This guide will assist you in setting up and executing a full system scan using the antivirus software, Avast. Additionally, the steps below can be used when operating Avast on any Windows PC or Apple Macintosh device:
Step #1: Download and Install Avast
Avast contains free and premium versions of their software, however, in this guide we will be walking you through the free version of their software. Thus, you can download and install the software from the following link on their website:
Download: https://www.avast.com/en-us/index-t1
Step #2: Modify Scan Settings
1. Once the software has been installed and its control panel is open on your screen, click on the Menu option (i.e. the icon with the three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of your screen.
2. After clicking the Menu option, you will see a side menu appear where you will then need to select Settings > Protection.
3. Once the protection page is open, we recommend scrolling through all of the options related to modifying your full system scan by checking each of the boxes as shown in the following images:
Checking each of the boxes that are illustrated in the images above will ensure that Avast will conduct a complete and thorough scan of your system.
Step #3: Start a Scan
After modifying your system scan settings, you can conduct a scan of your system by clicking the Run Smart Scan button at the center of the home screen.
If the scanner detects any anomalies, it will automatically quarantine them. Once they are quarantined, you can remove them from your system by visiting Protection > Quarantine. Once you are on the quarantine page, you will see a list of each quarantined anomaly, which you can restore or delete from your system by clicking the check box next to each anomaly and then selecting the Delete All button at the bottom of the page which will remove the anomaly from your system.
Step #4: Restart your System
After you quarantine and delete the identified anomalies, restart your computer and repeat the third step of this article in order to conduct an additional scan to verify whether the anomalies have been removed.