AVAST 5 - dll & exe files being taken to virus chest.

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

After using Avast for the past 3 years without a problem EVER, I now find that the newly installed Avast 5 is causing me major headaches.
Windows XP SP3 with all current updates & AVAST 5 free download.
All previously installed programmes will no longer open as the respective exe or a required dll file cannot be located, initially I reinstalled some programmes and they opened, but eventually the problem returns.
Any time I start up an Office Programme - IE, Outlook etc, a pop up appears advising I wait for windows installer to be configured.
On looking in the AVAST Virus Chest I see it is full of dll, exe, htm files.
How can I get all these required drivers etc back to where they belong?
For example, adobe acrobat stopped working, I downloaded reader 9 and it worked fine, next day it doesn’t work!!! Found 6 dll files in the chest, restored each and it works again - but for how long??
HOw do I stop AVAST 5 from isolating all my esential files?

2

Some more detailed information (a few of the common detections from each different malware name gtoup) might not go amiss: File name, location and malware name ?

Crucially the malware name, if you are getting lots of .exe, dll and htm files this is likely to be a file infecter, which is working through your system as these files are opened.

3

Try to exclude the Folder by these Programs.

Steps:

  1. Go into the interface
  2. Go into “File System Shield”
  3. Click “Expert settings”
  4. Click “Exclusions”
  5. Click “add”
  6. Now a new Category has been added - Click Browse and find the Folder of these programs
  7. Click close

Now, you have excluded them from the AV scanner, but when you gonna use “on-Demand scan” it will scan and remove them again.
How to exclude them from On-Demand:

  1. Click “Settings” in the upper right corner
  2. Click “Exclusions”
  3. Click “add”
  4. Do the same again, browse to the folders and add the ENTIRE folder to this list.

Report back if it still keeps deleting them, I recommend turning off all shield while doing this.

BE CAREFULL! These files can be Infected(or a false positive) I recommend turning off the shields, put the files back where they belong, and scan with this program:
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/4716-malwarebytes-anti-malware.html
And to be 100% sure:
http://www.superantispyware.com/

Regards,
Armin.

4

What does Avast say is wrong with the files… As that is the way file infectors work

5

@ WildWestGuy

Your advice could get the OP in some serious trouble. Files should ‘never’ be excluded without first having been fully investigated and confirmed to be harmless.

Turning all the shields off for any reason, malware related is even worse.

6

Sorry Guy’s, the PC has gone t’s up!! :cry:
So no chance of accessing any detail now.
I’ll be getting a new PC, installing QUALITY anti virus software and then connecting teh old hard drives via usb nd extracting all my required files…
What I don’t undersatnd is that ALL these problems occurred immediately after downloading Avast 5, ???

7

From the little information gained I would suspect a file infector like sality or Virut was the culprit
but without the data from Avast I would just be surmising. I would recommend that you fully scan any USB or external/slave hardrives before copying any files from them

8

New PC, old hard drives scanned via usb and 318 infected files located and healed by AVG - win32/Zbot.a win32/Zbot.e Trojan Horse SHeur3.AQRA Trojan Horse PSW Generic…
But all these got through the Avast ::slight_smile:
So time for fresh pastures :wink: