In the last few weeks, using Windows Task Manager and other tools like WinTask, I noticed that ashServ.exe eats up to 90% of the CPU power.
This happens veeeeery frequently (i.e. every 10 seconds the process takes 90%, then drops for 20 secs. then up again to 90%), making many programs, especially games, very difficult to use. Mouse pointer hangs for some seconds, music stops playing and so on.
I tried to re-download and re-install Avast Home from scratch, but the problem still occurs.
I do the usual things (web surfing and some torrent download) I did some weeks ago, but the problem occurs since a week only (after a program update?).
The only solution is to disable avast from the taskbar icon, leaving the system undefended.
My settings: all shields up at “normal” level. I mostly use uTorrent and MorphXT (EMule clone). Anyway the problem occurs also when they are not running. I have and Athlon 3800+ and 2GB RAM.
It would help if we could know which file is being scanned at that time…
Could you let the standard shield window opened and see which file is being scanned when the CPU is eated?
Which other security programs do you use? Firewall, antispyware, other monitor tools, etc.
Here are two screenshots: the shields status and 1-minute history of the CPU usage.
I think the latest scanned file is not much significant, since the problem occurs also when no other programs are running (i.e. after some minute the latest file had been scanned). Also, please note from the graph that no new tasks were launched during its drawing. The PC was completely idle. It seems that ashServ.exe eats CPU power for no reasons at all. There were few tasks in the background (the ATI taskbar icon and the EPSON printer status icon, plus all the usual system stuff).
As for other security software, I have Webroot Spysweeper as antispyware, and the Windows default firewall active (I have an hardware firewall into the router).
Actually I had to remove Avast, since the PC was almost unusable. Please note that simply disabling the single services did not work. I had to kill ashServ.exe from Windows TaskManager to set my CPU free.
What I’d like to point out, is that the problem started to happen suddenly, even if I did NOT install any new software; therefore the problem itself is very harder to solve.
I’m not sure how to solve or help here.
Maybe using a debugger and send the dump file to Vlk (but your system does not crash, even avast crash, just use the CPU…).
Please check the folder \data\log
Are there any files called unpXXXX there (where XXXX is a random number)?
If so, send them to vlk@avast.com
They may contain more information about the problem (maybe a link to this thread).
Thanks for taking the time to find and post the link plutorek.
Unfortunately it only suggests disabling the P2P Shield provider or having it scan uTorrent, this only masks the symptoms and doesn’t resolve the problem and could also leave you more vulnerable.
Like David said, you won’t just throw all the problem over avast P2P shield…
Isn’t uTorrent development team - and Alwil team of course - anything to work on this problem?
Disabling will only bring troubles with infections later (specially if user disable Standard Shield, even for a while…) :-\