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I scanned my PC using the "boot-time scan" of Avast because I wanted to detect if there is a virus on my system.

I didn't find any viruses after the scan but it did detect some archives that are corrupt inside Windows folders, and some of my installers that I haven't found using an Avast "full system scan". To be specific there are three letters before "archive is corrupt" like "CDO archive is corrupt" or something similar.

Is this bad? Will this affect my computer? Is it some kind of virus only detected with a boot-time scan?

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  • What version of Avast?
    – wizlog
    Aug 30, 2011 at 12:53
  • 6.0.1203 is the version of the avast i use
    – user913233
    Aug 30, 2011 at 12:57
  • It realy deepens which files are corrupt. if they are essential, then yes it really does matter, if not, then not. Please provide more details.
    – wizlog
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:18
  • @wizlog that is the best detail i can provide, anyways what does archieve is corrupt means?
    – user913233
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:26
  • Data corruption refers to errors in computer data that occur during writing, reading, storage, transmission, or processing, which introduce unintended changes to the original data. Check out this Wikipedia article.
    – wizlog
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:36

2 Answers 2

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Without knowing which files are currupt, I'd run "CHKDSK C: /f" this can be done through the command prompt which can be run by typing "CMD" into the search bar of the start menu.

This is assuming you can boot your computer. If not, you can still run the command prompt through the Startup Repair, or through safe mode

Here is what the command actually means when broken down.

  • CHKDSK Is the command for Check Disk
  • C: Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
  • /F Fixes errors on the disk.
  • /R Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information (implies /F and is therefore optional).

For a more complete list of what CHKDSK can do, type "chkdsk /?" into the command prompt window.

It wouldn't be a bad Idea in the future to backup your data regularly just in-case something went wrong. DON't forget to "Run as administrator" privileges

DON'T FORGET TO PRESS ENTER TO EXECUTE THE COMMAND

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  • i typed that on my command prompt and it replies "access denied as you do not have sufficient privilages. you have to invoke this utility running in elevated mode."
    – user913233
    Aug 30, 2011 at 14:47
  • will this detect all corrupt data etc from the disk? will this help me solve the problem? to purify the corrupt archives?
    – user913233
    Aug 30, 2011 at 15:01
  • I'm sorry I forgot to mention that you need to run with administrative privileges. Just right click the Command Prompt before you (left click to) open, and click "Run as administrator", then click allow to the box that pops up.
    – wizlog
    Aug 30, 2011 at 15:19
  • this does not work, i tried this and it didnt even detected the corrupted archieves
    – user913233
    Sep 5, 2011 at 2:57
  • then they aren't system critical
    – wizlog
    Sep 5, 2011 at 13:48
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Maybe you mean CRC? Archives might be corrupted in transfer-time. But there is quite high probability that your hard drive is approaching its end of life. I would recommend checking SMART statistics/read speeds of the disk. If you find anything suspicious - buy another disk as fast as possible

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  • my hard disk might fail? i just bought my laptop 5months ago.
    – user913233
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:25
  • One of my hard disks failed after 2 or 3 months of usage ;] Hard drives usually fail in their first years or after 3-5. If it's a laptop there's high probability that you just managed to damage a very tiny portion of surface. Just bear in mind that you should track this issue for a month or a bit more. If there are more files damaged - warranty service. chkdsk /F /R should hide this issue (damaged archives won't be repaired though)
    – friendzis
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:41
  • im not affected now by the corrupt archive , so that means the corrupt archives are minor? will this affect my pcs performance in the future?
    – user913233
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:46
  • Can't tell without inspection of the disk itself. IF the disk is failing - yes, performance will drop and eventually all data will become inaccessible. IF it is one time issue - forget it. As I've said - bear in mind that this MIGHT become an issue in about 1 or 2 months
    – friendzis
    Aug 30, 2011 at 13:51

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