Full System Scheduled Scan Takes Forever On Avast For Mac

1. Kaspersky Scan Takes Forever
2. Full System Scheduled Scan Takes Forever On Avast For Mac
3. Mcafee Security Scan Takes Forever
4. Full System Scheduled Scan Takes Forever On Avast For Mac Review

A deep scan, sometimes referred to as a 'full scan', 'complete system scan', or 'whole computer scan' examines every bit of your computer's RAM memory, hard drives, and removable drives. A deep scan will also scan your startup programs and the Windows registry for any traces of malware.

1. I set McAfee to automatic scan once a week. It takes about 4-hours to complete. Lately, it has been going into 'Pause' and my screensaver comes on.
2. Sep 01, 2011  I have been attempting to perform a full system scan on my laptop using Avast Anti-Virus Version 6.0.1203, my scan has been running for 2 hours and 53 minutes and I've only scanned 11% of my computer.

• Pros

  Certified by one antivirus testing lab. Good detection of Windows malware. Clear, simple user interface. Free.

• Cons

  Very poor score in hands-on phishing protection test. Lacks scheduled scanning, website rating, and other features found in competing free apps.

• Bottom Line

  The free AVG AntiVirus protects against Mac, Windows, and mobile malware, but that's about all, and its antiphishing component tanked in our hands-on testing.

'Ok, ok,' you say, 'you've convinced me. I'll install an antivirus app on my Mac. But I'll be goldarned if I'm gonna pay for it!' That's actually quite a reasonable attitude. Sure, you get more and better protection from the best commercial products, but while Mac-centered malware totally exists, it doesn't come close to the wild and woolly jungle of Windows malware. AVG AntiVirus for Mac is one of several totally free antivirus solutions to protect your Macs. It takes care of basic antivirus protection, but its protection against malicious and fraudulent URLs currently leaves much to be desired.

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Since Avast's acquisition of AVG a couple years ago, this product and Avast Security (for Mac) are now, if not siblings, at least cousins. On the PC side, the two free antivirus products are extremely similar under the hood, and my company contacts assure me that the same is true of the Mac products. Note, though, that Avast offers Mac users a lot more than AVG does. In addition to basic antivirus protection, it includes site rating, active Do Not Track functionality, a network security scanner, and even a basic password manager.

AVG's main window is spacious and simple. A large dark grey expanse holds three icons penned in by a darker rectangle: Mac Shield, Web Shield, and Email Shield. Mac Shield refers to real-time protection, scanning new files as they arrive. Web Shield works to divert your browsing away from malicious or fraudulent pages. The third icon, Email Shield, will eventually scan incoming email attachments for malware, but the feature is not yet ready. Don't worry; the moment you attempt to save or launch an attachment, the Mac Shield scans it.

You can use the Scan Mac button at center bottom to launch various types of antivirus scans. Links to view quarantined items and log in to your AVG account round out the window. Choosing File Preferences from the menu lets you tweak a few minor settings. For most users the defaults are fine, with one exception. Like Avast, AVG can scan your Time Machine backups for malware. Out of the box, this feature is disabled; turning it on seems like a good idea.

Pricing and OS Support

Like Sophos and McAfee, AVG requires macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or higher. Avira and Norton want 10.11 (El Capitan) or higher. If you're a prudent user who always accepts operating system upgrades, this shouldn't be a problem. However, if for some reason you're stuck using an old macOS version, consider ClamXAV, ProtectWorks, or ESET Cyber Security (for Mac). These three can handle versions all the way back to 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

As noted, AVG is completely free. Sophos Home Free (for Mac), Avast, and Avira are among the other vendors offering free antivirus for macOS. However, like Avast, AVG is only free for noncommercial use. If you want to use AVG in a business setting, you must pony up for the business edition.

Commercial Mac antivirus pricing centers on just under $40 per year for a single license. Half of the current products fit that model, and most of those give you three licenses for $59.99 per year. With McAfee, that $59.99 subscription price gets you unlimited licenses, not just three. You can install McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) on all the macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices in your household.

Good Malware Protection Scores

When reviewing Windows antivirus utilities, I look at test results from four independent labs, and I also perform my own hand-on testing with live malware. That's not as dangerous as it sounds. I use virtual machines, so if malware wreaks havoc, I just revert to an earlier snapshot. I don't perform that level of testing on macOS, so results from the two labs that test Mac antivirus become very important.

