Source: herdProtect |
Protection software block malware applications that could harm your PC. But, sometime, they can also make collateral damages and block legit software like Folders Popup.
To prevent bad programs to take control or infiltrate your PC, protection programs block application that try to execute given system level actions. There are two protection approaches.
- Some protection programs block known malware and frequently update a blacklist database to catch these apps before they can do damage.
- Other protection software have a more aggressive approach: they block any app that could cause damage based on various criteria. To allow good applications to work, they maintain a whitelist of trusted apps.
When Folders Popup try to change your current folder in Windows Explorer, it call a system level action that can be seen as suspicious by the more aggressive protection softwares. If this is your case, please see if you can approve (whitelist) Folders Popup in the configuration of your software. Also, you can probably go to your software website and report Folders Popup as a good app to add to the whitelist database. See the example in the comments below.
More about this issue in this post from another independent developer: Antivirus companies cause a big headache to small developers.
Needless to say - all these virus-related email messages that I receive every day are a big headache and require me to waste my time on answering/handling them, instead of adding new features to my utilities and updating my site. [ more... ]
At least, I know I'm not the only small developer facing this issue...
Please, if you have experience with protection software and Folders Popup, feel free to add a comment below to share it with other users.
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Last week, on the Folders Popup page, Hal reported a problem with Folders Popup under Windows 8.1. In our email discussion, we discovered that the protection software Comodo was the cause. When deactivated, Folders Popup could be restarted and worked well.
I asked on Comodo forum to whitelist Folders Popup. This should have been done now.
An update on this subject. Comodo have whitelisted (unblocked) Folders Popup.
Emsisoft have also been reported as potentially blocking FP because, in some situation, it sends keystrokes to the active window. If you trust FP, check for a whitelist option in your Emsisoft configuration. More info here: http://support.emsisoft.com/topic/6818-adding-a-folder-to-whitelist/
Tried to download new update and received a virus warning from my AVG scanner
I am a bit apprehensive about installing in view of all the warnings now on the internet about a new virus
Hello Stanley,
Thanks for asking.
No, this is NOT a virus issue. It is a protection issue. Protection software block malware applications that could harm your PC. But, sometime, they can also make collateral damages and block legit software like Folders Popup.
I could not guarantee if you downloaded the app from a third party server. But I can tell that the version on my server (http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/ahk/folderspopup/folderspopup.zip) is clean.
It has been reported that Norton Internet Security (NIS) is blocking FP installation using the the new setup procedure introduced with FP v4. A user reported that FP can be white-listed in the application configuration.
On y part, I will report this to Symantec website to "proactively" whitelist the program(http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/software-white-listing-program).
The portable installation does not seem to gererate a false positive using NIS.
Symantec removed Folders Popup from its list of suspect software:
Hi,
I'm running v4.0.1 portable(64 bit)and AVG Internet Security 2015 thinks it's a threat. Obviously it's a false positive and I will try to inform AVG of this. Just thought you should know.
Cheers
Paul
Btw Jean, you can go here to apply for a “Whitelisting service account” which means FP will not be seen by AVG as a threat again:
http://www.avg.com/submit-sample
I've submitted my report to the URL above and attached my v4.0.1 portable.
Hope this helps.
Paul
Thank you for reporting this “false positive” to AVG. I've don it myself. Please, let me know when they report to you on this.
Until they whitelist Folders Popup (maybe you already know, but I mention it here as reference), you can exclude FP from the ant-malware scan in your configuration. In "Advanced Settings", search for the "Exceptions" section.
Jean,
I don't know how long AVG will take to get back to me because they're not always very efficient.
For example I'm supposed to have a list of my subscriptions at the web page "MyAccount", but every time I go there it says "You don't have any subscriptions.", but I do. I called tech support two weeks ago and they promised it would be fixed in a few days but that hasn't happened - yet!
Paul
You could be interested to see how another independent software developer also has trouble with anti-virus software:
http://blog.nirsoft.net/2009/05/17/antivirus-companies-cause-a-big-headache-to-small-developers/
Quoting him: "If you look into the Web sites of some Antivirus companies, you'll easily find a large "Buy Now" button, but you probably won't find any "Report About False Positive" link. Antivirus companies always want to make more sells, but they don't really care about false positives in their products."
Good news ! AVG whitelisted Folders Popup (put FP on the safe apps list). This mean that FP should not be blocked by AVG anti-virus and PC protection software.
I do not use AVG products. If whenever Folders Popup is blocked again by AVG products, please use the screen capture link above and send it to me with any info that could help me make FP whitelisted again.
Jean,
AVG detected FP as a threat again and I had to add it to AVGs exceptions list.
Unfortunately when this happened I didn't realise you wanted a screenshot. When I understood this was needed I decided to temporarily remove FP from the exceptions list in order to make AVG detect it as a threat again so I could take a pic.
But when I attempted this my computer froze and I had to reboot - so now I daren't try it again.
I have the AVG screenshot tool now so if it happens again I know what to do.
Paul
Thank you Paul for helping on this.
Maybe AVG updated rules take some time to be distributed to all installations.
I received an answer from Trend Micro. They referred me to this page to request a web page reclassification, if required:
http://global.sitesafety.trendmicro.com/index.php
The URL of the Folders Popup setup file (http://code.jeanlalonde.ca/ahk/folderspopup/folderspopup-setup.exe) is actually classified as
I also submitted the .exe file itself on this form to make sure the .exe itself would not be blocked by their PC malware protection tools: http://www.trendmicro.com/us/about-us/detection-reevaluation/index.html
For developers looking for reclassification, more info here:
http://esupport.trendmicro.com/en-us/home/pages/technical-support/premium-security/1096819.aspx