Unable to scan - Password protected.

[Loose rivets]

Avast is coming up with this as its closing screen. As far as I know, I've not used any passwords on the OS, just those like Pprune's password.


Is this likely to be a weak point in my protection?

[bnt]

Unable to scan what? Whether it's a problem or not depends on what can't be scanned. A virus checker can't get inside a password-protected ZIP file, for example - which you would expect.

[Loose rivets]

The displayed list of files - 30 or so - would not cut and paste. I'll copy some the hard way :


Just one, they all look similar.

C:\... \{06ACB779-EC30-4299-AAF9-BOE14D869A25} Result. Unable to scan: Archive is password protected. Result (blank)

[Keef]

That looks like a registry or setup file. If it's password protected, I'd wonder what it's about.

[Saab Dastard]

You really need to provide the full path.

SD

[Loose rivets]

The menu is very limited. I have to scroll to see to the end of the line. No expand and no cut/copy.

I typed exactly what was there. Even to the space after the 3 dots.

However, since it is not immediately obvious to the more experienced on the forum, and bearing in mind Keef's coment, I'll treat it more seriously and search for that string. If I don't get it straight away, it'll probably be too late (UK time), before I can put more time in this evening.

[Loose rivets]

Just run a search in C: for that string. Looked into the hidden files - tried twice - nothing found.


So, unless I can get deeper into the Avast program than seems possible, I guess I'll have to reload another virus prog and try again to see if it agrees.


There are some 30 - 40 of these files and I tried to locate them when they first showed up. It seems odd that Avast would be so cryptic about their location.

Thanks for your input on this, will try again late tonight GMT -6

LR

[Tarq57]

If you maximise the scan report and then move the column headers, all (or most) of the text should be visible.
The sample listed looks to me like a reference to a system restore setting or file.
Whether the files concerned represent a problem or not depends on the full names/paths.
Other security programs (Spybot, Adaware for example) password protect their quarantine areas. Quarantines files aren't a threat.
System restore can harbour nasties. I don't think there is a way of telling what the particular file is without a lot of knowledge and a hex editor. Far easier to just ignore it, as it isn't a threat unless that particular restore point is run. To eliminate it just turn system restore off, reboot, turn it back on. Pfft. All past restore points (and any malware) gone. (Only do this if the 'pooter is in good health, of course.)
This is a pretty common question in the Avast forum. I guess ninety percent or more of the time "unable to scan..." does not represent a problem.

[Avtrician]

LR,

Are you also running super anti spyware. a quick browse thru google, seems to show that any quarantined stuff in SAS will cause this. Go into SAS if you have it and dekete the quarantine items and all should be good.

Also check for having the latest update for Avast, seems one of them was a little buggy.

[Loose rivets]

This is a pretty common question in the Avast forum. I guess ninety percent or more of the time "unable to scan..." does not represent a problem.

Sounds fairly hopeful.

I only have SUPERAntiSpyware, Avast (and Ad Aware)



The Avast screen will not expand/open. Takes up about 1/4 of the screen. Horizontal Scrolling and moving the column boundary, does not increase the Path statement.

One this drive, I have no restore. C D & E are is the first physical drive, and H and I are HP's recently re-installed main drive and back-up. I don't boot from that much...should, just to see it's going okay, but never get round to it.

The Avast setting was to 'do' C: only.

One thing I will do is to photograph the list and then run it again and see if it's in any way 'dynamic'. Just so odd that I can find not trace of it.

Mind you, since installing CCleaner, I can't find my cookies. I used to just go to them and pick out the ones I wanted, but now CCleaner seems to zap all or none.

I guess I'm expecting too much for freebies.

[Tarq57]

'Twould be nice if we could post screenshots here, but I guess the bandwidth would more rapidly exhaust.
This post (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=35347.msg297170#msg297170) in the Avast forum contains a fairly comprehensive explanation, and the thread contains a couple of screenshots that may help.
The scan report I get at the end of a scan is in a blue media-player-type explorer window, with minimize/maximize/X at the top right corner. Unfortunately I couldn't find an example to post.
That your entries are too large to read it all even with the column headers dragged suggests a number of characters representative of a system restore point. Which means a search won't find it.
If you click the entry in such a way that the whole thing (as far as you can see) turns grey, try copying then pasting it to notepad/clipboard.

Ccleaner: "Options>Cookies" Drag the ones you want to keep to the whitelist. Do that after logging on to any sites you want to remain logged on.

Confirm that "System Restore" is turned off on all drives? Or at least the drive scanned? If it is on for another partition of the same drive, I think it will still be referenced somehow by the partition the OS is on.
The other option includes reference to the protected files in the antispyware programs. To know that you'd have to see the path.
[edit] BTW, the freebies I have on my computer, which include the apps you reference (except AdAware, which won't be permitted the disk space ever again until hell freezes over, or there is peace in the middle east, or a new clean green energy source is cheaply available to all, or until I really really feel like it,) and they give me a good deal fewer problems (= zero) than some experienced by my friends that have paid applications. Free doesn't have to mean nasty/faulty/limited.