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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: rgh on February 20, 2013, 06:16:42 PM

Title: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 20, 2013, 06:16:42 PM
Upgraded to version 7 two days ago. am running a normal full system scan (default) on a 1tb drive in SAFE mode. 33 hours later, I am 55% done!! Dell Pentium 4, 2gb ram, XP sp3
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Para-Noid on February 20, 2013, 06:25:50 PM
Try a scan in normal mode.
You may want to add some RAM.
I'd go with at least 4GB RAM.  :)
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Asyn on February 20, 2013, 06:32:26 PM
Upgraded to version 7 two days ago. am running a normal full system scan (default) on a 1tb drive in SAFE mode. 33 hours later, I am 55% done!! Dell Pentium 4, 2gb ram, XP sp3

- Which avast!..?? (Free/Pro/IS)
- Which version..??
- Other security related software installed..??
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incredibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 20, 2013, 06:52:29 PM
Para-Noid

I am scanning in the "normal" mode & yeah, I need more RAM...  Do you think that is the problem?

Asyn

- Free
- version 7.0.1474
- malwarebytes, Spybot-search & destroy, lavasoft ad-aware

Thanks Guys!
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Para-Noid on February 20, 2013, 07:25:35 PM
RAM could be part of the problem.
How much CPU are you using during a scan?  ???
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: DavidR on February 20, 2013, 07:27:26 PM
2GB of RAM on XP is plenty, that is all I have on mine.

Personally I think a Quick scan would be better suited to your needs.
- With a resident on-access antivirus like avast, the need for frequent on-demand scans is much depreciated. For the most part the on-demand scan is going to be scanning files that would be otherwise be dormant or inert. If they were active files then the on-access file system shield would be scanning them before being created, modified, opened or executed.

I have avast set to do a scheduled weekly Quick scan, set at a time and day that I know the computer will be on. If for some reason my system wasn't on, no big deal I will catch up on the next scheduled scan.

That said it doesn't hurt to do a Full scan when you first install avast, but don't change any settings like scanning archives or scanning all files or it will take a very long time.
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Gopher John on February 20, 2013, 07:31:32 PM
WinXP SP3 is 32 bit.  Unless I'm reading it wrong, it has a 3 GB limit. 4 GB can be installed but not fully used.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778%28v=vs.85%29.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778%28v=vs.85%29.aspx)
Quote
Memory type   Limit in on X86   Limit in 64-bit Windows

User-mode virtual address space for each 32-bit process

2 GB

Up to 3 GB with IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE and 4GT

I also have 2 GB in my XP machine, and haven't noticed any performance problem when scanning.
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 20, 2013, 07:40:23 PM
RAM could be part of the problem.
How much CPU are you using during a scan?  ???
50% of one processor, zero of the other.  the scan is the only application running & I am in SAFE mode w/o network
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Para-Noid on February 20, 2013, 09:13:12 PM
Try a repair. Control Panel>Programs and Features/Uninstall a program>Uninstall>double click "avast">click "repair">reboot.  :)
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 20, 2013, 09:27:49 PM
Try a repair. Control Panel>Programs and Features/Uninstall a program>Uninstall>double click "avast">click "repair">reboot.  :)

will do...  as soon as this scan finishes which should be sometime tomorrow at this rate!!  :o
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Pondus on February 20, 2013, 09:48:58 PM
i would also uninstall Ad-aware and SpyBot as you dont need these when you have avast and malwarebytes
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Para-Noid on February 20, 2013, 11:19:21 PM
I also have 2 GB in my XP machine, and haven't noticed any performance problem when scanning.
I did have 3 GB on my Win7 but when I increased it to 6 GB the overall performance including scanning became better.  :)
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: schmidthouse on February 20, 2013, 11:30:50 PM
Well, as the signatures shows I've been running Avast on my Dell Inspiron XP with only 1GB of Ram since 2002 with no issues and other Security software as well. At times I would have preferred 2 GB but have gotten by very nicely with just the 1GB. :)
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Gopher John on February 20, 2013, 11:46:08 PM
I also have 2 GB in my XP machine, and haven't noticed any performance problem when scanning.
I did have 3 GB on my Win7 but when I increased it to 6 GB the overall performance including scanning became better.  :)

On a WinXP 32bit machine? ???

