Help keeping Avast services disabled

system · 2007-05-14T22:33:54.000Z

Whenever I now update Avast (4.7.1001) the two services I have set to “disabled” (Asw UpdSv.exe and ashServ.exe) are reset to “automatic”. This never used to happen and it’s driving me nuts having to constantly reset the services to disabled. I am not using the resident scanner–only on-demand. Any ideas? BTW, I do love Avast.

DavidR · 2007-05-14T22:48:39.000Z

avast is designed to be an on-access resident scanner and I have no idea why you would want to cripple it in that way ?

ashServ.exe is the main scanning engine and with that disabled theoretically you don’t have an on-demand scan either. It may be that integrity checking/registry entries are restoring the automatic running of the service.

So what are you using for resident protection ?

system · 2007-05-14T22:57:11.000Z

Thanks DavidR. Sure I can scan without ashServ.exe running–been doing it for years. But for some reason this newest version does in fact change the registry settings back to automatic.

I don’t use a resident scanner because I really don’t feel the need for it. Virtually never had a virus and the one time I did I just restored my constantly updated Acronis True Image.

Can you help me understand why people would want to slow their systems down by using a resident scanner, when you can restore a good image in 6 minutes? I have never really understood this.

DavidR · 2007-05-14T23:49:19.000Z

Well I don’t have a powerful system as you can see from my signature and I see zero impact from running avast and the resident scanners. With one exception, they are on the Normal ‘default’ sensitivity setting and that provides a good compromise between performance and protection. I have Standard Shield, Internet Mail (High), Web Shield and Network Shield providers running, I don’t use P2P and Instant Messaging applications.

I also use an imaging application (Drive Image 7.1) but I feel that there really is no performance benefit from crippling avast, certainly not on my system. Over the past program updates the scanning engine has been improved and I’m a believer in the prevention rather than cure is best.

For that very unlikely event of being hit by a trojan, keylogger, etc. that could seriously compromise your security without your knowledge. So any malware that manages to get past your defences (non existent if you have no resident providers enabled) could have free reign to connect to the internet to either download more of the same, pass your personal data (sensitive or otherwise, user names, passwords, keylogger retrieved data, etc.) or open a backdoor to your computer, so outbound protection is essential.

Your system, your choice.

Lisandro · 2007-05-15T00:47:45.000Z

ltsnow post:3:

Can you help me understand why people would want to slow their systems down by using a resident scanner, when you can restore a good image in 6 minutes? I have never really understood this.

You could find a good balance between performance and protection.
Of course, safe surfing is a practice that could protect you more than one can imagine.
But there are people who loves to live dangerously…

Besides this, better safe than sorry.
Set your Standard Shield level to Custom and disable the open/create/modified files to be scanned and you’ll achieve, maybe, a better security level than disabling the antivirus at all…

system · 2007-05-15T01:44:13.000Z

Thanks for your input folks. Actually, Avast isn’t bad when it comes to performance hits (especially when compared to other resident scanners). Maybe I am living somewhat dangerously, but I do take many precautions–never opening unknown emails, using good Hosts file, using spywareblaster, all xp updates, scan any untrusted programs before installation, do on-demand scans regularly.

I’ve just never had a problem (knock wood). Of course, I do play around with quite a bit of software, but when I’m done I just “start all over” with a clean image–gets rid of all the registry entries, not to mention any possible undesirable files. Thanks again.

DavidR · 2007-05-15T12:10:20.000Z

Your welcome, though I still can’t understand why you would want to do it (even with the precautions you take) for the what I consider limited performance benefit.

I even run all my applications that connect to the internet under DropMyRights (signature) along with a degree of common sense should seem me OK, but that also points me towards running a resident AV.

Lisandro · 2007-05-15T13:26:12.000Z

I suggest you consider:

Clean your temporary files from time to time: [ur=http://www.stevengould.org/downloads/cleanup/]CleanUp[/url] or the Windows Advanced Care features for that.
Download, install, update and run other trojan remover tools: a-squared and/or Free AVG Antispyware (trojan removers). Some users recommend SUPERantispyware or Spyware Terminator.
Besides the immunization of SpywareBlaster I suggest the Windows Advanced Care features of spyware/adware cleaning and removal.

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