Avast ignoring my preference to ASK what to do

I have avast set to ASK me what to do when it encounters a virus (or suspicious file), so that I can take-on the responsibility to determine whether the file is really malicious, or merely a false positive

But for the past month or two, it’s now apparent that, rather than ASKing me what to do, avast is instead automatically quarantining the files it questions.

This is happening on two separate systems (Win7x64 SP1, and WinXP SP3), so it does not appear to be a fluke.

Has anyone else noticed this? And is there a reason why avast is no longer honoring/following my declared preferential actions?? (Settings / Active Protection / File System Shield / Actions )
Is this change intentional on avast’s part? — Or is this a glitch that needs to be fixed??

Note: I’m still using build 11.1.2245, FREE version, if that’s a factor here, which I would hope it’s not…

I certainly haven’t noticed it, not that I see a whole lot of alerts (other than testing and investigating suspect sites, etc.) from topics in the forums. I would have to wonder what it is that you are doing to get this kind of malware activity.

My Shield settings are all set to Ask as the first option, and my second is do nothing (exception being the Web Shield that only has one option Ask).

Since you don’t give any details of the alert, file name, location and malware name, etc. ?
Or indeed that it is the file shield alert or another function, DeepScreen or Hardened Mode ?

Whilst I wouldn’t have thought this was program version related (but they are program settings) and not virus definitions related. I’m not sure what you are hanging back for on your program update, but you could certainly update one system and see if it continues.

My shield settings are similar to yours: all set to Ask as the first option… my SECOND choice is to quarantine, while the THIRD is to do nothing
(Re: Web Shield, I abort on a virus, and Ask in the two other cases).

It’s not that I have a lot of prompts/warnings either… I strive to keep a clean system:

  1. I have one particular “safe” file on my hard drive [a program that tests to confirm that Zemana Anti-Logger is functioning properly], that avast considers “malware: generic”. I have excluded that file from avast’s detection, so that avast allows it to continue to reside on (and be run from) my hard drive.
    I perform a partial back-up monthly, saving a collection of “important” files to a memory stick.
    Prior to about two months ago, when avast was trying to copy (back-up) the particular file to memory stick, it used to pop-up with an alert, ASKing me what I wanted to do. And I would explicitly allow it to be copied to the memory stick.
    But as of two months ago, when avast reaches that file for copying, rather than asking me what to do, it automatically quarantines it.

  2. As a separate experiment today, I tried to download the EICAR test file. Without ASKING, avast automatically quarantined it.
    Since that MIGHT have been implemented by the web shield, I had avast restore the file to my drive, so I could attempt to run it. And again, without asking, it was automatically quarantined, this time undoubtedly by the file shield.

The reason I set the second option to do nothing is exactly the reason you mentioned before I don’t want any autonomous action. If you select do nothing as a second option you don’t get a third option. I still have the web shield set to Ask, as it keeps the alert window open and select abort as it is the only option. What that does is give time get information (or screenshot) of what the alert was about.

When downloading the Eicar test files, they are most likely to or should be intercepted by the web shield. What browser are you using a aborting the connection should do just that, so it shouldn’t get to the hard drive to be intercepted again. That said some browsers (and depending on their settings) may not just drop the connection but to try again.

I’m at a loss as to what is happening with your settings.

Thanks DavidR!
your settings are logically set.
i picked them as well

You’re welcome.