New User to Avast! - Scan freezes on Through or Standard Scan

Good Morning

I have recently become a new user of AVAST! since an install of AVG 8 threw my system into chaos and I had to delete it using Safe Mode.

I am having trouble completing a scan in the Through or Standard Mode (I have completed a scan in Quick mode).

I am running a XP SP2 PC (all Microsoft Updates are up to date, Zonealarm, Spybot, Adware, Windows Defender, Hi-jack This, Spyware Blaster). The system seemes to run OK and then fails at either 11%, 12% or 15% and I have to File Manager to close the program down as Windows reports that it is not responding ???.

I really like this program with it On-Access Protection, but this not being able to do a full system scan is a bit unnerving.

I would really appreciate some help with this problem.

Thanks

Jay :slight_smile:

May be a problem with ZoneAlarm and the files in System Volume Information folder.
Try to put ?:\System Volume Information* into the list of avast! exclusions to avoid their scanning.
It should be possible to restrict the exclusion even more (to a specific file), but I’m not sure about the name right now - you can try
?:\System Volume Information\tracking.log

Even as a workaround, I won’t do that… too dangerous.
Viruses will use System Restore feature to reinfect the computer…

Viruses can’t use system restore to restore infected files that have been deleted, how can they: it is a protected area, the files aren’t stored under their original file name, the only application/process to know what the file name was and its location is system restore.

So I can’t see how a virus can use system restore to install a restore point in the System Volume Information\ folder.

Yes if there happens to be an infected restore point and the ‘user’ uses system restore to go back to a point where this infected file is restored, then avast should be able to detect it when it is restored (if it can be detected in a restore point it can just as easily be detected in its original location).

So I feel the risk is a limited one, but as Igor said it is preferable to use the file name that is causing the problem.

I’m referring exactly to that, user restore.
If avast can detect a new variation or mutant virus…
If the virus did not gain access to System Restore folder to mess the things… some users change the access rights, some viruses could get system access to that folder, who knows…
I won’t exclude System Restore from scanning, it’s my security opinion.

Im in exactly the same position as Jaffa, it does a quick scan just fine, but the standard scan always stalls at 9% scanning a restore file, and yes, Im running ZoneAlarm as well.

Im not going to exclude the restore file just because Avast cant handle it…

Is a Boot time scan a quick, standard or through one?

Thanks.

It’s not avast! that can’t handle it (at least not under the hood) - it’s ZoneAlarm bug, freezing the process that is trying to open the mentioned file.
If you google the filename, you’ll find out that all antiviruses have the same problem (even ZoneAlarm’s own one - until they excluded the file from scanning). It don’t really understand why they don’t fit it…

Try to exclude only the mentioned tracking.log file.

Because ZoneLabs is not a trustable and serious company that it used to be few years ago.
Too buggy, ridiculous support.
Concurrence (free firewalls) has won the game!

That solved the problem, thanks. :slight_smile:

Thanks for posting back.

Hi Everyone

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

Going to uninstall Zonealarm and try Comodo instead.

Will post again and let you know what happens.

Thanks again

Jaffa :slight_smile:

Comodo has a forum also :wink: