ProgramData not hiding

[hseldon]

I have two PCs on Windows 10 (10.0.19045.2193) with Avast Free installed on each.  If I unhide the C:\ProgramData folder then try to hide it again, it won't hide. If I uninstall Avast Free then I can hide C:\ProgramData.

As a test, I installed a new clean version of Windows 10 and installed both Avast Free and Avast One, and the C:\ProgramData folder will not hide again after being unhidden.
Could somebody confirm if this is a bug or, if not, how can i hide it?

[Rundvleeskroket]

You could try disabling Avast Self-Defense and see if that will let you hide the folder. Then re-enable Self-Defense.

[hseldon]

Thank you so much. That worked.

I wonder why C:\ProgramData should be kept visible with Self-Defense setting on, I thought the opposite would be the default setting, ie it would be preferable that C:\ProgramData should be kept hidden so C:\ProgramData\Avast Software is hidden (particularly as Avast Software folder itself is default set to visible). I do realise hiding a folder is not much of a defence.

[Rundvleeskroket]

I don't know. It might be a bug. If I had to guess; Avast might try to protect against malware hiding itself. So unhiding is allowed but hiding (or hiding again) not.

Disabling Self-Defence lets you change folder properties, and once set Avast seems to keep the status quo.

[bob3160]

"and installed both Avast Free and Avast One"
Never install more than ONE AV.
Avast One and Avast Free are two separate products.
Use one or the other. NOT both.

[hseldon]

"and installed both Avast Free and Avast one"

Hi, Sorry. Yes my wording could have been better.
To clarify I only started to use Avast a week ago. To narrow down the timeframe of when this change to C:\ProgramData occurred, what I did do was install my daily incremental Macrium Reflect backups. Once I found the date that C:\ProgramData stopped being able to be hidden, I looked at what programs I had installed on or around that date - Avast One seemed a likely suspect.
For further elimination, I installed a clean fresh version of Windows 10 on a separate SSD to the SSD where I keep my current Windows 10 install. I installed Avast Free first, checked if C:\ProgramData could be hidden after being unhidden, uninstalled Avast Free then rebooted, carried out the same check, installed Avast One next and carried out the same check. And I installed both Avast Free and Avast One to confirm definitively that it was Avast AV causing this change to the normal behaviour of C:\ProgramData.

If I had been more familiar with Avast's settings, I would have saved myself some time and bother and tried the Self-Defence setting first.