After inabling ( scan archived files ) on Avast, there were no detected threats. However, the scan did not scan archived files. I opened the view scan reports and gave me a big long log of all the archived files it ( attempted to scan ). The problem is that each file listed as being password protected. I don’t remember ever setting a password! Anyway, what do I do or change so that I can scan archived files as well?
Well obviously it did scan archive files or it wouldn’t have produced a ‘big long log’ of archives it couldn’t scan. Just that those were the ones that it couldn’t scan.
You don’t say why avast couldn’t scan them (also given in the log) the most common being it is password protected and avast doesn’t know the password so obviously wouldn’t be able to open the archive to scan the contents.
See http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=35347.msg297170#msg297170 this topic for more information on why files can’t be scanned.
Archive (zip, rar, etc.) files are by their nature are inert, you need to extract the files and then you have to run them to be a threat. Long before that happens avast’s Standard Shield should have scanned them and before an executable is run that is scanned. Thorough is also by its design very thorough and perhaps a little overkill for routine use, were a Standard scan without archives should be adequate.