# [SOLVED] Descompression bombs: a problem?



## Paulo Eter (Dec 2, 2013)

I have a PC HP Pavillion g6, with Windows 7.

At the end of a multi-step process that I performed to get rid off a virus, I did a full scan with Avast Free anti-virus: not found threats but gave me the warning:* "some files could not be verified; Error: the file is a decompression bomb (42110)”*.

The 2 files identified are:

C:\SWSetup\HPQW\qwfiles\data.1 |>datafs

C:\SWSetup\HPQW\qwfiles\home.1 |>homefs

I suppose these files belong to the PC system?

A week later, I did a quick scan but this time the warning didn’t showed up.

I've read some things about these bombs but I have some doubts:

These bombs or these files constitutes, or could constitute a problem?

Is there any action I should do? 

If you could give me any tips I would appreciate it.


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## tetonbob (Jan 10, 2005)

*Re: Descompression bombs: a problem?*

Hello, Paulo Eter. This is probably a question better asked at the dedicated Avast forums, but here's what some of their members have to say.

To quote a staffer there
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=15389.msg131213#msg131213



> - decompression bomb is just something that unpacks to an unusually big amount of data even though it's rather small (i.e. has a high compression ratio, for example). It's nothing to worry about, you are just informed that avast! will not try to unpack the archive (you may not even know that it's an archive, but it seems like it is) because it may take VERY long to process.


And here:
decompression bomb



> Long answer - Decompression Bomb, a file that is highly compressed, which could be very large when decompressed. This used to be a tactic long ago to swamp the system.
> 
> The name really is the most dangerous thing about this and I wish they would change it or simply not report it, a real PITA.



C:\SWSetup\HPQW\ is where your HP system stores it's factory software to use in a restore situation. It seems normal for a file in that location to be large and compressed. I'd not worry about it.


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## Paulo Eter (Dec 2, 2013)

*Re: Descompression bombs: a problem?*

Thank you so much and my best wishes to you all. :smile:


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## tetonbob (Jan 10, 2005)

*Re: Descompression bombs: a problem?*

You are quite welcome! :sayyes:


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