Did not solve the problem every file in the folder is still 'off limits' to Avast! EXCEPT when I do a boot-time scan (which runs before Windows loads).
I tried turning system restore off, which zaps all the restore points, rebooting, then creating a new, single restore point and running a Quick Scan. gif files as well as the actual RP files.
It repeats for EVERY file in the folder, including. The error message on each file is 'Error: Archive is password protected (42056)'. Looking at the log revealed that all the unscanned files are in the system restore folder (C:\System VolumeInformation\_restore\.). Beginning 2 weeks ago, I started getting the message 'Some files could not be scanned' at the end of a scan.
