Avast unable to scan my PC - reasons and solutions - Post Thumbnail

Avast unable to scan my PC – reasons and solutions

Having a correctly working antivirus application is just as essential for a modern computer user as updating an operating system or using the safe browsing feature. Avast Antivirus might be one of the most common cybersecurity solutions today due to its affordability and wide range of additional features. You can even get an Avast activation key in a bundle with Windows OS or find it preinstalled on your PC. Thus, encountering “Avast unable to scan” error can be really frustrating for the people that use it as the main antivirus tool.

What may cause the failure?

The difficulty of identifying the root of this particular error is caused by the ambiguity of it. As a rule it is not a permanent malfunction: it occurs only while opening and scanning certain files. However, some of the basic potential reasons include:

  • Old version of the Avast software. It is a common reason because users usually uncheck the auto-updating feature while installing the application and forget to do it manually.
  • The lack of essential Avast components may cause the errors in its performance. Certain types of scans require particular components and cannot be executed without them.
  • Interference of other cybersecurity software like Windows Defender. Even though the functions of all applications of this type are the same, their simultaneous background processes may cause problems with scanning.
  • Outdated version of operating system, which is not compatible with the newest versions of the antivirus. Thus, the application runs incorrectly and cannot scan some files. Avast usually reports about such issues, but users can ignore them right until they face the actual problem.
  • The file you want to scan may be included in the list of Avast exceptions, which means that the application will not scan it at all.

Dealing with the problem

Identifying the root of the problem is only a half of the solution. There is a high probability that your problems are connected with one of the listed reasons, thus, the following solutions might be something you need:

  • Update both your Avast Antivirus through the main menu of the app or using the official website and Operating system. You can also try reinstalling Avast Antivirus to get the most relevant and stable version of it, but use only proven sources.
  • Make sure that the file you need to scan is not in the list of exceptions, which you can do by finding it in the “Settings” tab. Uncheck the files manually.
  • Run only one antivirus on the computer, or else you may face some unpleasant issues.

Bottom line

Facing the issue with Avast Antivirus unable to scan some files may be frustrating so it requires a prompt solution. The process of identifying and eliminating the root of the problem is quite basic and can be executed even by an amateur PC user.

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