2022-10-28
Avast Free Antivirus software often fails to work properly and ends up deleting needed /files and placing them into quarantine. Files in quarantine are not readable, this may result in the improper functioning of this or that program.
When a file is quarantined, you can try to restore it. Restoring is done at your own risk since the file might be really infected, then the consequences are not predictable.
Where is Avast Quarantine
For having immediate access at all times to the file quarantine, we can integrate the tool in the main panel. This can be done as follows:
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Open the antivirus on your computer;
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The main page provides quick access to some tools. By default there are 4 options added to the panel (Full Scan, Browser Cleanup, Home Security, Intelligent Scan).
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Click any option with the right mouse button and from the dropdown select "Quarantine".
"Quarantine" will be added to the main screen, you only need to select an item from the main menu to access the storage.
How to recover /files from Quarantine
If you are sure about the security of the /files placed in quarantine you may perform the recovery. The steps depend directly on the version of the installed antivirus software.
For versions 5-8:
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Open the antivirus software and select "Maintenance" in the left side menu, then click on "Quarantine". A list with all the /files quarantined but not deleted will be displayed.
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Select the desired file, right click on it and from the list opened select "Restore".
For version 9:
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Select the option "Scan" in the side menu. In the window opened at the bottom click on "Quarantine".
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Select the file desired, right click on it and select "Restore".
For the versions 10-17:
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From the left side menu go to "Protection".
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Select "Antivirus" then click on "Quarantine".
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Select the file from the list, right click on it and select "Restore".
All the restored /files are moved back to the directory where they have been removed. Please note that during the next PC scan, /files may be moved back to Quarantine in case the antivirus deems them suspicious.
How to add /files to the exceptions list
Files restored from Quarantine may be deleted at any time in the event of a second PC scan. To ensure that they are not affected by the antivirus during a scan, you not only need to restore them from quarantine but also to add them to the exceptions list.
Only /files that have been checked should be added to the exceptions list, otherwise they may harm your computer. The process differs according to the version of the software.
For versions 5-8:
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Go to the Avast antivirus settings;
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Select "Exceptions";
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Click the "Browse" button, indicate the path to the file to be added to the exceptions and click on "Add".
For version 9-17:
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Go to program settings;
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Select "Antivirus" section in the left side menu.
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Select the path to the file to be added to exceptions;
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Save these changes.
What to do if there are no /files in Quarantine
Sometimes /files placed in Quarantine are missing and eventually cannot be recovered. The problem may be caused by the fact that Avast Free Antivirus is configured to delete all malicious /files from the computer irretrievably without quarantine.
Automatic unquarantine removal also occurs in cases when the file size exceeds 16 MB, or when the storage space is full (by default 256 MB).
If a file has been deleted for other reasons not related to the user then there are two ways to recover the file:
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Helpdesk;
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With a special program Recuva.
Connect with the support team via the form at //support.avast.com/en-ua/contact/.
Recover via Recuva
Recuva is a free utility allowing to recover deleted /files. To recover /files, the following steps are required:
- Disable programs that may overwrite hard disk sectors;
- Download and install Recuva;
- Describe the disk that you wish to scan for deleted /files;
- Find the file from the list and restore.
Upon recovery, you should add the file to exceptions immediately to avoid the possibility that it might be deleted again.
How to temporarily disable Avast
Sometimes you may need to temporarily disable your antivirus when you install other software on your PC. In this article we provide detailed instructions on how to deactivate antivirus for a certain period of time. All manipulations are performed at your own risk; with anti-virus disabled, your computer might be infected.
How to send /files to Avast Lab if you suspect
If you come across a suspicious file on your computer or if you're convinced that a particular program has been quarantined undeservedly, you can send the data to Avast Lab for scanning.
