else...

[fredra]

Excuse me
I will have my eyes tested before posting, thanks for pointing out my oversight.
Cheers