Boot-time scan: Did it get any safer?

[sigillo]

I tried using Avast boot-time scan a few years ago, to a disastrous result: Avast took a Windows system file for a virus, 'repaired' it and rendered my Windows unbootable. Recovering from that was not easy.

Now I'm feeling tempted to try boot-time scan again, but only if I can tell it not to break anything by default. A prompt before 'repairing' my files would be nice; getting a log of potential problems without any meddling with them would be even better. Can I configure Avast this way?

The version in question is current: Avast Free Antivirus 19.6.2383. Windows 7 SP1.

[Pondus]

Boot time scan is to be used when you have problems removing a detected infection and not as a regular scan

FAQ.  https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Antivirus-Boot-time-Scan

[sigillo]

Boot time scan is to be used when you have problems removing a detected infection and not as a regular scan

FAQ.  https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Antivirus-Boot-time-Scan

The page you are referencing contains incorrect information: the boot-time scan configuration menu it shows does not match what I see on my screen.

However, comparing that erroneous page with the actual menu I can tell that no, there is no way to prevent Avast from damaging my system if it runs into a false positive again. They intended to code it in, but forgot it somehow. Which, I guess, answers my question.

[DavidR]

Well I think you are using poor interpretation of an outdated page and your view of the boot-time scan.

There is much you can do to negate any impact on a detection in the boot-time scan in the UI.  I don't know if you have actually checked out the settings in the latest version of avast 19.6.2383 (build: 19.6.4546.508) ?

AvastUI > Protection > Settings > Protection Virus Scans > Boot-time scan, you can choose what areas and files to scan and if you want to scan for PUPS and archive files. You can also elect NOT to Perform automatic actions during this scan.

Personally I don't run on-demand scans (including the boot-time scan) outside of beta testing and questions in the forums.  As has been mentioned the boot-time scan is essentially there to deal with detections that couldn't be dealt with in normal mode.

[sigillo]

AvastUI > Protection > Settings > Protection Virus Scans > Boot-time scan, you can choose what areas and files to scan and if you want to scan for PUPS and archive files. You can also elect NOT to Perform automatic actions during this scan.

I tried to do just that, but the UI appears to be bugged through: ticking off the "Perform automatic..." checkbox does not disable the radio boxes below as it should. They forgot to connect the event handler for this UI control.

Maybe I should file a ticket because bugs like this are fairly dangerous.

[DavidR]

Well as you can see from my image, it is working on my win10 system for the latest version of avast free. 
If any of those lower level radio button options were enabled, did you first try to deselect those ?

Were you able to check/uncheck any other scan options (outside of the area we were discussing) ?

[sigillo]

Well as you can see from my image, it is working on my win10 system for the latest version of avast free. 
If any of those lower level radio button options were enabled, did you first try to deselect those ?

I can see from your image that it is not working. Disabled radio buttons should be inactive. Greyed out. In your image they are normal colour.

Not to mention that you cannot deselect a group of radio buttons - one of them will always stay selected. That's how radio buttons work. If you see anything else, the UI is even more broken than it looks from my side.

Anyway, I think I got the idea. I really appreciate your desire to help, but the further we get into this the more neglected the whole product appears to be. FAQ stale, UI broken, even this legacy forum is falling apart: when I refresh this page, it jumps to page 6 of the topic list half of the times. Guess I should try some other antivirus now and maybe get back to Avast in a few months to see if it got any budget.

[DavidR]

You could try the Avast Repair in the Settings > Troubleshooting section _ Repair App.

[bob3160]

If Repair doesn't fix the problem, try the following:
If your Avast settings are not the default settings and you want them restored after the Clean Install, follow this before removing Avast.
https://goo.gl/TXjM7h
Clean Install of Avast:
https://goo.gl/4Ptzkf
If you need additional help with the Clean Install, watch this:
https://youtu.be/p-h3myRD51A