As I mentioned, Avast now owns AVG, so I wasn't surprised to see that the two earned precisely the same scores from AV-Comparatives. Both protected against 99.90 percent of the lab's Mac malware samples, detected 100 percent of the Windows malware samples, and earned this lab's certification. /avast-offline-installer-for-mac.html.

AV-Test Institute also included Avast in its latest report, but not AVG. Avast detected all the Mac malware and PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications) and most of the Windows malware. We can hope that AVG would have scored the same, but the labs are very clear: results apply only to the precise product tested.

Bitdefender and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac are the big winners, as far as lab results go. They received certification from both labs, earning 100 percent protection against Mac malware in both cases.

Scan Choices

If you just click the big Scan Mac button, AVG scans the most likely places for malware traces. On the Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch I use for testing, this scan finished in less than four minutes. Clicking the gear icon next to Scan Mac lets you choose a Deep Scan of the entire system, or a File Scan looking just at certain files or folders. Even the Deep Scan only took 15 minutes, just a hair longer than Avast, and well below the current average of 24 minutes.

Avast, Avira Free Antivirus for Mac, ClamXAV, and several others include the option to define a scan schedule. AVG, like Sophos, Malwarebytes, and a few others, eschews the scheduled scan, figuring that real-time protection should handle any new threats. I suggest that you run a Deep Scan immediately after installing AVG, to root out any hidden nasties.

Almost all the Mac antivirus utilities I've reviewed include the ability to detect Windows malware as well. True, malware designed for Windows can't run on a Mac, but eliminating it means there's no chance of it somehow leapfrogging to a Windows system on your network. AVG promises to detect and remove Windows and mobile malware, in addition to malware aimed at macOS.

Avast cleanup free for mac. All you need is a Mac running macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or later with at least 68 MB of disk space. An Internet connection is also required for automatic updates. Avast Cleanup Pro for Mac. Get support for Avast Cleanup Pro for Mac Avast Cleanup Pro helps you free up disk space by removing hidden junk and duplicate files that gather over time on your Mac.

To test AVG's skills against Windows malware, I copied my current malware collection from a thumb drive to the desktop. AVG immediately started wiping out the samples, leaving just a handful. A File Scan on the folder eliminated a few more, for a total of 86 percent. Interestingly, I tested Avast with my previous malware collection and it weighed in at 85 percent, almost the same. Sophos has the best score this test, with 100 percent of Windows malware eliminated.

Poor Phishing Protection

While viruses, Trojans, and other typical types of malware necessarily target a specific operating system, phishing attacks are totally platform-agnostic. If you log in to a fraudulent site, thereby giving the fraudsters your credentials for the actual site, it doesn't matter if you did it on a PC, a Mac, or a browser-equipped refrigerator. Whatever the platform, you've lost control of that account.

My phishing test starts with hundreds of suspected phishing URLs, scraped from websites that specialize in tracking and reporting on them. To test a Windows-based product, I set up five browsers, one protected by the product under test, one by phishing champ Symantec Norton AntiVirus Basic, and one each by the protection built into Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. I wrote a simple program to launch each URL simultaneously in all five, and record with one click whether it blocked or missed a fraud, or whether the URL turned out not to be a phishing fraud after all. Alas, my handy program runs strictly on Windows, so my antiphish testing on macOS is a manual cut and paste affair.

In my testing, I've learned that while phishing frauds themselves are platform-independent, defense against phishing is not. Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) scored quite a bit lower in this test than the comparable Windows edition.

Many phishing protection systems replace the fraudulent page with a warning message in the browser, explaining that proceeding to the site would be dangerous, but allowing the user to override the warning. AVG's Web Shield works quite differently. It pops up a window reporting that it secured a threat, leaving the browser to display a simple error message.

When I finished the test and ran the numbers for AVG, I was a bit shocked. AVG's detection rate was 39 percent lower than Norton's, and all three browsers beat it handily using their built-in protection. Among Mac antivirus products, only Avira has done worse, running 47 percent below Norton's detection rate. On the plus side, this is significantly better than the score earned by AVG AntiVirus Free.

Then I remembered that I had a similar experience with Avast. Initially it scored 32 percentage points behind Norton, which is in the same ballpark as AVG's 39 points. At that time, my Avast contact explained that Safari gets protection only from the Web Shield component, while browser extensions offer enhanced protection in Chrome and Firefox. When I repeated the test using Chrome, Avast tied with Norton and beat all three browsers. Only Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac has done better, outscoring Norton by 5 percentage points. Bitdefender on Windows did even better, 12 points above Norton.

