Questions from a New User of Avast! Ver 4.8 Home Edition

[ajergo]

I am new to Avast and the simple user interface.  I am having trouble finding two things in the User Interface menu's .  Can somebody please direct me to where or how I can set these two items:

1) The menu that would tell me the default action when Avast finds a Virus or Spyware, etc.  I know there are choices like Move to Chest or Delete or Ignore or Prompt me for action.  BUT, I can not find where to set this option.   I believe whatever option I choose will be done for all hits and all types of scans ... correct?

2) May be related to the above, but right now when I do a scan, it will stop the scan everytime it finds a hit and I have to respond as to what action I want. I am guessing I have the "Prompt me for Action" choice right now.  Is there a way I can have Avast do a full scan and then after it is all done, I can choose what action to perform on each hit?   Most of the time you do scans, you are not sitting and watching the scan, so its kind of inconvenient to have to respond to each hit before the scan will continue.

Thanks for your help.

[DavidR]

There are many objects in the Skin, somewhere on the top left corner (depends on skin used) is the menu, you can hover over the different objects and a tooltip should say what the object is. Otherwise right click somewhere in the middle of the skin and the menu will pop-up.

This is unrelated to the above, but one of the limitation of the home version. These automated options are only available in the Pro version. This is a limitation of the Home (free) version that it has interactive input requirement, there have to be differences in the Home/Pro version and this is one of them, the programmers have to eat

In the Home version you can check the option "Don't show this window again" when the first virus warning appears, select the "No action" button. This way, no action will be taken and you will given the results at the end of the scan (and you can perform actions from there). Over time this will become less of an issue, as the resident, on-access scanners are designed to intercept infection before it gets into your system.

- There was one suggestion to place something like the eicar test virus at the start of the first drive to be scanned in a file like ~a-eicar.com that should soon be detected and you can do the option "Don't show this window again" when the first virus warning appears, select the "No action" button. So you should have a list of files waiting your action.

[Lisandro]

ajergo, just a curiosity... which was your 'old' antivirus?

[ajergo]

I can find the menu after right clicking on the tray icon and going to "Start avast! Antivirus", but I have gone thru all the Settings options and can not see where I specify that action that the scan should take; i.e.: move to chest, repair, delete, move/rename, stop or prompt for action, etc.   Which Setting option would specify this?  Or is Prompt for action during the scan the only action available?

I was previously using the Grisoft Free AVG antivirus, which does allow me to do the above and does do a full scan before having me choose what action to take.  I am still not sure if I want to stay with avast! or switch back to Ver 8 or AVG Free.

Please explain further what you mean by "Over time this will become less of an issue, as the resident, on-access scanners are designed to intercept infection before it gets into your system."

When I read thru the HELP provided with avast!, I can do a search on "Action to take", and I can get to a Help page called "Virus" Page ... this help page explains exactly what I want to do.  One problem ... the help page does not tell me how to get to this option or setting!  Is it only available in the Pro or paid version of avast ?

[Lisandro]

Or is Prompt for action during the scan the only action available?

You've got it...
They're only in Professional version (see picture here: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=13315.msg112285#msg112285).

I was previously using the Grisoft Free AVG antivirus

A lot of ex-AVG are here now

which does allow me to do the above and does do a full scan before having me choose what action to take.  I am still not sure if I want to stay with avast! or switch back to Ver 8 or AVG Free.

In Home version you can check the option "Don't show this window again" as soon as the first virus warning appears, and click on "No action" button. This way, nothing will be done and you will be presented the results at the end (and you can perform actions from there).

Please explain further what you mean by "Over time this will become less of an issue, as the resident, on-access scanners are designed to intercept infection before it gets into your system."

If you have your resident antivirus running, we don't expect an user runs on-demand scanning daily, for instance. The resident will catch the virus when it's trying to run...

Is it only available in the Pro or paid version of avast ?

Yes.

[rogman49]

All,

I did what David suggested. I downloaded the Eicar test virus and renamed to !!!!Eicar Test Virus and moved to C drive. The !!!! name places it at top of c drive. Waited about 1 min. into scan and got the virus message. I checked the no further action box and then continue. Works great. Must have protection turned off to download test virus file. Thanks for the tip David! 

[DavidR]

You're welcome, glad that it works, though the tip was passed to me via the forums, I can't recall who posted it.