Automatic scan & automatic defn updates

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi,
I am new to the free Avast Home Edition and have a few questions.

Is it true that I cannot schedule a time to run the scan automatically except at boot time. What I would like is to schedule it to automatically run, say Friday evenings at 8 p.m. Is this possible? .

Is it possible to schedule automatic updates of virus definitions at a specific time, like 8 a.m. every day? I cannot find such an option.

When I right-click and run a scan on a folder, the results do not stay on the screen – but quickly flash off. Does this mean no viruses were found? Is this the way the program is supposed to work?

Thank you.
Laverne

2

Hi Laverne

Software vendors limit their free offerings in different ways. Avast! Home does not have scheduling for on-demand scans. There are ways to get around it which may or may not may not suit you. It does have a screensaver scan option also.

By default, Avast! Home checks for updates at startup and then every 240 minutes. You can’t set a specific time but you can adjust the interval by right-clicking on the “a” tray icon, choose “Program Settings…” > “Update (Basic)” > “Details” > “Auto update every ___ minutes”.

That’s how it works if the file is clean. Don’t worry, if a virus is detected you won’t miss it!

3
When I right-click and run a scan on a folder, the results do not stay on the screen -- but quickly flash off. Does this mean no viruses were found? Is this the way the program is supposed to work?

You can easily adjust it so that it will show you the results of the scan. Please see this thread.

4

For Home version, the minor auto-update period allowed is 120 minutes.
Scheduling of scanning and update are only available on Pro version.

5

Thanks to all of you for the quick reply. Vladimyr – I tried to set up a scheduled task but was unsuccessful, maybe because I don’t have my WinXP system set up with a password. But after thinking about it…I can live without the automatic scan.

Alanrf – I did make the change you suggested for a scan via right-click on a folder. I am happier to SEE the results. Your instructions were very clear.

Tech – I see that the pro version has what I want, but for now I will try using your free version. So far, I think Avast is great.
Laverne

6

Maybe you can set to run just ‘when connected’ (i.e., when the user has made a logon).

7

I’m running Avast Home free. I have my definitions data base set to update automatically.

I see the setting “Auto update every xxx minutes.” What would happen if I set this to 000? Would the update then be done only when I boot the computer? That is what I would like.

Laverne

8

Not a lot the Home version is restricted to a minimum check of 120 minutes, regardless of if you set it lower than 120. Personally I feel you are wasting your time and just placing an additional load on the download servers by constantly checking.

I have left mine set to the default in the just over 4 years I have had avast and I never felt vulnerable because I had to wait an extra two hours to check for updates. When you first connect to the internet the auto update will check so that is the most likely time an update will be available.