A great many people find the $av_asw folder in their hard disk. What is $av_asw? Is it a virus? How to get rid of this folder? Now, let’s start exploring the answers together with MiniTool.
When you search for $av_asw on Google, you may find this topic is heatedly discussed by users on different forums and communities. After summarizing these user reports, we find the following three questions are mostly discussed, like the user from the answer.microsoft forum.
Lately, I’ve found a folder in both my C: and D: named $AV_ASW. Inside there is a vault folder and within that folder, is a db file that I can’t open with notepad or MS Access. Any idea on this? I’ve tried googling but it gave me avast instead, however, I’ve used avast for more than 3 years now, no such file exists before. Is it a virus or bug or malware or whatever? Please advise. Thanks.https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/avasw-folder/8b63419d-3b47-40f2-acaf-79ea6754e73b
What Is $av_asw Folder
If you are using the Avast Antivirus security software, you may find a folder named $av_asw in your C drive or other local drives. This folder is created by Avast to store the quarantine files, especially the exe files. It seems like an Avast vault in which the potentially unwanted or infected files are stored to prevent them from causing any threats.
Where is avast vault folder? Usually, you can find the $av_asw $vault folder via the $AV_ASW > $vault > Vault.db directory in File Explorer. The vault.db files are actually quarantined files which are certain suspicious files found by Avast.
Is $av_asw $vault a Virus
Don’t worry. The $av_asw $vault is a legitimate folder created by Avast. It holds some potentially infected or unwanted files (called quarantine files in Avast) that could cause your computer trouble. That is to say, the existence of the av_asw folder aims to prevent any harm to your computer.
However, many people want to get rid of the $av_asw $vault folder to free up hard disk space. Of course, you can do that using the following methods.
How to Delete the $av_asw Folder
There are 4 applicable methods to delete the $av_asw $vault folder. Let’s start trying.
Way 1. Clean the Quarantine Files in Avast
The straightest way is to clean up the quarantine file from the Avast Chest. This is because the Quarantine folder contains the $av_asw $vault files. Here’s how to do that:
Step 1. Launch your Avast Antivirus software and go to the Protection tab from the left vertical panel.
Step 2. Select Quarantine from the right panel.
Step 3. Select all files from the list of quarantine files and click on Delete All. Once deleted, restart your computer and check if the $av_asw $vault folder is deleted.
Way 2. Delete the $av_asw Folder in File Explorer
Another simple way is to delete the $av_asw folder directly from File Explorer. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1. Press Win + E keys to open the File Explorer.
Step 2. Select This PC from the left pane and open the driver where you find the $av_asw folder. If you can’t find it, go to the View tab and make sure to untick the checkbox for Hidden items.
Step 3. Right-click the $av_asw folder and select Delete. Then confirm this operation.
Way 3. Delete the $av_asw Folder via Disk Cleanup
If you cannot get rid of this folder smoothly or want to free up more disk space, you can perform a disk cleanup. Here’s a quick guide for you.
Step 1. Press the Win + E keys to open the File Explorer and select This PC on the left pane. Then right-click the drive in which the $av_asw folder is stored and select Properties.
Step 2. Click on the Disk Clean-up button in the pop-up window. Then this tool will scan the drive automatically.
Step 3. After a while, select the file/folder that you want to delete and click on OK. Then click on Delete Files to confirm this operation.
Once done, restart your computer and see if the Avast folder is removed.
Way 4. Delete the $av_asw Folder via a File Cleaner
In addition to the above methods, you can use a professional file deleter like MiniTool Partition Wizard. It can help you check what files and folders are occupying your hard disk with the Space Analyzer feature. Moreover, you can directly search for the $av_asw folder and delete it permanently in the MiniTool software.
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