I often let Avast Free do a boot time scan overnight. The problem is that when I get back to the PC the following morning there is nothing to see. The program appears to have shut down and when I reopen it I don’t seem to be able to find the results of the scan, even if there is nothing negative to show. I assume that if Avast had found something nasty it would have been isolated and flagged up, but it would be reassuring to see something more positive. What happens to the scan log and where can I find it?
I see that within my boot time scan settings the “ask me” action option is ticked by default. Is this sensible if the question was to come when I am asleep?! I am uncertain how to decide between the alternative options.
Well unless you change any of the default settings (and you don’t say) it requires user interaction if a detection is made.
Did you make any changes to the default settings ?
Once the boot-time scan has completed without alert, then windows would start. If windows is running then in theory the boot-time scan found nothing and completed.
So what state was your system in when you came back to it ?
If there was a detection, I just wonder the system could go into hibernation whilst awaiting user input, hence the above question.
Personally I can’t see the point of running a boot-time scan unless there is a specific reason, e.g. there is an infection that can’t be dealt with when windows is running.
Look in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Avast Software\Avast\report\aswBoot.txt file (XP location) or C:\ProgramData\Avast Software\Avast\report\aswBoot.txt (Vista, Win7 location), check this file using notepad for info on the scan/detections, etc.
I can easily switch from boot scan to full scan. I just opted for the former on a hunch (“for safety”) coupled with the fact that I have always been dogged with l o n g boot up times. [sometimes I wonder if this is partly caused by definitions updates]
I have started the scans from the Windows desktop with all other applications closed. When I have returned to the PC just the desktop is there and Avast appears to have closed.
It looks like the best option in my circs - when I don’t know and cannot anticipate what if anything Avast might find - would be to tick the Quarantine box.
I still find it very strange that Avast doesn’t by default display the scan log results prominently even if it finds nothing. Malwarebytes does this and I suspect many other security programs likewise.
Well if you are back to the desktop the avast boot-time scan has completed successfully.
Personally I wouldn’t want to send anything to the chest either, without knowing what it is that that has been detected. I would recommend that you just schedule a Quick scan at a time when the computer will be on, but not in use. The scan log info is available after the scan completes ‘Scan History’ link at the bottom of the Scan window.
In all honesty I wouldn’t want logs displayed where there is no detection, that is one of the first things that I disabled in MBAM.
Remember that the avast boot-time scan is happening outside normal windows, so it would be a little awkward to set something to run conditionally after windows boots.
NOTE: With a resident on-access antivirus like avast, the need for frequent on-demand scans is much depreciated. For the most part the on-demand scan (including the boot-time scsn) is going to be scanning files that would be otherwise be dormant or inert. If they were active files then the on-access file system shield would be scanning them before being created, modified, opened or executed.
I have avast set to do a scheduled weekly Quick scan, set at a time and day that I know the computer will be on. If for some reason my system wasn’t on, no big deal I will catch up on the next scheduled scan.