Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: cooby on March 18, 2014, 07:55:54 PM
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I have nothing that needs internet connection, other than Avast, as I boot. Once booted, 34 processes run of which 3 are Acronis, 3 for Snagit, no auto Win or anything updates.
Before v9, it took 10 sec to get to the login screen. Then 40sec till everything got quiet, i.e. my usual 7 taskbar icons displayed (firewall, power, volume, 1-2 network, snagit, avast).
With v9, the same 10sec to the login screen. Then it takes a 1min30sec till the taskbar appears. Add to that additional 2min30sec till all is settled. 4 minutes! Unacceptable and diappointing.
Is there a way to speed all this up other than reverting to v8?
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Bump? :)
I did try the load avast after other services trick - tiny advantage, perhaps 1 less minute. Not good.
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Try updating to the latest release v2014.9.0.2016 (http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe)
More info here http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=147778.msg1073217#msg1073217
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Hmmm??? Interesting.
In my case, before avast 9.0.2013 and when my Windows XP was only SP2, my computer would be completely booted up in about 1 minute and a half.
Then I installed SP3 yesterday so that I could install avast 9.0.2013. Well, now my Windows XP takes those very same 4 minutes to boot up that you mention.
However, in MY case, the longer boot up appears to NOT be due to avast 9.0.2013. It appears to be related to my having installed SP3.
Why do I think that? Because I then uninstalled avast 9.0.2013 and without it or any Anti-Virus, Windows XP still took 4 minutes to boot up. Then I reinstalled avast 8.0.1497 and Windows XP still takes 3½ to 4 minutes to boot up.
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Did you also installed ALL (security) updates released after SP3?
If not, you really should do so.
Please attach a HijackThis log to your next post.
Perhaps we can find something that is causing the delay.
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@Para-Noid,
Imight try that,thanks. On the other hand I'm so upset about all those Avast ads instead of a normal notifications of updates, that I'm considering not using Avast anymore, much as I think it's the smallest and the bestest out there.
Also, I see nothing about a better boot time in the notes shown in that thread.
@eddy,
HJT addressed to whom? me? chim?
@chim,
After installing SP3 the drive is fragmented badly. After several hundred updates, even more so. And after all this, take a look at ProcessExplorer or Task Manager - how many processes run at startup? That, IMO, can be an enormous strain on boot time.
Especially if they want to get out to the internet. HJT display will tell Eddy what you got there that might not be needed.
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Eddy, I just finished turning the Automatic Updates back on. More Updates ARE being downloaded and installed. The reason I turned them off the other day after the SP3 install is because after1 Update got downloaded and installed, nothing more seemed to be happening. So, I turned them off. This, because I thought Windows XP support was now officially over.
Cooby, after I download all the rest of the Updates, I'll take your suggestion and perform a Defrag. Hopefully that helps some.
And hopefully sometime later this week I'll be adding 1 more Gig of RAM to max it out at 2 Gig. Hopefully this will also help. I'm just waiting for this guy who works at BestBuy to get them for me.
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I've just checked what CPU your Toshiba Satellite A25 laptop uses and it a Pentium 4 probably 2.66Hz with 512MB RAM in base configuration. That's the CPU my Dell Inspiron 5100 uses but I've upgraded the RAM over the years to 2GB even though no BIOS for this model state support for more than 1GB. That definitely improved the speed.
Upgrading your RAM to at least 1GB and up to the 32bit OS maximum <4GB using 2x2GB if possible (check the laptop's specs for maximum RAM support) may boost boot time a bit. If you've been using just 512MB RAM the speed increase will be very obvious in general use just going up to 1GB. You won't ever want to go back to 512MB even if the effect on boot time is comparatively small.
I'm still on a v.8 version of Avast as I'm scared that upgrading it to v.9 is going crash the thing. Anyway my point is that 4 mins is almost exactly the time it takes from cold boot WinXP SP3 to useable desktop condition ie. HDD start up activity is reduced to the point I boot my browser or another program. This has been typical going back as far as Avast v.6 so I think you can be sure that Avast is not a particular culprit although I suspect it hasn't helped.
It does depend if Avast updates itself during boot too. It's the only thing I have on auto-update now and, whilst the laptop is booting, it slows it down very noticeably. As others have just suggested Windows auto-updates are also a very significant drain on the CPU when installing too.
