Before I get into this topic - is there any way to export a scan log from AVAST as a text file (I did a quick search).

I ran a system scan and I had report options enabled.

I can view the results in AVAST, but I didnt’ see anyway to export it. I found results of the Anti-RootKit scan in C:\Documents&Settings\username\Application Data\Avast\logs (if memory serves) but not system scan results.

Thanks!!!

True - OTOH - it seems like the best option for getting more usage out of the netbook.

I don't understand your response on my comment about "all" programs or Avast alone. There are MANY settings regarding the "programs" location in Windows. Changing the default "programs" folder location is not a problem, if you just installed Windows and before installing anything else.

Basically, we are saying the same thing. For example:

  • Starting with a clean installation and setting the default programs file to D:\Program Files and installing new software there works fine (except for programs like Microsoft security Essentials - oddly, if you try that, it tells you it needs 15M of free space and you only have 14GB available.
  • Initially installing programs to C:\Program Files and later custom installing new software to D:\Program Files works - except some software does not prompt you for the installation directory.
  • Initially installing programs to C:\Program Files and later changing the default folder to D:\Program files usually does not work unless you uninstall all the programs and then re-install them.
  • The solution with mounting the SD card to an empty folder on C:\ I think has even more issues b/c I don’t think the SD card will appear as BOTH D:\ and C:\Program Files\SDHC - but maybe it does - I haven’t tested it yet.
  • Essentially - to do it properly - I would have to uninstall the programs (or copy them to a flash drive first), clear the SD card, mount the SD card to an empty folder on C:, and re-install all the programs to that folder - just b/c AVAST won’t install to a removable drive.
  • If I decide to do so, it isn’t a major issue as there are only a half-dozen programs to worry about, but it’s a pain for example, freeing up a 1GB USB flash drive, copying the Microsoft Word CD to the flash drive, installing from the flash drive, etc.
So, IMHO, either find a trick to set the new disk as "fixed", install Windows anew and change the default "programs" locations, and only then install "all" your programs to that location, or change the strategy to gain some free space.
I still find it difficult to understand why 8GB of space is not enough for those programs you mentioned.

We use WinXP at work also - I just checked and the Windows folder here is 8.34 GB, 8.13 GB on disk - that doesn’t leave a lot of room on a 8GB drive for Word or Anti-Virus. I’ll agree a clean install is probably not bad, but when you fold in 5 years of security updates and patches from Microsoft … There is no E-mail or even an E-mail client application on the netbook.

BTW, several of those programs you mentioned have some portable alternative (either from the same producer or from a competitor), specially useful for "removable" drives and netbooks.

I like those - although they have issues also - i.e. to update the flash and shockwave players for Firefox portable, you typically have to install the full version, then copy the plugins from the plugins folder of the full installation to the portable one, then uninstall the full installation.

Anyway - it looks like there isn’t a simple solution - but I can figure out how I want to workaround the problems.

Thanks again.