Scanning off of Windows right-click menu

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

There are ways to get around the following problem, but I want to mention that in Win2K it is not possible (for me, at least) to selectively scan a folder, or a group of folders, by selecting that option from the context menu, since it doesn’t appear there. This is true for folders on the Desktop as well as folders in Windows Explorer. If, in addition to the folders, you highlight at least one file, then the option to scan with Avast will appear in the context menu, and all files, including those in the folders, will be scanned.

2

It works fine with my W2k system whether I select a single folder, or several ones either on the Desktop or on WExplorer. The avast icon with the scan for…legend appears every time I right click on folders (or anything for that matter). You probably has something wrong with your avast installation.

3

That is very strange. However, with the help of one of the Avastians, I think I have a workaround. I have an old time utilities program, Fix-It 2000 Utility Suite (virus scaner disabled of course), installed on this machine that allows me to easily add to the Windows context menu for all registered file types, and also folders. So under folders I can add the command, “Scan Contents with Avast”. But to do this I have to browse to the correct executable in Program Files/Alwil Software/Avast4 and select it. There are a bunch of them - which one is correct for this task?

4

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashQuick.exe

Please adjust as necessary for your installation of avast.

5

Thanks for the exe. But I’m embarassed to tell you that the scan option was in fact in the context menu all along, I just didn’t pick it up properly. Definitely Operator Error.

Spybot inserts their name into the context menu (“Scan using Spybot S&D”), maybe it would be useful for Avast to do the same.

6

Very few of us are immune from mistakes. Welcome to the vast majority of us.

7

Yes SAS does this too - avast tends to relay on your recognising the icon, but if you don’t display the icon in the context menu it is a little nondescript. See image without and with.