Avast is unable to scan these files

[tommytinkroom]

Just recently after running a full scan on the free version i get
this alert that pops up after it's finished,saying unable to scan these files.
Should i go into the Avast directory and delete the def folder contains
these files,or is there another workaround for it.
Thanks in advance for any help.
.

[DavidR]

Nothing to worry about, those are are files in old virus definitions folders and avast is doing some housecleaning to keep the size used on the hard disk to a minimum (so you won't see those folders as they are gone). This just happens to have occurred between the time you started the scan and it reaching that old defs folder.

[tommytinkroom]

I see,but the thing is the alert comes up all the time after every scan.
Also those files are there because i had a look in the directory.

[Gopher John]

I see,but the thing is the alert comes up all the time after every scan.
Also those files are there because i had a look in the directory.

The files will be on your computer.  However, the path changes with each VPS update and therefore the file location changes with it.  The individual file may or may not be changed by the update.  The old path is deleted in due course after a new one is created by the update.  You had a scan that started when the old path existed, but was deleted by routine housekeeping during the scan.  When the scan tried to scan, the path was no longer there.

[DavidR]

I see,but the thing is the alert comes up all the time after every scan.
Also those files are there because i had a look in the directory.

How frequently are you doing these scans (I suspect daily) ?

The new defs sub-folders are created and each will have a unique folder name related to the VPS version. When there are new incremental virus definition updates a new folder is created with the content of the previous folder and the combined incremental update. Those files will be present in each folder as they are required, so the files are the same the location isn't.

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- With a resident on-access antivirus like avast, the need for frequent on-demand scans is much depreciated. For the most part the on-demand scan is going to be scanning files that would be otherwise be dormant or inert. If they were active files then the on-access file system shield would be scanning them before being created, modified, opened or executed.

I have avast set to do a scheduled weekly Quick scan, set at a time and day that I know the computer will be on. If for some reason my system wasn't on, no big deal I will catch up on the next scheduled scan.

This way you are less likely to bump into the avast housekeeping and files can't be found. I can only remember bumping into this once in a very long time.

[tommytinkroom]

Just done another full scan and the alert "unable to scan files"did'nt show this time,
but the last 5 full scans did show it.
So i suppose the lesson is to ignore it and it will go away in time.

[DavidR]

The fact that files can't be scanned isn't an indication that they are somehow suspect/infected, just that they can't be scanned and the reason why.

They won't go away in time as avast will always be doing housekeeping removing old defs sub-folders, but I suspect the reason you are seeing so many is the frequency of the Full system scan that you are doing. I would also suggest that a Quick scan is more than adequate.