What do you need to setup to scan archives on access?
Do you ned to add the archive files extensions to “Scan files on open” and “Additional extensions”, or is it enough to add the “EXE;ZIP;MIME;RAR;ARJ;TAR;GZ;CAB;ARC;ACE;ZOO;BZIP2;WinExec;LHARC;CPIO;RPM;7ZIP;CHM;ISO;TNEF” entires for each on access scanner in the database?
I believe these settings are independent, i.e. you’d have to set both to enable the archive scanning.
Then I gusss almost no one would have this on. Either you add the extensions, or you have read the part on adding to the database. But do you thing someone has selected both. Shouldn’t there be an easier way to turn on on-access scanning on archives (I belive other AVs have that)?
It’s a limitation of the Home Edition only, in the Professional Edition, a GUI setting is used instead of the XML file hack.
OK, but do you still have to enter the extensions (ARC,LZH etc etc), in the “Scan on open” and “Scan on modify/create” to scan archives (I only have them on “modify/create” and archives ARE scanned when opened anyway, so I started to wonder - I know they are scanned because it crashes if the archives are huge for some reason :-))))
That’s rather strange… we are talking about Standard Shield, right?
What (type of) archives are scanned “on open” in particular (even without the extension in the corresponding box)? What OS do you have?
Besides, can you tell us something more about the crashes? I don’t think that should happen…
Now I’m not sure what you want from me 
Also… I have added the “EXE;ZIP;MIME;RAR;ARJ;TAR;GZ;CAB;ARC;ACE;ZOO;BZIP2;WinExec;LHARC;CPIO;RPM;7ZIP;CHM;ISO;TNEF” in the database (or XML-file as I use that) to make avast! scan archives and other compressed files (this is done accoringly to some postings here). I also added the file types “ACE,ARC,ARJ,CAB,GZ*,LHA,LZH,RAR,TAR,ZIP,ZOO” to the file types of scanning when “created/modified” (what I wanted to know is if that is necessary when I have added the “ScanPackes” enry).
Archives ARE obviously scanned (long pause when opening then, or modifying them), AND if there is a HUGE (really big) ZIP file, I takes a very long time, and once in a while it lock up (or it seems so). I guess that could be because avast! unpackes it to the temporary dir, right?
No huge problem. All I wanted is that someone confirmed the setting (in the setup dialog AND database entries) for scanning ARChives with the Home edition (the minimum that is, don’t want double scanning or so…)
Well, you said: “I only have them on “modify/create” and archives ARE scanned when opened anyway.”. This sounds somehow strange to me, so I’d like to know what kind of archives is that.
It’s hard to say where the archive is unpacked; it depends on the type of the packer, size of the unpacked file, free memory, etc. Basically, when possible, avast! tries to unpack the file to memory. In any case, memory or temp folder - it shouldn’t freeze.
As I explained somewhere long time ago, adding the file extension to the list of files to scan on open/close makes avast! read the file at all, while turning on the packer makes avast! understand the “archive structure”. So, to scan the content of the archive, it’s necessary to have both enabled.