I am SO confused with Avast Virus Chest - when is deleted deleted

[REDACTED]

I have dozens of items in my Avast Quarantine Chest.

I definitely do not want to keep any of them, I want to permanently delete them off my computer. But reading some articles it’s said (rough translation) "deleting an item from the chest only removes it from that list - but it’s still on your computer" another article states the opposite "deleting an item off the chest removes it from the computer so be careful about deleting".

Surely both cannot be right.

How does delete work with the Virus Chest. Hopefully delete means delete and its gone !!

[Asyn]

Using the Virus Chest: https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB21

[Pondus]

How does delete work with the Virus Chest. Hopefully delete means delete and its gone !!

Gone to virus heaven

Clean, Quarantine, or Delete? >>  https://www.lifewire.com/clean-quarantine-or-delete-3972276

[DavidR]

@ starbuck99
Not knowing what article/s you are talking about makes it hard to know the context of the article.

Delete in OS terms you delete a file and it is removed from the File table (so you can't actually see it) in Explorer, but the file remains on your disk and could possibly be recovered using the right software. The space that file takes up is marked as free for use once something else is written to that space traces are removed. But there are forensic tools that can try and recover files even after being overwritten.

So it isn't entirely clear when delete means delete.

When a file is sent to the avast chest, it is encrypted and it is renamed so from outside the chest you can't really identify what is in there, so can't be run, etc. When deleted from the chest, it is still in its encrypted state on the hard disk, but there is no reference to the changed file name in the file table.

Even the data may still be physically on the disk it is encrypted and to all intents and purposes useless to anyone with the tool to recover the file (if they knew its changed name) as they would still have to deal with the encryption.

[REDACTED]

Many thanks to everyone for replying to my question.

I am happy now that when deleted from Virus Chest it is deleted - gone - killed - liquidated - and will do no further damage.

Reading your messages, I understand that although its still on my hard drive (in an encrypted state), but not being registered as an actual file, it will be safe.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

Kind Regards

[DavidR]

You're welcome.

One other thing, generally when you delete something in windows explorer it is sent to the Trash Can (Unless you take other action). When you deleted a file from the virus chest it isn't sent to the Trash Can, it is removed as I mentioned above.

[UpUpnHeaHea]

Recently my scan shows a file which I follow instructions but it shows up the next day onn the scan. This is on the free version. Help !!!!

[DavidR]

Recently my scan shows a file which I follow instructions but it shows up the next day onn the scan. This is on the free version. Help !!!!

Personally it isn't advised to breathe life into a topic over 4 years old.

Much will have change in 4 years.

Plus you are going to have to give more details on exactly what you did, the alert on what file/location, the detection/malware name, the actions you took etc. etc.
As your very brief one liner doesn't appear to be directly related to this topic title.