User interface

The user interface enables you to check the current status of your protection, to adjust the program settings and to carry out a manual virus scan. Unless you want to perform any of these actions, you may never need to access the user interface at all as once the program is installed, the resident shields will be silently and continuously protecting you against threats from viruses and other malware.

When you open the user interface, you will see the colored status bar telling you the current status of your protection. “SECURED” means everything is up to date and running as it should be. “ATTENTION” means you are not fully protected, for example, if the program or your virus definitions are not up to date, or if one or more of your shields is currently turned off. “UNSECURED” means you are currently not protected at all, most likely because all of the shields have been turned off.

If you see the message “ATTENTION” or “UNSECURED”, you can try to make your computer secure again by clicking the “FIX NOW” button.

By clicking on the drop-down arrow below your protection status, you can see more details about your protection status:

  • Real-time shields – to be fully protected, the status should be “on”. This means all of the real-time shields are active. If any of the real-time shields are not active, the status of the real-time shields will be displayed as “off”.
  • Firewall (only in avast! Internet Security) – like the real-time shields, can either be “on” or “off”.
  • Definitions auto update – if this is “on”, your virus definitions will be updated automatically whenever a new update is available. This will ensure you always have the most up to date virus definition and that you are protected from the latest threats.
  • Virus definitions version – this tells you whether the virus definitions that are used to identify potential threats are currently up to date.
  • Program version – this tells you whether you are using the latest version of the program.
  • Expiration date – here you can see the date until which your current license is valid.

Below the status bar, you can see the SILENT/GAMING MODE status – see the page Silent Mode in Program Settings. By default, this is turned off but avast! will run automatically in silent mode if a full-screen application is running. To turn on silent mode permanently, click on Change settings and check the box “Silent/Gaming mode”.

NETWORK LOCK – this feature is present only in avast! Internet Security. The network lock enables you to temporarily disable all network communication. This can be useful if you are working with sensitive data and want to be certain that it cannot be accessed by anyone else, or if you have any reason to believe that your computer might be under attack from an external source. By turning on the network lock, your computer will be completely inaccessible to the rest of the network.

Down the left side of the window, you will see a number of navigation tabs, which can be used to access other parts of the program, to change the program settings, run a manual virus scan or update the program and virus definitions:

  • SUMMARY – contains current status information, access to avast! iNews for latest information, statistical and community information.
  • SCAN COMPUTER – enables you to run a manual virus scan, to schedule a boot-time scan and to view the scan results.
  • REAL-TIME SHIELDS – provides access to all the shield settings.
  • FIREWALL (avast! Internet Security only)- provides access to the firewall settings.
  • ADDITIONAL PROTECTION – contains the AutoSandbox, WebRep and Site Blocking features. Here in avast! Pro Antivirus, you can also find the SafeZone and Sandbox screens. In avast! Internet Security this is where you can also access the Antispam settings.
  • MAINTENANCE – to update your program or virus definitions or to access the virus chest.

User interface