So you know those periodic “smart scans” avast does every now and again? Well it as of writing this post includes “Viruses & malware”, “Advanced issues” and “Performance issues”. But there are a few problems with this. First i don’t have the part of avast that would let me fix “performance issues” so i couldn’t fix it anyway and second it always stops at 50% when scanning System junk. I’d like to turn off Performance issue scanning in smart scans so this stops happening as smart scans now never finish. Is there a way to do this myself or do i have to contact avast and request this?
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Well Avast doesn’t do periodic “quick scans”, you as a user can initiate the Quick Scan and also set it to run periodically.
The Scan in your image is the Smart Scan and you should be able to disable it running which would stop it checking for “performance issues” (selling you the products to fix these).
A very long time ago I disabled the Smart Scan and I can’t remember how I went about that.
I think it may have been at the end where it suggests running the Smart Scan periodically.
- I have run it manually and at the end, click the Finish Scan see image 1 attached.
- In the next screen, you can disable it from running once a month, see image 2 attached. I think you have been in too much of a hurry and failed to notice the don’t run it in a month, etc.
You may still get a final are you sure, you don’t want to install the other option, decline.
I appreciate your suggestion and i did noticed the “don’t run it in a month” option when i started having this problem but in the concern for security I’d prefer to avoid that option. If push comes to shove i’d rather just have to end the scan manually instead of disabling it altogether as i have been up until now. Also thank you for correcting me on what type of scan it is, I’ve now corrected this in my main post.
In my opinion the need for on-demand scans (including the Smart Scan) is greatly depreciated with an on-access antivirus scanner like Avast. The advanced issues scan is more a vehicle for offering more paid avast programs.
In turning off the monthly scan it doesn’t stop you running it when you want, as I did to gather the images, but again " the need for on-demand scans (including the Smart Scan) is greatly depreciated with an on-access antivirus scanner."
My problem is that i don’t have the state of mind and time to run scans regularly as i should so i like that avast can do that on it’s own. I still scan individual files when the need arises but i like that avast is periodically checking for anything that I’ve missed. The only problem i have with it is that A: it stops during the performance scan and B: it’s not a full scan.
I have only had avast Free for close to 20 years and in all of that time nothing has got past the on-access shields of Avast. This was way before the Smart Scan and before many of the current Avast Shields were added.
To get on to your HDD/SSD it has to get past the Web Shield, File System Shield, Network Shield, Behaviour Shield (and some other functions), all of these really do depreciate the need for regular on-demand and Smart Scan. Aside from so called Advances Issues has the Smart Scan ever found anything ?
Its your system and its your choice, so you either have to live with the anomalies of the Smart Scan and its pushing other Avast products.
Wow. Are the shields really that advanced?
You can essentially answer that yourself, what has been found on any on-demand scans especially the Smart Scan other that what are Advanced Issues promoting other products.
Well the only thing i can think of would be 2 files in my torrent program folder that avast never seems to be able to fix and those are only ever on the full scan. If the smart sans are really that useless i guess i can just turn them off.
Well you don’t mention the file names or what Avast says about them and if the active scanners detect particularly the Web and File System shields, so I can’t why that might be.
You don’t have to take my word for it but your own experiences.
Oh i wasn’t looking for help with the torrent files (i figure it was just a compatibility issue between avast and qtorrent) but the next time the files show up in a scan I’ll be sure to post hem here if you like.
Well compatibility is somewhat different to an actual detection.
This would put you in the category of never finding something actually malicious in the Viruses & Malware section of the Smart Scan.
What do you mean?
Sorry, I thought that would be clear.
Have you ever got an avast detection in the Viruses & Malware part of the Scan ?
See your own attached image in your first post, Viruses & Malware (Looking good), e.g. no viruses found.
In smart scan i don’t think so. At least i can’t remember anyway.
This is what I have been talking about all along, the on-access scanners are the primary protection (Web Shield, File System Shield, Network Shield, etc.).
Had anything got through that two things would/could have occurred:
- Strange activity on your system be that unexpected activity on the system.
- Links to potentially dodgy/malicious sites.
Because this hasn’t happened, nothing is found by the Smart Scans, Viruses & Malware part of the Scan.
Oh when you said “on-access” i thought you were talking about smart scan, quick scan and full scan.
No they are On-Demand scans - On on-access is an antivirus that scans content when accessed (Web Shield, File System Shield, etc), not later ‘on-demand’ as in you running scans manually or scheduled.
Ah i see. Thank you 
You’re welcome.