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General discussion

restore point with antivirus

Mar 30, 2005 2:05AM PST

when I do my weekly antivirus check I am asked to deactivate the restore function. That's OK but when I do this all the restore points vanish so that I would have no recourse to them if something went wrong during the antivirus check. Is there a possibility of having your cake and eating it, that is cancelling only the last restore point and keeping the previous ones, or at least keeping some restore point that may be needed? I run an XP Pro with AMD processor and Norton antivirus software. Thanks - Amos.

Discussion is locked

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Where are you asked
Mar 30, 2005 8:12AM PST

to disable System Restore? Is it a command? (eg; "You must disable System Restore before the scan can continue), or is it a suggestion?

I scan my computer weekly, sometimes more, with AVG 7 and I never disable System Restore for the very reason you mention. If ever I did find a virus in any of the System Restore files, I would tackle the issue then.

I can't imagine Norton is preventing you to scan "unless" System Restore is disabled, so I wonder if you have misunderstood the message.

Mark

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restore point with antivirus
Mar 30, 2005 6:01PM PST

Yes, there is a positive demand to disable restore, otherwide it is argued, 1) the virus of whatever shape will reenter the system once restore is applied, and 2) they cannot quarantine/delete a virus while restore is active. In other words I can scan all I want, but the scan will be ineffective. Have you not encountered anything of the sort? Amos.

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Not with AVG, no.
Mar 30, 2005 6:58PM PST

But Amos, you haven't answered the question I asked.

Is this a "command". What I mean is, will the av program fail to scan if you do not disable System Restore?

Or is it just guidance? ie, the program "suggests" you disable System Restore, but it would continue with the scan if you did not do so.

For your information, the scan would not be inneffective if System Restore was not disabled. But what might happen is that the AV would pick up a virus in the Restore files but would not be able to immunize or delete the infection.

Or, even if the program could not scan the Restore files it doesn't matter. There could only be a virus in those files if a backup had been taken, (a Restore point created), of an infected file. So, if your AV program picks up a virus elsewhere on your computer, then it is possible the same virus has been backed up to the Restore files, especially if a Restore point has been created since the computer became infected.

Therefore, you would only need to disable Restore to delete the Restore files and that virus if the scan picked up a virus elsewhere on your computer.

Does that make sense? I hope it helps you.

Mark

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I have Norton Antivirus
Mar 30, 2005 7:11PM PST

and I don't get a message to disable system restore when running a scan. When does your message appear?

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restore point with antivirus
Mar 30, 2005 11:47PM PST

Hello - The request to disable restore is not an imperative and the AV will work if I do not do that. Your suggestion, Mark, makes very good sense, i.e. disable restore only briefly if and when a virus has been detected, so that it disappears from the backup as well. The directive to disable does not appear in the general use of the AV but it does appear on the Norton website and also in many of the expert advice columns. Thanks all, Amos.