AVG AntiVirus monitors files, program behavior, web traffic, and supported email traffic for malicious content. It combines continuous shields with manual and scheduled scans. A scan checks selected storage at a point in time, while a shield reacts when a file opens, a process behaves suspiciously, or a browser receives dangerous content. The program changes access to detected objects by blocking or quarantining them; it does not repair every Windows problem or prove that an undetected file is safe.
Shields watch different paths
File Shield examines programs and files when they open, run, change, or save. Behavior Shield watches processes for actions that resemble known malicious behavior, which can catch activity before a matching file signature exists. Web Shield inspects transferred web data and can stop a connection before a detected script or download runs.
Email Shield has a narrower boundary than its name may suggest. It checks messages handled through installed mail programs that use supported mail connections. Webmail opened inside a browser follows the Web Shield path instead. Disabling one shield does not automatically disable the others, but it removes inspection from the activity assigned to that shield.
Scans and actions
AVG AntiVirus can run predefined scans or a custom scan aimed at selected drives, folders, archives, or startup areas. Detection actions may ask the user, attempt repair, move the object to Quarantine, abort a connection, or delete it. “Fix automatically” follows a sequence of actions rather than guaranteeing that the original file survives.
Repair works only when malicious code is attached to an otherwise usable file. A file that is entirely malware has no clean document to preserve. Delete removes it permanently, while “Nothing” leaves the finding for a later decision. A broad archive scan also takes more time because AVG must open containers before it can inspect their contents.
Quarantine is reversible
Quarantine isolates a detected file so outside processes cannot access or run it. AVG AntiVirus can receive items there from a scan or an active shield, and the user can add a suspicious file manually. A quarantined object remains available for analysis or restoration instead of disappearing immediately.
“Restore” and “Restore and add exception” have different consequences. The first returns the file to its original location. The second also tells scans and shields to ignore it later. Choosing the second action merely to stop repeated alerts can reintroduce a harmful file and prevent another warning. Submitting an uncertain detection for analysis is safer than assuming every alert is false.
Exceptions widen access
An exception can apply to a file, a folder, a command, a website, or an entire domain. AVG AntiVirus lets a user narrow which shields ignore a file, but the default exception can remove it from all scans and shields. A folder exception also covers everything placed in that path later, while a domain exception can cover many pages beyond the one that triggered the problem.
AVG AntiVirus displays a risk acknowledgment before adding an exception because the scanner no longer judges that target in the normal way. Exceptions can reduce false detections and scan time, but they should identify the smallest known-safe object. Removing an exception restores inspection; it does not automatically scan activity that occurred while the exception was active.
