Why does an anti-virus programme ask if you want to send an infected file to the vault/quarantine or delete?

Question

I suppose I'm puzzled as to why you wouldn't want to delete it in the first place. What happens to it when it sits in the vault?

Answer 1

The reasons why a antivirus program ask you for delete or vault/quarantine options are:-
1.First its your choice whether "to delete" or "To keep it safe for future"
2.It a safe place where that file cannot do any harm to the system.
3.you can restore back the file ,if you feel that you have accidentally removed an important file.
4.The quarantine items can be submitted to the antivirus company so that they can research on that file for a remedy

Answer 2

In most cases anti virus programme repairs the infected file immediately. However, if the virus programme does not have the capability to repair the file at the time the infection is detected, it will ask you if you want to send the infected file to the vault/quarantine or delete. The files sent to vault and quarantined can be repaired or cleaned when the virus programme is updated with the virus list which includes the infected virus. By sending the infected file to virus vault or quarantining, no harm is done to your Computer. However, if you choose to delete the file without know what the function of the file is, it may effect your system

Answer 3

The AVG antivirus vault is a kind of holding area. Nothing happens to the file stored there. Files are placed in the vault during a scan if they match the virus profile. They wait there pending your decision to delete them. The reason why someone might not want to delete a file right away is because sometimes (very rarely) the file is not really infected and it is what is called a "false positive", meaning the heuristic algorithym that detects virii sometimes makes a mistake and detects a virus when there is no virus present.
This used to happen a lot when people had a lot of different anti-virus programs - it was quite common for them to detect the virus profile data of some other antivirus program as if it actually was a virus. Now it seems to happen much less - I suppose because the antivirus software is getting more sophisticated.

Answer 4

A virus is basically a file that attaches itself to existing files on your computer and then replicates itself, attaching itself to more and more files, thus rendering the files it is attached to useless, and that is when the PC can become crippled by the virus. An anti-virus programme usually catches the virus on its way in before it can attach itself to any files but if the virus had attached itself to an important file, then the anti-virus software would quarantine this important file along with the virus, to stop it spreading any furhter and until a way of removing the virus from the important file is found. When it quarantines a virus, it is not the virus it is sending to the vault, but the important file from your computer. Sometimes the anti-virus software cannot heal the virus with the current virus definition files it has, and doesn't just delete as it does not know if the virus is attached to a good file from your PC, so it sends the virus into quarantine to stop it from spreading, and waits till its been updated with with the right virus definitions to deal with the virus.

Answer 5

Ok, some programs run programs that an anti- virus program can sometimes mistakes as a virus. If the Anti-virus program is unsure about the file then it will recommend to quarantine it rather than delete. It will give you the option to delete. My suggestion is to quarantine it for a month or so and if all your programs work fine then delete it. Good Luck :O)

Answer 6

If you delete it, it's gone for good. If any programs were associated with that file they may no longer work either. If the infection had been quarantined it could be restored back and that program would then work as it had before. This is mainly used for minimum security threats like minor ads and such not high risk viruses. You can quarantine items first and be sure everything is working ok then go back and delete the quarantined items later.

Answer 7

Best to send it to the vault because that's a safe area. If you encounter any problems then you can restore the quarantined item. If after a couple of weeks your system is running ok , you can safely delete the stuff in the vault.

Answer 8

You put the "virus" in the vault first so it is disabled and not running that way if removing the virus causes any problems with your pc you can put the file back and get rid of the virus another way without damaging your pc.

Answer 9

If you afford delete it, else put it in vault/quarantine and hope someday programme will remove the virus.

Answer 10

If it's an exe. file it's needed to run a program. Deleting the file may mean that you can't run that program. Always send it to the vault.