some files could not be scanned

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

After a Quick Scan, these three items show up in the scan results

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft:b3duoHyJck0DzQ2upPM2g6F7X
Error: The directory name is invalid (267)

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft:FYb38Qirt4oU1hhEAjfMv3sFcnN
Error: The directory name is invalid (267)

C:\Program Files\Common Files\System:Microsoft:BTrSSOzxJG8sCusXNWr6bapT93w
Error: The directory name is invalid (267)

I’ve tried chkdsk c:/r and sfc scannow and these items still remain. It’s a bit of a mystery. Any help?

2

Which OS?

3

Windows XP SP3

4

Well, the comment above is true…
Do you see it in explorer the same way?
What help do you need?
asyn

5

Is there a way to make the directory name valid?

6

Sure. You can just rename it, but since i don’t know where this comes from, you better be careful.
I’ve never seen entries with ‘:’ in the path… Better check your system first.
Use free Mbam to check for malware and post back the results.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
asyn

7

According to the name, it’s not just the folder name - it’s an alternate data stream, associated with the folder.
But it certainly is weird… don’t know why avast! should report the stream, but simultaneously find it invalid (the displayed name doesn’t contain any special characters, so if it’s complete, it should be OK). Besides, there’s no reason any ADS should be present, of course…
I might guess a filesystem problem, but if chkdsk doesn’t report anything…

8

I ran MBAM with not detections. This sure is puzzling. Maybe I shouldn’t be concerned.

9

Maybe…??? I am not sure, sorry… :frowning:
Never saw anything like this.
Be proud, your machine is unique. :wink:
asyn

10

Why should you be concerned, since the avast scan is only saying that the file couldn’t be scanned (for whatever reason) not that it is infected.

So if it isn’t infected, just can’t be scanned, I wouldn’t expect MBAM to find it is infected.

11

I just downloaded Avast! Free yesterday and I got the same thing at the end of a full and quick scan where it said some files could not be scanned. It showed Error 267 Directory Name is Invalid. The directory name is C:\WINDOWS: 2B2696B30AD92EF4. This is a mystery to me since I could not find this in Explorer under C:\WINDOWS. I run Windows XP Pro SP3.

Note: This message did not occur when I did a Boot scan.

12

fragman, when did this start appearing in the scan report? Was it there since you installed avast!, or did it appear just recently?

13

Hello igor

After installing 507 free and after the very first quick scan, I got this error message. I started using Avast free after being away for several months. The error message also appears after full and explorer scans. Thanks…

14

You could also run a scan using SuperAntiSpyware (SAS) as that also scans alternative data streams, so it would be looking in the same areas and see if there are any reported issues there. However I don’t know if SAS reports things that it has been unable to scan.

SUPERantispyware On-Demand only in free version.
Don’t worry about reported tracking cookies they are a minor issue and not one of security, allow SAS to deal with them though. - See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie.
Also available a portable version of SAS, http://www.superantispyware.com/portablescanner.html, no installation required.

15

Hello DavidR

Thanks for the portable SAS link. I ran it using default quick scan with latest definition and no threats were detected. Also, I ran a cmd prompt with one of my error files as suggested in another post and results showed an invalid file.

16

What if you scan the folder
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft
or maybe the parent
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data
using the avast! scan from the Explorer context menu - do the same errors appear?

17

I tried that and got the same errors. Thanks…

18

You’re welcome, hopefully we are getting closer to a resolution.

19

Well, not that close… I was just trying to make sure it’s related to the ordinary scan, and not to the antirootkit scan which is part of the quick/full system scan.

PK had some suggestions in the other thread:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=59026.msg497664#msg497664
I’d say it’s worth trying…

Unless it reveals something obvious, I guess I’ll have to prepare a special executable - doing the same processing as the scanning engine, but dumping some more info about it.

20

After a quick scan today, the result was ‘no virus found’. Problem has been solved…thanks!