Screensaver Forgets Last Folder Scanned

I’m using Avast! Free Antivirus 5.0.545 on W2K SP4

From what I gathered searching these forums the screensaver scan should remember which folder it left off in and start at the beginning of that folder when it starts up again.

"Actually, it should (continue from where it stopped last time). Not from the last file, but from the (beginning of the) last folder at least."[url=http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=35598.msg299384#msg299384]Re: Avast screensaver scan starting point(Igor 2009)[/url]
"OK, I think I fixed the problem with the last path "remembering"... in the next update, avast! should really continue from the top of the last folder, when interrupted."[url=http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=8180.msg67529#msg67529]Re:Screen-saver Task(Igor 2004)[/url]

I cannot get the screensaver scan to start from the folder that it last completed.

(Attached file is an 11.6KB 7zip archive of a 562KB log file. No deceit intended.)
The attached file is a copy of a log of a test I ran. I started with a fresh log by deleting the old one and set it to log as much as possible. Then I let the screensaver scan start and I stopped it 10 seconds after the scan finished initializing to keep the log small, (I ended up with a 250 MB+ log file on my first attempt!) I repeated this 6 times.

Keep in mind that although this log never gets out of the cygwin folder, I have let it run for almost 2 hours and the scan made it well past the cygwin folder and on the next restart it started just like the starts in the included log.

Here is a truncated version of the included log…

* avast! Scan Report
* This file is generated automatically
* Scan name: Screen saver scan
* Started on: Friday, May 28, 2010 2:02:55 AM
* VPS: 100527-1, 05/27/2010
PID 0 [+] is OK
PID 8 [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\SMSS.EXE [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\CSRSS.EXE [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\WINLOGON.EXE [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\SERVICES.EXE [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\LSASS.EXE [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\svchost.exe [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\spoolsv.exe [+] is OK
\Program Files\Common Files\Acronis\Schedule2\schedul2.exe [+] is OK
\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast5\AvastSvc.exe [+] is OK
\WINNT\system32\svchost.exe [+] is OK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOTO 10 (it repeats)

Thank you for any advise. I am hoping to use the screensaver scan as my main means of virus scanning so that a full scan can be completed on my system during intermittent downtime. I’ll scrap the screensaver scan if there is a better way to make Avast! only scan when the system is idle. I’m open to any ideas.

What areas did you select for the screensaver to be scanned?

  • All Harddisks
  • Memory
  • Auto-start Programs (All Users)
  • Rootkits (Full Scan)

Thanks for the reply.

Sorry, the continuation works only for an ordinary disk/folder scan.
It won’t work ff you include rootkit / auto-start / memory scan into the configuration.

Thanks igor. I’ll set it up with just disk scans and do the rootkit, autostart, and memory in a separate scheduled scan.

Thanks for solving that for me. :slight_smile:

Maybe I spoke too soon. I altered the areas to only disks but It still doesn’t want to remember the folder that it left of on.

Oh well… I think I will just do my normal routine of canceling or pausing a scan if it coincides with the time I need to use my computer. Thanks for the help though.

I think - maybe I’m wrong - that some files are scanned before anything “starts”. I mean, in some cases, some system files and then it went back to the folder being scanned. Is it what is happening to you? Which is the “last” folder being scanned? Did you set the screensaver to loop?