Extreme slow down on version 5.0.594. Fixed when disabling behavior module.

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I am using Avast Free version 5.0.594. I am experiencing extreme slow response from computer system. This happens when loading up web pages, using Usenext application and other applications. I have scanned the system and all is well.

My compuer specs are as follows:

  • Intel Core 2 6600 2.4Ghz (3GB RAM), 7200RPM SATA drives.
  • Windows XP SP3 and patched
  • Avast 5.0.594
  • Standard windows firewall
  • No other malware other than innoculation done by spywareblaster.
  • I have never been infected on this unit.
  • This unit did have 4.x installed. I installed 5.x over the 4.x (didn’t uninstall 4.x).

Not sure if this started happening with this version or a slightly newer version of 5.x, but somewhere after the 5.x upgrade this started happening. Disabling behavior module solves the problem. Back to normal speeds.

Is there any info as to why this happens. I have 50 plus users (family, friends, coworkers) that I have directed to use this software at home and I hope all 50 plus are not experiencing the same thing.

It would be great to know if there is any new info as to why this happens and why disabling the behavior module this fixes it.

Thanks for your time.

Greg

2

Well 5.0.594 was meant to have improvements in the behaviour shield to resolve slowdowns related to it, I’m on XP Pro SP3 with a similar system performance wise and even with earlier builds of 5.0 I didn’t experience any problems with the behaviour shield and performance.

It may be worth doing a clean reinstall:

  • Download the latest version of avast, 5.0.594 http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_av_free.exe and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again (if you didn’t save your last download). Use that when you reinstall.

  • Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, aswClear5.exe find it here and save it to your HDD (it has uninstall tools for both 4.8 and 5.0).

    1. Now uninstall (using add remove programs, if you can’t do that start from the next step), reboot.- 2. run the avast! Uninstall Utility from safe mode, first for 4.8 if previously installed and then for 5.0, once complete reboot into normal mode.- 3. install the latest version, reboot.
3

That’s what I will do and report how it responds after following that procedure. It may be a day before I can do it, but I’ll report back.

Thanks

4

You’re welcome good luck.

5

I finally got around to doing the uninstall and then using the manual uninstall utility and then re-install.

At this point it seems to doing fine with Behavior Module enabled.

I’ll report back if anything changes.

6

Good news, thanks for the feedback.