Alas, browser extensions for AVG's Mac antivirus aren't yet ready, so phishing protection totally relies on the less-effective Web Shield component. I'll revisit this review when the browser extensions come out.

What's Not Here

Kaspersky Scan Takes Forever

AVG covers the basics, with protection against Mac, Windows, and mobile malware. It offers a modicum of protection against phishing frauds, though this component isn't very effective. And that's about all. Other free Mac antivirus utilities bring quite a bit more to the party.

With Sophos, you get full remote management of up to three installations, so you can fix Uncle Ernie's antivirus without driving across town. It also includes a simple content filter for parental control.

Avira rates links in search results, so you don't accidentally visit a dangerous page. By default, it runs a scheduled scan every week. It brings along a raft of other security-related components, some free, others free trial.

AVG's cousin Avast also rates the safety of search result links. Its active Do Not Track component prevents advertisers and other trackers from building a profile of your online activity. The network security scan lists all the devices on your network and flags any that have security problems. It even includes a basic password manager.

You Can Do Better

As you can see, AVG Antivirus for Mac suffers by comparison with other free Mac antivirus utilities. Lab tests show that it does its essential job, protecting against malware, but it's not effective at blocking malicious or fraudulent URLs. Its biggest virtue lies in its extremely simple, streamlined user interface.

Those willing to pay for Mac antivirus protection can get significantly better protection. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac both cost $59.99 for three licenses, and both earn top ratings from the independent labs. Bitdefender took the top score in our antiphishing test, and its ransomware protection feature prevents unauthorized apps from modifying your important files. Kaspersky goes beyond the basics with an effective parental control system, protection against webcam spyware, a network attack blocker, and more. As in the Windows realm, free antivirus tools for Mac handle the basics, but commercial ones do much more.

Bottom Line: The free AVG AntiVirus protects against Mac, Windows, and mobile malware, but that's about all, and its antiphishing component tanked in our hands-on testing.

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Avast Antivirus includes a range of Virus Scans to protect your PC against malware. While customizable settings are available for some scans, we recommend you only modify settings for temporary troubleshooting purposes. Refer to the instructions in this article to adjust scan settings for the following Virus Scans:

• Full Virus Scan: performs an in-depth scan of your system, checking all hard drives, rootkits, and auto-start programs.
• Targeted Scan: scans files or folders, similar to a Targeted Scan, but is only available from the Windows context menu when you right-click a selected file or folder in File Explorer or on your Desktop.
• Explorer Scan: performans a scan of folders or drives that you specify. This scan is only available in the Windows context menu.
• Boot-Time Scan: performs a scan of your PC for malware that is hard to reach after startup.

Open the Virus Scans settings screen

1. Open the Avast Antivirus user interface.
2. Go to ☰Menu ▸ Settings.
3. Select Protection ▸ Virus Scans.

Refer to the sections below for instructions to configure different aspects of scan behavior:

Scan sensitivity

You can determine the sensitivity of the scan by adjusting the scan sensitivity settings. The higher the sensitivity, the higher the protection and potential for false positive malware detections. Reducing the sensitivity reduces the chance of false positive detections, but may also reduce the effectiveness of the scans. Scan sensitivity is set to Medium sensitivity by default, but can be adjusted to High sensitivity or Low sensitivity. Scan sensitivity is customizable for Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, and Boot-Time Scan.

• Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
• Tick the box next to the following settings to increase sensitivity:
  • Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
  • Follow links during scan: enables Avast to scan other files used by the files being scanned for potentially harmful content.
  • Test whole files (very slow for big files): enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
• Use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (High priority by default).

• Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
• Tick the box next to the following settings to increase sensitivity:
  • Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
  • Follow links during scan: enables Avast to scan other files used by the files being scanned for potentially harmful content.
  • Test whole files (very slow for big files): enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
• Use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (Medium priority by default).

• Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
• Ensure the boxes next to the following settings are ticked to increase sensitivity:
  • Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
  • Follow links during scan: enables Avast to scan other files used by the files being scanned for potentially harmful content.
  • Test whole files (very slow for big files): enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
• Use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (High priority by default).

• Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
• Tick the box next to the following settings to increase sensitivity:
  • Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
  • Unpack archive files

Scan areas

In this section you can determine the areas that are scanned on your PC. The Scan areas settings are only available for Full Virus Scan and Boot-Time Scan.

