If malware prevents Avast Antivirus from running a Boot-time Scan, you can run Windows in Safe Mode and use the Boot-time scan scheduler.
If the Avast user interface is running on Windows in normal mode, run the scan directly from the interface. Read the following article for more information:
Run a Boot-time Scan
- Reboot your computer and start Windows in Safe Mode with Command Prompt according to the instructions on the relevant Windows or third party support pages:
- In the Command Prompt window, type the
CD
command and the location of your Avast installation file (C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast
by default), then pressEnter ↵
.If typing the default location does not work, you may have saved your Avast installation file to a different location. Type theCD
command followed by the location where your Avast installation file is saved and pressEnter ↵
. - Type the
sched /A:*
orsched.exe /A:*
command, then pressEnter ↵
to schedule a default Boot-time Scan of all local drives on your system.To view all command line options, typesched
orsched.exe
, then pressEnter ↵
. - When the Command Prompt dialog indicates that the Boot-time Scan is scheduled, type
shutdown /r
, then pressEnter ↵
to re-boot your computer to run the Boot-time Scan. - After your computer restarts, a Boot-time Scan progress screen appears as Windows begins loading. For any detected threat select which action to take.
The scan usually takes several minutes but the duration varies depending on the speed of your system and the number of files to be scanned. When the scan is completed or skipped, Windows continues booting up.
To skip the scan, press the
Esc
key on your keyboard.
- Avast Ultimate 18.x
- Avast Premier 18.x
- Avast Internet Security 18.x
- Avast Pro Antivirus 18.x
- Avast Free Antivirus 18.x
- Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic / Home Premium / Business / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 2, 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows XP Home / Professional / Media Center Edition - Service Pack 3, 32-bit