Looking for low resource/light impact antivirus

[jscher2000]

I just saw this same post in another thread. So I'll give the same reply.

In Task Manager I found that MsMpEng.exe was utilizing 99% on my CPU time. It would keep fluctuating between about 45% to 99% CPU time with 99% most of the time. ... I tried several suggested remedies, but MsMpEng remained a CPU hog.

These .exe was in Windows Defender and Windows Live OneCare, so there are indeed a lot of past posts about it. Not sure if the old advice remains applicable, but they boil down to three potential issues: (1) conflict with other real-time scanner, (2) malware hit (true or false), or (3) bug relating to a particular file format.

[Lil38reb]

I don't know what the cause was, but AVG was my prebious AV. It was complerely removed before MSE install. I have no other scanners or malware programs. I know MsMpEng is connected to MSE because when I end the process in Task Manager, MSE shuts down.

[Medico]

Thomas, I think both Rg and Jeff were pointing out that the posts you quoted about MsMpEng were most likely from Windows Defender, which is a much older app than MSE. In your case it very well could have been tied to MSE, but the much older posts you mentioned were pertaining to Windows Defender. Anyone that still has Windows Defender will find it is automatically disabled by MSE.

You also might check the newer MSE v2. The interface to Windows has been improved and perhaps this would solve your problem.

[cloudsandskye]

For antivirus software that is light on resources, ESET NOD32 Antivirus is well regarded in that respect. I've been using it for three years with XP Professional and have not had any problems. They offer a free trial, but make sure you uninstall your AVG before trying another antivirus, otherwise the two may conflict with each other.
http://www.eset.com/home/nod32-antivirus

Are you sure the sluggishness of your computer is due to the antivirus software? Do you perform regular maintenance on your computer, such as cleaning out temporary files and defragging the hard drive? Part of my weekly computer maintenance includes running the free maintenance software CCleaner. It does a good job of cleaning out most of the junk files. The only thing I still have to clean out manually is the Temp folder under Local Settings. Just be careful if you use the Registry Cleaner; I check all the registry parameters, except Unused File Extensions, and never had any trouble, but the registry is a tricky area. http://www.piriform.com

[tfspry]

I have tried MSE 1 and 2 (among others) on a few XP puters. For me MSE has been a Memory and CPU hog. Brings systems to a crawl.

I am now using the FREE version of AD-Aware on my XP puters . compare the results of memory and cpu usage on your own systems.

Lavasoft Ad-Aware free is available here ......
http://www.lavasoft.com/single/trialpay.php

choose the free version on left hand side.

[Banyarola]

If you go into SETTINGS on MSE 2.0 you can uncheck the spynet option..

And if that still doesn't satisfy you then there are plenty of free alternatives out there to replace MSE...

[jscher2000]

I have tried MSE 1 and 2 (among others) on a few XP puters. For me MSE has been a Memory and CPU hog. Brings systems to a crawl.

High CPU usage by MSE usually is attributable to a software conflict. Other threads on that here.

[Banyarola]

I don't know why the cpu would be high if you are not running a scan...I just checked mine and it moves between 0 and 5%..

It uses quite a bit during a scan though..

[physician97]

Take a look at this
Its not antivirus but its lightweight and free
I run it and you conceivably go without antivirus
http://www.sandboxie.com/
So far there is no malware trojan virus rootkit that can circumvent the protection. You select what you save to the hard drive and take out of the sandbox.


First read about it on the newsletter!

[jscher2000]

I run it and you conceivably go without antivirus

No one should run without anti-virus. Remember the principle of defense in depth! Also known as not putting all of your eggs in one basket.

[physician97]

I agree you should have an antivirus, but conceptually this product could make antivirus obsolete.
I use ESET NOD 32 to protect the OS, but now having used Sandboxie for about a month, its impressive.

[skp14]

Here's an actual test of the Lightest A/V's, including MSE version 2. It covers 18 categories.
http://www.raymond.cc/antivirus/

My favorite is the free Avast. A couple of tips for using it.

You can turn on the "Silent/Gaming Mode" to avoid popups. The only popup I get is the program updating its definitions each day. To enable this, right-click Avast icon and check Silent/Gaming Mode.

Avast 5 has a new feature called Persistent Cache for faster scanning. (I doubt the test had it enabled) To enable it - Open Avast interface, then Scan Computer, Full System Scan, Settings, Performance, check "Speed up scanning by using the persistent cache".

About Persistent Cache - http://blog.avast.com/2010/04/25/how...er-in-10-days/

Avast version 6 will be available soon after beta-testing is finished. You can use it now if you like. They're still working on ironing out the final parts...but I'll just wait on the new version to come out.
Beta 6 forum - http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=70655.0

[skp14]

Jeez... after posting this there seems to be issues with some computers with the new Avast 6. For now, I've switched to Avira Free, it consistently rates a bit better than Avast in detection rates and is usually in the Top 5 of all AV's in that aspect and is pretty light. MSE sounds like a good bet but I question their detection rates. Check out CNET for more reviews. (Avast 6 getting some bad reviews until the kinks are worked out). AVG free is a mess, many people having issues.

Tests - www.av-comparatives.org/ (Performance is lightness/system impact -- Whole Product is overall AV)
Free AV Feature Comparison - www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=290691
Roundup of AV Tests - www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=291821