avast! Internet Security and Alt.binz

Hi everybody.

I am posting this in the hope that SOMEBODY will have an answer for me.

I am testing avast! IS 6, now before I buy it I want to know how good it will treat me…

I run Alt.binz, it downloads articles, but it sits on 0%, then it’s just complete, then the next article…
So it’s like 400kbps then 0, then 400 then 0 etc.
This is irritating me, because I would like to use my firwall without this hassle.
Sure I can disable NNTP scanning in the mail shield… But that doesn’t fix it. I have to disable the firewall. Come on…
I have been using Kaspersky IS for some time now. I like it a lot, but in my heart somewhere avast! cries. USE ME, YOU LOVE ME!!!

The issue is this. I want to use avast! IS. I want to PAY MONEY for it, because there is finally a place in South Africa I can buy it…
But why should I if I never had any problems with Kaspersky IS?

I mean, I have to disable the NNTP scanning, that’s fine, just shows avast! scans things like that… But to have to disable the firewall. That’s just pathetic.

I am typing this to vent and to get help. I would really like help. Most people just use the free edition, for them it’s easy disable NNTP scanning. But as for IS… No such luck with a Google search…

Help.
Please.

Thanks in advance.

May I suggest that you don’t shout at people you want help from and stop complaining that noone answered in whopping 24 minutes?! Thanks in advance.

Back to the question - how large are the articles (files) you download? For small files, Avast will download the entire file, scan, pass back to the client. For larger files, small parts of the file will be scanned as the download progresses to prevent timeouts. Pretty much the norm for any AV out there.

I don’t mind it scanning. That is awesome, I feel safe.

The problem is that I want realistic speeds in my download. Some files are rather large, but mostly small.
With other AVs it doesn’t change the way Alt.binz records speed.

The real download speed doesn’t change. The speed shown in your client might not be accurate. As for the second sentence, I completely disagree. As said, this handling is pretty much standard for all AVs out there. Then again, I have never heard about Alt.binz application, perhaps it is special.

Then please explain why it says 440KBPS with avast! off and then 0 then 440 then 0 then 440 constantly with it on.

But with Kaspersky, no settings adjusted 440KBPS constantly.

As said, depends on the size of the file and on particular implementation of “trickling” in each individual AV (i.e., how large parts of the download are scanned before getting passed back to the client and how long does it take to scan them). Anyway I don’t really get what’s the big issue here, the file downloads as downloaded before.

OK. So there is no way to make it download the way I want it to?

Should I rather get the Pro version rather than the IS version?

I very much doubt that switching between Free/Pro/AIS will change anything wrt the inaccurate download speed shown in your beloved Alt.binz application.

I think differently.
If I disable NNTP with free edition, everything is cool.
But if I use IS, I have to disable NNTP and the firewall.

So the Pro version doesn’t have the firewall and I can disable NNTP…

Well if you have multiple systems (3) purchasing the AIS version is cheaper as it is for up to 3 systems. Then do a custom install and don’t include the firewall module (or anti-spam if you don’t need it) and that would leave you with avast Pro.

So if you have 2-3 systems that would make it cheaper per unit price than buying the Pro version which starts at a single user license.

Also if you have the free version installed at the time, there is usually a discount on upgrading to the AIS (or Pro) version also.

Well, then you should probably delete the (probably broken) firewall rule for Alt.binz and let AIS create a new one, allowing it as needed. I still don’t get how would the FW affect the reported download speed in the client and I’d suggest to verify with different NNTP client.

Grabit does the same.

I want the Kaspersky firewall, with the avast! less false positives-ness. I am getting sick of false positives with Kaspersky.

I’d strongly suggest against installing any AV alongside Kaspersky suite. Will almost certainly result in unbootable machine.

I know. I just want the best of both. I also prefer the avast! GUI… :-\

Seriously, how about just moving on? Let the files download, there’s no need to stare at the download speeed reported in the client? ???

OK, let me explain. Some things are cached. Some things aren’t. I like to group them so that I get all the cached stuffed first. But if I can’t see the speed I can’t tell what’s cached.