A few weeks ago I noticed that the virus scan for my downloads has started failing. Whenever I try to download a picture or video I always get the notice “Virus Scan Failed” and sometimes it will block the download and sometimes the download will go through. The scan always still seems to work for exe’s though. I did nothing to effect this. It just started acting this way on it’s own. I don’t know if this is a known issue, but any help to fix it would be greatly appreciated.
Hello @ShepardRahl
And you’ve run Norton LiveUpdate a few times and restarted (not Shut down) machine?
What DIY troubleshooting have you tried ?
What does Norton support say regarding “Virus Scan Failed”?
OS ?
browser ?
what extensions ?
any Norton extensions ?
download source ?
How may I reproduce…my side ?
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AI Mode
The “Virus Scan Failed” message is typically a browser annotation.
This message originates from your web browser itself (like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) when its built-in download manager is unable to complete the security scan of the downloaded file.
Here is a breakdown of why this happens:
- The Browser’s Role: When you download a file, the browser first saves it to a temporary location. It then signals the installed, active antivirus software (in your case, Norton 360) to scan the file.
- The Conflict: The browser is simply waiting for a “safe” confirmation from Norton. When that communication fails, or if Norton blocks the process in a way the browser doesn’t understand, the browser gives up and displays the generic “Virus Scan Failed” error.
- The Cause: The error is almost always caused by a communication breakdown between the browser’s security checks and the real-time protection components within your Norton 360 software, which is why troubleshooting the Norton application settings is the effective solution.
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The failure of Norton’s Download Insight for image and video files, while working for executables (.exe), is counter-intuitive because executable files are typically considered a higher security risk. The behavior is caused by a communication error or software conflict, not by the content of the files themselves.
Here are the primary reasons this might happen:
- Communication Breakdown Between Browser and Norton 360
The most common reason for the “Virus Scan Failed” message is that the browser (Chrome or Edge) requests a security scan from Norton 360 but receives an unexpected response or no response at all within a set timeframe.
- Timeouts: Image and video files, especially large ones, might be scanned differently or take longer for Norton’s real-time scanner to process in the temporary download folder. If the scan takes too long, the browser times out and flags the download as failed. Executables might be handled by a more specific, prioritized routine that succeeds, while general media files run into a bottleneck.
- HTTPS Issues: Sometimes Download Insight does not function correctly when files are downloaded over a secure HTTPS connection due to how data is encrypted and passed to the antivirus for inspection. If the images/videos are coming from an HTTPS site, but your
.exefiles from an HTTP site, this could explain the difference.
- Corrupted Installation or Configuration Glitch
Since this started happening recently and without input from you, it strongly suggests a conflict arising from a recent, automatic update to either Windows, your web browser, or Norton 360 itself.
- Software Corruption: A minor corruption in the Norton 360 program files can cause its scanning module to fail only on specific, non-critical file types. Executables might be handled differently, making that scan path still functional.
- Windows Attachment Manager Conflict: Windows has its own built-in security layer called the Attachment Manager. A conflict between this native Windows feature and Norton 360 can cause intermittent scanning failures.
- File Reputation Discrepancies
Norton uses “Download Insight” to check the reputation of a file based on how many other Norton users have used it.
- Fewer Reputation Data Points: While very popular images or videos might have a “Good” reputation, less common or unique images/videos might not have enough data points. The system might default to caution and trigger the scan failure, whereas common
.exefiles from major vendors are widely trusted.
Summary
The error is not about the risk of the file type; it is about a technical or configuration malfunction in the handoff process between your browser and the Norton 360 scanning engine. Running the Norton Remove and Reinstall Tool is the most reliable way to clear these kinds of deep-seated conflicts.
AI Mode may make mistakes
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Fix file download errors here
Information about the Attachment Manager in Microsoft Windows here
And you’ve run Norton LiveUpdate a few times and restarted (not Shut down) machine?
I’ve run it several time.
What DIY troubleshooting have you tried?
I’ve run liveupdate several times and reinstalled Norton 360
OS? Windows 10
browser? Happens on all of them I’ve tried. (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera GX)
any Norton extensions? Norton Password Manager on Chrome
download source? Happens with downloads from any website
Nothing substantial has happened to cause this issue. It simply started on it’s own about a month ago.
Do you get Virus scan failed without Norton 360 installed?
Sorry, I don’t know how to produce Virus scan failed my side.
What does Norton support say regarding Virus scan failed?
Do you think Virus scan failed is related to support for W10 ending?
All: Just wanted to confirm what the OP is saying. Norton, DOES NOT notify files downloaded have been scanned/checked at the time of download as in the past. I too, DO NOT see that happening. There are no entries in Norton history regarding those downloads as well. Additionally, in Norton settings, IF, Edge is NOT your default browser, AND, you click “enable” for the Safe Web extension Norton will try to and DOES install to Edge. Edge also, DOES NOT scan downloads at the time of downloading. The extension does NOT install to the current browser you are using. My current browser, Opera GX cannot find the Safe Web extension in the extension store for Chrome extensions either. Its a total mess.
SA