About Avast custom scan
Was the longest. Malwarebytes for Mac Premium's full scan took a miraculous 16 seconds, while Bitdefender closed its full scan in 4:25. Kaspersky (41:20) and Norton (25:49) fell in the middle of the pack.InterfaceAvast Free Mac Security may not be the prettiest antivirus app, but it provides a number of functions and options. Its main window shows users a Protected status, as scans are enabled by default. All other features, including on-demand scans, are located in a menu bar on the left.Avast's main window presents users with their status — Protected or otherwise — and a 'Run scan' button that pushes you to Avast Cleanup Pro. You'll be confused by this abrupt switch of apps if you weren't paying attention to the fine print, and you'll soon realize that Cleanup Pro is a paid product that looks to tidy up your hard drive and costs between $2.99 or $3.99 per month.MORE: Best Free Antivirus SoftwareAfter you click that Run scan button once, it changes to an Upgrade button for Avast Security Pro, which features anti-ransomware protections and Wi-Fi and network scanning. To avoid further confusion, click on Scans in the left-hand menu, which opens that section as well as other sections of the app, such as Reports, Virus Chest, Shields and Preferences.How Good Is Avast CleanupIn Scan, you can select from a number of different types, such as scans of custom directories, scans of removable volumes and scans of your home network. Avast also includes scheduled scans, an increasingly rare option these days.Clicking on New Scan presents a Start button for activating a Quick Scan and a Change Scan Type button to switch to a full-computer scan.You'll find database updates and analyses of scans performed on your system in Avast's Reports. Avast places files it flags as malicious into the
Key features of the Avast custom scan that are enabled through these drivers include:
- Preferred Custom Scan Settings - Avast WEBforum
- Avast Premium Secutiry Custom Scan not running - Avast Free Antivirus
- Custom Scan problem - Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security - Avast
- Custom startup scan - Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security - Avast
- Custom Scan Help - Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security - Avast
- Daily Custom Scan - Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security - Avast
- Configuring and Running Custom Scans - Avast
Bitdefender Antivirus Free was relatively disappointing at 64%. Avira Security Free scored a little better in recent tests with a 90% protection rate, but that was with a browser extension only. Avast Free wins overall because it has system-wide browsing protection which protects every browser and app on your device.We switched to our malware test, and tried to download some very dangerous files from 50 brand new links. Avast Free did an excellent job, blocking 94% of threats either at the URL level, or when the files hit our hard drive. That couldn’t match Bitdefender Antivirus Free, which blocked 100% of our test threats, but was just ahead of Avira Free’s 90%.These results can vary significantly depending on the files and links we use, but, on balance, we think they match the independent lab reports: Avast and Bitdefender Free are too closely matched to call, and Avira is just a fraction behind.Scans are accurate, but are always trying to sell you an upgrade. (Image credit: Future)Avast Free Antivirus: Comprehensive AntivirusAvast Free Antivirus automatically monitors your device to detect malicious files as they appear, but if you want to run a manual check, it has more scan types than anyone else, even paid products.The Smart Scan runs a quick antivirus scan in under a minute, for instance, and also looks for poorly configured system settings which might compromise your security. Bitdefender’s Vulnerability Scan tries to do something similar, but we found Avast spotted more relevant issues and gave better advice.The catch? Smart Scan also checks for a bunch of performance and other issues which can’t be fixed with the free version, and repeatedly prompts you to upgrade to fix them all (it took us an extra four clicks to get rid of the upselling attempts and return to the dashboard.) It’s a little annoying, and more pushy than most of the competition, but no surprise: you’re getting leading-edge antivirus for free, of course Avast is going to try to sell you an upgrade. Quick scan not enough? Avast can even run from bootable USB keys. (Image credit: Future)If you’re looking for something more thorough, the Full System Scan checks your entire device for threats. This can take a very time, perhaps hours, but Avast Scans are faster the second time around.That’s good, but it’s only the beginning. Avast Free can also run custom scans of whatever files, folders or drives you need, either from the app or the Explorer right-click menu. A Boot-Time scan can remove stealthy threats by checking your system before Windows loads. If that doesn’t work, Avast Free can even create a bootable USB key to scan your device without Windows running, helping catch stealthy threats that you
