What is avast! doing for 2 minutes after a user logs on?

[stevebbh]

I have Windows XP Home with SP2. I am using avast! free edition. Whenever a user logs on, the avast! blue ball spins for about 2 minutes during which time any application I try to open, doesn't, until avast! stops whatever it is doing?

I have looked through the configuration in Program Settings but cannot find anything that describes what may be happening.

Can you help please?

Steve

[galooma]

Hi and welcome steve,
This (Avast!) is a serious program loading important utilities to protect you . The start-up time lapse is rarely more than 35-45 seconds for me but i realise every system is different.Take a look at this thread as it deals with the exact issue you address. http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=7393.msg58679#msg58679

[Gillie2tat]

What is your CPU speed and RAM?  My puter is a 3.19 ghz 1 GB Ram from Fujitsu Siemens and yes I too noticed a big increase in the time taken for XP to boot up though not as long as two minutes, after I downloaded SP2 the week before last.  I do not think it's Avast though that's causing the slow boot-up but an increase in the number of applications required to make the operating system work.  The blue ball spins because Avast is reading activity on the computer to make sure it's not malign, so what's causing this is all the different items booting up.  It will spin any time you launch a program until that program has finished booting up:)

[Lisandro]

Part of the problem is avast. They should, in my opinion, try to get it loading faster or giving the user the possibility to 'by-pass' some checkings (and scannings) at boot time.

But, other part, is SP2. Microsoft increased security very tigh on booting and shutting down. Both of them are slower and heavier than with XP or SP1... This is the payment for security they say. The order that services shut down to now let the computer unprotected.

Anyway, for me, Startup Delayer application does the job 
Shutdown is not a problem for me, although, I'll be happy if it is faster...

[DukeNukem]

Can you post your PC spec?

That would help us to determine if you have a problem.

[DavidR]

After a user has logged in avast scans a number of files in memory and on your HDD, those in your program files, start-up programs etc.

This amounts to around 500-600 on my system and depends to a certain extent on the number of programs/processes you/they have running after start-up. This takes about 1 on my system.

You can check this by looking at the 'Scanned Count:' on the Standard Shield provider.

[stevebbh]

Thanks all.

I have tidied up my startup program list and it now only spins for about 30 seconds. A great improvement!

Keep up the good work.

Steve