Select or tick the box next to the following scan areas to include them in the scan:

• All Harddisks: enables Avast to scan all hard drives on your PC.
• System drive: the options in this section apply to data that is stored on physical devices such as hard drives and USB sticks.
• All Removable media: enables Avast to scan applications that launch automatically when you insert a USB or other removable device into your PC. Scans of removable media, such as DVDs, may take a long time due to speed limitations.
• Rootkits: enables Avast to scan for hidden threats in the system.
• CD-ROM & DVD drives: enables Avast to scan CD and DVD drives for malicious content.
• Modules loaded in memory: enables Avast to scan applications and processes that launch after system startup or run in the background.

Full System Scheduled Scan Takes Forever On Avast For Mac

Select or tick the box next to the following scan areas to include them in the scan:

• All Harddisks: enables Avast to scan all hard drives on your PC.
• System drive: the options in this section apply to data that is stored on physical devices such as hard drives and USB sticks.
• Auto start programs: enables Avast to check all auto-start programs.
• Perform automatic actions during this scan: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
  • Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
  • Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
  • Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.

Packers and Archives

In the Packers and Archives section you can specify the compressed file types that you want Avast to unpack during the scan. These settings are available for Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, and Explorer Scan.

Select the file types you want included in the scan:

• Scan most common used types: archive commonly used file types such as .zip, .rar, and other executable or installer archives.
• Scan all types of archives: the scan analyzes all archive files, which significantly increases the scan duration.
• Don't scan archives: disables Full Virus Scan from scanning archive files.

Select the file types you want included in the scan:

• Scan most common used types: archive commonly used file types such as .zip, .rar, and other executable or installer archives.
• Scan all types of archives: the scan analyzes all archive files, which significantly increases the scan duration.
• Don't scan archives: disables Targeted Scan from scanning archive files.

Select the file types you want included in the scan:

• Scan most common used types: archive commonly used file types such as .zip, .rar, and other executable or installer archives.
• Scan all types of archives: the scan analyzes all archive files, which significantly increases the scan duration.
• Don't scan archives: disables Explorer Scan from scanning archive files.

File Types

Specify the file types that are prioritized when scanning your PC for malware. These settings are available for Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, and Explorer Scan.

Select or tick the box next to the following file types to prioritize them in the scan:

• Content based types (slow): scans files that are typically most vulnerable to malware attacks.
• Name extension based types (fast): scans files with only risky extensions, such as .exe, .com, .bat.
• Scan all files (very slow): scans all files on your PC for malware.
• Perform automatic actions during this scan: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
  • Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
  • Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
  • Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
• Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your computer after the Full Virus Scan completes.
• General report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically.

Select or tick the box next to the following file types to prioritize them in the scan:

• Content based types (slow): scans files that are typically most vulnerable to malware attacks.
• Name extension based types (fast): scans files with only risky extensions, such as .exe, .com, .bat.
• Scan all files (very slow): scans all files on your PC for malware.
• Perform automatic actions during this scan: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
  • Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
  • Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
  • Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
• Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your computer after the Targeted Scan completes.
• General report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically.

Select or tick the box next to the following file types to prioritize them in the scan:

• Content based types (slow): scans files that are typically most vulnerable to malware attacks.
• Name extension based types (fast): scans files with only risky extensions, such as .exe, .com, .bat.
• Scan all files (very slow): scans all files on your PC for malware.
• Perform automatic actions during this scan: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
  • Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
  • Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
  • Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
• Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your computer after the Explorer Scan completes.
• General report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically.

Exceptions

Although it is not recommended to exclude any files or folders from a scan, you can define certain exceptions to temporarily exclude particular files or folders from a Full Virus Scan or Targeted Scan for troubleshooting purposes.

To exclude a file from scanning:

1. Click View exceptions.
2. On the Exceptions settings screen, click the Add Exception button.
3. Type the specific file path or web address and click Add Exception.
4. Optionally, click Browse, tick the box next to a file or folder you want to add to your exceptions, and click OK.

To exclude a file from scanning:

1. Click View exceptions.
2. On the Exceptions settings screen, click the Add Exception button.
3. Type the specific file path or web address and click Add Exception.
4. Optionally, click Browse, tick the box next to a file or folder you want to add to your exceptions, and click OK.

Mcafee Security Scan Takes Forever

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Full System Scheduled Scan Takes Forever On Avast For Mac Review

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