What is Avast doing here?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi, can somebody explain why if my computers screen saver is on, after
it comes out of it I see Avast in the taskbar, like in the picture. This
happens even though Avast is closed when computers screen saver
comes on. Does it have anything to do with the screen saver scan?

http://[IMG]http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc347/th_49079_avast_122_347lo.JPG

[/img]

Thanks
Bo

2

This is the link:
http://img9.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=49825_avast_122_194lo.JPG

3

What happens when you click that tab on the task bar ?

I see a tab like that when I have opened the avastUI, but subsequently minimise the UI, which closes to the tab on the task bar. However, my avast tab is justified to the left up against any other such tabs on the task bar.

4

Screensaver Scan is not a shield so I believe, as you mentioned, if “avast! is closed”, avastsvc will continue to run in background and initialize the ScreenSaver Scan.

5

@david
When I click on the tab in the task bar, it does nothing. I can maximize it
if I do a right click on it. Doing that the UI opens and I can move around
or close it. What I don’t understand is why the UI is minimized even though
when the screen saver came on the UI was not open.

@L’arc, I see the avastsvc in the task manager so I think that its running
all the time. Is that the way supposed to be? If whats happening here is
that the screen saver scan is initializing , I would prefer to disable that.
How is it done?

Thanks to both of you, you guys are great.
Bo

6

I don’t know if you have made any changes the avast settings, Basic section, Special Scans and selected the ‘Show special scans in avast! user interface’ option ?

If so it may be that in running the screen saver scan it somehow activates the UI but minimised.

Which version of avast are you using, 5.0.462 being the latest ?

7

I am running the latest 5.0.462, at this moment is not doing it anymore.
I see a pattern here. I installed Avast last Wednesday and this is the
second time that I see this happening. Three or four times in a row after
PC comes out of screen saver mode the UI its shown on the task bar.

8

That is highly likely.

I have seen the same behavior with 4.8 randomly. Typically with 4.8 it would show as Screen Saver Scan and if you clicked it it would disappear.

Version 5 combined a lot of functionality. It does make sense the standard UI window title is displayed.

9

I don’t find it obstructive but still, if you want to disable ScreenSaver Scan:

[*] Double click avast! tray icon > Settings
[*] Put a check beside Show special scans in avast! user interface
[*] Click OK
[*] Click Scan Computer tab
[*] On the ScreenSaver scan section click More Details > Settings
[*] Click the Screen saver tab and select a different screen saver from what you are using

10

Thank you all for your responses. It has not happened again in the last
two days and I think it happens when I have been opening and closing
the UI ,maybe, too many times in a short span of time. Either that or
if I have been scanning too many folders in a row in separate scans.
So perhaps it happen when I open and close the UI too many times in
a short period. It does not happen if I open the UI and do a scan or if I
update. There is no reason to worry about this since everything that
matters its working nice so I am putting this matter out of my mind. I
don’t think it has anything to do with the Screen saver scan even though
the behavior happens when the machines screen saver come on.
Thanks again
Bo