Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: DaBossa on May 10, 2008, 02:08:23 PM
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Im new to avast and im finding a problem, when ever i open my "download" folder ive placed on my desktop, avast starts a scan or something and uses 100% of my cpu for a good 20min!
Have i set up something wrong?
I changed the "download updates" in avast to 1440 mins (a day) because i thought this was the problem - but it would appear not. any ideas?
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What is the sensitivity of the Standard Shield, Normal is the default and in that state it shouldn't scan the contents of the downloads folder ?
If you have set it to High, that could be a different ball game.
Changing the avast updates delay would have zero impact at all with what you are describing.
Have (or did) you another AV installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?
What other security based software do you have ?
What process is using 100% ?
If ashServ.exe 100% CPU - Vlk, always says that 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 dialogue 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.
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Do you use a download manager and avast is started automatically by this program? ???
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thank you... ashserv.exe is the aplication using all the cpu.
I had AVG as my AV before unistalling and using avast.
I have windows defender running for spywear.
I use ad-awear, Ccleaner (runs at start up) and spybot as well.
Also scan with advanced windowscare v2, along with Ccleaner to clean up reg. and startup.
Ill have a try with the idea posted, thanx again.
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No problem, glad I could help.
We will wait for further information, good luck.
Welcome to the forums.
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Ok update - its the standard sheild thats scaning. i set the program to run at "standard" but it keeps scaning my download folder whenever i open it? scan field - c:\documents and settings\owner\desktop\downloads... etc etc.. as it scans everything in the folder.
downloads in there are games or patches, also the programs like this to install.
when i open the file - all basic settings ticked. advanced all ticked except "all files" - fields are blank. Blocker- default and allow - fields blank. and advanced havent touched. :-\
could it be my processor is too slow? have a 2.4chz cpu. :'(
One other thing - in the P2P custom i found it dosent select a file called uTorrent for scaning? if i tick it the program changes to "custom" setting so ive left un-ticked at moment. is this normal?
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There isn't a Standard sensitivity setting in the Standard Shield, Normal, High or Custom but no standard. So what sensitivity is the standard shield on ?
Your processor should have no impact in what files are scanned, that is all to do with the standard shield sensitivity. On normal it shouldn't scan the contents of your download folder when you open it, I have just opened mine and guess what it didn't scan anything in the downloads folder.
The reason the uTorrent is unchecked is that because of the way it works it creates many small files and this causes avast to scan those creations, this can have an effect on your performance. If you make a change in the P2P shield that changes what will be scanned then it will change to custom so it would appear normal. So are you using uTorrent ?
So I don't know what is going on with your system, but based on your tweaking of the P2P shield have you made any other tweaks that might have an effect, so I would suggest you reverse any changes you have made, if you can remember what they were.
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ok settings are all set to normal, I havent changed anything. so tried setting all to normal (again) - then turned off sheild from main program, restarted computer, reset to "standard" from main program. then went back and made sure all settings were still normal - didnt work?
I created a NEW folder on my desktop and called it "downloads" its not the one in my docs start folder - could this be the problem?
should I try reinstalling avast?
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ok after restarting computer again (as above), it seems to be ok now?
it auto reset everything when the computer re-started?? (i mean it started avast in standard by itself)
Ill let you know if it starts going weird again - thanks for your time.
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I don't know why you are going to the main program (wherever that might be) and setting to Standard.
The avast Standard Shield deals with on-access scanning and that is what happens when you open a file and on Normal it shouldn't scan folder contents, on High or Custom then it might well scan some of the files because they are opened to access the programs icon inside the .exe files. But with the standard shield set on Normal that shouldn't happen.
Thankfully it is now acting as it is meant to now.
The my documents folder or any other location chosen for your downloads shouldn't make a difference to the scanning. Though I don't like storing files or folders on the desktop apart from the additional clutter on the desktop it is a slightly different proposition to a folder on say your C:\ your downloads would be here C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Desktop\downloads, which is down several levels but also on the windows partition/drive.
I have a specific downloads folder (D:\Downloads) on a separate partition to my windows one, not only is it easier to find, but if windows crashes it doesn't go down the toiled with it.
