Very impressed with scanning speeds

[MikeBCda]

I don't know if it's primarily the new caches, or other changes in the scanning engines, but I'm extremely impressed with the improvement in scanning speed in v5 396 (free version) as compared with 4.8.

I've got something like 6 gigs of data, not including archives (call it around 9-10 gigs total, with archives expanded), and under 4.8 a standard scan (or whatever it was called, the intermediate one) with archives excluded typically took around 15 minutes.

The help files' description implies about a 15-20 percent expected increase in speed after the persistent cache has been generated.  My first full-system scan in v5, last weekend with both cache settings ticked, took just under an hour, of which most of the increase in time was pretty obviously generating the persistent cache plus unpacking and scanning archives (I left the default packer settings as-is).

Second scan, with the same settings, was just a short while ago, and took only about 8 minutes -- just over half the time it took 4.8 to scan without doing the archives.

Way to go, Alwil!  

[Shiw Liang]

Wait hey guys,
You know how to make the scan more accurate right so...Can you give us some suggestion or something we should modify in the scan for more accurate detections or for faster scanning speed?

[DavidR]

I'm still debating what is essential to scan. The Quick Scan is obviously there for a purpose as only the system drive, Rootkit and Auto-Start programs and this is up to a point covering the essential areas.

For me the last one I did was today (and I have still been tweaking) was 2.9 GB, 15988 files in 44 seconds.

On 4.8 I used to do Local Disks, Normal sensitivity without archives. So that is the one I'm trying to emulate and see comparative times.

The other scans with the use of the Persistent caching will take a few runs to stabilise. Just done a Full System Scan (probably roughly equivalent to the 4.8 one above), 9.33 GB, 60,626 files, 3minutes 37 seconds; so about half the time...

[Shiw Liang]

Wow but did you modify the setting of the full scan ?
If yes can you please tell me if there is an option that can be ticked for better performance?

[DavidR]

Not really, pretty much set to defaults.

I just checked the Store data about scanned files in the persistent cache (which I think is off by default) and initially that would slow the scan but over time as the persistent cache database is built up scan times should come down.

But don't be blinded by my results, that relates to my system, which is relatively quick and there isn't a large amount of data being scanned (I don't retain tons of junk).

[bikemanAMD]

Scan Speed is Excellent with Avast 5, Compared to 4.8 on this System, as well as a short time when i tested Microsoft Security Essentials,   Considering I have Alot of Games installed, pretty big download folder, 96gbs of Music, and misc stuff, about an hour or two to scan, compared to about 3 hours with previous security software

[bobo1]

Oh! Latest version 5 is still a wee bit slow on my system. (Stop laughing out there! is a IBM 600e 400mhz 385mb ram pentium 2 is old and antique old computer built in the year 1999. Can you remember the good old ZX SPECTRUMS!!) still takes around 2 hours to scan my system on full scan. Quick scan is very fast though takes 10 mins!?. Boot time scan is better than full scan takes 46 mins on my system. Maybe V5 is now too powerfull for very old spec computers in the 1990s era! as there must be several of these old computers in the third world? 

[igor]

Well, the main target of avast! 5 optimizations are not ancient CPUs (such as P-II), but it still should be faster than avast! 4 - most of the optimizations are pretty generic, i.e. should apply to all systems.
Also, the reduced memory usage should definitely help (regarding the "responsiveness" of the whole system).

[hpguru]

I enjoy new Avast 5 IS. Very simple, effective and fast!

[DavidR]

Oh! Latest version 5 is still a wee bit slow on my system. (Stop laughing out there! is a IBM 600e 400mhz 385mb ram pentium 2 is old and antique old computer built in the year 1999. Can you remember the good old ZX SPECTRUMS!!) still takes around 2 hours to scan my system on full scan. Quick scan is very fast though takes 10 mins!?. Boot time scan is better than full scan takes 46 mins on my system. Maybe V5 is now too powerfull for very old spec computers in the 1990s era! as there must be several of these old computers in the third world? 

Wont everything be a little slow on your system

Seriously with the persistent cashe, over time as this cache gets populated scan times should come down a little. As for your assumption about too powerful for old systems, avast5 uses less resources, so in theory it should be better.

[bobo1]

Yes happy with the latest version of 5. If i hit trouble with a virus i now use boot time scan now. So far good.