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[oldfogy]

For me the Main Problem with Avast 5 is that by default all of the automatic cleaning options are set to "Move to Chest" when it comes across either a Virus file, PUP (Potentially unwanted program) or a Suspicious program.

When the warning notice is activated it only tells you what it has done to block this "possible" unwanted item even when it may well be a false negative/positive, which for me is very irritating as I have a few keygen files/programs which Avast has in it's wisdom removed from their original folder. So they then need to be restored from the Virus Chest, the problem then is when you again open the folder where it's located Avast deletes it again, which is then a never ending cycle.

However all is not lost and Avast can be made a lot more user friendly.
What you need to do is to:-

Open Avast and select the "Real-Time Shield" then select the "Expert Settings" button, followed by "Actions"
You will now see three tabs marked "Virus, PUP and Suspicious"
Open each tab in turn and change the default value of "Move to Chest" to "Ask"
For the other two drop-down options I leave that for you to decide, (although for the "If action fails option" I have reset that to "Move to Chest"

You need to do this to all of the Real-time Shield options:-
File System Shield, Mail Shield, Web Shield, P2P Shield and IM Shield.

Now if and when you receive a warning notice a least you will be asked what to do, "Move to Chest, Delete or Block"
Or you can simply close the window leaving the file where it is.
However I have since discovered, even this is by no means perfect as you may still have problems opening the file.

I think one of the biggest mistakes with Avast is not having a option button to "Ignore in the future"

For me at least I will be seriously looking elsewhere for a program that has the "Ignore" option.

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edit:
Update.
It appears the "Block" setting from the drop-down menu has the effect of "Temporarily Ignoring" the file and leaves it where it is. But it does not Ignore the file in the future.
Although to carry on and use the file I needed to disable Avast until I had completed whatever I needed to.

[tuftedduck]

What happened when you defined the file in question into the exclusions list ? It should then be ignored in all scans.

I know that is not quite the same as the old ignore button.....the lack of which in the new version was a deliberate decision by Alwil...quite why I do not know.

[oldfogy]

What happened when you defined the file in question into the exclusions list ? It should then be ignored in all scans.

Have not found out how to do that yet, "any advice will be appreciated" (thanks)

In the "File System Shield" - "Exclusions" that only appears to allow me to specify a .extension, so I don't think that would be possible (.exe)

And likewise in the main "Settings - Exclusions" this only allows me to specify a path to the file folder, which again would not be possible as there are too many of them in different locations of which also get moved around from time-to-time.

[tuftedduck]

I better understand your problem now, OF......the exclusion options are not really going to work for you, are they. 

Bummer. 

[oldfogy]

Under "normal" circumstances then yes the exclusion settings could well work, but these are not normal circumstances.

Although these files come from well known reputable places with positive feedback, I still don't like to disable my AV whilst a operation is in progress (just on the off-chance)
However, should a virus ever get through it will, or should be discovered very quickly anyway once the program is run.
But as I said, they usually come from safe places etc, so not usually much chance of that happening, although there is obviously a first time for everything.

Time to look for another AV program I think.
Any and all suggestions appreciated.

[scottiesmum]

OF,  I used Antivir's Avira for a long time without problem  .....   the free version has an advert that pops up once a day ....   other than that OK...  however, I did a little reading here and there and decided to have a change and I've had Microsoft  Security Essentials installed now for several weeks.  It works fine,  definitions update automatically, it takes up very little room  and seems to be doing its job.     I know MS get a bad press but there seem to be a lot of positive reviews about this programme.   

[oldfogy]

Thanks for that.
Actually I quite like Microsoft, but don't know if I want to use it's Security (other than it's firewall)

What I really need/want is someone to tell me is if xyz AV program incorporates the "Ignore in the future" facility/option.

[tuftedduck]

Aha....found the "ignore" option in Avast 5

If you have your global action within the various fields (on finding a suspicious file) set to "ask", then on finding such a file, Avast throws up this warning which I have just snagged from the Avast forum....and there is the "ignore in future" option that you want.

So the option is not apparent until a suspicious file is found and reported to you.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[oldfogy]

The Ignore function is not being shown on any of the 4 versions I have install.
Plus that is a slightly different picture to the one I get displayed.

I wonder if that's in the Pro version?

I'll update with a screen shot later as I don't have a decent screen capture program on this PC.

**************************
Update
I was not able to take a screen shot with the dropdown box open so I have typed the corresponding words into the picture.
Everything else "apart from the file name" is as was.

[oldfogy]

Aha....found the "ignore" option in Avast 5

If you have your global action within the various fields (on finding a suspicious file) set to "ask", then on finding such a file, Avast throws up this warning which I have just snagged from the Avast forum....and there is the "ignore in future" option that you want.

So the option is not apparent until a suspicious file is found and reported to you.

I tried the Pro version and it's not that.

However I have also noticed that even after changing all of the options in each category to "Ask" sometimes when I re-check some of them are reverting back to "Move to Chest"

TD,
Have you got a link to the thread on the Avast forum where you got the info from, please.

[tuftedduck]

Aha.......different forms of warning dialogue for different types and/or level of threat.

Where Avast is 100% convinced it has detected a virus it will pop up a message as per your screenshot ......so convinced that it will not give you the option to ignore in the future ( why ignore a proven virus, it asks )

Where Avast is merely suspicious, it will pop up a message as per my screenshot and give you the options to ignore etc.

The thread at the Avast forum is ..............http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=54772.0


The best bit of info. in there is posted by DavidR......quote :-

"Yes, the actions window does change for the different scanners the first being the anti-rootkit scan and unlike the other scanners it is using different detection methods (as the message states) and unlike the other scanners this one isn't alerting on a detection but a suspicious file (a driver).

So care has to be taken on this as deletion or attempted any other action in normal scanner alerts could harm the computer. That is why the default is Ignore and I believe that info on the detection/alert are uploaded to avast. Personally I would never suggest that you check the 'Do not tell me about these files in the future,' as painful as constant warnings go. So you should leave it at the default action, Ignore and click OK. "

[oldfogy]

1. Aha.......different forms of warning dialogue for different types and/or level of threat.

2. Where Avast is 100% convinced it has detected a virus it will pop up a message as per your screenshot ......so convinced that it will not give you the option to ignore in the future ( why ignore a proven virus, it asks )

3. The thread at the Avast forum is ..............http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=54772.0
    The best bit of info. in there is posted by DavidR......quote :-

1. It appears so.

2. I think this is because it is a "file" which has not been checked by Avast "as of yet", hence the "Submit the file to Avast etc notice". Unfortunately the only way around it is to use the Block button "which then renders the file/KG inoperable" until a system re-boot or Avast is "disabled" but leaves the file in place,

3. I did have a good trawl through some of the threads over at the Avast forum, and my, the amount of complaints this has raised, not to mention the amount of people saying "Good-bye Avast"

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Now as for the "Pro" version which includes Internet Security................
For the average beginner I think this would be a worrying nightmare, with the different box's popping-up, especially at start-up, with a pop-up telling you xyz has changed (even though turning off visual notice's "they still appear") although this may be because the PC is on a network and a stand-alone PC may be treated differently.

And the GUI, as with the AV (in my humble opinion) is far to complex and technical even for the average user.
I know you don't have to look, "but maybe you do" and then it gets complicated.

I did not want the IS, it just happened to be in the Pro version.

****************************

Unless anyone else wants to add to this, for me I think it's time to call it a day.
But after many years of promoting Avast "yesterday was the last occasion"

Goodbye Avast......