Standard Shield Question

[Twister997]

Ok, I recently switched from Norton to Avast, has no problems uninstalling norton or installing Avast.

I'm having a problem now, that the standard shield seems to be scanning random parts of my system while I'm playing a game. It causes single lag spikes every once in a while, and I'm trying to figure out, why it is scanning things on my harddrive that aren't being accessed. Since as far as I've read, Standard Shield only scans files that are opened, or created/modified.

The only things that are running, are Avast, my Firewall, and my game, and with the detailed info option checked, I noticed it scanning my Ad-Aware, Nero,  SpyBot, and a bunch of other random things that I can't read fast enough to catch. I'm noticing, that it seems to just scan a random part of my harddrive each time. It doesn't seem to have a pattern, also, it isn't constant. It scan a couple of things here and a couple of things there for no apparent reason.

Thank you  for any help you can provide. Sorry for the legnth of the post.

Oh, almost forgot..... WinXP Pro, 3.2 P4 w/ 1 gig of ram......Avast Home 4.6.763....VPS 0616-2
the Firewall is the ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.1.774, antivirus and antispyware for it are turned off, and while I'm at it, the game is Maple Story

[Lisandro]

Why it is scanning things on my harddrive that aren't being accessed.

I bet something you don't know is really accessing that files...
Maybe Google Desktop Search, maybe the indexing service, maybe anything else running in background.

Since as far as I've read, Standard Shield only scans files that are opened, or created/modified.

Which is yours sensitivity level at Standard Shield?

[Twister997]

Hmm...sensitivity level is normal for all of the on access Shields.

I don't have google desktop search, I don't have any toolbars, I despise them for the things they tend to do on top of their added features. and I have indexing service disabled also, I have all unnecessary services turned off, I configured using BlackVipers Xp Services guide. Also, the only things i have set to start on start up are my antivirus and firewall.

I know what you meant with those examples, and as I type I'm checkng my system for anything that I know I didn't put there....I'll see how that goes. Thanks again for your help

[Lisandro]

Hmm...sensitivity level is normal for all of the on access Shields.

At least the exe and dll files are scanned while 'running'.

Also, the only things i have set to start on start up are my antivirus and firewall.

The game, the firewall... something is being thriggered for sure...

If you check the Standard Shield panel, which is the 'last' scanned file?

[Twister997]

the last scanned file changes, I've noticed, a least a couple of times now, that when opening a webpage it seems to scan what one would figure would be scanned, on closing a the web page, it scans random things. Also, this is random, it's not always scanning strange things, just once in a while.

Right now the last couple of files were:

loadpref.dll
ashDisp.exe

Files I found strange to be scanned that I can remember, so far have been:

Ad-Aware
SpyBot
Nero

Mostly it scrolls by too fast for me to read all of them. Is there any way of generating a saved list, instead of just the active one?

[Lisandro]

I think normal if the files are being accessed just to display the icon of their link, for instance.
You should believe: ashserv.exe scans ONLY the files accessed (run). There is no sense in another behavior, as the antivirus will use resources for what it's not set for. Of course, I imagine you're not running a on-demmand scanning in background...

[Twister997]

No, wasn't running a scan heh. Hmm...Avast just got a Program update, I guess I'll see if that fixes it , anyway, I'm just continuing a system cleaning now, and I see how things go after that.

[CharleyO]

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Welcome to the forums, Twister997.   

Let us know how things turn out.


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