I should add that my boot time includes Spybot's TeaTimer, the last thing to that seems to load at start up. This takes around 30 secs after the Avast taskbar icon appears.
Over the years I have made it my business reduce to a minimum everything running at start up, using CCleaner (or msconfig) so it is as lean as I know how to make it.
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Posted above......but I'll re-state......I'd run a DEFRAG within Windows.
I am 100% on W7 now but I recall vividly that any mass security updates.....especially a SP update, defrags the disk....at least for boot.
I'd run the defragger a couple times back-back too.....I know W7 does multiple passes......think I recall XP does not.
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@ cooby
Given the limited resources that you have, you don't want anything heavy going on close to boot, so you might want to try this, delaying the auto update check (virus definitions) as this kicks of fairly soon after boot and will more load on a system that is perhaps under resourced.
Two ways that you may be able to achieve this:
1. In the avastUI > Settings > Update - scroll down to Details and you could try setting the option to 'I only connect to the internet using a dial up modem.' This hopefully will prevent it from trying to connect so close to the system start.
2. The other is manually editing the avast5.ini file, this is a more complex (read hassle) options, so I would go for option 1. as a start.
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I have not seen any appreciable difference in my XP boot times going back as far as avast 6/7 on this XP Pro system. So I'm at a bit of a loss as to why this is happening on some other XP systems.
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Defrag:
It will not speed up things noticeable unless the drive is formatted as FAT and not as NTFS.
If the drive is FAT (as I doubt), convert it to NTFS.
HijackThis:
For Chim and Cooby.
I'm not saying I will find things, but at least it is a start.
Windows XP support:
Stopping? It is kind of a hoax.
Yes, support stops at april 8 2014 as MS is saying.
But at the same time companies, governments etc can buy a support extension and MS will release patches/updates for them if needed.
I bet private users will be able to get those patches/updates also, one way or another.
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Defrag: It will not speed up things noticeable unless the drive is formatted as FAT and not as NTFS.
I know that is the theory of NTFS but I sure saw differences in XP after large updates and service pack.
Anyway, couldn't hurt ? :)
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@DavidR,
v6,7,8 of avast - ready to work in 1min45sec, v9-4minutes.
I tried the I'm on DSL trick and load avast after all services trick - minor advantage, perhaps a minute.
Yes, avast loading up front is in the way.
Mind you, I have really few processes running at startup and nothing other than avast needs internet. So my theory still is that it's something in v9 that's so different and annoying.
@thekochs,
I defrag and do chkdsk day after M$ patches because I know they make a mess. Just did it last week, and it's 4% fragmented and 1/3rd of the system partition is free (11/30)
@Cluster-Lizard,
- Firebreathing-hyperthreading 3.06 Mhz to be exact - A75-S226 Satelite. Had 512meg, updated to 1g in 2007 (Crucial says max allowed is 1.5g). Only one slot, so I'd have to ditch 512 and buy 1g, and the little thingie which holds that extra memory is, for me, very difficult to get at (unlike in Compaq) - it's deep and I'm scared.
- Don't worry about the stability of v9 - it's rock stable, just a tad slower on opening apps, and huge-slower on booting for me.
- 4 min booting in your situation is too long, IMO, in v8. But I don't know what services you allow and what processes you run at start.
Guys, you're all fantastic, thank you!
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HijackThis:
For Chim and Cooby.
I'm not saying I will find things, but at least it is a start.
I can't run HJT today because earlier on I uninstalled v9, installed SSM to be safe and contemplating my next move. HJT from 2 days back - attached - let me know what you see bad 'cause I see nothing.
Just FYI: from login to ready with everything 40-45 seconds :) with no Avast, so, Cluster-Lizard, your 4min is too long.
SSM=old System safety monitor, classic HIPS.
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Ok, nothing strange or unwanted to see in the HJT log.
My bet is that since XP has been on the system quiet a while, it is "polluted" with all kinds of obsolete files and remnants of things.
Best thing to do is perform a clean install of everything:
- Disconnect from the Internet (pull out the cable)
- Install windows (format the drive ofcourse)
- Install ALL drivers for your system
- Install avast
- Connect to the Internet
- Install all updates security/drivers (especially the security updates/service pack)
- Install the applications you are normally using
- Make settings/configurations changes is you want/need
- Create a image of that drive
That last one will safe you a lot of time in case you need to/want to reinstall windows again.
