AAVM - scanning error on hp printer files

[larrymcg]

Since updating to avast 4.8.1169,  every few days I'm getting scanning errors on my hp printer files.  These never happened with the earlier (4.7) version of avast.  Here's an example of the messages from the log:

4/15/2008 1:27:37 PM   SYSTEM   1588   AAVM - scanning error: x_AavmCheckFileDirectEx: avfilesScanReal of C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\W32X86\3\hpztbx11.exe failed, 00000005. 

4/15/2008 1:27:37 PM   SYSTEM   1588   AAVM - scanning error: x_AavmCheckFileDirectEx: avfilesScanReal of C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\W32X86\3\hpzpcl11.dll failed, 00000005.

I get about 15 such errors at a time listing separate files from the same folder.  There is also a similar set of warnings in the warning log.

What's that about?

Is it possible that these errors happen when the other PC on the network prints on the printer connected to my PC?  In any case, these errors/warnings did not happen with the 4.7 version of avast.

--Larry

[DavidR]

Well the failure is one of permission, the windows 5 error = Access is denied. Why that would be I have no idea, but it shouldn't have made a difference which version (assuming they both tried to scan that file). So I think it is entirely coincidental to your update to 4.8.1169 and why it didn't happen in 4.7 is strange as avast doesn't set the permissions.

So it looks like that folder is protected. Personally I wouldn't even worry about it, I rarely look at the log viewer unless I see an avast error on the screen or something in avast is clearly not working.

There is a beta currently running (4.8.1178) and I believe there is something in that relating to printers, I don't know if might have any effect, I would doubt it, but it is worth a try. See http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=34612.0 for instructions and download link for aswbeta.exe to convert your version.

[larrymcg]

So it looks like that folder is protected.

Well, I don't think the folder is normally protected because the error does not happen on every scan and I can have avast do a scan of that folder and it is happy to do it without errors.

I guess it is time to do the experiment of printing from the other PC and watch what happens.

--Larry

[Lisandro]

I  won't worry... at the time of the scanning HP takes possession of the file and avast can't scan it. Al least seems this...

[larrymcg]

Although I'm not worried about this, I thought I'd provide another instance that just happened.
I have a folder with lots of files in it.  I had an Excel file that for certain reasons I needed to edit with Excel but my PC uses OpenOffice.  So I went to my other PC which has Excel and edited the file from there.  I edited it in place over the local network.
Later I noticed that avast had generated 4 scanning errors (like the ones in my original post) but they were for 4 old .exe files in the same folder where I was editing the excel file.  There are many other .exe files in that folder.  The avast errors were posted during the time I was doing the editing remotely.

I was not doing a scan at the time (which was also true for the examples in the OP).  So something was triggering a "on access" scan (not sure of the terminology).

Maybe Windows was putting a lock of some kind on the folder?  If so, I would have expected a lot more scan failures unless the lock comes and goes quickly.

Why would avast be doing an on-access scan?  Because of the access from the other PC?
And if so, why would avast be scanning other inactive files in the folder?

Curiously,
Larry

PS:  I did some experiments printing on my printer from the other PC and avast did not complain about anything.  But under some condition it does still complain about those printer files.  Hmmmm.....