Configuring Files and Programs Scanned by Antivirus

 

Via your console's Scan settings, you can customize which file types will be scanned by Antivirus. Note, however, that these configuration settings are available only when a Custom or a Boot-Time scan task is selected.

You can configure the available settings for both these scans on the Devices page.

For general information on all scan tasks, see Device Scanning Tasks.

Configuring Boot-Time Scans

The Boot-Time Scan task will run upon device startup.

1. Go to the Devices page
2. Tick the checkboxes of all devices you want to apply the scan to (if you are scanning a single device, you can also click the three dots next to it instead)
3. Select Scan > Advanced Antivirus Scan > Boot-Time Scan
4. Configure the following settings:

   • Windows locations to scan: Select define the locations to be scanned by either typing their path manually or choosing from the available preset locations in the drop-down menu (you can also remove locations you do not want included in the scan by clicking the X mark next to them)

   • Restart the device now: Choose whether to immediately restart the device in order to perform a boot-time scan (if you leave this checkbox unticked, the boot-time scan will run the next time the device restarts)

   • Notify users with a message before the restart: Enter a message to be displayed to the end user notifying them the device will restart shortly

   • Specify when the above message will be displayed: Select when the message will be displayed, between 1 minute, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour before restart

   • Heuristics: Select the heuristics sensitivity (with higher sensitivity, Antivirus is more likely to detect malware, but also more likely to make false-positive detections that incorrectly identify files as malware)

   • PUP and suspicious files: Choose whether to scan for Potentially Unwanted Programs and other suspicious files

   • Unpack archive files: Choose whether to unpack archive file types during scanning (the scan may be slower but more extensive)

   • When a threat is found: Choose what action AVG will take when a threat is detected — Clean Automatically, Move to Quarantine, Repair, Delete, or No Action

   • Cancel the scan on the workstation: Choose whether the scan can be canceled on the end device while it is running

5. Click Start Scan Now

Configuring Custom Scans

Custom scans provide the most control over what specific types of files, folders, programs, and processes are included in the Antivirus scan.

1. Go to the Devices page
2. Tick the checkboxes of all devices you want to apply the scan to (if you are scanning a single device, you can also click the three dots next to it instead)
3. Select Scan > Advanced Antivirus Scan > Custom Scan
4. Via the tabs at the bottom, specify the following: locations and file types to be scanned, scan sensitivity and performance, and Antivirus actions following malicious content detections (see below for a more detailed overview of each tab)
5. Click Start Scan Now

Specifying Scan Locations

You can define the locations to be scanned by either typing their path manually or choosing from the available preset locations in the drop-down menu (click inside the field to display the menu). Any locations you do not want included in the scan can be removed from the list by clicking the X mark next to them.

Specifying File Types To Be Scanned

You can choose whether to scan all files for threats (the scan may be slower but more extensive). Additionally, you can configure the scan to recognize file types by their content, which requires scanning the entire file, or by their name extension, which will only scan the files with the extensions you enter in the text box that appears when that option is selected. You can also select whether to extract and scan packer files (such as .zip).

Specifying Scan Sensitivity

Heuristics: Heuristics enable Antivirus to detect unknown malware by analyzing code for commands that may indicate malicious intent. The default setting is Normal. With higher sensitivity, Antivirus is more likely to detect malware, but also more likely to make false-positive detections that incorrectly identify files as malware. Code emulations unpack and test suspected malware in an emulated environment where the file cannot cause damage to devices. The Use code emulation feature will be enabled by default.

Sensitivity: Choose whether to test whole files (the scan may be slower but more extensive)

PUP and suspicious files: Choose whether to scan for Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) and other suspicious files

Links: Choose whether any links within files are followed during the scan (the scan may be slower but more extensive)

Specifying Scan Performance

Priority: Choose the priority of the scan on the end device(s). A higher priority will lead to a quicker scan, but will use more resources

Persistent cache: Choose whether to speed up the scan by consulting the persistent cache before scanning each file and/or to populate the presistent cache with data about scanned files (which will slow down the scan)

File access: Choose whether to speed up the scan by reading files in the order they are stored on the disk, thus minimizing the number of seek operations (only effective on NTFS volumes)

Specifying Antivirus Actions

Apply an action: Choose whether actions are automatically taken during the scan when a virus, potentially unwanted program (PUP), or suspicious file is detected

Choose what action AVG will perform after finding a virus: Choose between Clean Automatically, Move to Quarantine, Repair, Delete, and No Action

• If, for whatever reason, AVG cannot complete the main action, it will attempt the action(s) selected under If the action fails, use

Options: Choose whether to perform the selected action upon restart

Processing of infected archives: Choose whether to remove the packed file from the infected archive (and if that fails, do nothing), remove the packed file from the archive (and if that fails, remove the entire archive), or to remove the entire archive.

 

Once you have configured all settings for your custom scan, click Start Scan Now to run this task.