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@DavidR,
v6,7,8 of avast - ready to work in 1min45sec, v9-4minutes.
I tried the I'm on DSL trick and load avast after all services trick - minor advantage, perhaps a minute.
Yes, avast loading up front is in the way.
Mind you, I have really few processes running at startup and nothing other than avast needs internet. So my theory still is that it's something in v9 that's so different and annoying.
<snip>
By the "I tried the I'm on DSL trick" do you mean what I suggested, set it to dial-up (otherwise I'm not sure what you mean by this) ?
Personally I wouldn't have expected much out of the "load avast after all services trick," a minute is massive for something I would have expected to give micro/seconds. The load services after relates to system services not every/all service/s, so avast should still be running fairly quickly after boot.
If it is truly something in v9, then I would expect many more posts related to this and XP. I certainly haven't seen it on my XP system.
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I hear you. Some timing values maybe off - some of the login to ready timing depends how long I delay typing in the login password, because Avast seems to bring in stuff early, be it emergency or streaming or the ads we all despise so much.
Yes, not DSL - ouch, I did mean dial-up. I remembered the old dial up routine and thought it was under the DSL regime - been a looong time...
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When you boot up as quickly as you can achieve it open Task Manager and see what avast processes are running, the one that handles the auto update check is now instup.exe (not the old avast.setup), if you see that in the Task Manager it is checking for updates. That can add to the normal boot load making it slower for under resourced systems.
You can try delaying the update check in the avast5.ini file (set the 'I only connect to the internet using a dial up modem' back to always connected):
- In avast8/9 you need to edit (using notepad) avast5.ini the [InetWD] section of the, C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\avast5.ini (XP file location)
- Broadband connections, add this line (if not present):
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=300 and
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1 if not present (or edit AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 to AssumeAlwaysConnected=1)
[InetWD]
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=300
When complete save the changes, avast's self-defence module will ask for confirmation, etc. answer Yes. You can extend this duration if required (300 = 5 minutes).
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However, in MY case, the longer boot up appears to NOT be due to avast 9.0.2013. It appears to be related to my having installed SP3.
one of the main reasons why Windows update takes much time is because of the net.framework optimization task which is running on idle right after the start.
A solution would be to let your computer on idle for a few hours. Or take a look here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2571181
However, in your case, your computer is simply too bad if it can't even run Windows XP sp3 fluently. I'd suggest switching to Linux or configuring a new one for about 250-300 euros/345-415 dollars with SSD included.
Add about €40 or $55 for a Windows 7 license and you're good to go for almost 6 years. That means approximately €6.67 or $9.17 annual expenses for Windows.
Anything else would be a waste of money and/or a waste of time.
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When you boot up as quickly as you can achieve it open Task Manager and see what avast processes are running, the one that handles the auto update check is now instup.exe (not the old avast.setup), if you see that in the Task Manager it is checking for updates. That can add to the normal boot load making it slower for under resourced systems.
You can try delaying the update check in the avast5.ini file (set the 'I only connect to the internet using a dial up modem' back to always connected):
- In avast8/9 you need to edit (using notepad) avast5.ini the [InetWD] section of the, C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\avast5.ini (XP file location)
- Broadband connections, add this line (if not present):
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=300 and
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1 if not present (or edit AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 to AssumeAlwaysConnected=1)
[InetWD]
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=300
When complete save the changes, avast's self-defence module will ask for confirmation, etc. answer Yes. You can extend this duration if required (300 = 5 minutes).
This ^ is very useful. Thanks for the info.
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You're welcome.
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You can try delaying the update check in the avast5.ini file (set the 'I only connect to the internet using a dial up modem' back to always connected):
- In avast8/9 you need to edit (using notepad) avast5.ini the [InetWD] section of the, C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\avast5.ini (XP file location)
- Broadband connections, add this line (if not present):
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=300 and
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1 if not present (or edit AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 to AssumeAlwaysConnected=1)
[InetWD]
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1
AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=300
When complete save the changes, avast's self-defence module will ask for confirmation, etc. answer Yes. You can extend this duration if required (300 = 5 minutes).
Great. DavidR you earlier said it's tricky to do - doesn't look tricky at all :)
As soon as I stop enjoying AV-free life, I'll pop Avast back in and use this trick because it makes sense to me. Thank you again.
