Author Topic: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?  (Read 6268 times)

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Offline MCLE

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How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« on: October 24, 2018, 12:14:24 AM »
I am using Avast Mac Security version 13.11
This is my 1st day with the product. I've looked at the FAQ under Troubleshooting on the Avast Support Page for Macs reading:

What does the status message 'Unable to Scan' mean in scan results?

Ok.

When I follow the view details within the FAQ, I can only get to step 2 before reaching a dead end. I am not seeing a downward-facing arrow to expand in the application. Can someone please advise me?

To view details of unscanned files:

1. Click the Avast Menu bar icon  and select Open Avast.
2. Select Reports from the left panel.
3. Click the downward-facing arrow next to Virus Scan Reports to expand the section.
4. Click Open next to the scan with the unable to scan status.
5. Right click in the scan results window and select Non-scanned.

Offline Pondus

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2018, 10:46:54 AM »
Quote
What does the status message 'Unable to Scan' mean in scan results?
It just means avast cant scan it at the moment for whatever reason (there are several) it does not mean they are infected

https://blog.avast.com/2014/02/28/how-do-i-handle-files-that-avast-cant-scan/


Offline MCLE

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2018, 05:44:33 PM »
Based upon the FAQ I submitted in my first post, I still should be able to view the files. This was my question. The blog post doesn't address that.

Offline ondrej.kolacek

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2018, 05:00:56 PM »
Hello,

You can click on Virus Scan Reports text instead.

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

Offline MCLE

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2018, 06:53:41 PM »
here are the steps I am performing:

1. open avast
2. select reports
3. In the reports window there is:
a) security report text
b) virus scan reports text with a button for delete all to the right and Full System Scan and an open button beneath that.
c) Home network security scan reports

When I select the Virus Scan Reports text, nothing happens - it is not selectable

When I select the open button for full system scan, I get the screen I described in my first post:

Full System Scan
Scanned file with a number in black
Infections found with a number in orange
Unable to scan with a number in orange

Neither of the numbers in orange are selectable.

Now when you observe the FAQ I posted directly to my question which I indicated I could not proceed after section 2 which strongly suggests I can at least see the 10 unable to scan files, I am in the same place now.



Offline ondrej.kolacek

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2018, 06:49:51 PM »
Move to the top left corner of the context menu on screen shot and right click.

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

Offline MCLE

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2018, 07:55:29 PM »
I am on a Mac with no right mouse click button. Instead I have a trackpad.

After opening the screenshot, I right clicked on every available area in this window on my computer and nothing popped up. I don't understand what you mean by "context menu".

Offline jakub.bednar

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2018, 11:47:43 PM »
Hello,

in your System Preferences -> Track Pad settings -> Point & Click, you can setup a secondary click on the track pad. I myself am using a MacBook with trackpad only and found this to be useful in many scenarios.

Best regards,

Jakub

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2018, 12:05:39 AM »
I'm in a similar position as MCLE—I just got Avast, I'm on a Mac, but I can right click. Unfortunately, like MCLE, I can't find anything further that opens when I click or right click. I have 8 files that Avast can't  scan, but I cannot figure out how to access a list of them.  Do other users find such a list somewhere, and if so, where? (I've been using computers since the 1980's). thx.

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2018, 03:55:57 AM »
ok, I answered my own question:  I installed on a 2nd iMac, scanned and then control clicked in the window of my scan report, down in the middle of the empty space below the bar showing the titles, "PATH" "ERROR" and "STATUS" . Unbelievably, a drop down menu appeared allowing me to call up the list. phew.

This iMac is running High Sierra 10.13.6. The iMac I'm concerned about is running the more recent Mojave (10.14). I'm running Avast 13.11 on both iMacs.

Now I have to go back and check the Mojave iMac again, but this could be a Mojave-specific issue. I'll be back here shortly if that seems to be the case.

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2018, 04:55:16 AM »
Just finishing up: Problem solved.

Yes, I could access the "unable to scan" files in Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave.

I could be wrong, but as a long time Mac user, I think I just hadn't expected to click in a big blank space rather than on a more defined object.

I'm grateful that it works, although I now wonder about some of the files not scanned, e.g., what are Python framework test files, and are they necessary?

Offline ondrej.kolacek

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Re: How to locate the "unscannable" files to take a look at them?
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2018, 10:45:46 AM »
Hello,

just ignore the ignored files. In the new GUI we are working on, these won't even be displayed. You can not do anything regarding them. This is a case of "we know something about some files, lets show it". I guess the insane way how to display them shows how much we want people to view them. Maybe originally it may have been for our internal information (for testing etc.), but since there is the counter of ignored files visible, people started to ask us about them, and we have publicised it (the person who did the decision no longer works here so we do not know :) ).

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek