Virus Cleaner

[Den]

Virus Cleaner doesn't have a help section and I wonder, if after using it, it should be deleted from the system.
Any thought on this ?

Thank you

[igor]

Most of the things you should know are written at the Cleaner page.

avast! Virus Cleaner is generally a one-shot tool - when you fix your problem, you can delete it, since it's not needed anymore.

[Lisandro]

Most of the things you should know are written at the Cleaner page.

avast! Virus Cleaner is generally a one-shot tool - when you fix your problem, you can delete it, since it's not needed anymore.

Igor, as Cleaner uses the same VPS file of avast!, updating avast! will update the VPS used by the Cleaner or the user must download the Cleaner again?

If the user can use updated VPS files from the avast! itselft, I think it´s better to keep the Cleaner and not throw it away  

[igor]

The Virus Cleaner does not use the VPS file. It is a completely standalone tool - when you download it from web, you can run it on any computer you need (there doesn't have to be avast! installed there).

A special version of the Virus Cleaner is placed inside the VPS file - and avast! itself knows how to call it if needed (i.e. if a virus is found that the Cleaner is able to "handle" better than avast! itself). But still - even this Cleaner does not use any data from the VPS (it knows everything it needs

[Lisandro]

The Virus Cleaner does not use the VPS file. It is a completely standalone tool - when you download it from web, you can run it on any computer you need (there doesn't have to be avast! installed there).

A special version of the Virus Cleaner is placed inside the VPS file - and avast! itself knows how to call it if needed (i.e. if a virus is found that the Cleaner is able to "handle" better than avast! itself). But still - even this Cleaner does not use any data from the VPS (it knows everything it needs

So there are different versions and updates of the Cleaner to detect new viruses and worms?
Does the user must download the standalone Cleaner each time?  

[igor]

Well, I don't really understand the question...

All the virus detection (the signatures etc.) are compiled inside the Cleaner file (i.e. inside the EXE for the downloadable Cleaner, or DLL for the one placed inside the VPS). Whenever a new virus detection / cleanup is added to the Cleaner, a new version is compiled - new EXE/DLL file is created.

So, if you're an avast! user, you get the latest version of the Cleaner whenever you update the VPS file (since the Cleaner is inside it).
For the standalone EXE Cleaner, you really must download it each time again if you want to have the latest one all the time. But as I already mentioned - the Cleaner is supposed to be your help in rare cases when you got infected; so, unless you get infected every 2 days, there's no point it downloading every Cleaner update... (and if you get infected every 2 days, you'd better install an antivirus  )

[Pavel Baudis]

So there are different versions and updates of the Cleaner to detect new viruses and worms?
Does the user must download the standalone Cleaner each time?  

Each time he is infected with the new virus not covered by the older version .

Anyway, the info about Cleanr version and release date is now on our home web page, the list of the "known" viruses on the Cleaner desription page...

Pavel

[Lisandro]

Well, I don't really understand the question...

Igor, you understood and answered my question  
Pavel, ok, like Igor, thanks for your answers.

[Den]

I think I may have misunderstood something along the way and caused this confusion. I have Avast on my system. An apparent virus recently caused me to also download your Virus Cleaner. My subsequent question regarding keeping/deleting Virus Cleaner appears moot, IF IN FACT IT'S ALREADY PART OF AVAST'S VPS FILES, and it's implied in one of the postings above that it is. Thus, I didn't need to download Virus Cleaner in the first place.
Correct ?

[Lisandro]

I think I may have misunderstood something along the way and caused this confusion. I have Avast on my system. An apparent virus recently caused me to also download your Virus Cleaner. My subsequent question regarding keeping/deleting Virus Cleaner appears moot, IF IN FACT IT'S ALREADY PART OF AVAST'S VPS FILES, and it's implied in one of the postings above that it is. Thus, I didn't need to download Virus Cleaner in the first place.
Correct ?

Ok, Den, if your system is clean now (after a 'deep' scan), you can delete the Virus Cleaner or, do not have to download it again to be updated... If you have avast, almost all features of the Cleaner will be inside it (some virus are better handled with the Cleaner...). You can download the Cleaner later, if you get a virus  

[.: Mac :.]

yes you do need to download the  cleaner when you have a virus it covers. It WILL do a better job than avast at removing it thats what the ALWIL team made it for  

[igor]

Den: Mostly correct. A little problem may be caused by the fact that (at least in the Home version) you cannot run the Cleaner (contained in the VPS) manually - you have to wait until avast! offers you to do so. It happens whenever the resident protection spots a virus that is covered by Cleaner (avast! knows what viruses the Cleaner can handle). In such a case, a new button, labeled "Completely remove the virus from the system"), appears in the usual virus dialog ("A virus was found!")  - and pressing the button brings up the Cleaner.

[Den]

Many thanks for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated.