Avast 7 so slow that it's no longer useful. Abandon ship!!

[TreeDoctor]

I've been an avid user of Avast for probably 10 years.   I've recommended it to many people...   but I'm abandoning ship.
The current version 7.0 is the spiffiest ever, with the most "bells and whistles" ever....   but I didn't realize until today how much it was burdening my computers.   

Over the past several months, two of our older Windows XP laptops had become so slow as to be almost unusable.  Internet, email, boot up, shut down, Applications.  EVERYTHING was taking AGES.  The computers would just go catatonic for minutes at a time, with nothing but hard disk activity to indicate they were still on.   I did all the standard maintenance, but nothing helped...  UNTIL I UNINSTALLED AVAST, and installed Windows Security Essentials, and immediately recovered all my lost speed and functionality.   

I don't know if I've sacrificed anything in security.  I may have, but there was really no other option.  The computers had become unusable.   

The reason I tried uninstalling Avast, is that another family member had a Windows 7, 64-bit laptop that came with 1- year antivirus software (Kaspersky, I believe).  When that expired,  I recommended that he install Avast.  He did, but immediately experienced a substantial loss of speed.  This is what prompted me to try uninstalling Avast on the two XP machines, with a HUGE increase in performance.   I'm so pleased to have my two computers back, but indignant about the amount of time I've wasted on this problem over the past several months.   I was prepared to reinstall Windows.  So glad to have avoided that nuissance!!   

I'm presently on my other Windows 7 64-bit machine, which is much faster, but still sluggish at times.  I'm about to uninstall Avast on it as well.   Any software that could have such a HUGE impact on the other two computers cannot be tolerated.    The installation size was 170 MB on one of the XP computers, and 150 MB on the other.   This is just WRONG!!!   

It's humiliating to go back to Microsoft with my tail between my legs, but I'll swallow my pride and do it.   

[Pondus]

He did, but immediately experienced a substantial loss of speed.

did he uninstall kaspersky before installing avast?
did he run kaspersky removal tool to remove any leftover files that may conflict?

I'm presently on my other Windows 7 64-bit machine, which is much faster, but still sluggish at times

have you tried a new clean install?
remove with this from safe mode and reboot .....install again and reboot
http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility

[Vladimyr]

If I was convinced that avast! inhibited system performance in the way you describe, then "abandoning ship" would seem reasonable. Fortunately I am not experiencing this. I do have one customer who persists with an ancient PII 333mhz /512MB RAM / 20GB 7200rpm PC which I would say is painfully slowed by avast! 7 (he's a very patient and stubborn man) but all the other avast! equipped machines I know of seem to be responding in a manner only slightly below the alacrity that would be achieved by having no on-access AV running.

Re the installation size, of the 3 machines in front of me right now, avast! Free takes around 250MB of disk space, AIS needs ~400MB. So far I'm coping.

[Hard_ROCKER]

Here is the link to Kaspersky removal tool with instructions:

http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208279463

[MAG]

 

I don't know if I've sacrificed anything in security. 

You quite possibly have - there is a compromise to be struck.

I find my old xp machine runs OK with just avast, but avast plus SAS plus winpatrol it was crippled like you describe.

(If you want real speed and security on an old machine install linux lxde! )

[AdrianH]

Funny how they post the "avast does this" and I'm off stuff without having asked for help or advice first.

Yes I run Linux as my desktop of choice now but I have 3 machines here with Win7/Avast (AIS) and install avast for people each week, I see no slow down or lag on any of these systems unlike the systems I install/test other AV's on.

If avast! is correctly installed there is no issue with system speed.

Good luck with your MSE now you have abandonded ship, I hope you have a large bailer and many fingers to plug the leaky holes you are going to encounter or did you sign up for the submarine service? 

[true indian]

MSE...Hmm i must tell you that i learnt somewhere that MSE had lately fired many people at it's virus lab...so the later half of analyst's are not awake half or more the time! 

P.S. dont forget to check the link in my signature out too 

[mchain]

Sorry you have issues with Avast! making your system much slower than expected.  Every system is configured differently, and use different security programs in combination with Avast!  I would suggest you (if you have it) turn off any real-time scanner programs such as SuperAntispware, or any other protective programs that run as an active scanner full-time and see if things improve.  Leave only Avast! and your firewall running, and then turn on real-time on other programs one by one and see what happens.

MSE, in case you didn't know, can be turned off without your knowledge, as when under attack by a malware event.  A simple "kill" command issued by the rogue program is all it takes.  No a/v protection after that happens.  Same thing is true of CA (Computer Associates) a/v.  Avast!, however, has a self-protection module that will prevent such a disable event.  Proof is in the pudding, as when a system restore is done, and user either did not know, or forgot, to turn off the protection module and Avast! then fails to start on completion of system restore.  Avast! will protect the module because the environment it previously was running under is now different.