avast detects a file, i know its a false positive, selects recover, and then nothing. file does not return, and i cant do anything other then to delete from virus chest, cant even send the file to analysis or select to recover again and it happens every time since the new virus chest layout. meaning the file is gone forever, making me have to ether download the program again, which could be gb of data, or to reinstall it if i still have the installer.
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Even if you know/think it is an FP, that would have to be confirmed.
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Even if the file was Restored, it is likely to be detected again unless you set an exclusion for it.
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I have just done a test, using an alternative method of getting to the virus chest, not through the avastUI, but using the right click menu of the avast tray icon. From that I was able to restore one of the files, see images. 1 shows the file having been restored and 2 shows the file back in place with a new date and time (a few minutes ago).
I do not get it. It is my computer, and if I want to declare a file “clean” and to restore it from Quarantine, Avast! should restore it and automatically add it to “exclusions”
Seems to be logical.
If that was done for every file considered an FP by any user there could be a great hole in defences.
When you consider a file to be an FP for analysis, then if it is found to be an FP a correction could be done to the virus database, helping all avast users.
There is nothing stopping you Restoring it, as I said it might still be detected, you would have to set your own exclusion.
EDIT: The avast chest has changed a lot recently whilst there was an option to Restore and add to the Exclusions - that options isn’t there (see attached) any more. I don’t know the reason for that or if Restoration sets the exclusion automaticity or not.
You could test that by restoring the file and check the exclusions.
If I know a file is safe, I don’t care what antivirus it is, it better respect that I know better than it does, as it is my computer, and I am the Administrator of it. Especially since I’m not the ‘typical’ user that knows little about how it operates. That is precisely why I told a pay service to go to hell, as they decided they knew better than I while offering what was really an inferior product.
Avast has cost me hours of time wasted twice now, in combination with another service that is, yes, extremely legit and safe despite how annoying it is, trying to get a download on it finished. In Avast’s infinite wisdom, it decided a small file as part of that download was a hazard, but did not warn me it was doing that despite my having selected to ask before, causing the service to declare the download invalid and start all over. I discovered this thread looking for why the virus chest would not allow me to select an option that I know it had before. I’ve already excluded it yet again.
Unlike most, I am not able to do this kind of download on my home internet due to serious bandwidth limitations. No, this one file should not cause the whole thing to be deleted, but it happened. However, Avast should not be blocking a file that is actually safe and intended because it detects a false positive after I tell it to exclude it. You could argue when it knows it’s a virus, but this isn’t even a known, it’s a suspected. Well, I suspect Avast is full of crap no matter it’s intention and I’ll remove it and find an alternative if it continues to disobey the user. It is my computer, and the whole point to using an antivirus in the first place, is to prevent unauthorized access or hijacking. If it wasn’t for Windows allowing things to install on their own even when I don’t run infected software, I’d go back to not using an antivirus at all if this is where companies want to go.
Ultimately, it’s your computer and your choice.
I personally will report any such file and wait for it to be analysed.
The process usually doesn’t take that long. Again, your choice.