I have been using PortableApps for years and never seen this before. The platform wanted to update to 26.0, but when it started to do so, Avast Antivirus showed a popup saying that it had quarantined PortableApps.com_Platform_Setup_26.0.paf.exe because it was infected with "FileRepMalware [Misc]". Here is a screenshot with the details panel open: https://imgur.com/a/LCyI8Sn
Before I click "Report as false positive", I'd like assurances. I can't remember the last time Avast gave me any false positives - it's not normally twitchy.
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You can check the results on VirusTotal.
Two hours ago that page showed 4 engines detecting it (Avast, McAfee x2, and another, and it was only a generic detection). Now only McAfee's 2 engines are left to remove their false positive.
Also in case you are not aware Avast are not exactly as reputable as they once seemed. A few years ago they were caught reselling customer data through a subsidiary company. They say they have stopped, but I definitely jumped ship when I found that out. Not telling you what you should do here, but just wanted you to know if you didn't already.
Thanks. Indeed, now the update worked with no complaints. And thanks for the alert about privacy - I'll keep that in mind.
UPDATE: I d/l'd and ran the latest PA installer and updated the existing install. Eventually it worked, but I had to manually allow the installer to write to E:\Documents\Desktop.ini - even though it does NOT actually write to the file (it still has the same Last Modified Date). Might want to check into this in conjunction with Win11 Defender directory access control settings. Working now.
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Had a related problem updating PortableApps.com - failed to update Desktop.ini due to controlled folder access restrictions (???). PA is on my E: drive and for some reason the updater tried to write to E:\Documents, and failed.
Not sure why it didn't back out the update changes on failure, but now it won't run. Now that I've manually allowed the update app temporarily, what's the safest way to get the core app updated? All my portable apps are still working fine. Just can't run PortableApps.com.
Your issue doesn't sound at all related to antivirus software flagging as malware. I guess your launcher is working now, but if you want to get someone's attention regarding what happened in your case (which, by the way, did not happen in my case), you might want to start a fresh thread.