I ran a thorough scan with avast and got a message that some files were not scanned because they were password protected. they are in the IE5 temp files folder. Can I just delete them because they are temp files and why are they password protected? All the files start out with the location below.
C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\UD29ANU7\valert[1].ui
Why do I even have an IE5 folder, I am running IE8.
In anycase, I was curious so I opened the above file with word pad, and just got a bunch of weird symbols. Now the icon is shown as a word pad file.
avast can’t scan files that are password protected, it doesn’t know the password.
There are many legitimate reasons why a file was password protected. For instance, Lavasoft Ad-aware and SpyBot store their data in a password-protected ZIP archives (to prevent other similar tools from messing up with them). It’s really nothing to worry about - it’s normal.
By examining 1) the reason given by avast! for not being able to scan the files, 2) the location of the files, you can get an idea of what program they relate to. You may need to expand the column headings to see all the text.
Files that can’t be scanned are just that, not an indication they are suspicious/infected, just unable to be scanned.
IE5 is a folder present there even if you have IE6, IE7 or IE8. I don’t know the reason for Microsoft had never changed that name.
It’s ok.