Secret Tips For…
Avast Free
Register Avast Free without disclosing your email address
Avast Free is still the best free antivirus (AV) available (see our recent AV group test, Issue 493, page 53), but it’s not perfect. One annoying aspect is that Avast tries to get you to register the software using your email address to obtain your free licence. From that point on, Avast can bombard you with emails urging you to buy the full program.
However, there is a way to register Avast Free without sharing your email address. First you should check whether you need to register. Open Avast by double-clicking its icon in your taskbar’s notifications tray, then click Settings followed by Subscription. If you see a ‘Register now’ button it means you need to register – but don’t click the button. Instead, click the Windows Start button, Settings, System, then ‘Apps & features’. Click Avast Free Antivirus in the list of programs, then click Uninstall, Uninstall again followed by Yes. This will prompt the ‘Configure your Avast installation’ window to open (see screenshot above right). Click Activate to get a one-year licence without providing your email address. You can repeat this process every time your 12-month licence expires.
Scan zipped folders
A common method used by hackers to target PCS is to conceal malware and viruses in a ZIP file alongside genuine files. It therefore makes sense to scan the ZIP files on your PC when running Avast’s scan, but this is disabled by default. To fix this, open Avast, click Protection (on the left), then Antivirus. Click the small cog icon at the top right of the ‘Full system scan’ box (see screenshot above right), then click Packers and tick the ‘ZIP archive’ box.
You may also want to tick ‘7ZIP archive’ and ‘RAR archive’ to include the other most common compressed file types. Click OK to apply your changes, then click ‘Full system scan’ to begin the scan.
Schedule virus scans
Antivirus scans put a strain on your PC’S system resources and can cause older PCS to slow down. Therefore, it’s a good idea to schedule them for a time when you’re not using your PC – overnight, for example. To do this, open Avast Free, click Protection, Antivirus, then the clock icon at the top right of the ‘Full system scan’ box (see screenshot above). Tick the ‘Schedule this scan’ box, then choose a Schedule Type in the dropdown menu (Weekly is usually often enough).
You can also specify a start time using the Schedule section, and make your PC close after the scan by ticking the ‘Shut down the system after the scan finishes’ box.
Stop Avast promoting itself in your emails
Avast Free will try to add a signature to emails you send informing the recipient that ‘This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast’. To stop this, double-click the Avast icon in the notifications tray on your taskbar, then click Settings (bottom left) and untick ‘Enable Avast email signature’ in the General section.