How to use Avast scanner before Windows has booted up?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi, earlier today I made a full system disk recovery from a backup using a program called Paragon disk manager. After This was done (rollback 30 days) I immediately updated Avast. In about 30 minutes I got a message that said:

“A suspicious hidden object (rootkit) has been detected on your system. This may be a sign of a malware infection.” from Avast.

I forgot to click on “advanced” on that pop up message (but don’t know what more information that would have yielded me). After I clicked on delete now, Avast prompted me, saying that it was best to do a scan before windows had started and loaded its programs. I selected yes, and Avast restarted my computer and went in to this different scan. It was a blue screen and most of it looked like ascii or something. I guess this is the boot-scan feature or something? I would first like to know what that type of search is called, and I would also like to go back into it and re-search the entire system drive + memory + rootkit etc.

So could someone advice me on how to use Avast scanner before Windows has booted up?

I have the free version of Avast btw, and windows XP sp3.

2

Hi Probo, welcome to the forum :slight_smile:

The blue scan page you saw is the boot time scan.

To get to it again: Open avast! → Scan now tab → Boot time scan.

From there you can schedule/un-schedule and set the parameters

Scott

3

Hi Scott you have a tutorial ;D

Boot time scan
http://spgscott.wordpress.com/tutorials/avast-boot-time-scan/

also see the help file in top right corner of the avast program

4

I’m sure you generate all the views, thanks ;D

I’m not really sure why I don’t post it as opposed to just explaining.

5

thanks a lot!

6

You’re welcome :slight_smile:

7

Scott, I cant see any pictures in the topic : http://spgscott.wordpress.com/tutorials/avast-boot-time-scan/

8

I can see the images are using NoScript and or any other security based add-ons in firefox (e.g. requestpolicy) ?

9

The images aren’t hosted on the wordpress one, but the old site, I havn’t got around to moving them yet…
Installed Request policy, and that stops the images showing before you allow from google…maybe that.

I’ll try and get around to moving them at some point…and come to think of it, update for version 6…though they only look different…

10

I dont have request policy installed. But I do have noscript. The link to the images are strange ??? https://sites.google.com/site/spg20scottsweb/home/avast-5-boot-time-scan/Tray%20icon.gif?attredirects=0

11

That’s what google does to them when you upload an image for a site…the last part isn’t really necessary…

12

So you remove them, and it comes back?

13

Just realised, the ?attredirects=0 seems to add another step in viewing them if you click the link.

Either way, I will probably change them today (Boot time scan at least), and upload them to WP directly…that will probably stop issues viewing them…