avast On-Access slows down boot time

[gfngfgf]

System: Windows XP SP1 Home, Celeron 1.2GHz, 768MB RAM, avast version 4.1.319

Hello,

Apologies if this question has already been posted, but when my computer boots, the on-access scanner scans files like crazy.  If I leave it and wait for it to stop, it scans about 400-450 files before I've even run a single program.  I have only a few programs that start when Windows starts.  When I double-click the tray icon and check under "standard shield", it shows that it is scanning files that I *never* use, not just files that are accessed during startup.  For instance, it likes to scan numerous uninstal.exe's which are on my hard drive.

Anyway, I'd like to know if there is a way to disable this boot-time scanning without disabling the on-access protection entirely.  The extra scanning almost doubles my boot time, which is just ridiculous, and my system is virtually unusable until the scanning completes.  Thank you for any help.

Cheran

[Vlk]

One way would be to force the avast service to start later. The avast service is just a standard NT system service (controllable via Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services applet) and the way this is normally is by creating a dependency on a service that starts later. However if you're running a plain vanilla XP there's not really much services suitable for this...

Anyway, two things should be said:

1. I'm shocked that your boot time takes 2 times longer with avast. On our machines, the impact on performance of this early start of the on-access scanner is nearly negligible...
2. All the files you see in the list of scanned files really are accessed! avast doesn't make it up! So theoretically if any of these files was really infected you'd probably change your mind about 'ridiculity' of this scanning...

BTW do you have the resident scanner sensitivity set to Normal or High?

Thanks
Vlk

[gfngfgf]

Well, I might have exaggerated a bit on that "2 times as long", but it definitely is not negligible.  The scanner sensitivity is set to Normal.  I'll try messing with the Services applet a little bit.

Thank you for your help.  Now I'm curious why all those programs are accessed during my boot.  

[Lisandro]

Well, I might have exaggerated a bit on that "2 times as long", but it definitely is not negligible.  The scanner sensitivity is set to Normal.  I'll try messing with the Services applet a little bit.

Thank you for your help.  Now I'm curious why all those programs are accessed during my boot.  

If it helps, Startup Delayer can show and control your auto-run programs at boot. Formely, Startup Delayer allows programs to start in a more orderly fashion by setting how many seconds after Windows has started, to load each program.  The effect that this gives is that you gain control of the system much faster, and the program that was launched will launch faster as it does not have to share the CPU with other programs.  

[gfngfgf]

Thank you.  I'll try that out.