ashWebSv.exe locks CPU at 100%

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

ashWebSv.exe has been running at 100% CPU (50% of a dual CPU machine) for a long time (hours?).

Attached is a screen shot of Task Manager. I’m not sure what other information to provide to help analyze the issue. I’m running Win XP Pro x64.

I did “Stop on access protection”, but the process remained running.

I killed the ashWebSv.exe from task manager, and restarted on access protection and the CPU returned to normal.

I had noticed strange hitches in my mouse motion, and the restart seems to have resolved these.

2

I have only experienced this once and that was only a couple of days ago, I am however using the latest avast beta, 4.7.971 and on XP Pro 32 bit.

Something and I know not what that was cause web shield to effectively hang, terminating the provider didn’t achieve, the service was still running in Task Manager. Unlike you I went to the Administrator Tools, Services and stopped it there and then restarted it at the same place. I had to restart the Web Shield provider also and everything back to normal and no recurrence since then.

What version of avast are you using ?
Does this happen on a regular basis ?

Even at present in you image the CPU of 53% seems high, what were you doing at the time ?
Mine CPU drops to 00 when not actively browsing like it is whilst compiling this reply, see image.

3

Please, activate logging in WebShield:

  1. Edit \data\avast4.ini file
  2. Find the section [WebScanner]
  3. Add the line:
    EnableLogging=1
  4. Restart Web Shield in XP (terminate and start again) or whole PC in case of Win98
  5. Browse (trying to access some webpages)

The log file are \data\log\ashwebsv.log and ashwebsv.ws.
They would be accessible when WebShield is terminated again.
Post them here or send by mail to rypacek (at) asw.cz
After that, disable the logging to avoid a big log file.

4

I’m using Avast 4.7.986 on Win Xp 64bit
The CPU bound lockup has not recurred.
I’ve enabled logging.

5

The window you posted did not show all the processes on your system. Are you using any form of P2P software on your system or perhaps some type of streaming content connection?

6

Its a fairly clean XP 64 bit install. No browser add-ins, not even Google Toolbar.

Installed software of possible note:

Skype
Citrix GoToMeeting
Visual Studio 2005 (for developing C# .Net web apps)
SourceGear Vault client (source control with Internet connection to repository)
Outlook 2007

I’m sure that Skype and GoToMeeting were not active when the CPU was locked. However, it is possible either a Skype phone call or a GoToMeeting had been done earlier before the 100% CPU was noticed.

7

I’m not an X64 user but I do use Skype to talk to my son in the UK and that never causes a blip on avast and avast is not scanning the ports used by Skype.

I guess we will have to await another incident and what is shown by the log