Dear sir, there are NO free licenses of avast! File Server Security, I can guarantee that!
(The "Exclude the following files from this folder and all its subfolders" part will contain lots of directories and I don't want to add them manually, and keep them updated).
Is this necessary?
NO, not usually, but there are some cases where an application must be excluded I.E. Phillips I-SITE. Proper File Server settings in avast! may alleviate all your concerns.
Is it possible in any way to add a list of exceptions in one go, and not one and one as in the GUI? YES, if you use the console, and have the exceptions typed already in the correct format
Is it possible to use variables like %windir% etc in the exclusion list in Avast? Not that I am aware of, but again, I think that you are overthinking this. I don't have any esxclusions like this in the 4000 networks I support using avast! across the USA.
Sincerely,
J.R. "AutoSandbox Guy" Guthrie
"At this point in time, the Internet should be regarded as an Enemy Weapons System!"