Number of files scanned

when I scan my system (30 GB HDD) these are the number of scanned files of each AV that I have:
AVG6 Free: about 64000 files
Antivir PE: about 110000 files
avast4 / eTrust promo : about 119000 files

does this really matter ? scanning more files does it mean more protection?

 

No the various av companies count differently some will count a compressed file with multiple entries as one file while some will count all entries in a file causing it to look like it scanned more when in reality it doesn;t. This is a simplified explanation just to keep the reply short.

 

Yup. Bigc is right.

The same applies to the virus count.


tECHNODROME

 

thanx guys

 

I believe that there is a little difference between the number of "scanned files" and the "number of known viruses".

1. I don't know about any antivirus, which doesn't increment the number of scanned files in the moment when it open the new one. The higher number means that the AV scanned more files! The most obvious reason for it is simple - better support for archives! And deeper look inside archive means better protection!

2. The number of "known" viruses depends on the counting virus families as one virus or maybe as few thousands of the individual viruses and there is difference in the point of view of AV manufactures.

Maybe it will be of little help.

Eduard

 

Yes and No. If you take for example Command Antivirus (which has a pretty decent archive support) and scan archived file (i.e. contains 1000 files inside archive) it will report\count only 1 file scanned. avast! or KAV will report 1000 files in this case.
Its entirely different story if Antivirus does not support specific archive.


tECHNODROME