AVG - slow and resource-hungry?

[john_g]

I've used AVG Free for years and have always been happy with it but nowadays its daily scan takes ages and slows my computer almost to the point of making it unusable. A scan takes over four hours to scan around a million objects and, during this time, CPU usage is 90-100%.

This is my set-up:
1.67 GHz Intel core duo processor
Memory: Slot 'M1' has 2048 MB, Slot 'M2' has 512 MB
Windows XP Pro SP3

I'd be interested to know whether other people's experience is similar or whether there is something I could, or should, do to make the scan less intrusive.

Thanks!

[Malcolm_Stewart]

That's quicker than mine, but your machine is better specified. I've put the slow scans down to having better (i.e.larger) backup drives, and with the Free edition, it's not possible, I believe, to customise the scanning to C: drive only.

[beejaybee]

and with the Free edition, it's not possible, I believe, to customise the scanning to C: drive only.

But you can disable the auto daily scan altogether - if you leave the thing scanning downloaded web content etc. "in real time" the protection you get is hardly affected. Leave the system doing a manual whole system scan overnight if you feel happier that way, or (if a desktop) leave it running 24/7 and schedule the scan for the small hours when you should be asleep rather than using the machine.

[swanseadave]

Hello John I find the best time to let AVG run is in the early hours when everyone`s asleep,thereby disrupting nothing.I have it set to start at 2AM and turn off the computer when it finishes.It works well for me.
BTW, a full scan takes 1-11/2 hours on mine.Are you on AVG 8.5?It seems to scan much quicker.
Cheers Dave

[john_g]

Yep - 8.5, latest version. Trouble is that I'm getting to the point where my laptop will never get turned off.

[BigWill]

Hi John. I use the free version (cheapskate that I am) and when you are installing it you have the option to "disable daily scanning" which I always choose because it takes ages and kicks in when you don't want it to, slows your computer to a crawl etc as has already been noted. As beejaybee says, you can do a manual scan when it suits you (not that I ever do! ) don't know if the free version has the facility to disable daily scanning once it's installed but if not you'll only have to un-install and then re-install remembering to "un-tick" the daily scan option during installation.

BigCheapskate

[Roger_Provins]

I don't really believe daily scanning is a necessity provide the anti-virus program has all the real time and on-line safeguards in place and the daily updates are promptly installed. Once a week should be okay for a complete scan and if everything has been setup correctly nothing should be found anyway.

I used AVG for many years but have for the last year switched to Avast! which I now prefer. It's also a good idea to have Spybot installed with its Teatimer running - again regular installation of updates is a necessity.

A program specifically aimed at trojans and malware (which anti-virus programs are not) is worth using. A-squared and Malware bytes are examples and both have free for home use editions.

Leaving computers running 24/7 just to do a virus scan is not a very green action plan.

[pachinkofan]

Free edition:

You can manually scan individual drives with the scan selected parts button on the computer scanner section.

You can disable the daily scan, and also pick which days and what times you want to scan.

As far as I'm aware the FREE edition doesn't scan on download.

You can select the speed of scan, to cut down cpu usage accordingly [personally I have it on fast scan, use the most of the cpu when I activate a 1 or 2am scan]

~~~~

edited from the avg website:

Web Shield
Screens your downloads and prevents accidental infections through IM chats

[shows as NOT included with the free version]

avg details page

G>

[john_g]

You can select the speed of scan, to cut down cpu usage accordingly [personally I have it on fast scan, use the most of the cpu when I activate a 1 or 2am scan]

That's really useful to know, thanks - I hadn't realised there was an option to change the scan speed. I've changed mine from "Automatic" to "Slow" and will report back after tonight's scan.

I'm not inclined to disable the daily scan. Despite having AVG, Spybot, Windows Defender and Comodo firewall (they all seem to live together quite amicably!), AVG's scan has, on rare occasions, caught rogue tracking cookies that have slipped through the net.

[beejaybee]

Leaving computers running 24/7 just to do a virus scan is not a very green action plan.

But running 24/7 is a great way of maximizing the reliability & ensuring long life of components like hard disks.... There is a compromise somewhere. I justify by (a) donating "spare" CPU cycles to a worthwhile distributed computing project (there are loads out there, climate modelling, protein folding, mathematical ...) (b) noting that I pay much less per unit for electricity consumed overnight (c) noting that the "waste heat" from the computer offsets the heating I'd be running most of the year anyway, in fact it probably is "greener" to heat your house with electricity than using a domestic oil or gas boiler and there's no difference in the heat given off by as waste from appliances and that given off by electric heaters - except that you get no useful CPU cycles from a toaster or an electric storage radiator.