Huge Slowdown - How Come?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Miller
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J

John Miller

I just noticed that Spyware Beta1 is running a good (or is the proper adjective, "bad"?) order of magnitude slower now than it was a week or so back. Is this due to vastly extended spyware definitions? Something else?

- John
 
Which version of MSAS are you running and what is the definition file date?

In MSAS, go to the HELP Menu and select About... the info is there.
 
It takes at least 10 to 15 mins to start up on my system, this is a bug in
performance that will be resolved by beta 2.
--

Andre
http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta
FAQ for MS AntiSpy http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/FAQ_MSantispy.htm

I just noticed that Spyware Beta1 is running a good (or is the proper
adjective, "bad"?) order of magnitude slower now than it was a week or so
back. Is this due to vastly extended spyware definitions? Something else?

- John
 
About once a week, mostly after the system has been on
about 4 or 5 hours, gcasdtserv.exe takes off. When I get
the task manager to come up (10 minutes) it shows that
this program is running over 90% of the cpu. I normally
have to reset my machine to go back to normal because it
would take me 30 minutes to do it the regular way when
this program is running.
 
AntiSpyware is v1.0.501; definitions are v5711.

Most recently, it was performing a scheduled full scan, processing files in
a little over one second each(!) I just aborted the scan, picked up v5713
of the definitions, and am running a manual scan even as I type. Progress
is vastly quicker.

Sure would like to know what the problem was, but some things just aren't
for mortals to comprehend, eh?

- John

Which version of MSAS are you running and what is the definition file date?

In MSAS, go to the HELP Menu and select About... the info is there.
 
You need to go back to MS and download the MSAS app again to update to
v1.0.509 - more improvements to be had! Just install over the top of 501.
 
Its first thing I start on my computer before I do anything else and leave
it let it launch while I go make coffee or go vacation. ;-)
 
Here's a little more information on my experience with slow performance of MS AntiSpyware.

Unlike several others, I never experience slow startup. Rather, I see V-E-R-Y slow scan progress (just over one second per file scanned) and heavy CPU utilization (well over 50% total on a P4-3.0 with hyperthreading enabled), but **only** during scheduled scans. If I abort the scheduled scan, then immediately run a full scan manually, it completes in about ten minutes.

One other oddity I noticed: although I had set up and scheduled the application under my account, today I noticed that it started (apparently from a previously-scheduled attempt) under the other account on my system while I was active on my account. At the time, the other account was logged in. Both accounts have full administrator privileges.

At first, I considered moving the startup for AntiSpyware from HKLM/.../Run to my account's HKCU/.../Run registry entry, but I don't believe that would have any effect other than to require that my account be logged in in order to start it and schedule automatic scans. It could - and probably would - elect, under whatever whim it might be choosing, to run under the other account if that account were logged in.

Sure hope Beta 2 addresses this issue.

- John
I just noticed that Spyware Beta1 is running a good (or is the proper adjective, "bad"?) order of magnitude slower now than it was a week or so back. Is this due to vastly extended spyware definitions? Something else?

- John
 
I think beta2 will address the multiple user situation.

On the performance issue, I recall seeing very early in the beta, some reports that scanning was slowed when some particular antivirus (can't recall which) was also doing real-time scanning.

You might try disabling your antivirus to see whether that changes things.

--
FAQ for Microsoft Antispyware:
http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/FAQ_MSantispy.htm

Here's a little more information on my experience with slow performance of MS AntiSpyware.

Unlike several others, I never experience slow startup. Rather, I see V-E-R-Y slow scan progress (just over one second per file scanned) and heavy CPU utilization (well over 50% total on a P4-3.0 with hyperthreading enabled), but **only** during scheduled scans. If I abort the scheduled scan, then immediately run a full scan manually, it completes in about ten minutes.

One other oddity I noticed: although I had set up and scheduled the application under my account, today I noticed that it started (apparently from a previously-scheduled attempt) under the other account on my system while I was active on my account. At the time, the other account was logged in. Both accounts have full administrator privileges.

At first, I considered moving the startup for AntiSpyware from HKLM/.../Run to my account's HKCU/.../Run registry entry, but I don't believe that would have any effect other than to require that my account be logged in in order to start it and schedule automatic scans. It could - and probably would - elect, under whatever whim it might be choosing, to run under the other account if that account were logged in.

Sure hope Beta 2 addresses this issue.

- John
I just noticed that Spyware Beta1 is running a good (or is the proper adjective, "bad"?) order of magnitude slower now than it was a week or so back. Is this due to vastly extended spyware definitions? Something else?

- John
 
Thanks for the suggestion; I'll give it a try. (I'm using ZoneAlarm Security Suite).

- John
I think beta2 will address the multiple user situation.

On the performance issue, I recall seeing very early in the beta, some reports that scanning was slowed when some particular antivirus (can't recall which) was also doing real-time scanning.

You might try disabling your antivirus to see whether that changes things.
 
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