Platform: Windows 7 Home Premium
How can I configure Avast (version 2014.9.0.2021) to not automatically delete an executable when:
(1) Copying files from my hard drive to an external drive
(2) Executing an executable
Avast deleted an important program that it thought was suspicious. This should NOT be the default. How can I make it ask me?
Please provide detailed instructions to configure Avast to NOT delete the executables but instead to ask me.
what action to take can be adjusted in all shield settings…
Avast [b]deleted [/b]an important program that it thought was suspicious. This should NOT be the default. How can I make it ask me?sure it was deleted ....and not moved to virus chest? (quarantine)
avast FAQ http://www.avast.com/en-eu/faq.php
You as user should have checked the default settings and adjusted them to your needs/wants.
Don’t blame avast for deleting them, it is your own choice to decide what avast should do with suspicious files/malware.
It is as with cars.
Does a car get you a speeding ticket?
No, it doesn’t.
You are the driver and you drove to fast.
What makes you think those files are not malware?
It appears that you perhaps changed some of the default settings. Pondus is correct in that you as the user should have known to go into each of the Shields “Action” and changed the setting to “Ask” as the first option, then you have 2 other choices and after that and you can do what ever you feel comfortable doing as long as you are experienced enough to know what you are doing. However I agree that losing an important file can have some bad effects, but I’m sure you can search online and find a way to replace it.
So follow the above instructions and change each of the Shield “Action” settings to Ask as your first choice if this is what you want. Then you, as the user, will need to decide what do to when something pops up and it will ask you…what do you want to do with this? And you need to be knowledgeable enough to decide what do to with it. When in doubt, put it in the Virus Chest where it is safe and stored away from the rest of your machine, and can be scanned again later in case it was a false positive. But delete means it’s gone forever.
Thank you all for your help – much appreciated!!
I changed the actions to “ask” for all of the shields.
Someone asked how I knew the executable was not malware. Because I wrote it!! It was my own program that Avast deleted!!!
I disagree with this statement:
“Pondus is correct in that you as the user should have known to go into each of the Shields “Action” and changed the setting to “Ask” as the first option”
When you say “should have known” – Why the use of the word “should”? How would I as a user know to change the actions? How would any user know? Think of the ‘typical’ user who installs Avast but has no idea that they should consider changing the actions and that Avast’s operation could potentially remove important files that the user knows to be not infected with malware. Are we saying that Avast is designed only for knowledgeable users and not for the general public? I would hope not.
Do you think I am wrong in my opinion? Comments?
Hi well as you have to do a custom install so you do not get all the foolish add ons and set every shield also to try and stop most of the popups Avast thinks you need to know about. I would say it is not for the average person that does not know computers. Also it tries to automatic update the program and each time this is done all settings must be done again as well as removing all the add on stuff as doing the auto update does not give a chance for a custom install. All my customers are set to never update the program only the definitions.
I would say it is not for the average person that does not know computers.Such people shouldn't be using a computer.
Let’s give knifes to people who don’t know how to use them.
Let’s give huge trucks to people who don’t know how to drive.
i would say there is a difference in using a car and being a car mechanic Eddy
Sorry but antagonizing those that come here for help isn’t helping nor is it what that person came to this forum for. 
Philosophically I’m with you, Eddy. I’d much prefer the provision of education over the dumbing down of things.
Clearly Avast IS targeted to the “for dummies” crowd. I wish it had more detailed documentation for what options do. For example, what are the specific differences between the various options (e.g., “Repair” vs. “Delete” vs. “Ask” vs. “Move to Chest”)?
-Noel
For example, what are the specific differences between the various options (e.g., "Repair" vs. "Delete" vs. "Ask" vs. "Move to Chest")?Does this help?
Clean, Quarantine, or Delete? http://antivirus.about.com/b/2007/03/11/clean-quarantine-or-delete.htm
Does this help?
No, not really.
First off, I provided an example of some choices presented to users in the Avast UI for which there is no documentation. There is a blank space in the UI where a concise description of the actions could go, and in the Help there’s no more info.
What I’m saying here is that Avast isn’t describing in enough detail to users just what the choices mean. Computing is not all about generalities. Details matter!
But also in another sense, the answer to “does this help?” is also no on another level…
That’s a generic article having little to do with Avast’s specific implementation. We can infer - maybe, in the sense that Avast is just another antivirus program - that it will do something like what’s described there, though the terms are different and there are a different number of them. For example, does “Clean” as described in the article correspond to Avast’s “Repair” or “Fix Automatically” choice? It’s not sufficient to describe what THIS program is doing in generalities.
The point here is that we’re given a very nice, sophisticated, combinable set of choices, yet any thinking person doesn’t have enough info to make an informed decision about which of those choices to make or which order to put them in.
-Noel
NoelC – very well said!! A good product needs good documentation. For me, my solution was to uninstall Avast and move to another anti-virus program that is rated just as good (see http://chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php) but has much better documentation.
That chart shows 0 false positives for Avast and just a few others, and I’m thinking that’s a Pretty Good Thing going for Avast.
-Noel