Exclusions list not working

[ConstantVariable23]

Hi, I've been trying Avast! since AVG caused a conflict and broke my internet access, and for the most part I'm happy with it (especially the range of options and features), but there is one problem that's pretty severe for my purposes. The File System Shield keeps scanning folders I put on the exclusions list. For a lot of people this wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm an avid gamer and when Avast! ignores my exclusions, it dramatically slows down the games as they load. And if I change the settings so that the FSS doesn't scan as intensively, that leaves the whole rest of the system less secure. Attached is a .png showing one such instance. The image has been modified so as not to give too much information about me away, but you can clearly see how Avast! is ignoring what I put on the list.

I think it should be noted that I had the exact same issue with Avira AntiVir, and uninstalled that because I found in a search that the developers had received several reports and, in every case, did nothing other than explain how to add exclusions (which the users had clearly already done). Bugs I expect in any program, but developer negligence is not something I'll tolerate in such an important piece of software. Not to come off all militant, but I am getting quite fed up with that kind of thing. So, is this a known issue? If so, when will it be fixed? If it's not a known issue, do I have to do something other than post it here? Thanks in advance.

[DavidR]

Well that is certainly unusual as the exclusions work fine on my system and your exclusion mask for that folder appears to be correct. For the others that you have blanked out, do those work or do they reflect the same problem ?

Try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select 'avast! Anti-Virus,' click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow.

Whilst this is unlikely I don't know if remnants of your previous AVs (low level drivers) may still be hooking files and perhaps that might cause an override but that is a bit of clutching at straws.

- AVG8.x (or higher) Remover, download tool from here, http://www.avg.com/download-tools there is a 32bit and 64 bit windows version, ensure you use the correct one.

- Avira AntiVir Uninstall Package & RegistryCleaner (choose appropriate version): http://www.avira.com/en/support/support_downloads.html, Avira RegistryCleaner.
- Also see, How to Remove Antivir Antivirus
http://www.pchell.com/virus/uninstallantivir.shtml

Uninstall Avira Antivir Completely
http://www.themisteriosos.com/uninstall-avira-antivir-completely.htm

[ConstantVariable23]

For the others that you have blanked out, do those work or do they reflect the same problem ?

Some work properly, others don't. I am unable to discern any common thread; one of the folders that works has a longer name, more spaces, a number, and a larger hard drive footprint. Another one that works has only six characters, no spaces, no numbers, and is much smaller. It almost makes me suspect that the difference is in how the programs are coded. I did not think to check if Avira AntiVir was behaving in the same erratic fashion, unfortunately. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with it even before I noticed the bug, so I'm more motivated to fix it this time. And unless I really wasn't paying attention, AVG didn't even tell me what it was doing.

Try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select 'avast! Anti-Virus,' click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow.

Done, rebooted, no change.

Whilst this is unlikely I don't know if remnants of your previous AVs (low level drivers) may still be hooking files and perhaps that might cause an override but that is a bit of clutching at straws.

(uninstaller utilities)

I downloaded and used those before installing Avast!, since I had already heard that antivirus software can be difficult to remove entirely.

Any other suggestions? My other questions still stand. Also, I was negligent in my initial post; I am running Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3, the 32 bit version. I can provide other system specs, but I don't see how they would be relevant.

[DavidR]

Well you are basically running the same setup as me, I have XP Pro SP3 and that should be able to handle long file/folder names with spaces, etc. rather than the old 8.3 file format, etc.

When you use the Exclusions browse that should enter the correct path and not need to contemplate the old c:\progrm~1\ultima~1\* style path though you could try copying and pasting that into an exclusion and see if that works.

If it does work there may be a setting in XP Home that needs changing to get of the 8.3 file format style of paths, etc. though I can't recall where that is of the top of my head.

See image example of some of my exclusions, note most don't exclude execution, I tend to only use that for specific files.

Sorry I don't understand, what other question still stands, as I don't see any specifics.

That's me for the night a little after 4am here.

[ConstantVariable23]

When you use the Exclusions browse that should enter the correct path and not need to contemplate the old c:\progrm~1\ultima~1\* style path though you could try copying and pasting that into an exclusion and see if that works.

I tried entering it like that, and rebooted for good measure, but it didn't make any difference. I have actually seen paths get scanned with the old name style, but that appears to be unrelated to the main problem.

Sorry I don't understand, what other question still stands, as I don't see any specifics.

The last two lines of my first post, after the rant.

Also, I got a family member to try Avast!, and they do not have the same issue with the same configuration, even though the OS is the same and they've used every antivirus program I have, with the exception of AntiVir. As annoying as that is, it at least reassures me that Avast! isn't just buggy by nature.

I haven't given up yet, I still have a few things left to try. Should reinstalling Avast! be one of them, or could that break something?

[ConstantVariable23]

Well, I didn't think it would be that easy, but I figured out what the problem is. I have too many exclusions. After double checking the aforementioned family member's settings, and realizing that they have a lot less on their exclusions list, I decided to see what would happen if the Ultima Online folder was the only exclusion left (apart from the defaults). It worked after setting it, it worked after rebooting. What did the non-working folders all have in common? They were farther down the list. Actually, Avira AntiVir said right in the help file that there was a character limit to how many exceptions you could make, so I guess Avast! suffers from a similar limitation that isn't documented. Heck, for all I know AVG was the same way, it's not like I could see what it was doing.

For now, I'll solve this problem by trimming my exclusions list of the smaller game-related folders in the Documents and Settings area. But I would still like to know what I can do to get this issue either fixed or properly documented.

[DavidR]

I though I answered those indirectly:

Well that is certainly unusual as the exclusions work fine on my system and your exclusion mask for that folder appears to be correct.

Very occasionally we see it reported on forums, commonly it is incorrect exclusion mask, etc. So as such I wouldn't call it a known bug or there would be more instances of it on the forums. So given that it isn't common or possibly a bug I don't see how anyone can say when it will be fixed. Not only that I'm just an avast user like yourself so have no control over that.

Just seen your last post when trying to post this one and I wasn't aware of a limitation in the number of exclusions, etc. so you may have come across an undocumented limit or a bug, I wonder. Hopefully one of the Alwil team will pick-up on this.

[ConstantVariable23]

Sorry, I am frequently told that I imply too much and that I should be more clear in what I say. What I wanted to know is if Alwil developers actually read these forums or if they're solely for users to help each other. But after doing a bit of searching, it appears that at least one of them posts here, a user named Vlk. So thank you for trying to help; I guess now I wait and see what happens.

[DavidR]

Yes, they do and are generally pretty active in the forums. All of the Moderators are avast developers from Alwil software.

[true911]

Just throwing my two cents in here because I came to the forums to search/report exactly the same problem.

I have an ip scanning tool that I use regularly (systems admin) over which Avast and others routinely throw alarms.  Avast is the only scanner to throw it into the vault, however, after I have excluded it explicitly.

I do hope the workaround regarding the length of the list is helpful; I'm going to try that now.  However, an exclusion list that takes entries and doesn't exclude them is broken - that's a bug that requires fixing.  If there's a limit  on the length of the list, it shouldn't allow the entry from the start.

[erolsk8]

Same problem: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=68207.0

Thanks