This is interesting. Avast has kept the most important settings visible and moved the advanced ones in its antivirus into a new section, hidden by default from accessing, they call it as Geek Area. To see the new secret section in action, you need to type a command in the search field on Avast Settings window. Latest Avast 18.7.2350 beta has this feature included.
New Secret Geek Section in Avast antivirus
By the way, as the name says, the new Avast Geek section is not for normal users, it is designed especially for power or tech-savvy users, you can compare it to about:flags in Chrome and About:config in Firefox. Though browsers and Antivirus are different, they’re also applications on Windows after all.
Avast says ” The purpose (of Avast Geek section) is similar to //flags in Chrome or about:config in Firefox. Really not a place for normal user”.
Here is how you can access it.
How to Access Avast Geek Area
Ensure you’re using latest Avast beta
1. Open its user interface.
2. Click on Menu > Settings
3. Click on search field and type,geek:area done, you’ve entered into the “secret tech cave of advanced settings for Skilled Avast users.”
In the above screenshot, you can see, some settings are enabled by default, don’t tinker with them unless you really know what you’re doing. Here is the list of geek Settings in Avast (not in order), that you’re not allowed to access by default.
- Enable debug logging
- The maximum size of each log file: default value 4096, you can change to desired value.
- Set Process affinity
- Measure performance
- Suspend non-gaming user processes
- Set CPU limit.
The below settings are related to Do Not Disturb Mode launched with Avast 18.6
- Maximum Performance.
- Disable AV Notifications
- Pause Windows Updates
- Pause AV background tasks
- Pause system background tasks
- Set high-performance mode
- Set high priority
- Disable Windows Update auto reboot
- Disable Windows Notifications
Note: Geek Area isn’t completed, Avast has plans to release new settings ((seem here they’re talking about Avast 18.7 beta) in this September and Geek Area by the end of October or November.
What’s your take on the secret cave where Avast hid the Advanced Settings? Has that interested you? Do you’ve any other names to suggest for the same? What it should be really called in your opinion?