Acting on the advice of another member, rather than post my question, I decided to do a search. Tried ‘Adding Exclusions’ and then simply ‘Exclusions’ but in both cases got a ‘No matches’ result. So I would be very grateful if someone would point the way to accessing the Adding Exclusions facility in my Avast user interphase.
Do you know that avast have a FAQ section http://www.avast.com/faq.php?q=exlusion#searchForm
FAQ section http://www.avast.com/faq.php
FAQ videos http://www.avast.com/faq.php?q=video#searchForm
And for those who need it, language can be changed in top right corner
Be aware that some of the topics are only written in english
Hi Pondus and thank you for the quick reply. Regarding the video link above, my problem is that when I double click on the avast icon on my desktop, I get a different window than is shown in the video. I get this window:
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq243/doric72/Avasdtaug_zpsa0902d93.jpg
Where am I going wrong?
EDIT: I note that the video in the 3rd llink is identical to that in the first.
On left side … the tools icon, what do you find there? … i am on iPad so cant see
Or the cog weel at bottom left …
Looked at both the cog wheel and tools but no obvious access there. 
Been on to UK helpline and have been advised to do an Avast re-install. 
Forum help is free and if you’re using third-party phone support, I’d really advise against that.
See attachment below to see how to open the sidebar to what it should be:
Hi mchain and thank you for your input. Phone support was one of the options given via one of the links in a previous reply and the phone support was from the official Avast helpline in the UK. However, after r-installing I am still left with the same window I had before even after following your one click advice.
EDIT:BTW The interphase image shown via Pondus’s link video is entirely different from my own and the one in your reply.
Open Avast user interphase->Scan->Scan Settings->Exclusions
Seems you found your setting.
I seem to see a red border around the screenshot of AIS in a post above. Is that the avast! sandboxed window?
I see the the red border too mchain but am not sure what the ‘sandboxed window’ is. What I do know is that I reproduced the the image (using the snipping tool) from the one that appeared when I clicked on the Avast icom at the bottom right hand side of my screen beside the time.
Easy enough to check.
Open avast gui (graphic user interface/program window)>Click Tools>Click Sandbox. If avast! is running sandboxed it will show here. Google is used here as an example. See attached below:
Results?
Just checked. There is nothing in the sanbox window.
Edit: Should there be anything in there?
By the way, the correct term is “interface”, not “interphase”.
-Noel
Interface? Not Interphase? Really? It is? Is it? It is! I stand corrected. Well spotted sir.
Only if you’ve got avast! automatically running as sandboxed.
Right-click the the browser icon you use on the desktop (assuming you’ve a PC or laptop) and select ‘Run in sandbox’. Steps are the same for running avast!, not that you need to, as Google Chrome was used as an example. You should now see the same thing as in the attached .png file if you run Chrome or other browser as sandboxed. Best setting is to manually select only ‘Run in sandbox’ when you need to, which is 95% + of the time here. Use care as to what programs, if any, always run in a sandbox.
Was looking for a setting that set the icon to ‘Always run in sandbox’ as that would/could prevent permanent changes to settings in avast!; if it were set to ‘always run in sandbox’ and could be a possible source of your issues. Sandboxing a program isolates it from the real/main operating system and prevents unwanted changes to both the sandboxed program and the real operating system as one is kept isolated from the other.
Clear that avast! is not set to ‘Always run in sandbox’ from what you said.
Advantages to running a program sandboxed:
Example: Your browser, Firefox, is attacked by ZeroAccess, and the malicious payload is deployed within it. However, since Firefox is not in the actual real operating system environment, but running in a virtual one created by the sandbox, neither the real Firefox or your os will be affected/changed after the virtual Firefox is closed and the malicious contents of the sandbox is then emptied/cleared. BTW, setting the sandbox to automatically dump all contents when using a browser/closing a browser will help control internet junk accumulation over time as it can be trivially tossed when done.
Was your version of avast! gotten from here? http://www.avast.com/download-thank-you.php?product=ISE-ONLINE&locale=en-ww Decline the online installer and click the full offline installer found just under step #3 if you think you need it.
I find this very interesting mchain, but don’t worry, I have no intention of dragging it out and wasting your time.
True, time waits for no one. So the best use of time is spent doing something useful.
[ol]- Point one was just on a hunch. You don’t want avast! running sandboxed.
- Point two is saying to manually select ‘run in sandbox’ whenever possible. Should not ever select ‘Always run in sandbox’ unless you don’t care about not being able to save bookmarks or favorites or not being able to update the browser to the latest secure version. Just these two operations alone is reason enough not to ever select ‘always run in sandbox’ as any changes in virtual are not allowed to take in the real version on the disk. So, saving bookmarks in a strictly run sandbox will not go to the real browser unless you specify it to. avast! does have this option specified, just so you know. But, then again, there is the issue of updating the browser program itself when it is always sandboxed. Unticking the ‘always run in sandbox’ may or may not allow the browser to run in normal mode, and there’s always that risk when you do that.
- Point three is just to point out that that option is available. Does not mean you should. Always select to manually run your browser (‘Run in sandbox’) and set the sandbox to empty its’ contents when the browser is closed. Internet junk and clutter will vanish automatically if you choose to set it this way. Ever wonder why a new computer hard disk volume grows over time? Internet junk and clutter get written to it and that, over time, amounts to a bit of disk space taken. Regularly dumping the sandbox contents pretty much eliminates that problem. Just be sure to save any files or data you wish to keep first before closing your browser.
- Point four comes about only because I (we) cannot see your system.
- Point five is see point one.
- Point six is providing an option you may not have known about.
- Point seven is use the full offline installer at all times except when there are issues with the full installer not installing properly and the last resort way to resolve installation issues is to use the web installer. If no issues using the full installer, certainly you can reinstall and use it. (Always a good idea to save your downloaded full copies in case you need them later) Also use this before installing the fresh new file: http://www.avast.com/en-us/uninstall-utility Here, follow all instructions to the letter.[/ol]
Thank you for your detailed and easily understood reply mchain. I am sure that, apart from myself, others will benefit from the information you have provided.
Glad to help.