Cyber threats can be hidden in a variety of ways. Many antivirus programs can identify malware through regular scans or real-time protection. However a boot-time scan is more thorough and can catch stealthy threats.

A boot scan is a brief review of your computer before Windows begins. This allows the program to identify malware click for info that is hidden and remove it without affecting your normal operations. Avast’s boot scan feature offers many options to deal with the threats discovered during the scan, including mending the files immediately or moving them to a Disease Chest or quarantine, and finally deleting them.

The process of running a boot scan can take a while. It’s best to disable all non-essential start-up programs and unplug USB or external hard drives. This will decrease the chance of conflict, and allow the scan to focus on internal storage. It is also a good idea to reserve the time that you will not use your computer for any other purposes so that boot scanning can take place without interruption.

To enable the boot scan, open the Avast user interface and click Settings (the gear icon). Select Protection > Scan settings and check the option to scan for boot time. Set the options to your preferences, then click OK. The Avast boot-time scan is an extremely powerful tool that can assist you in keeping your computer secure from threats and provide the smoother experience of computing.