Some more avast! service questions :-)

[Lars-Erik]

1) Why is the WebScanner service so large (4,3 MB), doesn't it use most of the same techniques as the Standard shield (3,7 MB)?

2) The Standard Shield (ashServ) keep ticking in "I/O reads" all the time. Getting a huge number (only ZA's vsmon has more). Even when no files are scanned (system idle) the I/O keep ticking in (5 Kbytes a second), why?  What is it scanning/monitoring when idle?

[igor]

How exactly do you "measure" these values?
(and, under which OS?)

[Lars-Erik]

Just checked the task monitor (Ctrl-Shift-Esc) in WinXP :-)

[sded]

1) Mine shows they are about the same size also--6.0 vs 7.2.  Don't know the algorithm differences, but dynamic download checking with all the embedded stuff sounds harder than static file checking.
2)You must have something else happening.  Mine shows ashserv.exe using .5KB/s for monitoring all the activities, nothing else.  Windows XP, SP2.  Look at the standard shield last scanned file to see what it is-too high for the normal monitoring unless your setup is quite different than mine.

[igor]

Well, I rather meant what values do you refer to (in Task Manager), regarding the size.

As for the in/out of Standard Shield - it's caused by MS Jet drivers, doing some reading from avast! database, as you can see e.g. in File Monitor. I'm afraid we cannot do anything about it, except for switching to a completely different storage and getting rid of the Jet drivers (which is planned for the future, but will certainly take some time).

[sded]

That explains at least part of the differences in 2).  I am using XML, not ODBC for data storage.

[Lars-Erik]

Can you choose how avast! stores its data?
I tough the Access database was the only way?

[sded]

Yes; under "common" in avast.ini add the line Database=XML .

[igor]

Note that the XML storage is limited - it doesn't store results of sessions in avast! Professional; even if you are willing to omit them (in avast! Pro), you should use the latest beta at least.

[Lars-Erik]

I don't very much save anything :-)
Besides I use the Home edition.

[Lars-Erik]

Yes; under "common" in avast.ini add the line Database=XML .

Do I have to copy something from the Acess database manually.
Or will avast! move all setting to XML when I change the setting?

[igor]

No, it won't - you'll have to configure it again, I'm afraid.

[Lars-Erik]

OK, but I guess one can let avast! make an empty XML file, and then copy the values from the Access database afterwards, or..?

Why doesn't the installer ask if one wants XML or Access btw?

[Dwarden]

OK, but I guess one can let avast! make an empty XML file, and then copy the values from the Access database afterwards, or..?

Why doesn't the installer ask if one wants XML or Access btw?

interesant question, but should be part only of custom install (advanced) not for n00bs

[igor]

As I was trying to explain in some other thread today, the XML storage is currently considered an "emergency backup" that's deployed when the usual method fails - so nothing we would like to ask the user about.