Hi,
Since upgrading to Version 8, I’ve had the below message come up on all my inbound [and outbound] messages - I’m sure I chose to prevent this from happening in Version 7, but I can’t find any option in Version 8 to do this - can someone please tell me if there is one?
Thanks.
avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 130424-0, 24/04/2013
Tested on: 24/04/2013 21:32:07
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2013 AVAST Software.
http://www.avast.com
What type of messages? I don’t see that on my Email or newsgroup messages.
It isn’t mandatory and the options isn’t even in the avast 8 settings, so I don’t know how you have managed to get it displayed.
If you previously had this option enabled in an earlier version of avast and you did an in program update then it would have been preserved as these settings would have been in the avast5.ini file. A clean install of avast 8 should have replaced the old avast5.ini file.
So I suspect that at some point in avast 7 you had this enabled and the avast5.ini file still has that information in it.
Hi,
Sorry for the delay in replying - I thought I’d checked back a few times and not seen a reply and that I’d get an email telling me my thread had replies!
The messages I have are as below - and I haven’t had these on since I disabled them when I first installed Avast when it was circa Version 5…a long time ago! Is it likely that some rogue file in the background has just suddenly re-asserted itself on upgrade to Version 8? Should I just uninstall and re-install?
avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 130506-0, 06/05/2013
Tested on: 06/05/2013 23:27:03
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2013 AVAST Software.
avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 130506-0, 06/05/2013
Tested on: 06/05/2013 23:32:29
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2013 AVAST Software.
For the record, the message appears on computers that had an install of avast! which carried that message and has had updates installed over the top of previous versions.
Even the date is maintained (and changed).
I still like the message. 
Yes, I am weird.
As mentioned, unless you did a clean reinstall of avast 8, then the old avast5.ini data will remain in place and it was that which contained the instruction to insert the clean notes.
Unfortunately having removed the UI selection to insert (or reverse) the clean note, there is no easy way to remove it, you would have to edit the avast5.ini or do a clean reinstall of avast 8.
If you want to do the edit of the avast5.ini let me know and I will show you how.
If it’s a simple edit to avast5.ini, then if you could tell me what I need to change that would be great…probably be easier than a complete re-install!
[FYI I have already located the file]
The ‘Insert Note into Clean Message’ Option is greatly depreciated in that it is easy to fake and these fake 'email scanned by XXXX (insert AV of choice) and found to be clean have been used in malicious emails in the past and who trusts that anyway, I certainly don’t.
Why is it needed when if an inbound email is infected avast will alert, brand the email Subject and remove any infected attachment, etc. For outbound email it too would alert if infected/suspicious, etc. the only real benefit is promotion of avast. Who trusts it if the message is from other AVs, so why would they trust it is from avast!.
It really doesn’t bring anything additional in the way of security, potentially the reverse as opening an email could actually initiate a remote attack. So looking inside an email for a clean note could potentially put you at more risk, it certainly isn’t something I would rely on.
As an avast user (who previously used the outbound clean note to promote avast) I believe that the above comments are why avast! took the decision to end this option. Not to mention that in some email clients (Incredimail I believe) this option wasn’t completely compatible.
####
If this is something you absolutely must have then you will have to do it manually:
Using Notepad - You can modify the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast[b]EmailShield.ini[/b] (XP location) or C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast[b]EmailShield.ini[/b] (Vista, Win7). Note these folders may be hidden.
Find these values InsertNoteCleanMsgIn=0 and InsertNoteCleanMsgOut=0, InsertNoteInfectedMsgIn=0 now change the =0 to =1 (you only need to do that for the ones that you want to have the Note inserted). Now save the changes, the avast! Self-Defence Module will ask for confirmation, answer Yes.
Hi,
I purchased Avast yesterday via your Website (Saturday, May 25th) for the amount of $29,99, although for some reason when attempting to download my one year subscription, Avast’s Antivirus software never downloaded itself onto my computer. Currently am receiving messages from Avast that my Antivirus protection will be running out in the next 3 days!!
Can you pls. see into it and confirm how to proceed? >:(
Thanks,
Daniel Campbell
dan.campbell@videotron.ca
Please start your own new topic (as it is unrelated to this topic, hijacking) in the avast! Free/Pro/Suite forum, new topic button at the top of the listing and we will try to help.
Hi DavidR, thanks for that - although I did want to remove the notes. Earlier on in the thread, you said I’d need to edit the avast5.ini file, but it does look like I just need to set the EmailShield.ini options to 0 to remove the notes.
I’ve noticed that the InsertNoteInfectedMsgIn option is currently set to 0 - if I set this to 1 will it just add a note when it detects an incoming suspicious message or a message with a virus? In which case, I have selected the options to mark the subject in this way, so I’m guessing setting this to 1 would just cause unnecessary duplication?
Sorry missed that most of the questions relating to this are asking for them to be put back ;D
It was an error of memory (which was corrected in the instructions) to say it was in avast5.ini, it used to be until the separate ini file was created for the Mail Shield settings.
In most cases 0 (zero) = off and 1 = on
Personally the InsertNoteInfectedMsgIn option is of even less value than the others, avast would alert if the inbound email is infected and would modify the email subject. That is why I only Highlighted the two clean note ones in my image, but showed the parameters for all as it is your choice what to do.
I’m trying to edit EmailShield.ini but I’m being shown a dialog box saying “Access is Denied.” - is this because Avast is still running? Do I need to close it first? [I am set as an administrator so this shouldn’t be an issue]
You should be using notepad for the edit, otherwise the avast self-defence module will block it.
If you are using notepad - I don’t know what your Operating System is, but it may well be that you need do a run as on notepad.exe to have the necessary permissions.
Right - I’ve sorted it by running notepad as an administrator from the get-go, rather than opening up the .ini file from Windows Explorer!
Thanks DavidR for your help - apologies it took me a while to get it sorted…
Shane.
Just find notepad.exe, right click on it and select Run As administrator, a darn site quicker than reinstalling.
Edit: I see your edit came in whilst I was typing this.