About this release
Smadav is deliberately not a full security suite, and understanding that is the whole point of it. It is built to install alongside whatever protection you already run, using a fraction of the memory and never taking over the real time protection role, so there is no conflict between the two. Its narrow focus is the thing most general purpose protection historically handled badly, which is removable media and the tricks that travel on it.
Plug in a drive and it scans it immediately, before anything on it gets a chance to run. Autorun entries, hidden folders that have been replaced by shortcuts, files disguised with double extensions, and the whole family of tricks that spread through shared sticks in offices, print shops and internet cafes are what it is looking for. Where a drive has been damaged by one of these, it can restore hidden folders and clean the shortcuts without touching the files themselves.
The professional edition adds the parts that make it practical on a working machine. Automatic updates to the detection set, an exception list so your own tools stop being flagged, scheduled scanning, an admin password so the settings cannot be changed by whoever is sitting at the machine, and a set of repair tools for the registry and system policies that a previous infection may have altered. It stays small, it stays quiet, and it does not argue with the software already installed.
What it does
- Designed as a second layer that coexists with existing security software
- Automatic scanning of removable drives the moment they are connected
- Detection of autorun entries, shortcut replacements and disguised extensions
- Restoration of hidden folders on drives damaged by previous infections
- Very small memory footprint with no real time protection conflict
- Automatic detection updates in the professional edition
- Exception list so your own tools stop being flagged repeatedly
- Scheduled scanning at whatever interval you set
- Administrator password locking the settings against local changes
- Repair tools for registry and policy settings altered by earlier infections
Changes in this version
- Updated detection set covering the current crop of removable media tricks
- Faster scanning on drives with very large numbers of small files
- Reworked exception list with folder level entries
- Improved folder restoration on drives with damaged file tables
- Lower background memory use while idle
What the package contains
- Smadav Pro 2026 full installer
- Current detection set
- Repair tools for registry and policy restoration
- English and Indonesian interface files
- Readme with the install order written out step by step
Installation notes
Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.
- Leave your existing security software installed and running, this is meant to sit beside it.
- Disconnect from the network before you start.
- Extract the archive to any folder, the package is tiny.
- Run the installer as administrator and finish the wizard.
- Apply the included activation step before first launch.
- Open it once, set an exception for your own tools folder, then reconnect.
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer, 32-bit or 64-bit |
| Processor | Any processor |
| Memory | 512 MB minimum |
| Graphics | No requirement |
| Storage | 60 MB free |
| Permissions | Administrator rights required |
Things worth knowing
- It is a companion, not a replacement. Removing your main protection and relying on this alone is not what it is for.
- Add your own utilities folder to the exception list early, otherwise it will keep flagging tools you put there on purpose.
- The professional edition updates its detection set automatically, so leave that enabled unless you have a reason not to.
Questions about this title
Will it conflict with my existing protection?
Can it replace a full security suite?
Why is it flagging my own tools?
Does it restore files hidden by an infection?
What people are saying
Shop machine takes sticks from customers all day. This catches the autorun rubbish before it lands.
Runs beside my normal protection with no conflict at all. Uses almost nothing.
Got a stick back from a client with every folder turned into a shortcut. Restored the lot.
Listing information
This entry is catalogued under Security & Privacy and carries the tags below. Language coverage is English, Indonesian, and the supported platform list is Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11. Version 15.8.2 is the current catalogued build, last checked 1 week ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 3 years ago.