Hi there! I would just like to say thank you for this wonderful piece of software and great forum support.
While browsing the forum I noticed somebody claimed that adding file types into Scan Created/Modified->Default Extension Set wouldn’t work unless one edits the .ini file (that’s how I understood it). However, the person stated that wouldn’t give the example. I wish somebody could spill some knowledge on the subject if possible.
Thanks again,
Stas
Maybe you are looking for this thread ;D
I guess that’s that. Thanks a lot! I wonder how you manage to react that quick :
Its becuase we cwaaaaaazy in love with avast and all of its children… :o
I’d hate to bother you with stupid questions, however, I didn’t notice much difference with .xml file edited. avast! (home) alarmed on opening eicar.zip in both cases, whether file was edited or original. I might be getting something wrong… Could you please explain?
I do not understand what you are asking… Could you rephrase?
Sorry :
Windows 2000 SP4 and all the critical updates since then.
From the thread you referred to, Technical, I assumed that after one adds the line
EXE;ZIP;MIME;RAR;ARJ;TAR;GZ
after the line
1
in DefTasks.xml file avast! would scan zip files as you click on them (This is how I see “on access”, correct me if I’m wrong). Mine doesn’t.
However, it shoots a virus alert at the moment I try to download eicar_com.zip. Once I “OK” the alert and download it I can click it and see what’s inside the archive, no more virus alerts. Added the line to that .xml or not. What exactly this file edit gives?
Hope this makes sense this time 
I think that you won’t be able to download the eicar .zip or .com files if you scan the file just after the download (for instance, if you use a download manager, you can add c:\ avast folder \ashquick.exe without parameters).
If not, when you try to ‘extract’ the .zip file the on-access scanner will caught the infected files. If you run the .com files either.
Look, to ‘see’ what is inside the zip is different from ‘open’ (extract) the infected files. Just ‘see’ a file that is already on your HDD won’t execute the viral code and won’t be detected.
I think this is the normal behavior (in easy words). Hope this help.
Got it. Just wouldn’t silently extract. Thanks.
The original question came out from the message Posted on: March 07, 2004, 09:08:59 PM, from RejZor to faffy. Message no. 16 here http://forum.avast.com/index.php?action=search2
It says that the additional list of creaded/modified file types one inserts into Standard Shield is “useless in Home Edition unless you changed archive scanning parameters in avast! system file”.
Is the system file they’re talking about DefTasks.xml?
I think so…
Besides this, you can set a lot of parameters (configurations) of avast in another file: avast4.ini file. If you seach the forum by avast4.ini file and my name you will find a list of configurations of avast. 
I found the link for it: http://www.avast.com/forum/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=1647
bit confused here: without editing the .ini file, does adding to the additional extensions list do anything at all? does it not even scan non archived files? if so whats the point having the list?
steve, what do you mean that not even archive files are being scanned? You mean on-access or on-demand? How is the sensibility level of scanning that you are using? I’m confuse now…
I mean on-access (resident standard shield). When I saw the subject:
“While browsing the forum I noticed somebody claimed that adding file types into Scan Created/Modified->Default Extension Set wouldn’t work unless one edits the .ini file”
I was confused as to what this means. Do you have to edit the ini file to enable archive file scanning and for non archive files too?
I see, you must edit the deftask.xml and not the avast4.ini file. You do not have to edit the ini file to scan archives. You have to edit the deftask.xml if you have only the Home version (not Professional) and want that all the archives files were scanned on-access. To scan ‘all’ files on-access you must write an * into the text box for extensions (if I’m not wrong). This will consume a lot of resources of your system.
I have these in the additional extensions, will they be scanned without modifying the deftask.xml?
on open:
WS?,VBS,VBE,JS,JSE,HTA,WSF,WSH,SHS,SHB,HTM*
created/modified:
ACE,ARC,ARJ,BZIP2,CAB,COM,GZIP,PST,RAR,TAR,ZIP,ZOO,ECE
I’m confused now but I think not:
If on-demand, you just need to turn on archive scanning.
If on-access, avast by default doesn’t look for viruses in packed files. However, it can be enabled by the deftasks.xml file in the avast folder - all you need to do to enable scanning of archives on-access is to add the line
EXE;ZIP;MIME;RAR;ARJ;TAR;GZ
after the line
1
If you’re using avast 4 Professional, the same thing can be done in a more convenient way by editing the resident task.
This seems to be the last word of our Guru (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=15) ;D