Win7 can handle more memory.
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incredibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 21, 2013, 03:46:49 PM
Well, after right at 48 hours, the "normal" full system scan completed.  It found 4 files (it found these files in the very beginning of the scan) that it classified as a threat and suggested moving them to "The Chest" - which I did.  It then suggested that I do a bootscan upon reboot and I hit "Okay".  The computer rebooted but it did not kick off the bootscan - I assume because I did the full scan in SAFE mode.  So I waited until windows finished loading, launched avast, scheduled a bootscan and rebooted.  That was at about 7:30pm last night.  It was at 46% at 5am this morning.  It has found quite a few (I won't know how many until it is done & I can review the log) more files that it has classified as threats that I have moved to "The Chest"...

I guess my question at this point is why weren't these files found during the 48 hour "normal" full system scan ???
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: CraigB on February 21, 2013, 04:01:45 PM
i would also uninstall Ad-aware and SpyBot as you dont need these when you have avast and malwarebytes
Fully agree, even more so if you have SB or Ad-aware running in real time.
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incredibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 21, 2013, 10:07:00 PM
Well, after right at 48 hours, the "normal" full system scan completed.  It found 4 files (it found these files in the very beginning of the scan) that it classified as a threat and suggested moving them to "The Chest" - which I did.  It then suggested that I do a bootscan upon reboot and I hit "Okay".  The computer rebooted but it did not kick off the bootscan - I assume because I did the full scan in SAFE mode.  So I waited until windows finished loading, launched avast, scheduled a bootscan and rebooted.  That was at about 7:30pm last night.  It was at 46% at 5am this morning.  It has found quite a few (I won't know how many until it is done & I can review the log) more files that it has classified as threats that I have moved to "The Chest"...

I guess my question at this point is why weren't these files found during the 48 hour "normal" full system scan ???

Any comments??
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: Pondus on February 21, 2013, 10:12:38 PM
with no file info it is all guesswork   ???
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 21, 2013, 10:19:17 PM
with no file info it is all guesswork   ???

My current question is: Why, immediately after a normal full system scan, would a bootscan of the same files turn up more threats  ???
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: bobo1 on February 22, 2013, 08:26:28 AM
How Many background processes are running when CONTROL ALT DEL is pressed. Under process tab?

I am running XP SP3 on a vintage IBM Thinkpad only 25 processes running and a full scan takes 25 mins! on avast default settings. Bet you have lots of spyware consuming the computer resorces!!!!!

1. Download Malware bytes free & do full scan and remove what it finds.
2. download adwcleaner and remove all toolbar crap!
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: DavidR on February 22, 2013, 11:49:54 AM
with no file info it is all guesswork   ???

My current question is: Why, immediately after a normal full system scan, would a bootscan of the same files turn up more threats  ???

Again we don't know the files are or what the threats are.

The boot-time scan is different to the full system scan and these differences that could be the reason.
The boot-time scan, includes archives and it also scans for PUPs = Potentially Unwanted Program/s - See http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci1066761,00.html (http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci1066761,00.html). Not included in this definition are tools which can be used for good or evil, some have been legitimately installed for a specifically good purpose, but could have been unknowing installed for a malicious purpose.

Hopefully you can see why we need some information on what was found, file name, location and threat/malware name.
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incredibly slow
Post by: rgh on February 22, 2013, 03:43:40 PM
Thanks to all for your consideration.  I will let you know how it goes the next time I do a full scan.

Moderator: You can close this topic.
Title: Re: Full Normal Scan incedibly slow
Post by: DavidR on February 22, 2013, 04:53:08 PM
Topics generally remain open (should you need to come back to it) after time they drop to the bottom of the chronological order.