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<snip quote>
Great. DavidR you earlier said it's tricky to do - doesn't look tricky at all :)
As soon as I stop enjoying AV-free life, I'll pop Avast back in and use this trick because it makes sense to me. Thank you again.
You're welcome.
Whilst I would say it is relatively easy, many do find it daunting. Editing a .ini file albeit a text file it does control program settings and people worry that they could mess it up. Plus depending on OS (win7 or later, etc) the file location may be hidden and you need to run notepad as administrator, not an issue in XP. Collectively these may seem daunting.
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one of the main reasons why Windows update takes much time is because of the net.framework optimization task which is running on idle right after the start.
Yeah that .NET Framework 4.0 service really killed my XP startup time, until I de-activated it using services.msc
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DavidR, big THANK YOU.
This change to delay made an enormous difference in useability. I can run Notepad or Excel a minute to minute and a quarter after login.
I looked over various logs from the firewall, router, avast and system and learned that Avast chest starts and connection to emupdate.avast.com is made before login.
The slowdown was definitely due to some 20seconds of avast connecting to xxxx.u.avast.com, 10 or more of those with "u." in name, and then the update is done in a bit over 3 minutes. No idea what all this connecting was for.
Happy as I am with the resolution of this, I keep being very annoyed by the replacement of the update announcement with the sale of the year, some scanner, and other slideup ads, but at least that doesn't interfere with work.
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You're welcome.
The xxxx.u.avast.com entries are the actual auto update trying to connect to an update server, if it can't connect for any reason then it will try another. That connection should be initiated by the C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\Setup\instup.exe (replacement for avast.setup).
I'm not sure how you come up with the connection to emupdate.avast.com being related to the chest as the chest doesn't have any specific file, I would have thought it would come under the control of the, C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast\AvastEmUpdate.exe (or avastSvc.exe) as it checks to see if there any emergency updates.
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DavidR, I didn't mean to imply that chest had anything to do with emergency update. I just tossed it in to confirm avast was on and it's the first event avast reports.
Avast starts with boot and system sections, service comes in later. Here are some crazy details I nit-picked into chronology.
Router is what router saw. Windows is from event logs. Avast is from several avast logs. FW is from my firewall logs.
This section is before logging in. No question that avast starts its activities early, as expected.
The initial connection to emupdate.avast.com surprised me a bit, but it's fine by me. It's all repeatable.
11:02:22 router: my laptop asked for and got IP
11:02:46 windows: system event 514 authentication pkg then 515,519,528,576,...
11:02:46 windows: eventLog started
11:02:57 avast: chestLog started
11:02:57 avast: MailLog started
11:02:58 avast: eventLog: reports StartPatchManagement
11:03:07 router web log: su.ff.avast.com
11:04:33 router web log: emupdate.avast.com
These events after login, and updating was in this instance dalayed to 15 minutes
11:04:50 windows Logon event 528 for me (several system jobs before and after of course)
11:04:54 fw \avast\avastemupdate.exe started
11:04:54 fw reports winlogon
11:04:56 fw \avast\avastemupdate.exe connects out to localhost:12080
11:05:09 fw \avast\avastui.exe
11:05:15 fw \avast\avastsvc.exe starts \avast\avastemupdate.exe
11:07:00 router web log: vl.ff.avast.com
11:10:41 router web log: su.ff.avast.com
11:10:58 avast rootkit scan started
11:11:21 avast rootkit scan finished
Updating section
11:17:33 till 11:18:27 bunch of xxxx.u.avast.com connections then 5 normal
11:17:58 fw \avast\avastsvc.exe starts \avast\instup.exe
11:18:24 avast eventLog: The virus definitions have been updated to 140324-0
11:18:31 avast uitrackingLog: /popup/vps_updated
11:18:40 seasonal sale slideup instead of update+sound notification :(
I have to be crazy to do all this three times now. But I did learn few things along the way.
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Yes avast does get started quickly to protect the system, even before the user would logon.
It is good that your router provides a log (some don't, or the user doesn't know how to access it) as it certainly help clear any matters like this up.
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one of the main reasons why Windows update takes much time is because of the net.framework optimization task which is running on idle right after the start.
Yeah that .NET Framework 4.0 service really killed my XP startup time, until I de-activated it using services.msc
I don't recommend that. Just restart and let the optimization task run when you don't need your computer.