avast cannot process virus file

I have a virus warning from avast. I cannot get any of the available options to work as avast responds with a message that it cannot process the file.

The problem is on an old computer that I haven’t upgraded yet. It’s a winbox with win98 running Eudora and avast4.6 (free) and zonealarm.

On downloading some email, Avast warned me that I had a virus which it indicated was:

win32beagle-FR(wm)

I tried all the available options which were …delete…send to chest…move/rename

All three options give the same result

Avast cannot find the file specified which it then lists which is a just received email. Clicking on ok returns me to the large avast antivirus warning which I cannot remove.

The only available option which I have not exercised is to click on take no action which avast warns me will finish downloading the message including it’s dangerous content.

This is a secondary computer which receives email which is almost entirely spam so I am not much concerned about the possible loss of any or even all the email on it but the problem is the computer has this big honking virus warning which I can’t get rid of yet fills up about a quarter of the screen.

I don’t understand why avast can’t find a file which it is itself telling me about.

I’m not sure what would happen if I simply shut down the computer and rebooted. It seems quite possible that the virus will then be loaded into my computer. Since avast can’t find it when it’s actually holding it in it’s hot little hands my guess is it might not find when I reboot which means I will have an undetected virus on my computer.

What I’m wondering is if I uninstall avast while its holding a virus what will avast do with the virus? Will it take the virus out when it uninstalls or will it just release it onto my computer and then uninstall?

Currently the computer cannot be used for its main purpose which is for my wife to surf to a few of her favourite sites.

It seems that there’s some problem with the processing of the archive (=deleting the file from it).
With Eudora, I suppose you shouldn’t be in any big danger if you let the infected message deliver and simply delete it from your mailbox (supposing you don’t run the attachment in between). I would like to ask though - what is the exact (full) location the virus dialog shows (for the infected message)? You can scroll and select the text in the corresponding box.
Do you get the “File not found” message after every click to “Delete” button, or e.g. after every second click? (If it’s not every click, the location will probably be changing)

Additionally, what is the exact build of avast! you are running? You can find out e.g. in the about box.

Thank you for your timely response.

I hope the following answers your questions.

full location (I think this is what you want)

cannot find file specified: C:\windows\TEMP_avast4_\unp2250335062\Rebecka.zip#667252862\1.exe

Of course, Rebecka has no relation to anything on this computer.

exact build:

Following your recommendation I chose the take no action option from avast and allowed Eudora to complete the email collection. I then manually deleted the infected file plus the postal delivery failure notice file that always accompanies this type of file when I receive it. Upon rebooting the automatic upgrade feature of avast notified me of a new version which enables me to say with certainty that the version I was using when this difficulty arose is: avast 4.6.691 This is now upgraded to 4.6.731.

On this machine I get fifty or sixty spams a day. Once a year or so I get this beagle virus which as I mentioned comes with an additional infected notice of delivery failure. Avast always has this difficulty handling it. Other viruses are handled routinely.

Again, thanks for your immediate response!

Simlar problem, but with a bit of a twist.

This happened to me yesterday with the soberab2 virus. I recieved 4 instances of the virus, with two of them I recieved the error message “cannot process” with the file path when I chose delete and delete again in the second box. The path is basically the same as the one in the previous post. The only recourse was to chose no action.

The other two where handled the same way as the 11 copies I recieved the night before were. I was warned of an infected e-mail, chose delete, and chose delete permanenlty, and the scan continued. However the e-mails where still delivered to my inbox, just as if I would have chosen no action. I still had to delete them manually.

Any thoughts? ???

edited to add…avast! is tagging the e-mails as infected

Did you set avast to work in Silent Mode (Advanced tab of settings of the providers)?

No.

I’ve asked because this could be deleted the file (sent to Chest) and so the avast! virus message couldn’t delete if again…
Maybe some other process delete it after it was detected by avast and before you click send to Chest, as it was a temporary file.

Well, it’s entirely posible that the temporary file was deleted, but the infected e-mails still landed in my inbox.

But were they released infected or not, just a clean message arrived?

They where in the inbox with the subject appended to include “infected” in brackets. The attachment paper clip was still there. If the actual virus was still included, I don’t know as I never opened them to see. ;D

As I outlined at the beginning of this thread the only working option was to take no action. I considered that perhaps my previous attempts had removed the virus package leaving only placeholder parts of the file but if so what was left appeared identical to an infected file.

Leaving evidence of infection where no infection is actually present seems a little sloppy. Especially since I have no way of knowing for sure that the virus is not now installed with the capability of hiding itself from antivirus programs.

To add to my previous post. I could have sworn :-[ :-[ that the paper clip was still there on those emails. However, I recieved one tonight, the paper clip was gone, so the offending attachment had indeed been deleted. ;D

As for the “cannot proccess…” problem, perhaps avast ‘forgot’ it had already deleted those attachments?? ???

It’s not a matter of forgotting.
Layered defense could alarm the virus reaching while a second layer has deleted it and so on.
I won’t call forgot but detect it by more than one provider.

Ok close enough. It was a tougue in cheek remark anyway.

I’ll keep an eye on it and see if ,and I say if, it happens again. This time I’ll make a point of making sure if the paperclip shows up.

Thanks

Hi,
I’m Andy a newbie. I was checking my e-mails in Outlook 2003 SP2, and it automatically started scrolling down through my in-box without me pressing the down arrow. So I ran Avast 4.6 Home edition and it came up with the following.

C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\backup.pst\Personal Folders\Top of Personal Folders\Junk E-mail\Nicholas\Wynefreed.zip\1.exe

Result: Infected: Win32: Beagle-FM[Wrm]

Operation: Error occurred moving file to chest. File is not packed.
Operation: Error occurred during file deletion. File is not packed.

I’ve backed up my files to DVD.

I downloaded and ran Avast Virus Cleaner Tool VPS version: 0550-1, 14/12/2005 but that said no virus body found.

I’ve run Ms Antispyware but that came back nothing detected.
I’ve run Spybot Search & Destroy and that said no threats found.

I did a system restore to a week ago.

But the virus is still there, any ideas?

Also while I’m here I’ve also had problems using thing like e-bay and my girl friend being to access her e-mails remotely from my computer and others and I found it all worked if I terminated ‘Web Shield’ within Avast. I know that doesn’t sound like a clever thing to do. I have had warning from Avast about compatibility with Zone Alarm fire wall and wondered if this was the problem. I’m considering switching to AVG to see if it can get ride of this Beagle-FM virus, and also overcome the problem of compatibility with Zone Alarm fire wall. But then I’m worried what it will do if I try to load an antivirus program like AVG while there is already a virus on the computer?

any advise would be gladly received?

Andy.

  1. The warning about Zone Alarm relates to the Pro version and the Privacy Controls see this for more information http://www.avast.com/eng/webshield_issues.html.

  2. As far as I’m aware (not being an Outlook user) avast can’t extract the email from within a .pst (database) file and potentially the only option for avast would be to delete the infected file backups.pst which you really don’t want. Knowing the email location …\backup.pst\Personal Folders\Top of Personal Folders\Junk E-mail\Nicholas\Wynefreed.zip\1.exe you could either clear the Junk E-Mail folder or navigate further to locate the infected email and manually delete it and then clear the deleted emails folder.

:slight_smile: Hi Andy ( N.Flatable ) :

 The "(wrm)" means this is a worm and I advise you use
 a good & FREE program that "specializes" in detecting
 and removing worms.
 If you have Win XP or 2000 Operating System :
 www.ewido.net/en
 If you have an Operating System other than the 2 above:
 www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free