RayBigBird

Thank you, I have amended the settings as you have suggested (makes sense to a layman!)

Thanks for your response. In the end, I stopped the scan after 20 hours (2.8million items scanned) and got the 'no threats found' message. In answer to your points, 1) I am using Windows 10 Pro, version 21H1, installed 01/03/21, OS Build 19043.2006. I have no idea how to answer point 2, but it updates itself regularly; last three times at 09:30 this morning, 23:24 and 20.52 last night. Point 3: I recall running one when Kaspersky first installed. Point 4) around a year/18 months ago, from memory. Point 5) wouldn't have a clue how to modify such things - I am not an IT professional - rather a just-retired Financial Services Senior Administrator (I had the luxury of a first class IT department behind me then!) and Point 6: the computer is fully shut down every evening before turning in, and turned on via the power button when next needed.

I am running a full scan, it has now been running for 14+ hours, has scanned over 1.6million files (and is still going) but has been displaying "99%, less than a minute left" for the last 12 hours! Around 750,000 files had been scanned at that point. Is this correct? and when will it ever end? Virtually all of my files (Word, Excel, photos, music etc) are kept on an external 1TB hard drive (connected) which is less than half full. I do not do gaming nor do I have that many installed programmes. Seems excessive - is it? Is it safe to stop the scan?