Today we will see what it is and how to install and configure Avast. Avast Free Antivirus is one of the most widely used antivirus programs worldwide. This is mainly because we have it available for free and also performs excellent protection functions of our equipment. If you still don’t have it,
What is Avast
Avast is a protection or antivirus software that provides a free version for home users.
Not for being free it is an application that works badly, on the contrary, Avast is continuously updating its product and adding new functions such as a shield against unauthorized access to the webcam of your computer. It also has in its latest versions a shield against ransomware that will protect the files so that they cannot be encrypted without the author’s consent and thereby curb these extortion programs. All this we will also have available on Mac computers.
In addition, it has applications for Android and iOS with protection functions of mobile devices to make secure payments and other network functions.
But the company not only offers this product for free, but it also has many more payment applications for companies and for the advanced protection of our equipment and whose field we will not enter.
Download and install Avast
As it cannot be otherwise, the first thing we should do is download the program from its website. It is right on the cover of it so it will not be a problem for anyone.
In general, the browser will download the installation package in the download folder of your device. Just when the download is complete, click on “ Show in the folder ” to directly access the download location of the download.
Installation
We will now proceed with the installation of Avast Free Antivirus.
- What we have to do is double click on the file we have downloaded to start its installation.
- In the first screen of the wizard, we must look at the bottom. There is located a notice proposing the installation of other software. We decide to allow it to be installed or not
- To deny the offer, click on the box to deactivate it
- If we choose the ” Customize ” button, we can see in more detail that we are going to install in our equipment
- We see that there are quite a few functionalities. Here we can also customize the installation directory. But we recommend leaving it as it is by default.
- Press the “Install” button. This way the process will begin
- Once finished we will enter the main antivirus screen automatically
- Now we must accept the license agreement, and we will reach a screen where we offer to install the antivirus also on the mobile. We will tell you NO
- In the next window again, he asks us to recommend Avast. We will also say NO
- Finally, we will get the antivirus control screen
Disable Windows Defender
If we do not want to have two antivirus programs simultaneously, what we will have to do is disable Windows Defender.
Configure Avast
After installation the turn to see the different options and functions offered by the free version of this antivirus.
If we navigate through the side menus of Protection, Privacy and Performance, we will identify the functionalities that are paid with a lock padlock.
Configuration options
The configuration options are at the top of the Menu section. If we press, and then click on “ Settings, ” we will access them.
General:
Here are the main program options. As more interesting options we will have:
- Activate reinforced mode: add extra protection to the antivirus. It is aimed at users who do not know most of the things they find online and download strange things. It is an interesting option for a user account for children.
- Silent mode: Avast will work in a hidden way without displaying alerts.
- Password: we can set a password to the program to restrict your access
- Exclusions: from here we can configure both file paths and web pages where we do not want Avast to act for viruses
- Intelligent analysis: from here, we can activate what actions we want the antivirus to do when we choose the smart analysis option.
Components:
From this tab, we can activate and deactivate the different antivirus shields. We can also configure other components and uninstall them.
This panel is where we can configure in detail all the Shields that we have active in the system.
Problem resolution:
From here we can configure some more advanced options in terms of protection. We can also reset the program to default values if we are not sure what we have touched.
Make a full file analysis in Avast
Only the intelligent analysis option appears on the main screen. But if we want to make a deeper analysis in search of threats we will have to do the following:
- We have to go to the ” protection ” section
- Within this we click on ” Analysis “
- If we go to the bottom, we will find an option that says ” Complete virus analysis ”
This is the section that does not interest.
Search for viruses in memory and start Windows
If we have a persistent virus hosted in the computer memory, what we will have to do is to intercept it before Windows starts. For this, we have a good option in the same section as in the previous case.
We just have to press the button and choose the option “Run during the next PC restart.”
Disable Avast Shields
To disable the antivirus, we will have to go to the ” Protection ” section. To deactivate each module, we only have to press the button, and it will be disabled.
If what we want is to deactivate it all at once, we need to go to its icon in the task bar s and open the options with the right button. In the ” Control and security ” section, we choose one of the options.
Add the list of file exclusions
We can add directories or files that we do not want to be included in the analysis. To do this, we will do the following:
- Click on ” Menu ” and ” Settings “
- We have to go to the ” Components ” section and click on ” Customize ” in the File Shield section
- We are located in the “ Exclusions ” section
- Here we can add the directories we want, so they are not analyzed.
Block or unblock a web page
We may also block certain web pages, or otherwise unlock them if we believe they are reliable.
- In the same menu as before, we need to go to ” Web Shield ” and click on ” Customize “
- We add the URL and press Enter. The page will be locked
To unlock a URL, we must do the identical procedure and click on ” Delete ”
Configure actions when Avast detects a threat
The configuration of this functionality is exactly the same for the four modules that are active in the program.
We have to go to the configuration and click on ” Customize ” in the module we want. Now we must go to the ” Actions ” section, and we will have enough options to choose from:
- Measures when finding a virus: when the program detects a virus it will perform the functions that we have configured here, we can try to correct the file, store it in quarantine, repair it and even delete it. We recommend moving it to the trunk.
- The second and third measure: if the first fails, we can configure a second and even a third action. Normally, ask us the program for what we choose ” Ask .” In this way, we will know what files it is.
- PUP and Suspect: we will have exactly the same options as in the previous case.
If we want to have more control over the program, we will have to configure these options in each of the active shields.
Restore a file in the Avast virus trunk
All threats that the program has detected are stored in the virus chest.
- To locate the virus chest, we must be located on the main page of the program
- We have to go to the ” Protection ” section and click on ” Virus trunk “
- If we select the threat and click on the lower green button, we can restore the file or restore it.
- If we do not want the program to detect it more as a virus, we will have to add it to the exclusion list as we have seen previously.
These are the main configuration options for the Avast antivirus. It is up to you to explore the program more deeply in search of more of them.
What antivirus do you use for your computer? If you think that Avast is a bad antivirus or that you prefer another, leave it in the comments.
