Seem to be getting high CPU spikes when Avast! is scanning..

[E]

When I check Task Manager it shows somthing like 80% CPU on Avast! when I select to scan somthng aswell as somthing called System Idle Pr which has high CPU% at all times. Any reason why it may be happening ? As for the PC being used, its not that new :

Pentium4: 2GHZ
256 RAM


Sytem Idle Pr probly doesnt have anything to with Avast! but I thought I might aswell mention it anyways heh...

[Tarq57]

This is normal. I would expect a security program to have high CPU when scanning, AshServ is probably what is the most demanding, as it runs as high priority, which is really what you want.
System idle process always runs around 95-99% CPU. I don't know why, but it's normal, and won't affect performance.

[E]

Ok thanks for the info 

[CharleyO]

***

Welcome to the forums, E.   

I think that the main reason so much CPU is being used when you scan your computer is that it has only 256 RAM. Scanning, by it's very nature, is memory intensive. This 256 RAM would be quickly used up and therefore, the load is placed on the CPU. In this day and time, 512 RAM should be considered the minimum for efficient operation without too much load transfered to the CPU.

You did not mention what OS is on your computer. Would you like to tell us?


***

[E]

Hi there
At the moment Iam using the home edition of windowsXP, and as for the RAM, I was also thinking that it might be a reason ..just noticed that most of the memory allocated to the page file is also being used according to the dxdiag menus

[Lisandro]

The guidelines for solving of the problem "ashServ.exe using too much CPU" has always been the same:

1. Check if the avast tray icon is spinning (while CPU usage is high)
2. If it is, click it (wait for the dialog box to open), and check which file is being scanned (the Last Scanned field); the Scanned Count value should be increasing (spinning icon means a scan is in progress)
3. Find out which of the providers is scanning the file (click "Details" button and check out the Last Scanned value for each of the providers). The most common providers that may cause this are Standard Shield, P2P Shield and IM Shield.

[DavidR]

Hi there
At the moment Iam using the home edition of windowsXP, and as for the RAM, I was also thinking that it might be a reason ..just noticed that most of the memory allocated to the page file is also being used according to the dxdiag menus

Increasing RAM will improve system performance across the board and not just with avast.

Until you get some more RAM, audit your system and ensure that only essential applications run on boot. Many applications when installed add their program to the boot, typical of these are media players, etc. which are only needed when you double click a media file. You should also close programs when you have finished using them rather than minimising them to release memory back to the OS.

[E]

The guidelines for solving of the problem "ashServ.exe using too much CPU" has always been the same:

1. Check if the avast tray icon is spinning (while CPU usage is high)
2. If it is, click it (wait for the dialog box to open), and check which file is being scanned (the Last Scanned field); the Scanned Count value should be increasing (spinning icon means a scan is in progress)
3. Find out which of the providers is scanning the file (click "Details" button and check out the Last Scanned value for each of the providers). The most common providers that may cause this are Standard Shield, P2P Shield and IM Shield.

I checked the tray icon and apart from when I open a new webpage , it doesnt seem to spin.It seems a lot of the time when the CPU% increase it comes from doing things that are as simple as scrolling up/down a webpage ..which can take it up around 40%. Other things like opening the main Avast! menu and click&drag around the screen can increase the CPU by as much as 100%, still no movment from the tray icon though.

Increasing RAM will improve system performance across the board and not just with avast.

Until you get some more RAM, audit your system and ensure that only essential applications run on boot. Many applications when installed add their program to the boot, typical of these are media players, etc. which are only needed when you double click a media file. You should also close programs when you have finished using them rather than minimising them to release memory back to the OS.

Yea, the only start up applications I have running at present are the few antispyware/virus applications that use start up and some other things such as somthing called:
ctfmon.exe
HotkeysCmds ...and the ISP. I usualy make sure that the registary/hardrive is empty of any un-needed files etc.. the system is quite efficiant at most things, running most software apps without any problems. Its just that odd percentage count....    like you say however, perhaps the lack of RAM.

[Lisandro]

still no movment from the tray icon though.

Can you keep the providers window opened and see if any file is related as being scanned.

Or, going to the Standard Shield provider settings, Advanced tab, check 'Show detailed information on action performed'. You can do this for the other providers too.
See http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=26104.msg213436#msg213436

This will be better than just trying to watch the icon...

[E]

Ok, I kept the resident page on screen and also enabled detailed information and apart from initial scans for different links and programs which sends the % to about 40/50 the log file doesnt show up anything apart from a message about scanning the prefetch file for whichever application I try moving around the screen but its just a one time only single scan, with the CPU% still maxing out at around 90 to 100% even when the scan stops..

[Lisandro]

I'll need some help from the programmers here... I can't *guess* what's going on...

[Vlk]

Tech, what's the problem, really?

"E" said in his first post that the CPU spikes only take place when he actually scans something (I suppose by using the right-click scan in Explorer, for example). And indeed, this is as expected (as Tarq57 noted).

Noone is talking about ashServ.exe here, right?


Cheers
Vlk

[E]

Yea it spikes when Avast! scans like moving over a link in the start menu or somthing and Ashserv shows around 50 to 80% . However, it also reads high % when theres just a window open and I scroll down the page quickly or move the window around the screen. Avast! shows no activity when the scanning stops and the % is still high to maximum as mentioned above. It seems to happen when anything is loaded onto the screen (like when I press the Internet Explorer button, etc) wether or not the resident scan is on/off . I`ll try to get some more RAM perhaps once I get spare $, would be kinda funny if its not the RAM doing that tho..

[DarKarvin]

It really is the memory, or lack of 

Avast scans executables when opened, well, this is a LOT more than one thinks, windows will have a couple hundred or more executables open at any time.
Ok, for your cpu spikes, ( i have dual monitors and can watch it) is caused by your lack of RAM, whenever you open or close things, it will scan, this is just a blip on mine, but!  if you don't have the ram then it has to swap, which takes lots lots longer.
Hope it was some sort of help, oh btw, on my game system, which has avast diasbled and doesn't run Anything other that what is necessary Ram usage is 192 megs. and that is really really low, this system, (used for the net and downloading) uses 384megs ...at idle :p
Oh, more on this, on web pages, it's scanning .js files, java scripts, which are potentially very very bad.

[Lisandro]

My question goes from ashServ.exe to ashQuick.exe (for example) so... it remains, doesn't it?