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Author Topic: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.  (Read 3037 times)

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shortwave

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Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« on: March 10, 2010, 04:50:11 PM »
Hi all, I have done some searching but can't find any other reports of the problem I'm experiencing.

I use an SD card and adaptor to store all my downloads, and make a point of running the Avast! quick scanner from the context menu on all new items before opening them. I have noticed for some time that there is a delay before the actual scan begins. The message "Initialising Engine" shows and no interrogation of the card reader occurs. But this delay has been getting longer - it can be over a minute - during which time the HDD activity light is on continuously, and the drive can be heard working furiously.

Wondering if this is related to using an external drive, I tried downloading to a folder on the HDD and the same thing happens. The actual scan is not a problem - I know from other threads that it's a very thorough process, and the time taken depends on the file size. One thing that seems to be relevant is the time between scans. If I do them within a few minutes there is no problem, but if I haven't done any scanning for about 30 minutes or so I get the delay again. 

The PC is an NEC M5210 with 768Mb RAM, and I'm using v4.8.1368 on XP home SP3.

I regularly perform housekeeping with CCleaner, and Defraggler, and otherwise It's working fine (apart from the update hogging memory, which I work round by pausing the Web Shield).

Any ideas?
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Offline Lisandro

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Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2010, 12:54:45 PM »
Hmmm... Time to go to avast 5 version, don't you think?
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shortwave

  • Guest
Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2010, 12:48:01 PM »
I rather feared that might be the suggestion.  However at the moment I am seeing far too many problems being reported - I know that many are due to not fully removing the old version before installing the new, but for now I think I'll sit tight and put up with this annoyance.

Thanks anyway.
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Offline Gandalf1369

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Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2010, 01:12:58 PM »
Yeah there are problems being reported here on the forum.  BUT - keep in mind that most users for which the software (this or any other) works well will NOT post here.  Considering the number of reported avast! users (Free, Pro, and IS) versus the number of problems posts, I think you are pretty safe in upgrading to the newest version.

As you said, make sure that you fully remove the 4.8 version and then install the latest version 5 per the steps posted in other messages - I believe you will have no problems.
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Windows 10 (64bit); 8GB RAM; Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Pro; avast Free (latest version)

B s Smith

  • Guest
Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2010, 01:30:40 PM »
It might just be Windows virtual memory having to swap things about if your machine has been busy.
Does it happen immediately after a restart?
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Offline Shiw Liang

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Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2010, 01:59:38 PM »
No worry follow this well and this installation of avast 5 will be a no worry :)
Go there:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=56983.0
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Mr.Agent

  • Guest
Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2010, 02:40:38 PM »
4.8 uninstalled since .377 was released and no a single problem. Remember that .462 is out and there was alot bugs fixed.
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shortwave

  • Guest
Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2010, 02:17:37 PM »
I did wonder if it was a page file issue, but it doesn't seem connected to whether the PC is being used intensively or not. And on the odd occasion when there is a lot of swapping going on I know about it, as the performance is degraded until it's complete. As I said it is more related to how long since the last usage of Quick Scanner.

I take the point about the number of complaints vs the number of users, but I just don't want to be one of the unlucky ones with a PC that won't even boot!

I had seen Shiw Liang's post and will print that out, along with any other instructions. I will also turn the router off whilst doing it. As per some of the comments on his post I carry out regular scans with Avast!, SUPERAntiSpyware, and Malwarebytes. I also have Prevx 3.0 which I must remember to disable first.

I may try upgrading on my other laptop first - I don't use it so much. I also have my parents desktop to consider, but I certainly want to see how the new version works before doing that. I get quite enough calls for "help" as it is!

Thanks again.
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shortwave

  • Guest
Re: Avast! "Quick Scanner" delay.
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2010, 02:04:14 PM »
I think I have found the answer.  I have been having difficulties getting some YouTube videos to play - searching revealed many other similar complaints. This thread: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/forum/1/558263  suggested 2 culprits: Download Helper, and Avast (both v4.8 & 5.xxx).

In my case the "Intelligent Stream Scanning" function was causing the difficulty. I un-ticked this option in the Web Shield and have not had any further problems, either with YouTube or with the Avast! Quick Scanner. This now starts scanning almost immediately, but still appears to be doing a thorough job - video clips take 20-30 seconds or more, depending on size.

Can anyone explain what this does, and what is the risk of it being turned off?
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