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Hi, I have the same problem, Ashserv blocks my computer using 100% of CPU, sometimes I can't move the mouse and winamp stop playing the music in background.
I'm using Avast Home 4.8.1195 on Windows XP Pro SP3, and I have only active the Standard Protection on Normal Mode, rest of modules are off. With prior versions of Avast didn't happens, i'm avast's user for several years.
The problem to be at large executable files, when i try to enter in a folder with this kind of files Avast blocks my computer while are scanning. For example, when i try to right-click or exploring folder with this files, avast uses 100% and blocks the PC:
308Mb -> WINDOWSXP-KB936929-SP3-X86-ESN.exe -> Windows XP Service Pack 3
431Mb -> VS80sp1-KB926609-X86-ESN.exe -> Visual Studio 8 Service Pack 1
493Mb -> hp_CLJCP1215_Full_Solution.exe -> Drivers Laser Printer HP CP1215
Once scanned can enter in this folder without problems for sometime, perhaps because they are in cache, but after a time, Avast returns to consume 100% CPU.
Greetings !!
PD: Sorry about my English, I'm a Spanish
EDIT: Mistake writing version of Avast installed, the correct one is v4.8.1195
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Please do a manual Program Update ( right click the avast 'a' icon, select Updating, Program Update) the latest version is 4.8.1195, that may resolve your issue, but no point trying to fault find with an old version.
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Please do a manual Program Update ( right click the avast 'a' icon, select Updating, Program Update) the latest version is 4.8.1195, that may resolve your issue, but no point trying to fault find with an old version.
Sorry, sorry !!! I wanted to say that I have installed the version 4.8.1195.
However, I forced an manual update and it seems to have updated something because Avast asked me to restart the computer.
At the moment, it appears that already works well and my PC doesn't blocks when try to explorer folders with this files.
Thanks you very much. Greetings !!!
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No problem, welcome to the forums.
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ok im back (sigh)
when i turned on the computer this morning - just checked to see if still ok, but no it scaned the folder again (sigh) Trying your idea and moving the folder to my external HD - like the idea of not having to go find the programs again if/when i restore windows etc.
As for "the main program" as i was calling it, i ment the avast icon on desktop, to do scans and such. and the bottom left icon with the blue "a" - resident scanner. (sorry to be confusing) still set at standard
thanx for your help thou.
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Does it do this for any other folder ?
The reason I ask this is that I don't know if the placing of a folder on the desktop might be treated differently to a folder in (what I would call) a normal location like c:\downloads. This might be even more likely if you have the desktop set as an active desktop.
So is the desktop set as active ?
But in any case I think it best to move the downloads folder off the desktop and preferably on to a fixed drive (you might not have your external one connected all the time).
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Dabossa, Casually... ¿do you have big exe files or big compressed exe files in this folder?
I have little problems of 100% CPU usage when I try explorer my folder of downloads because this kind of files, with a manual update of Avast seems to have be resolved.
Try move this kind of files to another folder and try again explorer or navigate through your folder of download to see if the 100% CPU problems persists.
Greetings !!!!
EDIT EDIT:
¿Do you have directs links to folder or files that are shared in other computer of your network?
Specially, in the desktop, if you have this directs links and your remote computer is offline the navigation by explorer may be very slow. I had problems with this in past.
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i discovered something quite disturbing stuff like when i use latest Avast + start Last.Fm (loads page about authors via IE API) then already opened IE7 windows go to stall (e.g. playing YouTube video completely freeze for 1s)
this is on 3.6GHz C2D running Windows XP Pro SP3
i don't remember to have similar problems with 4.7 ...
once i also got weird system stall , avast was locked at 100% usage of both cores and i was unable to do anything except hard restart (alt tab was working but no other application was able to respond not even TM or Process Explorer nor any way to task kill)
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Hi Dwarden,
Do not have this problem, but the anti-rootkit scanners takes rather quite a bit of cycles,
pol
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well the stall problem happened when i paused and restarted the Avast! Standard shield provider ...
btw. i'm not using the self defense mode due to some 'weird' things going on before (may re-enable that after some weeks when noone report issues lol)
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Dwarden,
your problem description sounds somewhat similar to this report (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=35498.msg298403#msg298403).