Boot-Time Scan

Access this feature from: Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Boot-Time Scan

If you suspect that your PC contains malware, you can schedule a Boot-Time Scan to run the next time your computer boots up. Boot-Time Scan looks for known types of malware and removes threats before the operating system and other services are running. Scanning during startup improves the chances of detecting and removing malware before it can counteract.

Boot-Time Scan is an advanced and purposeful feature designed to use when you suspect a threat in the system, and usually takes some time to run. It is scheduled to run only as needed, not on a regular basis.

Schedule and run Boot-Time Scan

To run a Boot-Time Scan:

  1. Click Install specialized definitions.
    Note: this step allows Avast to download all the latest virus definitions from a cloud database. If you skip installing specialized definitions, Boot-Time Scan scans your PC based only on the virus definitions that were previously downloaded. After clicking Install specialized definitions, you are not offered this option again, and Boot-Time Scan will install them automatically when needed.
  2. Click Run on Next PC Reboot to run the scan during the next system restart.
  3. Restart your PC. When your system restarts, a Boot-Time scan progress screen appears as Windows loads.
  4. Select an action for any detected threats, unless you have previously specified automatic actions in Boot-Time Scan settings.

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. To exit the scan, click Esc on your keyboard, but doing so will not allow Boot-Time scan to complete. When the scan is completed or skipped, Windows continues with start-up.

Adjust Boot-Time Scan settings

To access Boot-Time Scan settings, go to the Protection ▸ Virus Scans and click Settings beneath the Boot-Time Scan tile. Alternatively, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Boot-Time Scan. Read more...