avast although a 32bit program has special drivers to run on a 64bit OS. Whilst avast is a good program it isn’t a specialist anti-spyware program, it is improving detections for adware and spyware infections. However, it is down to the multi application approach to protection and what one might not detect the other may, this has the effect of improving overall detection. What you have to decide is how vulnerable the 64bit OS is and does it warrant this extra step.
Some would argue that both Unix/Linus and Mac OSX aren’t as vulnerable don’t require this protection, yet avast is a good way down providing a Linux version of avast and the beta version for the Mac released late November 2006. More and more potential vulnerabilities for these are being discovered, so the malware writers are likely to start looking at them at some point.
If you aren’t experiencing any of the problems related in the link, you need do nothing. I personally have disabled ctfmon.exe in my msconfig to stop it running on start-up years ago without any adverse reaction. I am using the very old MS Office 97 version, at that time it was considered a non-essential start-up item
(out of topic about worms and others, but just 30 mins ago i faced problem with “adwanced windows care” prog latest version with avast it dont understand in start up scan what is “ashdisp.exe” and checks it as unknown?? and advice to remove it from startup ??)
As any other startup monitor, AWC just show the user the startup programs and the possibility of removing them from startup…
Nothing that someone could be angry with… WinPatrol version 11 does the same, for instance.
[AWC just show the user the startup programs and the possibility of removing them from startup…]
it dosnt show it, cause i especially find it in sublist’s, for what it thinks is the problem. less experienced user (i m too) and who belives him, just push on “repair” buton and “avast is gone” … and occur’s problem how to get it back in startup.
:-[ etc.
other hand there is not so clear, checking or unchecking removes item from startup.
a little hope, i will use AWC as “light” antispyware. (at first running, it moves so many cookie’s :)) untill i will found light, fast, strong one.
If you follow the link you gave in reply #19 there is another link to an MS article about that very thing (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282599/en-us) and in winXP (with office XP/2002) it is a little more complex than just unchecking the entry in msconfig and when I originally did it I was using win98se and office97.
However, on winXP pro I didn’t use msconifg but HiJackThis to fix the entry, which deletes the registry key, this isn’t something to do lightly and the legitimate version of ctfmon.exe doesn’t present any weak point. You just have to know what the correct location is and if in doubt confirm by using the multi-engined scanners at: VirusTotal - Multi engine on-line virus scanner Or Jotti - Multi engine on-line virus scanner if any other scanners here detect them it is less likely to be a false positive. You can’t do this with the file in the chest, you will need to move it out.
There are many malware infections that deliberately use the same file names as system files or mis-spellings of those names svchost.exe is another often used ‘svch0st.exe’ or ‘scvhost.exe’ both of these look like the system file to try and stop you deleting it. Never take anything on face value always check and don’t delete, move to the chest and investigate, here, virustotal, google, etc. in fact pretty much everything we have got you to do here.
(seems i got AWC to work properly, with
uncheking and ignoring some “needed” OS
optimisation’s. :-\
myght be it can a little prevent me against spy’s and cookie’s too)
it dont understand in start up scan what is “ashdisp.exe” and checks it as unknown?? and advice to remove it from startup ??)