Overview
Smadav is deliberately not a replacement for a main antivirus. It is a small second layer designed to run alongside one without the two fighting, which is unusual, and it concentrates on the specific problem of removable drives: the autorun payloads, hidden folder replacements and shortcut infections that spread across shared machines through a memory stick.
The installed footprint is a few megabytes and the background use is close to nothing, which is the point. On low specification machines, shared office computers, print shops and internet cafes, a full protection suite is often too heavy to run properly, and this fills the gap with drive scanning, autorun blocking and a repair pass for the damage those infections leave behind.
The Pro configuration adds the parts that matter for daily use: automatic definition updates, faster scanning, exception rules, the administrator password lock so a shared machine cannot have protection switched off, and the rescue tools that restore hidden files, repair registry damage from a previous infection and clean the drives that keep reintroducing it.
What it does well
Second layer by design
Built to coexist with a main antivirus rather than replace it, with no driver level conflicts and no duplicated real time hooks.
Removable drive focus
Automatic scan on insertion, autorun blocking, and detection of the hidden folder and shortcut patterns that spread through shared drives.
Repair tools
Restores hidden files and folders, repairs registry damage left by earlier infections and clears the traces that stop a system tool from opening.
Very small footprint
A few megabytes installed with negligible background use, which keeps it viable on old or shared machines.
Administrator lock
Password protection so settings cannot be changed and protection cannot be disabled on a machine other people use.
Changes in this build
- Detection updated for the current removable drive infection families.
- Automatic definition updates enabled in the Pro configuration.
- Scan engine sped up on drives with very large file counts.
- Repair module extended to more system tool lockouts.
- Interface rebuilt with clearer scan results and a per-item action list.
What is in the package
- Smadav Pro installer, 32-bit and 64-bit
- Removable drive scanning and autorun blocking
- System repair and file restore tools
- Automatic definition updater
- Multilingual interface files, 6 languages
System requirements
| Processor | Any x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Graphics | Not applicable |
| Storage | 50 MB free |
| Display | 1024 x 768 minimum |
| System | Windows 7 through Windows 11 |
Installation
- Extract the archive to a local folder.
- Run setup, there is no need to remove the existing antivirus.
- Apply the included configuration step before the first launch.
- Set an administrator password if the machine is shared.
- Insert a drive and confirm the automatic scan runs.
Before you start
This is not a full antivirus, keep a main one installed alongside it.
The repair tools can undo damage from an old infection even after the payload itself is gone.
Exception rules are per path, adding a whole drive defeats the purpose.
Questions about this title
Can it run with another antivirus?
Yes, that is what it is built for.
Does it scan removable drives automatically?
Yes, on insertion, with autorun blocking on by default.
Can it restore hidden files?
Yes, the repair module restores folders hidden by a previous infection.
Do definitions update automatically?
Yes, in the Pro configuration.
About this listing
This entry was checked on a clean install of Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 (32-bit and 64-bit) before it was published, and it is rechecked whenever the package is rebuilt. The figures on this page come from the site index rather than from the publisher, so the download count is what people here have actually pulled.
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